Alpha's Mateo's Human Mate

The morning air greeted me as I stepped out of the motel. The sun was just beginning to rise.

Despite the townspeople's reluctance to talk, I wasn’t discouraged. Their evasiveness only piqued my curiosity further.

Why were they so protective of Mateo?

I headed to The Pot's diner. I needed to find someone willing to talk. Someone who might inadvertently reveal crucial information. People often disclose more than they intend when pressed the right way, and I planned to use that to my advantage.

The diner was bustling when I arrived. The bell above the door jingled. Ignoring their stares, I took a seat at the counter and ordered a coffee from the waitress who had served me the night before.

She recognized me immediately, her eyes narrowing. “Back again?”

“Can’t stay away. The coffee’s too good.”

She poured me a cup and set it down without a word. “You wouldn’t happen to know anything about a man named Mateo, would you?”

She suddenly stopped in her tracks. Without turning, she clenched her jaw. “Why are you asking about him?” she whispered.

“I’ve heard his name around town. People seem protective of him.”

She finally faced me with her eyes narrowing. “You’d do well to leave him alone. Mateo’s a good man. And he doesn’t need someone like you snooping around.”

“Someone like me?” I echoed as I raised an eyebrow. “I’m just trying to get to the bottom of what’s been happening here. If he’s got nothing to hide, then why all the secrecy?”

Her expression hardened. She lowered her voice to a growl. “You don’t know anything about this town or Mateo. If you were smart, you’d pack up and leave before you get yourself into something you can’t handle.”

I met her gaze. “I appreciate the concern, but I’m not going anywhere. I’m determined to find out what’s happening here.”

She stared at me for a long moment before she straightened and walked away.

I watched her leave, frustration bubbling inside me. The more I dug, the more resistance I faced. But I wasn’t giving up.

After finishing my coffee, I decided to try a different angle. If the townspeople wouldn’t talk, perhaps town records might offer some clues. A small library on the main street seemed worth investigating.

The library was quiet, filled with the scent of old books and dust. An elderly woman sat behind the counter.

“Can I help you, dear?” she asked.

“I’m looking for information on the recent animal attacks,” I stated. “I’m a journalist gathering background information.”

Her expression tightened slightly. But she directed me to a set of filing cabinets. “You’ll find old newspaper articles in those files. We don’t have much on recent incidents. The town doesn’t like to discuss it.”

I thanked her and moved to the cabinets. The articles I found were mostly about local events and small-town news. But as I delved deeper, I noticed a pattern, periodic spikes in animal attacks, always around the same time of year, and similar circumstances.

Then some people vanished without a trace. Their cases were unsolved and their names were forgotten. The details were sparse. But a thread connected these events. Though the pieces were starting to come together, something crucial was still missing.

Drowned in my research, I didn’t notice the man who entered until he was standing beside me. I looked up, startled, and found myself face-to-face with Mateo.

“Looking for something?” he asked.

My heart skipped a beat.

He was too close. I could feel the heat from his body.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

“I could ask you the same thing,” Mateo replied with his eyes narrowed. “I warned you to stay away.”

“I’m just doing my job,” I shot back, meeting his gaze. “Why are you so determined to keep me in the dark? What are you hiding?”

His jaw clenched. I thought he might lose his temper. But then he stepped back. “You’re playing with fire, Laura. You have no idea what you’re getting into.”

“Then why don’t you tell me?” I challenged, taking a step closer. “What’s happening in this town? Why is everyone so afraid? Why does it feel like everyone’s protecting you?”

Mateo’s eyes flashed with emotions I couldn’t decipher—anger, frustration, perhaps fear. But instead of answering, he turned and started walking away.

“You can’t just keep running!”

He stopped but didn’t turn around. For a moment, I thought he might leave without speaking, but then he said, so low I almost didn’t hear him, “You need to leave, Laura. Before it’s too late.”

With that, he vanished into the shadows.

The rest of the day was a haze of frustration. More interviews with townspeople resulted in the same vague responses. It felt like everyone was in on a secret they refused to share.

By evening, I was no closer to answers. Exhaustion weighed heavily as I returned to the motel. But as I lay in bed, my mind kept drifting back to Mateo. There was something about him, a pull both irresistible and terrifying.

I was convinced he was involved in whatever was happening in Rosebrook.

But what could it be?

Why was he so intent on keeping me from discovering the truth?

As I drifted off to sleep, one thought lingered in my mind. I was running out of time. But I had to be cautious. Mateo had warned me. And deep down, I knew he was right about one thing.

I was playing with fire.

And if I wasn’t careful, I was going to get burned.