Page 21 of Jace's Mate
“You smelled your mate,” Viktor said flatly, just as Sorcia clapped her hands with delight and the orb spun around, almost as if the damn thing was dancing.
“Oh, that’s wonderful!”Sorcia exclaimed.“Finally!”
“Is it?”Jace snapped, turning to them.He eyed the orb with curiosity, then looked at his friends.“What if my mate is behind the attacks?”
Sorcia’s expression faltered and the orb froze while Viktor narrowed his eyes.
“I had three of my ships attacked today,” Jace continued, pacing again.“Last night, one of my warehouse offices was broken into.And then there’s the rogue-scent one of my betas caught.NowI smell my mate for the first time in years?I’m supposed to believe that’s just a coincidence?”
He stopped, fists clenched at his sides.“What if it’s all connected?”
Viktor’s brows drew together.“How could finding your mate bebad?You told us yourself—Alphas need a mate.You said it’s dangerous to go too long without one.”
“Itis.”Jace’s voice was low, grim.“Unmated Alphas can go feral.Lose control.Some don’t survive it.”
“You’re not like the others,” Viktor stated firmly, crossing one leg over the other in his usual stiff posture.“You’ve held control longer than anyone I’ve ever seen.”
Jace gave a humorless laugh.“You ever try living with this beast inside you, clawing at your ribs, demanding what it’s owed?”
Viktor arched a brow.“I drink blood, Jace.”
Fair point.
Still, the thought ofherscent made Jace’s pulse surge.He couldn’t stop the images now—of what it would feel like to shift and run through the woods with her.To end the run tangled together, hot and wild, teeth in her fur, his body pressed to hers…
His breathing sharpened.
And then Sorcia raised her hand while her damn orb turned an interesting shade of pink.But a moment later, Sorcia froze and the orb turned black.
The conversation broke off instantly.
Sorcia tilted her head, eyes closing, her other hand covering one ear as though trying to isolate a sound.She stood perfectly still.
Seconds passed.
“Sorcia?”Viktor prompted.
Sorcia hesitated, head tilted slightly as she listened through the sphaera—whatever magical ether she used to communicate beyond the dome.After a long moment, she sighed and nodded.“Yes.I’ll check on that.”
Viktor and Jace went still, watching her work.
This wasn’t the shimmering incantation of a protective shield.No, this was something deeper.Each of them had a skill—something that made their people stronger, something that made this alliance possible.Viktor could manipulate human thought, a gift he’d used to quietly build billions through the markets.Jace could read the intent behind words and thoughts, which made him a deadly negotiator.And Sorcia…she couldfeelthings.She could sense vibrations in the world that others missed, even when cloaked in illusion or shadow.
It was why she was a near-legendary real estate broker—because she didn’t justseea property.Sheknewwho it belonged to.
It was also why this alliance had worked so well for so long.Vampires, witches, and wolf-shifters—mortal enemies in most parts of the world—had formed a bond here that no one outside their circle could suspect.A secret that, if exposed, would bring war to their doorstep.
As Sorcia reversed the shield, Jace felt it—the instant the dome dropped.The city came back in a rush: sound, movement… scent.
His heart slammed against his ribs.
Thatscent—his mate—lingered in the air like a challenge.If she was part of the threat looming over his pack, he wasn’t sure what he would do.
No—he was.He wouldcontrolher.
And gods, how he hated that truth.
He didn’t want a mate he had to dominate just to keep the peace.He didn’t want another power struggle.He wanted something real.Something solid.
