Page 12 of Furever Bound (Hollow Oak Mates #7)
MADDOX
R eturning to the inn to find Elena conducting an unauthorized interview with Sera sent anger racing through Maddox's system like wildfire.
His mate was being interrogated by someone whose true agenda remained dangerously unclear, and the careful emotional distance Elena maintained while probing for sensitive information made his wolf snarl with territorial rage.
"Elena," he said with enough authority to make both women look up sharply. "I wasn't aware you were conducting independent research."
"Academic curiosity," Elena replied smoothly, rising from her chair with predatory grace. "Sera's been telling me about her fascinating documentation methods."
The way she said Sera's name, with just enough condescension to suggest intellectual superiority, made his protective instincts flare with barely controlled violence.
"Has she," he said, studying Sera's tense expression for signs of how much Elena had revealed or extracted during their conversation.
"Dr. Vasquez has been asking about my social media engagement," Sera said, her tone carefully neutral despite the wariness in her hazel eyes. "Apparently my content success is more significant than I realized."
"Significantly dangerous, actually," Elena interjected with academic precision. "When folklore documentation attracts this level of concentrated attention, the psychological and cultural implications can become quite complex."
"Complex how?" Sera asked, looking between them with growing frustration at cryptic explanations that danced around direct answers.
"Elena," Maddox said warningly, recognizing the setup for revelations that could expose their entire community if delivered without proper context.
"She deserves to understand what she's dealing with," Elena replied with false concern that made his wolf pace with agitation. "Particularly since her continued documentation could endanger the very community she's trying to preserve."
"Endanger how?" Sera's voice rose with alarm that cut through him like a blade. "What exactly are you both hiding about what's happening here?"
The challenge was a dare, and Maddox found himself caught between Elena's manipulation and Sera's legitimate demand for honesty. His mate deserved truth, but Elena's presence meant any revelation would be filtered through agendas he didn't understand or trust.
"Some folklore carries power beyond entertainment value," he said carefully, choosing words that acknowledged supernatural reality without revealing community secrets.
"When traditional stories gain concentrated attention, they can influence local conditions in ways that require careful management. "
"Influence local conditions how?" Sera pressed, her journalist instincts sharp enough to recognize evasion disguised as explanation.
"Through manifestation phenomena that most people would find difficult to accept," Elena said with clinical detachment. "The question is whether you're psychologically prepared to handle realities that challenge conventional worldviews."
"Try me," Sera replied with courage that made Maddox's chest ache with pride and terror in equal measure.
Elena smiled with satisfaction that suggested she'd been maneuvering the conversation toward exactly this moment of confrontation.
"Very well," she said, pulling out her tablet to display footage that made Maddox's blood run cold. "This is electromagnetic disturbance data from the past week, correlating directly with your documentation activities."
The screen showed geometric patterns of electronic interference that followed Sera's research locations with precision that couldn't be explained through natural phenomena.
"And this," Elena continued, swiping to reveal audio recordings, "is collected testimony from residents reporting unusual dreams that match historical Grimjaw encounter descriptions with remarkable accuracy."
Sera's face went pale as she processed the evidence that her research activities were indeed connected to supernatural phenomena affecting the entire community.
"You're telling me that my social media posts about folklore are somehow causing actual supernatural events?" she asked, her voice tight with disbelief and growing horror.
"I'm telling you that some individuals possess latent abilities that respond to concentrated belief and narrative attention," Elena replied with academic precision. "Abilities that can influence the boundary between story and reality in ways that create substantial manifestations."
"Substantial manifestations," Sera repeated, her gaze moving between Elena's clinical data and Maddox's conflicted expression. "You mean actual supernatural creatures. Real monsters."
"I mean phenomena that exist regardless of whether modern terminology can adequately describe them," Elena said, her tone carrying the weight of someone revealing uncomfortable truths.
Maddox watched helplessly as Elena's calculated revelation shattered Sera's worldview without providing the context or support she needed to process impossible information safely.
His mate was being inducted into supernatural reality through clinical data rather than trusted relationship, and Elena's motivations for forcing the revelation remained troublingly unclear.
"My content isn't just attracting paranormal enthusiasts—it's drawing people toward something actually dangerous."
"Potentially very dangerous," Elena confirmed with false sympathy. "Which is why proper authorities need to assess your abilities and determine appropriate containment strategies."
"Containment strategies?" Maddox's voice carried enough menace to make Elena step back slightly. "She's not a threat to be contained."
Elena's smile carried sharp amusement. "Someone whose unconscious abilities can manifest folklore into physical reality, whose social media following could expose supernatural communities to government scrutiny? I'd say that qualifies as a significant security risk."
The thought of Sera as a security risk rather than a person deserving protection sent fury racing through his system. Elena's agenda was becoming clearer, and none of it involved Sera's welfare as anything more than acceptable collateral damage.
"Get out," he said, his alpha side finally overriding restraint. "Get out of this room, out of this inn, out of this town."
"I told you already, I can’t," Elena replied with academic regret that felt entirely fabricated. "My colleagues are quite insistent, particularly when they involve human catalysts with developing psychic abilities."
"Your colleagues?" Sera asked, her voice small with growing understanding of how much larger and more dangerous her situation had become.
"People who take a professional interest in supernatural security," Elena said with diplomatic euphemism that didn't disguise governmental implications. "People who understand that some abilities require careful monitoring for everyone's safety."
Maddox realized that his attempt to protect his mate from Council politics had instead exposed her to forces far more dangerous than anything their community could pose.
And Sera, who had come to Hollow Oak looking for authentic stories to rebuild her career, was discovering that authenticity came with prices she'd never been warned about.