Seb listened, a knot forming in his stomach. Each of his friends had his welfare in mind, yet their counsel pulled him in different directions.
“Seb,” Toby said, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder, “don’t rush into anything. There has to be a logical explanation for all of this.”
Seb sighed, the weight of the mate bond heavy on his shoulders. “I want to believe that. But how can I be sure?”
The room was silent for a moment, each man lost in thought. Then Ezra spoke up, his voice firm, “Trust is earned, Seb. If Clara is on our side, she’ll prove it.”
“Clara could never betray you,” Max said firmly.
Carter nodded his agreement. He was the only other one of their number who had found his mate, and there had been some fear over her loyalties in the beginning, too. “If she’s innocent, confronting her might push her away. Trust is a difficult thing to gain back once it’s been lost.”
“Maybe she’s in deeper than we know, playing a dangerous game for the right reasons,” Logan suggested, trying to piece together the fragmented information.
Seb stopped pacing and looked at each of his friends, their faces a mosaic of concern and loyalty. “I just... I need to know the truth.”
“And you will,” Toby assured him. “Just be careful not to let suspicion cloud your judgment. The mate bond is rare, and it’s not something to be taken lightly.”
Seb exhaled slowly, the room’s collective advice swirling in his mind. He knew one thing for certain—the men before him were his brothers in every way that counted. Their differing views didn’t stem from doubt in him but from their own protective instincts.
“I won’t do anything rash,” he promised, his voice steady. “I’ll find out the truth. For Clara, for us, and for this mission.”
His friends nodded, their expressions resolute. They were a team, bound by more than just their shifter nature, and whatever Seb decided, they would be there to support him.
As they dispersed back to their rooms, Seb stood alone in the quiet of the living room, the weight of his next actions pressing down on him. His bear stirred within, but it had been surprisingly quiet.
Trust mate, it instructed. Seb sighed. If only it was that simple. Seb had a decision to make, and he needed to choose wisely. His entire future depended on it.
Chapter Four
Clara
Clara sat quietlyat her kitchen table, staring down at her cellphone. She had just finished a call with Senior Officer Lopez, her handler at the CIA. The conversation had been brief—she’d informed him of her meeting with Martinez the night before and he’d asked her to go in for a debriefing. As she sat there, worrying at her bottom lip, her thoughts drifted to the previous night. She had returned home to find Seb gone—his side of the bed cold. His absence in the apartment had been disappointing. She had hoped he would sleep through her clandestine excursion, but it seemed her luck had run out.
Just as she was steeling herself to call him, her phone buzzed with an incoming call. Seb’s name flashed on the screen, and she hesitated for a moment before answering.
“Seb,” she said, trying to keep her voice even.
“Hey, Clara,” Seb’s voice came through, tinged with apology. “I’m sorry for just leaving like that last night. When I woke up and saw you weren’t there, I thought you might’ve gone into work or something.”
She sighed, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “No, I didn’t go into work. I just... needed to clear my head, so I went for a run in my wolf form.”
There was a pause on the line, and Clara could almost feel the weight of his skepticism. “Oh, a run. I see.”
The words were simple, but the subtext was clear. He didn’t believe her, and it twisted in her gut like a knife. She hated lying to her mate, but the mission she was on allowed for no breaches of secrecy—not if they were going to catch the mole in the agency.
“You should have woken me. I would have come with you,” Seb said.
“Maybe next time.”
“Listen, Clara, I was thinking,” Seb said, breaking the silence. “Why don’t we go out somewhere and have dinner tonight? Just the two of us—get to know each other a bit more.”
She bit her lip, the lie coming easier this time, though it tasted just as bitter. “I’m sorry, Seb, I can’t tonight. I already have plans with friends.”
“Friends,” Seb repeated, and she could hear the frown in his voice. “Sure, maybe some other time then.”
She winced at the disappointment in his tone. “Yes, another time. I’d like that.”
“Okay, take care, I’ll…I’ll talk to you soon,” Seb said before ending the call.
