Page 84 of Jace's Mate
She clenched her fists.No more blind obedience.No more staying behind while others fought the battles that shaped her life.Jace hadn’tcommandedher to stay.He’d merely ordered her to be naked when he returned—and sure, she’d obeythatone.But only if he came back in one piece.
The thought twisted her insides.
Anikka turned and looked around his suite, her lips thinning.The space was beautiful but sterile.Sleek furniture.Expensive lines.Cold luxury.It wasn’t a home—it was a command center with a bed.And damn, what a bed.Her cheeks warmed at the memory of everything they'd done in it.But she wanted more.She neededroots, a kitchen that smelled like cinnamon and butter, walls covered in photos of babies and wolves, and a backyard with claw marks on the trees and toys scattered in the grass.
She wanted a life.Theirlife.
And she wasn’t going to sit around and pray the universe handed it to her.She had plans—culinary school, maybe starting her own business, selling food that warmed bellies and hearts.She’d buy a real house, the kind with squeaky floorboards and chipped paint and a porch swing.She’d build it with her own hands if she had to.
But none of it mattered if Jace didn’t come back.
If Janice or Gustov—or whoever the hell else was trying to destabilize everything—hurt him… she wouldn’t survive it.
The fear sharpened into fury.
Without hesitation, Anikka peeled off her clothes, baring herself to the cool air.She stepped forward, took a deep breath, and shifted.
The wolf rose inside her—fierce, determined, lethal.As fur overtook skin, Anikka shook herself out, exhaling a low, satisfied growl.Shelovedthis feeling—the wildness, the clarity.The scent of Jace filled her nose, potent and grounding.
She didn’t waste another second.
She padded to the elevator and waited, tail twitching.A little finesse—and a lot of luck—got her out of the building without alerting anyone.Once outside, her senses exploded.The cool air whipped through her fur, street sounds hummed beneath her paws, and Jace’s scent hit her hard—strong, recent, a thread of warmth she could follow into the dark.
He was ahead of her.A few miles, maybe more.He was fast—so much faster—but she didn’t care.She remembered the way he’d run beside her that night in the woods, how her lungs had burned and her legs had trembled, and still she’d kept up.
She would do it again.
She would do it for him.
With a low growl and a flash of determination in her eyes, Anikka surged forward, chasing the man she loved into the night.
Chapter 29
“She’sgoingaftertheAlpha,” Ciaran barked, shaking his head as he watched the security monitor.His voice held a note of awe—and rising concern.
“Go!”Megin commanded, but the order was unnecessary.Both Ciaran and Ragnor were already in motion, stripping off their clothes in a blur of muscle and determination.Their bodies shimmered, bones snapping and shifting mid-stride, until two enormous wolves launched from the doorway like arrows loosed from a bow.
“I’ll keep things safe back here,” Megin muttered to himself, shaking his head with a mix of exasperation and admiration.Then his eyes caught movement near the door.
Three shapes.Slouched shoulders.Eyes wide.Listening intently.
The teenagers.
James, Stephan, and Boyd stood just inside the frame of the hallway, partially hidden in the shadows, watching everything unfold.They weren’t trying to eavesdrop—they were absorbing, calculating, silently asking themselves if they had a place in this world of strength and instinct.
Megin arched a brow, planting his fists on his hips.“You three want to help?”
The question hung in the air like a challenge.Their gazes dropped to the floor, not out of fear, but out of deference.Yet none of them broke eye contact entirely.That was the part Megin noticed.Thatwas the part that mattered.
He chuckled, the sound rumbling low in his chest like a distant storm.“Think you can keep up with the Alpha and two of his betas?Not to mention his mate?”He gave the wordmatethe weight it deserved.Sacred.Fierce.A tether of power and protection.
The boys exchanged a glance, silent words passing between them in a heartbeat.Then they looked back at Megin, eyes steady now.Resolved.
“Go!”he barked again, sharper this time.“But stay safe!And hurry back.We need you with us.”
For a heartbeat, they didn’t move.
Then, with a burst of motion, they sprinted down the corridor, stripping off their clothes mid-run, the sounds of transformation echoing behind them.In a matter of seconds, the hallway was empty, the air still vibrating from the heat of their departure.
