Page 73 of Jace's Mate
Anikka’s eyes lit with recognition.“Yes!Both.And—” Her finger slid across the map.“I think over here is where I overheard something… my uncle—” She stopped, faltering.Her gaze flicked to Jace, then to the others.“Am I… betraying him by telling you this?”
“You’re part of our pack now,” Ragnor said firmly.“Your loyalty belongs to Jace.To us.”
She hesitated, lips pressing together.Then slowly, she nodded.“He’s not actually my uncle.And he wasn’t… good.The men he kept around him were worse.None of them stayed long—most left after a few weeks.Four months was the record.”Her voice dropped.“But I stayed.”
Jace’s hand landed lightly on her back, warm and grounding.“Why?”
She straightened, shoulders tight.“Because I didn’t know I had options.”Her eyes met his.“He kept me in the dark—about everything.I didn’t even know what I was until last night.”
“You’re angry,” Megin said, more observation than question.
“I am,” she admitted.“But I’m also confused.”She shuffled a step closer to Jace, unconsciously brushing his leg.“Why hide it from me?What would he gain?”
Megin crossed his arms and tilted his head.“Sometimes…” He paused, searching the room.“Mates are fated.What if someone knew that?Knew you were destined to bond with Jace?”
Silence fell like a stone in the room.
“There are some in our kind,” Megin went on slowly, “who can see the future.A glimpse here, a thread there.What if your uncle found out?”He looked directly at Jace.“You’ve always heard the pack’s voices clearer than the rest of us.You’re faster, stronger.More dominant.”
Ragnor’s brow furrowed.“What are you getting at?”
Megin’s eyes narrowed slightly, their green depths glittering with thought.“He’s already one of the strongest Alphas on the continent.If someone knew his mate was out there… they might try to keep you apart.”
Jace didn’t respond, but his body had gone still.And Anikka… couldn’t quite catch her breath.
Ragnor picked up where Megin had left off.“When an Alpha finds his mate, his powers intensify,” he said, then glanced at Anikka.“And so do hers.”His eyes narrowed slightly at Jace.“Alpha… what if someoneknewAnikka would amplify your strength—and tried to keep her away to prevent that?”
Ciaran let out a grunt.“Anikka, you mentioned your uncle always had money, but didn’t work.”
She opened her mouth to reply, but Ciaran continued, eyes sharp now.“What if someone waspayinghim to keep you away from Jace?”
Ragnor’s jaw tensed.“Or worse—what if he was holding you back todestabilizeJace?To unbalance him?”
“Or to bring her here just to taunt him,” Ciaran offered.He looked at Jace.“You were immediately distracted as soon as you scented her that first time.”
Silence dropped over the room, heavy and charged.
Anikka blinked.“He never wanted me to leave the house,” she admitted quietly.“Uncle Wilton hated me going out—especially alone.Even going to the grocery store was a fight.But he wasn’t exactly detail-oriented.No specific rules.Just control.”She chewed on her lip, thinking.“He’s not… smart enough to pull off something complicated.”
Jace’s voice was low, deadly calm.“Then someone else is pulling the strings.Someone with resources—and a reason to keep her from me.”
They all knew what that meant.
“I’ll dig into his financials,” Megin said, already moving.“See where the money’s coming from.”He was gone a heartbeat later.
Ciaran clapped his hands, focus sharp.“I’ll keep searching for his current location.Once we get a ping, we’ll have eyes on him 24/7—cameras, audio, everything.”He followed Megin out the door.
That left Ragnor.
He turned to Anikka.“Anything else?Something your uncle said?Visitors he spoke with?Or maybe comments from the other guards?”
Anikka closed her eyes, reaching back through the fog of all those years.But the memories were scattered—fleeting.“He avoided me, mostly.Unless I was cooking, I was invisible.”Then she opened her eyes and looked at Jace.“But I’ll keep thinking.If anything comes back, I’ll tell you.”
“Thank you,” he murmured, brushing her cheek with the backs of his fingers.The heat of it shot straight through her.Her breath caught.Her thoughts tangled.
Ragnor snorted.“You two are officially useless,” he muttered, then made his exit.
“I need you alone for several hours,” Jace growled under his breath.
