Exposed (MSW book 3) [SAMPLE]

Chapter 3 - Dylan

This is a SAMPLE only.

MAY 2022 UPDATE: Go read "Lucy", a spinoff of the Masked SheWolf trilogy, now updating on Wattpad, and its "Behind the Scenes" companion book that includes character profiles and a complete recap of the trilogy, as told by the characters in interview format.

***

I found out a month ago. Zoey was just out of the hospital, and the first thing she did was to ask to see me. She came with Daniel, who'd already known but hadn't wanted to tell me until Zoey was ready.

"The first time we talked to John, I introduced him to Daniel, and it turned out John knew he was a werewolf," she said.

I was in total shock. "What? How?"

"Because our dad knew," she explained, which seemed like a hard thing for her to do. "My biological father knew the pack before he died. He was their liaison with the human world. But he only ever communicated with Cameron Underwood when he was alpha. That's why we didn't know about it before."

This wasn't a new concept for me. Sometimes, big packs tend to attract a lot of attention from human police. Because my kind often lives in big numbers, all in one place, humans tend to think the worst of us. In the past, they used to get suspicious and send in investigators to find out if we're doing anything illegal. Some of us were exposed to the world because of that, and the pack involved had to flee and find a way to cover their tracks.

For that reason, big packs today usually tend to pose as some sort of organization or another, and they get help from one or two humans that they trust to put up a convincing front. These humans are called liaisons. SMP's legal front is that they help struggling youths and their families, since most of the members are young.

"And get this," Danny added excitedly. "Mr. and Mrs. Creed met through Cameron. He introduced them to each other."

I had to take a moment to process what this means. It was so confusing, I needed to put it into words to make sure I understood. "So... your dad, I mean your stepdad, Mr. Creed, didn't just meet your mom by accident?"

"No," she confirmed my suspicion. "I think... my biological dad –"

"Let's just call him Trenton from now on," I suggested.

"I think Trenton," she acknowledged, "asked Cameron to take care of us if something happened to him."

The realization hit me with astonishment. It is plausible, given the circumstances, that Cameron introduced Mr. and Mrs. Creed hoping they would be a family, to keep his promise to Trenton. But God, it blew my mind to hear it. There were way too many coincidences for me to feel comfortable with the whole thing.

"Okay," I said slowly. "So I guess that means Trenton was hoping John would be the next liaison, right? And he told him werewolves are real. Why are you telling me? This is stuff Cade should be hearing first."

"There's more," Danny warned me.

I looked from one nervous face to the other. I was afraid to ask, but I suppose the question was written plainly on my face, since the answer came anyway.

"John found out your secret," Zoey finally admitted. "He, um, he overheard us talking, and when he confronted us, he wouldn't buy any of our cover stories. But he promised not to tell."

I couldn't do anything other than blink. I waited and hoped that Danny would say that this was all just a War Day prank he was pulling on me, even though it had been Mason's turn at the time.He didn't though, and I started to get a bit annoyed. How did Danny keep finding himself in these situations?