Page 33 of Jace’s Mate (East Coast Territory #1)

“You mean we can stay?” Stephan asked, half in disbelief.

“You should stay,” Ragnor said firmly. “If you’re willing, I’d like you to remain part of this pack. We need men who are brave enough to face their mistakes—and choose to do better.”

At the stunned expressions on the boys’ faces, Ragnor pressed on.

“You protected us. You were asked to betray the pack,” he said, voice steady. “Instead, you worked hard. You earned your place. And when it came time to choose between loyalty and fear, you chose integrity.” His eyes flicked between them. “That means something. It means everything.”

He smiled faintly, but his tone stayed firm. “I’m asking you not to leave. I’m asking you to stay—and to help protect the very pack you just defended.”

The boys looked dazed, as if they couldn’t quite believe what they were hearing.

“You mean…” James’ voice faltered. “We could be pack members? But the Alpha—”

“I would be damn proud to have you in my pack,” Jace said, stepping into the room.

The boys jumped at the sound of his voice. He didn’t raise it—but the intensity in his eyes struck like a hammer. They immediately dropped their heads, voices overlapping.

“We’re sorry, Alpha—so sorry—”

Jace walked to the head of the table and took his seat, gaze steady. “You did exactly what I asked. You worked hard. And when someone tried to use you, you came forward.”

He looked at Ragnor, then back to the boys. “You protected this pack—and now it’s our turn to protect you. If you’ll let us.”

There was a pause, thick with hope and disbelief.

Stephan leaned forward, hesitant. “You mean… you’d let us join ?”

Before Jace could answer, the door opened again.

Megin and Ciaran stepped inside like sentinels, broad-shouldered and quiet. They didn’t speak—just leaned back against the wall, arms crossed. Their presence alone seemed to answer Stephan’s question.

Jace inclined his head toward the boys. “We would be honored.”

The door behind him opened a final time, almost silently. Jace didn’t have to turn. He felt Anikka enter the room before she even crossed the threshold. Her presence tightened something in his chest.

But she hesitated. He could sense it. Her anxiety clung to the air.

He didn’t understand it, not fully—but he would. In time.

“What do you say?” he asked gently, addressing the boys. “Will you stay? Will you help us guard this pack’s peace, its people, its future?”

The three teens straightened up, shoulders squaring, chests rising. For the first time, Jace saw something spark behind their eyes.

Pride.

“Y-Yes!” James blurted, beaming. The others nodded, swallowing hard, each trying to hide the growing emotion on their faces.

Stephan stole a glance at Ragnor—who hadn’t smiled—and immediately schooled his own expression. Jace made a mental note to talk to Ragnor later. Those boys didn’t need just discipline. They needed guidance. And belief.

“Good,” Jace said, rising. “I know you’ve eaten. Go take a long shower at the barracks. Rest. Then start talking together—try to remember everything you can about who asked you to spy. Names. Phrases. Anything.”

He offered his hand to each of them in turn. “Thank you. For your work. For your honesty. For your courage.”

James flushed as he took his Alpha’s hand, clutching it with both of his own. “We won’t let you down, Alpha. I swear it.”

“I know you won’t,” Jace replied.

The boys left, one by one, and the room fell quiet again as the door latched shut behind them.

Only Anikka and his betas remained.

Jace exhaled slowly and dropped back into his chair. “What do you think?” he asked. “Was it Gustov?”

Megin frowned. “Feels too obvious. He wouldn’t use kids.”

“Who’s Gustov?” Anikka asked, drifting closer to Jace’s side.

He noticed. So did the betas. Her unconscious movement, her nearness—it was a signal. A shift. She was starting to trust him. Starting to accept the bond.

The others relaxed, just slightly.

Jace turned to her. “Gustov’s the Alpha to the west of our territory. His pack is small. He controls about half of northern West Virginia. We control the East Coast.”

“That seems so much smaller,” Anikka said, brow furrowed. She looked curiously at Jace. “How did you grow such a large territory?”

Jace opened his mouth to answer, but Megin jumped in.

“He’s one of the strongest Alphas alive. The other packs asked to join. Everyone wanted to be under Jace’s protection.”

“Our size is both a blessing and a curse,” Ciaran added.

Anikka blinked. “Because it’s hard to manage so much land?”

“No,” he said with a chuckle. “Because Jace can . That kind of control—over so many shifters—makes the other Alphas nervous. We’ve had peace for a long time. No real threats. So, this attack? It caught us off guard.”

“There were no whispers,” Ragnor agreed. “No warnings. Nothing about a challenge to Jace’s rule.”

“Except someone was trying to keep me away from him,” Anikka pointed out softly. Then she tilted her head. “Or more accurately, use me to destabilize Jace’s control.”

All four men nodded.

“Yep,” Megin confirmed. “And don’t forget the attacks on our ships. Back then, we didn’t even know you existed.”

Ciaran recounted the three ship assaults from the previous week, plus a few other suspicious incidents at sea.

Anikka looked at Jace, her voice thoughtful. “Maybe the ship attacks aren’t connected to what’s happening here. Maybe they’re just a distraction… or something else entirely.”

Ragnor tilted his head. “Why do you think that?”

“Because piracy’s been on the rise. Cargo ships are easy targets out on open water.”

“Until someone boards a ship and finds a bunch of enormous wolves ready to rip their throats out,” Jace muttered.

That earned a round of chuckles, but the idea took root.

“Still,” Ciaran said slowly, “what if the ship attacks are separate? Maybe we’ve been connecting the wrong dots.”

Jace leaned back in his chair, thinking. “Could be. But I lean toward distraction. The timing’s too perfect. The ships were attacked right when Wilton showed up—and when the boys were planted to track me.”

“Good point,” Megin agreed.

“So we’re back to square one,” Ragnor said. “Three attacks. Three unknown culprits. The boys don’t know who ordered them to spy. The ship captains have no clue who hit them. And Wilton’s just a pawn—we still don’t know who’s pulling his strings.”

“I might have found him today,” Ciaran announced.

All heads turned.

“After Anikka gave us those landmarks, it was easier to pin down the neighborhood. I think he’s in a rental house. We’ve got a team watching it to confirm my assumption. So far, he hasn’t left.”

Jace’s expression darkened. “And if he doesn’t?”

“Then tomorrow we create a distraction,” Ciaran replied. “While he’s out, we’ll sweep the place—install cameras, plant mics. We’ll know who he’s talking to. And what they’re planning.