Page 85 of Jace's Mate
Megin stood there, listening to the distant pad of paws hitting pavement.The boys were fast.Not as fast as the Alpha, no—but fast enough.Determined enough.Pack,he thought.They’re starting to understand what it means.
Still, he felt the weight of responsibility press against his chest.They were young.Brave.But untested in battle.He pulled his phone from his pocket and started dialing.
Calls went out to a handful of trusted pack members—older wolves, battle-hardened and sharp-eyed.Quiet instructions, check-ins, and contingencies.Just in case, he told himself, though the unease in his gut said otherwise.
As the last call ended, Megin turned back to the security monitors, his eyes narrowing at the flickers of movement on the screens.His fingers hovered over the controls, tracking each signal, reading the land like a chessboard.
“Be smart, you lot,” he muttered to the empty room, his voice almost a prayer.“And come back in one piece.”
Then he settled into his chair, sharp eyes scanning every flicker and blip, guarding the den while the pack ran into the night.
Chapter 30
“Gustov!”Jacecalledout,his voice sharp and cutting through the quiet hum of the barn.
The man in question was literally lying on a hay bale, reading a worn paperback.At the sound of his name, Gustov startled, dropping the book to the dusty floor.He sat up quickly, squinting toward the source of the voice.His confusion turned to irritation when he saw Jace standing naked in the entryway of his barn, muscles taut and expression thunderous.
“What the hell do you want?”Gustov barked, rising to his feet.Though still broad-shouldered, the years had softened him—Alpha more in name than power.
Jace strode forward with steady, deliberate steps, unconcerned by his nudity.“I’m here to give you a warning.”
Gustov rolled his shoulders and rose to his full height, trying to match Jace’s imposing presence.“Yeah?”he said with a sardonic chuckle.“What’s the warning?”
“Keep your pack under control,” Jace growled, each word laced with venom.
Gustov blinked, genuine confusion darkening his eyes.“What the hell does that mean?”
Before Jace could answer, the barn doors creaked open behind them.A woman stepped inside, her heels clicking arrogantly on the wooden floor.
“He thinks you don’t have control over me,” Janice announced with a smug smile.She sauntered forward, hips swaying and red leather gloves tucked into the belt of her jacket.Her heavily mascaraed eyes roamed over Jace with undisguised appreciation before she let out a wistful sigh.
“I really wish I’d gotten to you before you found your mate,” she purred, eyes dropping deliberately to his groin.“Such a pity you’re useless to me now.”
“Is that why you paid Wilton to keep her from me?”Jace asked, voice low and deadly.
Janice let out a sharp laugh and leaned against one of the wooden paddock gates, crossing her arms.“Because I wanted some playtime with you?”She rolled her eyes.“That would’ve been a nice side benefit, sure—but no.I had bigger plans.”
“What the hell have you done, Janice?”Gustov demanded, stepping forward.He tried to sound authoritative, but there was no weight behind the words.Years of complacency had dulled the sharpness he once had.His beta didn’t even flinch.
Janice’s smile vanished.Her features twisted into something cold and cruel.“I’m sick of this pathetic excuse for leadership, Gustov!You sit on your ass and call it governance.Your pack is stagnant.Dying.I was doing what you never would.”
“The pack is fine!”Gustov barked, though it sounded more like a defense than a declaration.
“No,” Jace said, stepping closer, his body coiled with restrained power.“Your pack is not fine.You’re a lazy leader who has no idea what your own betas are doing.”He turned his gaze on Janice, who paled slightly under her layers of rouge.
“She’s interfered with my territory,” he continued, voice razor-sharp.“She orchestrated attacks on my shipping lanes to distract us.She sent children to spy on me.And worst of all…” he paused, fury simmering just beneath the surface, “…she tried to keep my mate from me.”
“The hell you say!”Gustov growled, whirling to face Janice.This time, he looked at her as if seeing her for the first time—and he didn’t like what he saw.
To her credit, Janice didn’t run.But her spine straightened, and she took a wary step backward.“I can explain,” she said quickly, her voice brittle.The rouge on her cheeks now looked garish against her blood-drained skin.
“You’d better start talking, Beta,” Gustov said, his voice trembling—not with fear, but with fury.
“I was looking out foryourinterests,” she claimed, her chin tilting defiantly.But the tremor in her hands betrayed her lie.
At that moment, Jace felt a ripple of familiar energy behind him—a comforting yet fierce presence.
Anikka.
