Page 8 of Jace's Mate

He laughed at his own cruelty and walked out, shutting the door behind him.

Silence bloomed.

Heavy.Awkward.Humiliating.

Anikka turned her head slowly toward Joshua and Matt.They hadn’t moved.Both men were staring at her, and something about the look in their eyes made her breath hitch.

It wasn’t confusion.

It was fear.

They were afraid ofher.

Anikka blinked, uncertain how to respond to the fear in their eyes.

A low, primal urge surged inside her—one that demanded she growl, assert dominance,challenge.

But no.

Ladies didn’t growl.

She clenched her jaw instead, swallowing the sound before it escaped.Uncle Wilton had drilled his expectations into her head with brutal consistency.She was to wear flowered dresses, speak softly, and never raise her voice.She was to behave like a proper young woman—decorative, obedient, and small.

So instead of snarling, Anikka narrowed her eyes in a piercing glare.Sharp.Silent.Unyielding.

And strangely...effective.

The two bodyguards, men nearly twice her size, faltered under her stare.They shifted awkwardly.One rubbed the back of his neck.The other glanced at the door like it might offer escape.

Eventually, both ducked their heads and hurried after Wilton, avoiding eye contact as if afraid she’d follow.

“That’s right,” she muttered under her breath.“Go guard that pathetic bastard.”

A throat cleared behind her.She turned.

Eldin.Her ever-present shadow.The guard Wilton had assigned toprotecther.

“Sorry,” Anikka mumbled, turning back to the fridge.She didn’t need a babysitter.Especially one who silently reported everything she did.

The refrigerator hummed softly as she opened it and leaned inside.As expected, the shelves were mostly bare.Whatever ingredients she currently had wouldn’t stretch far enough to feed everyone.There were six men in the house.Seven, counting her.

And she’d need nearly ten pounds of beef just to keep them from complaining.

“Don’t believe the internet,” she whispered to herself, grabbing a notepad.

“I’m sorry?”Eldin prompted from behind her.He’d started to retreat but stopped at her words.

Anikka didn’t look up.“I used to buy groceries based on portion sizes from recipe websites.You know—the recommended amount of meat per person.”She scrawled10 lbs beefonto the list.“Turns out you guys eat like wolves.”

She added a sack of potatoes, pausing briefly to consider salad.

No.

They didn’t eat vegetables.Occasionally fruit, sure.But salad?Never.

She hesitated.

Why did I just think of them as wolves?