Page 82 of Jace's Mate

“You’re free,” she said with a sneer.“Find another pack.”

The guards straightened slightly, exchanging glances.

She didn’t care.

They weren’t worth the oxygen they breathed, much less a place in her future empire.She wasn’t collecting strays or weaklings.When she took over Gustov’s territory—and shewould—she’d build a pack of elite, vicious, loyal wolves.Warriors.Not this drooling garbage she’d scraped from the bottom of a whiskey barrel.

She stepped outside, the sunlight bathing her pale skin in gold.It should have been warm, comforting.

Instead, it just reminded her of all the time she’d wasted on that useless man inside.

She didn’t sigh.

Janice didn’t sigh.

Sheseethed—quietly, coldly.

Sliding into the back seat of her limousine, she tapped the window.“I need to speak with Gustov,” she told her driver, her voice clipped and sharp.

It was time to pivot.Time to plan again.

Chapter 27

“Wefoundhim!”Ciaranannounced as he strode into the kitchen, his boots hitting the tile with urgent purpose.“Even better—we have images.A woman went into Wilton’s house, stayed for about twenty minutes, then came back out.Alone.”

Ragnor turned, his attention snaps to the photos.“Let’s see them.”

Without a word, Ciaran laid the photos across the table.Ragnor bent to examine them, but it was Jace who stepped in next, his brow furrowing the moment his eyes landed on the image.

“I know this woman,” he said flatly.

Anikka rose on her toes behind him, trying to see, but Jace instinctively shifted to the side, wrapping one arm around her waist as he made room.The move was subtle but grounding, protective.

“Who is it?”she asked, narrowing her eyes at the grainy photo.“I think I’ve seen her before too… but it wasn’t recent.”

“She’s one of Gustov’s betas,” Jace replied grimly.Then he looked down at Anikka, his voice quieter.“How long ago did you see her?”

Anikka took the photo from his hand and stared at it, her expression tightening with memory.“About two years ago, I think.We were still moving a lot.Wilton had rented a house in Arkansas.”

Jace nodded.“That fits the timeline I’ve been trying to piece together.”

He looked up, scanning his betas.“Someone needs to check on Wilton.If Janice Mortag is in town and Wilton failed to keep Anikka away from me, she’s going to be looking for someone to blame.”

“Janice Mortag?”Ciaran repeated.“She’s real?”

“Oh, she’s real,” Jace said.“Real dangerous.And real pissed off right now.”

“What if it wasn’t her idea?”Ciaran offered.“What if Gustov sent her?”

Jace’s expression darkened, the slow grin that followed entirely wolfish.“Then we have ourselves a much bigger problem—and a much more interesting one.”

The tension around the table thickened.

“I think it’s time I paid Gustov a visit.”

“When do you leave?”Ragnor asked, already calculating next steps.

Jace looked out the window.The sky was dipped in orange, the last rays of sun burning against the horizon.The streetlights flickered to life one by one.“If I leave now, I’ll be in his territory by midnight.”