Page 56 of Jace's Mate
Could a wolf blush?Because she wasdefinitelyblushing.
He chuckled, the sound deeper now, huskier.Then he moved toward her, and for one insane second, she thought—Is he going to let me lick him?
But no.Instead, Jace’s body began to shimmer.
Before her eyes, his already powerful form rippled and blurred.Bones shifted, his torso arched—and with a graceful motion that looked almost like light bending, the man she’d been ogling became somethingmore.
A massive black wolf stood before her.
Tall.Regal.Muscles rippling beneath his dark fur, his eyes glowing with the same blue intensity that made her knees weak in his human form.He looked like the forest’s chosen protector—something ancient, wild, and breathtaking.
And hers.
Hers.
Anikka padded closer, resisting the instinct to rub against him, to press her side into his, to bury her snout in the thick fur of his neck and justbreathe him in.
Holding back, Anikka panted, sides heaving, her body buzzing with energy she didn’t quite understand.Everything felt toomuch—the wind in her fur, the scent of pine, the forest around them humming like a heartbeat she could finally hear.
And then Jace was there.
He moved to her without hesitation, his gorgeous black fur brushing against hers in long, delicious passes.His snout slid along her neck with a low growl of approval, and the moment his tongue touched her,lickedher, something inside hermelted.The sensation wasn’t sexual, not entirely—it wasclaiming, grounding.Like a kiss… but deeper.She blinked in shock, then inhaled sharply.
She couldsmellhim on her now—woodsmoke and male, sharp and clean and utterly intoxicating.Her instincts urged her to bury her snout against his shoulder, to breathe him in until she understood every layer of who he was.But...was that too forward?
Then she remembered they weren’t alone.
Turning slightly, she froze.
The entire pack was watching.
Not just watching—howling.Voices rose around her, joyous and high, echoing through the trees.Young wolves pranced.Older ones wagged their tails.The sound wasn’t mocking—it wascelebration.Pure, wild delight.
Anikka’s heart swelled.She wanted to throw her head back and join them, to laugh with abandon, to dance in the dirt.
And then Jace sniffed the air.
She went still instantly, the way the entire clearing did.She couldn’t explain it—but when Jace lifted his head and howled, the world shifted.Every muscle in her body coiled with anticipation.She didn’t know what the howl meant, not exactly, but it pulled something primal from inside her.A need.A hunger.
The wolves around them surged toward the trees, taking off with powerful strides.
But Anikka stayed rooted.
By Jace’s side.
He turned, brushing his shoulder against hers once more.Then he licked her again, softer this time, before shifting his body to face the woods.He glanced at her, just once, but that look carried more reassurance than words ever could.Pride.Trust.Invitation.
And with a slow nod of his head, sheheardit.
Let’s run.
The words weren’t spoken aloud—they slid into her mind like cool water.
Shelaughed—or tried to.The sound came out as a joyful yip—and then she leaped forward, following him into the trees.
She didn’t know where she was going.She didn’tcare.
The forest opened before her like a story waiting to be written, and for the first time in her life, she wasn’t afraid of turning the page.
