Page 66 of Jace's Mate
His guards—no, betas,she reminded herself—stepped forward.The tallest one, Ragnor, smiled kindly at her.
“He’s teasing you, Anikka,” Ragnor said.“It’s the way of a pack.”He looked to the two others flanking him, then back to her.“Sniff either of us.”
The suggestion horrified her.She actually took a step back.But before she could help it, their scents drifted toward her.And the smell was… wrong.
“Exactly,” the man on the right said, chuckling.“From this moment on, the only man who’ll tempt you is Jace.He’s our Alpha.AndyourAlpha.”
The beta to his right added, “We’re his seconds.If there’s ever anything you need, and you can’t find Jace, come to us.We’ll solve it.”
“I don’t…” she blinked, her plate still empty as she pressed it to her chest.
One of the women stepped forward.She looked to Jace, silently asking for permission.He’d been busy piling food onto his own plate, but he must have sensed the question because he glanced up at her, gave a single nod, then returned to selecting food.
“Why don’t you come with me?”the woman offered gently.“I can answer some of your questions.”Her voice was warm and reassuring.“I also have some clothes that might fit.”She smiled kindly.“I’m sure our Alpha’s shirt smells great, but maybe jeans would be more comfortable?”
Jace returned to Anikka’s side and plucked the empty plate from her hands, replacing it with one piled high with food—easily four times what she usually ate.“Go change and eat,” he ordered, chuckling when her eyes narrowed in irritation.
“This way,” the woman said, motioning toward a closed door.
Several other women stood and silently followed.The whole thing gave Anikka a mild “cult” vibe, and she didn’t like it.Not one little bit.
Still, she entered the room.
“Will these work?”someone asked.
Anikka looked up—and nearly swooned at the sight of the butter-soft jeans being held out to her.
“I’ve never worn jeans,” she whispered.The full plate was taken from her hands as she accepted the jeans, then hesitated.“Are there…?”
Another woman stepped forward, holding a bag filled with packaged panties.“These are from one of the big-box stores.I’m sure our Alpha will take you shopping for something pretty later, but pick any of these for now.”
Anikka sighed with unexpected relief as she selected a package of white cotton panties.Until that moment, she hadn’t realized howexposedshe’d felt.Quickly, she slipped on the panties and jeans.Someone brought out socks and sneakers, and she smiled gratefully at the teenage girl who handed them over with a shy grin.
Properly dressed now—with Jace’s oversized dress shirt tied neatly at her waist—she feltslightlybetter.More in control, at least.
Someone handed her a fork and a linen napkin.She accepted both with gratitude, even though she had no idea how she was going to eat all the food on that plate.Still, she didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings.Taking a seat at a smaller conference table, she started eating.
She tried to be delicate, aware she didn’t know these women and unsure of the social etiquette.But she was simplytoohungry.The pain in her stomach gnawed at her.
“Go ahead,” one of the women said, smiling.“We understand.The hunger after a night run is brutal.”They all sat down with her.“We’ll tell you a few important things about pack life while you eat.”
“Why does everyone keep talking about packs?”Anikka asked, stabbing a meatball drenched in rich tomato sauce.It tasted even better than it smelled, and she closed her eyes, savoring the flavors.
“That’s our word for community,” one woman explained.“I’m Sarah.And this is Mary, and Averil.We’re members ofyourpack.”
Anikka looked around, then speared another meatball.“Why apack?”
“Because you—and all of us—are shifters,” Mary said, gesturing around the table.“We’re all wolf shifters.There are different kinds of shifters around the world, but our pack is exclusively wolves.”
Sarah leaned in, her voice lower.“We’ve never met a shifter who didn’t know she was a wolf before.”
Averil nodded and walked over to a side table, pouring water into a pretty glass before bringing it back to Anikka.“Even shifters who aren’t part of a pack know what they are long before adulthood.The fact that you’ve never shifted before is…”
“Unheard of,” Sarah finished.“How did you not know?”
Anikka considered that question, her thoughts drifting to her uncle.“The man I called uncle protected me.”She set her fork down, her appetite fading as anger began to rise.“And yet, he must have known what I was—what Iam.”She wiped her mouth carefully with the napkin, her mind churning.“I had these… strange urges… for a long time.”She looked around the table, meeting each woman’s gaze.They understood.She could feel it.“He used to order me—commandme—to suppress those urges.When I was younger, it was so hard.I felt strange things building inside me, and he always seemed to know.”
“Is he a shifter too?”
