Page 32 of Jace’s Mate (East Coast Territory #1)

“B oyd! Stephan! James!” the foreman’s voice rang out across the lot.

The three boys froze. James instinctively stepped forward, protective, as the other two hovered behind. “Did we do something wrong?” he asked cautiously.

Handin Silman just chuckled, walking toward them with an easy smile.

“Actually… the opposite.” He clapped a heavy hand on James’ shoulder.

“I just wanted to thank you boys. Jace sent you over, and I trusted his word that you’d be solid additions to the team.

But I don’t think even he knew how damn hard you three work.

” He extended a hand. “Appreciate everything you’ve done. This job’s not for the faint of heart.”

James blinked, clearly stunned, but managed to shake the man’s hand. “Thank you, sir.”

The foreman grinned and pulled three plastic cards from his back pocket.

“I heard you’ve been saving every dime. That’s admirable—but tonight, dinner’s on me.

” He handed each of them a card. “That diner on Twenty-Third? Ask for Mirna. Tell her I sent you. She’ll hook you up with the biggest burger you’ve ever seen. ”

Boyd stared down at the card in his hand like it might vanish. “Thank you,” he murmured, voice thick.

“Can’t buy you boys a beer, so this’ll have to do,” the foreman chuckled, clapping Stephan on the back. “You all look like no one’s ever handed you a bonus before.” He winked. “Stick around a few months—you’ll earn one that comes with a few extra zeroes.”

With that, he walked off, leaving the three boys frozen in place, staring at their gift cards like they were gold-plated.

Boyd cleared his throat and shoved his card deep into his pocket, fingers curling around it protectively.

“We should head back to the barracks,” James said quietly.

No one moved.

Then Boyd finally broke the silence. “Let’s go eat.” His voice was low, urgent. “We need to talk.”

They turned and headed toward the diner. They knew the way by heart. Everyone on the docks did. It was always open, always packed, always serving someone who smelled like salt and steel and long shifts on the water.

As soon as they pushed through the glass doors, a waitress called out, “Hey, boys! Handin said you’d be by.” She gave them a quick once-over, then jabbed her pen toward the back. “Take that booth. I’ll grab some menus.”

They slid into the booth, stiff and silent. The weight of the gift cards was heavier now, somehow. None of them spoke.

A few minutes later, Mirna—older, sharp-eyed, warm—walked over and dropped the laminated menus in front of them. “What’s with the long faces?” she asked, her voice kind. “Handin said this was a celebration! Said you’d crushed your first week.”

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.”

“We gotta! ” 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 could smell her 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’ve heard the 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. We owe him 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.

“I’m not going back,” James said firmly. “Not ever.”

Boyd nodded. “Me either.”

They stepped out into the cold, hunched in their jackets, hands shoved deep into their pockets. The night air bit at their cheeks as they walked through the quiet streets toward the barracks.

Ten minutes later, they pushed through the door of the pack’s main building. Inside, men were scrubbing down the kitchen or folding laundry in the common space. The three teens turned left without a word, their steps deliberate as they headed for the security office.

“What’s going on, boys?” Ragnor asked, stepping away from one of the maps. His tone was calm, but his gaze sharpened. “Everything okay?”

James stepped forward, shoulders stiff, his head bowed low. “We need to speak with the Alpha, if that’s possible,” he said, voice cracking under the weight of guilt.

Ragnor looked from James to Stephan and Boyd, reading their expressions like a veteran reading signs on a battlefield. “What’s going on?”

James opened his mouth, but no words came—only a strangled sound as the knot in his throat tightened.

Stephan stepped in, his voice quiet. “We…we need to confess.”

Ragnor’s eyes narrowed slightly, but there was no anger there—just quiet understanding. “Confession’s good for the soul,” he said after a beat. “Why don’t we step into the conference room and you can tell me what’s on your minds?”

Stephan hesitated. “We should probably tell the Alpha,” he whispered.

Ragnor rested a hand on Stephan’s shoulder, steady and reassuring. “Whatever it is, you’ll be heard. Let me listen first—then I’ll talk to Jace.”

The boys exchanged a look. Then, as one, they nodded.

Inside the conference room, silence settled over them like a thick blanket. Ragnor didn’t push—he waited, giving them space.

Boyd cracked first. “We were sent here to spy,” he blurted out.

The other two sighed, ashamed, and lowered their eyes.

“Spies, huh?” Ragnor repeated softly. “Spies for who?”

Boyd looked up, startled. “You’re not mad?”

Ragnor tilted his head. “That depends. What kind of spying are we talking about? Did you pass along any information?”

“No!” Stephan jumped in. “We didn’t tell anyone anything.” His voice dropped. “Not yet.”

“But you were asked to,” Ragnor clarified.

The boys nodded. “We were told to track the Alpha’s schedule,” James admitted. “Where he goes. What he does. Every day.”

“And who asked you to do this?”

The three of them shifted uncomfortably.

“We don’t know her name,” Stephan said. “She’s just… someone we met a while ago after we were kicked out of our pack.” He lowered his head in shame. “She paid us. Said it was easy money.”

James added, “We didn’t know it was about Jace. Not at first.”

There was another long silence. Then Boyd muttered, “We betrayed the pack. Betrayed the Alpha.”

But Ragnor leaned forward. “Did you?” he asked. “Or did you just tell me everything instead of going through with it?”

“We haven’t told anyone anything,” James said quickly. “And we won’t! ”

“Not ever,” Stephan echoed, his voice fierce now. “We’d leave first. Run, disappear—so she can’t find us and we don’t have to tell her we failed.”

“That’s one option,” Ragnor said thoughtfully. Then, “Do you want to leave?”

They blinked at him, stunned. Stephan sat up straighter. “We have to. We don’t belong anymore.”

“Actually,” Ragnor said evenly, “you do.”

They stared at him.

“You were asked to spy on your Alpha,” he said. “But you didn’t. You’ve worked hard all week. You’ve earned respect on those docks. And now, when you could have stayed quiet, you walked in here and told the truth. That’s not betrayal.”

He gave each of them a level look. “That’s loyalty. That’s what pack membership is all about.”

James was the first to find his voice. “You mean… we’re not getting kicked out?”