Page 53 of Jace's Mate
Jace inclined his head, a quiet promise in the gesture.“Good.”He clapped Boyd lightly on the shoulder again, then turned and walked back toward Anikka.
She was still standing at the edge of the clearing, the soft light of the rising moon brushing against her cheek.Her smile was hesitant but real.And when she looked at him, he saw it—the gleam of pride, of approval.
It hit him hard.
He hadn’t expected her opinion to matter so damn much.But it did.
And it feltdamngood.
Remembering that they weren’t alone—and that he was still committed to his three-month plan to help Anikka grow comfortable in her new life as a shifter—Jace reined in his instinct to stare at her smile a moment longer.Instead, he turned his attention outward, surveying the crowd gathered beneath the darkening sky.
Dozens of his pack members stood in loose clusters, several of them having heard his conversation with the new teens.He didn’t need to say a word; his pack understood.Every wolf there had registered the unspoken order—watch over them.The boys weren’t just guests anymore.They were under Jace’s protection, which meant they were undereveryone’sprotection.
But the crowd was beginning to fidget, moving foot to foot, some already rolling their shoulders as if prepping for the shift.The electric anticipation built in the air like a storm brewing—sharp, wild, necessary.They needed this run.He felt it in his bones.They all did.
Jace tilted his head slightly, eyes flicking back to the trio of teens.Something was off with them.He couldn’t quite put his finger on it—not fear, not aggression.Just… unsettled.There were shadows in their eyes and a kind of coiled energy beneath their skin.He didn’t know what haunted them yet, but he’d find out.
Until then, they needed two things: hard running and harder work.A full-body burn would drain the tension, and the satisfaction of earning their place come morning would give them pride and confidence.The docks would see to that.But tonight, the forest would do the rest.
He glanced toward Ragnor, standing a few paces away.His beta stood tall and still, eyes sharp and alert.When their gazes met, Ragnor gave a single, small nod—everything was in place.
Jace nodded back, the motion slight but sure.Good.It was time.
Still, he took one last precaution.He turned his back on the vans and cars and walked a few paces into the tree line, inhaling slowly.
The forest welcomed him with the scent of damp earth, pine needles crushed beneath heavy paws from their last run, the cool tang of water carried on a breeze from the distant river.He listened.Crickets chirped in the brush.An owl hooted deep in the trees.No unnatural movements.No unfamiliar scents.No traces of silver or gunpowder or fear.
They hadn’t been followed.No hunters.No spies.Not tonight.
Running twice in such a short period of time was dangerous.But as he breathed in, Jace still didn’t scent any danger.Their prior run hadn’t alerted any hunters to a pack of wolves in the area.
Good.They were safe.
Turning back to his pack members, he nodded.
Chapter 17
Anikkawatched,fascinated,asJace stood still, his gaze sweeping over the woods like he was reading a language she couldn’t decipher.He wasn’t tense, not exactly, but there was somethingintentionalin his stillness—something tuned in to the world around him.When he sniffed the air, she frowned in confusion.What was he searching for?
Curious, she tilted her head back and drew in a breath through her nose.
The scent hit her like a balm.Cool, crisp air laced with pine, damp bark, and that musky sweetness left behind after rain.Her lungs felt cleaner just breathing it in.The forest smelledalive, and the earth beneath her feet hummed with something ancient.She swore she could hear everything—the soft rustle of a fox darting through the underbrush, the gurgle of a stream in the distance, the rhythmic chirping of tree frogs syncing with the rise and fall of crickets.The sheer depth of it made her dizzy.
She’d never been in the woods before—not really.A walk in a city park on occasion, yes, but neverthis.Never where the trees closed in overhead and the smells felt like they were speaking to her.
She took a step forward and blinked.The trees seemed to… part for her.Not literally, but in her mind, sheknewwhere the path was, even if she couldn’t see it.She could sense it—a trail that weaved through the trees, calling to her.
Her heart began to pound, each beat harder than the last.
No.No, no, no!
Gasping, she clutched her sides and looked around, panic building.
Thatfeelingwas back.
The sharp tingles, the jittery buzz under her skin.Her fingers trembled as the nerves in her arms and back lit up like a thousand tiny lightning strikes.It felt like her bones were vibrating, like her skin was about tocrack open.
She took a staggering step back and pressed herself against one of the vans, wrapping her arms around her stomach, trying not to lose control.She had no idea what was happening to her—but sheknewshe didn’t want it happening here.Not in front of Jace.Not now.
