Page 183 of Cursed Bonds: An Alpha's Destiny

“You two are being ridiculous,” she said before moving away to leave me be.

If I talked about it, I was afraid I’d end up getting angrier. The last thing I needed was to blast out a wave of angry magic in a house full of shifters.

The group scattered around the living room, dining room, den, and the front and back porches to eat. After everyone had eaten, I wiped my hands on a towel.

“I’m going to go rest,” I said to Harley, then raised my voice and sent a pointed glance at Jace. “I don’t want my presence to upset anyone.”

Jace’s shoulders slumped, and a miserable expression crossed his face as I stomped toward the stairs. Even as I went, I noticed the awkward silence in the room. Had that been childish of me? Yes. Had it been a little cathartic? Also, yes. It took every ounce of my being not to slam the bedroom door behind me. I sank onto my bed and grabbed one of my books, flipping through pages of spells and potions.

After a few moments, a faint knock came at the door, and Jace entered.

“Hey,” he said.

Gritting my teeth, I gave him a faux sweet smile. “Oh, hi. I was just reading about how to turn jackass men into toads. Do you want to help me practice?”

Jace sighed and dropped his hands to his sides. “I’m sorry, okay? None of that was about you.”

“Then what the hell was it about? Because it sure seemed like it was about me,” I shot back.

He stared at the floor for several seconds. As angry as I was, I could see he was trying to work up the courage to say something he didn’t want to say or was maybe embarrassed to say. Strange. I’d never known Jace to be that way.

Finally, he sighed and said, “During training, I was getting a little…” He paused, grimacing and shaking his head. “Jealous.”

Frowning, I tossed the book aside. “Jealous of what? Me?”

“You, yes. And Flynn, and Langston. I was out there, and they know what they’re doing. Flynn’s so goddamned powerful, and Langston’s capable, too. If I vanished today, I think everything would go exactly the same. Then when you walked out of the forest and that magical aura surged out, I realized I wasn’t even in the top three.” He sighed again. “I know I’m being a stupid child about it, but I’ve never really had to deal with that. It’s dumb, but I can’t get it out of my head that I don’t really matter.”

His words struck me like a kick in the chest. Jace Stone thought he didn’t matter? The man was a walking force of nature. Was Flynn strong and powerful? Sure, but he didn’t have the experience Jace did. He had never led a pack and didn’t know half what Jace did about it.

“Those feelings are valid,” I said, not wanting to belittle his emotions. “Even if I think they don’t make any sense.”

He snorted. “Sure seems like they do.”

I stood and crossed the room. Seeing how miserable he looked, my anger dissipated. Placing a hand on his chest, I lowered my face until I could meet his downcast eyes.

“You are strong, brave, kind, just, and driven, Jace. Is Flynn a stronger alpha? Yeah, maybe, but that’s something he got from genetics. A twist of fate, a flip of the coin. It’s not something to be proud of. Do he and Langston know a lot about strategy and tactics? Yes, but they were in the military. They trained for this and were taught how to train others. You weren’t. You can’t be upset about that. Have you trained to be a doctor?”

“No,” he said.

“Does that mean you’re jealous that Reese or Stephanie can sew wounds closed or reset a broken bone, and you can’t?”

He smiled then. A rueful and humorless smile, but I’d take it.

“You can lead,” I continued. “Langston can’t do that like you can. Neither can Flynn. In battle, is the general always the best soldier? Probably not. What they do know how to do is get their people to do the right thing for the right reasons. That’s what you can do. No one else. Without you, none of this would be happening right now. Do you think anyone would have pushed Eren like this if you hadn’t led the charge? Without you, we wouldn’t know half the awful things he’s done. This pack and the others would be sitting ducks, unprepared, waiting on him to attack.”

The smile on Jace’s face became a bit more natural, so I pushed forward, trying to dig him out of his funk.

“Your town is thriving; your people love the hell out of you. No one is suffering or wanting. You shifters always talk about fate. Well, this is your fate. To be the best leader this town could have at this moment. To bring others together and achieve what you need to.”

A low, rumbling growl shuddered in Jace’s chest as he raised his eyes to meet mine. My breath caught in my throat at the deep, powerful desire I’d never seen before.

“Do you mean that?” he asked in a low, husky voice.

“Of course I do.”

His eyes darkened. “You have no idea how much that means to me, Kirsten. Hearing you say that.”

“Y–yeah?” My mouth was completely dry, and despite the anger that set my blood on fire a few minutes before, the look he gave me sent a bolt of need pulsing between my legs. My knees trembled, and my breath left me short, little pants.

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