Page 76 of Jace's Mate
The boys didn’t respond.Boyd glanced at James.James glanced at Stephan.No one picked up a menu.
Mirna softened.She leaned in, voice low.“Look, I don’t know what’s going on, but how about I bring three cheeseburgers and a mountain of fries?No charge, alright?”
They nodded.
She patted the table and moved off, leaving them in silence again.James toyed with the corner of his menu.Stephan picked at the stitching on the booth cushion.Boyd just stared.
Finally, Boyd whispered, “We’re liars.”
James and Stephan both nodded, grim and quiet.
“We have to tell him,” James said.
Boyd glanced at him, hesitant.“Tell who?”
James grabbed a napkin and started twisting it between his fingers.“The Alpha.”
Stephan’s eyes widened.“We can’t tell anyone!”
Boyd shook his head in sharp agreement.“No way.It’s too risky.”
“Wegotta!” James hissed, but went silent as Mirna arrived at their table, balancing three massive platters.Each one held a cheeseburger roughly the size of their heads and a mountain of golden fries.
As she set the plates down, she braced her hands on the table and leaned in slightly, her eyes going from one boy to the next.“I don’t know what’s bothering you boys,” she said softly, “but talk to Jace.”
All three of them blinked, startled.Mirna wasn’t a shifter—they couldsmellher humanity.And yet…
“I know I’m just a waitress,” she added with a small smile.“But I’ve worked around these docks long enough to know good people when I see ’em.And I’veheardthe way people talk about Jace.He’s fair.He’s strong.He doesn’t lose his temper when someone comes to him with a problem.”She hesitated.“Whatever it is, boys, don’t carry it alone.Talk to him.”
She straightened, gave them one last encouraging nod, then bustled off to greet a group of rowdy dockworkers at the far booth.
The boys sat in silence.
“She’s right,” James murmured.“We should tell him.”
The other two exchanged a look, their uncertainty still heavy—but it was Boyd who spoke.“What if—”
“Doesn’t matter,” James cut in.“He’s been more than fair with us.Weowehim honesty.If that means we’re out of the pack, then… so be it.”
Then he picked up the cheeseburger and took a defiant bite, like he was steeling himself for war.
“Eat up,” he added, his voice thick.“No matter what happens, we face it.Together.”
Stephan and Boyd stared at their burgers for a long beat before finally nodding.Stephan picked his up slowly.“You’re right.”
“Together,” Boyd echoed.
That night, they ate like condemned men.Like this was the last time they’d sit in a warm booth with food on their plates and laughter in the background.
When they finished, they paid with the gift cards Handin had given them—only to discover their meals barely used half the balance.
“Come back soon, boys,” Mirna called over her shoulder with a wink.
They paused at the door, Stephan’s hand resting on the handle.The three of them looked back—at the bustling tables, the familiar faces.Men they’d unloaded ships with, eaten lunch beside.Some were shifters.Some weren’t.But here, in this place, it didn’t matter.They worked, laughed, and cursed the cold like one big, tired family.
“Let’s go,” James said.“If we hurry, maybe we can talk to the Alpha tonight.And if he kicks us out… well…” He shrugged.“We catch a train north.”
“Not back to…?”Stephan’s voice was tentative.
