20. Jace

The interaction with Sandra Donehue had left me in a foul mood. I'd always liked the woman, but she was most definitely of the older mentality. She didn't have the same outlook I and the younger generations had. I was sure others in the pack would think the same thing about genetic purity or some such shit, but that didn't matter—not when fate had placed Kirsten and me together. If they wanted to bitch and moan, they could take it up with whatever god handled that.

My mood hadn't improved when I woke up the next morning and remembered that it was going to be a very busy and tedious day. Once a month, I had what the town called an open house, which was a smaller version of our yearly pack meetings. People could stop by and discuss smaller pack issues that didn't need to be brought up in the big meeting or more severe issues that couldn't wait until the next one.

The open house was always held at my place, which meant I needed to get up and straighten things a bit before half the town walked through my house. The rest of my council would also be in attendance to assist with questions and planning.

I'd just finished filling the dishwasher and wiping down the counters when Waylan and Langston arrived. Abigail and Stephanie came in a few minutes later. Stephanie didn't meet my eyes, and I didn't interact with her while we prepared to welcome pack members.

The first attendant was a man I'd known well for the better part of a century. Brandon Donnalley.

"Jace," he said, nodding as he took a seat on the sofa.

Waylan put a platter of snacks on the coffee table between us. I always made sure to have food for anyone coming to talk. It was the least I could do for my pack, especially when they'd taken time out of their day to come discuss problems.

"Brandon, what can I do for you?"

"I hate doing this. You know me, I'm not one to complain."

"Go ahead," I said. "This is a time when the pack is free to voice any concerns."

He nodded. "All right. I gotcha. What I came to say was, I think we're gonna have issues with the rec center's gutters. They're old as hell, and I think it's gonna cause some rotting on the roof."

Relief zipped through me. It was something simple. Waylan and I discussed pricing out repairs and put Brandon in charge of calling some contractors to get quotes.

The rest of the day went much the same. Simple issues, low-stress problems. In fact, the biggest source of stress for me was Stephanie. She was obviously still pissed at me for pursuing Kirsten and preparing for war with Eren. She'd barely said two words to me the whole afternoon, and I'd noticed the other council members having hushed conversations and arguments with her in the corner or hall between the living room and the rest of the house.

Even as I talked to pack members, I continued to glance her way. The way she'd challenged me about challenging Eren had caused doubt to creep in. That, and the fact that Kirsten had seemed so positive that Stephanie had been the woman with Eren when he'd cornered her. Before all that, I'd been a hundred percent sure she'd never betray me or the pack. Now? That certainty had dropped a bit. Still close to ninety-nine percent, but… the doubt was there. If I couldn't fully trust her, then how could I continue planning my challenge of Eren and his pack? What if worst-case scenario, she was passing Eren information?

That was not something I could allow. I needed to talk to her in private.

We finished up with the open house session early in the afternoon. Thankfully, nothing major had come up. Waylan and Abigail were tidying up while Langston cleared the cups and plates from the living room. Stephanie busied herself with bagging the trash.

"Waylan?" I said. "Got a second?"

He stepped over. "Yeah."

Lowering my voice, I said, "I need to have a private talk with Stephanie. Can you get Abi and Langston to head out with you? Make it subtle?"

The intensity in my voice was obvious, and he must have seen the look in my eyes as well because he nodded gravely. "Got it, bro."

Moments later, Waylan told them that he needed help back in town. He waited until Stephanie was in the bathroom to make a hasty departure. From their bewildered expressions, Langston and Abigail knew something was up, but neither of them objected as Waylan ushered them out the door. When Stephanie re-emerged a few moments later, the look of surprise and worry on her face would have been comical if I wasn't so worried.

"Sit down, Steph," I said, nodding at the chair across from me.

She sat, fidgeting with her hands in her lap and glancing around furtively like an animal caught in a trap. I could smell the fear coming off her. Everything she did screamed guilty.

To be sure I wasn't misreading things, I decided to make her sweat, simply sitting there staring at her in silence. Stephanie wouldn't meet my eye. She looked at her hands, the floor, the wall, the kitchen, anywhere but at me. Her chest and neck were slowly growing red as well.

No reason to beat around the bush. I wasn't that kind of guy. "Have you been meeting with Eren Miller behind my back?"

Stephanie's eyes bulged in shock, and she finally looked at my face. "What?" she croaked, gaping at me. "What are you talking about? Why would you ever say something like that? I would never do something that would undermine you."

Her hurt was genuine, at least on the surface. She was genuinely upset that I would accuse her of something like that. I'd known her my entire life. The last thing I wanted to believe was that she would lie to me, especially about something like this. Something so important.

Eren had been more of a nuisance rather than a full-blown enemy up until now. I wouldn't have spat on him if he was on fire, and he'd felt the same about me, but we'd always had a cordial, if strained, relationship. Now? After all he'd done? I considered him the biggest threat that the Crestwood Pack had ever faced. The fact that he also had his eye on Kirsten made it worse. The whole council knew where I stood with him, and even before his outright defiance of my warning, it would have been a major issue if anyone in the pack had worked with him. Least of all anyone on my council.

"Is this about that damn witch?" Stephanie hissed, her surprise and hurt giving way to anger and betrayal. "Did she tell you that I've been talking to Eren? She probably heard I voted against her coming to town and decided to fuck with me. That's what this is. I know it."

Stephanie seethed and crossed her arms, glaring at me. The anger was genuine, but something about it felt forced, as though she was leaning into it, using it to hide or mask something else.

"This was what I was talking about, Jace," she went on. "She's playing you. She came to town, working with Eren or probably some other alpha, to rip our pack apart. First, she makes you question your own council, then she slides into your bed to totally fuck with your head."

I opened my mouth to speak, but she was on a roll. "I can see it now. A big plot, all to destroy you. I bet she's been planning this for years, a continuation of what her great-grandmother did to you. That stupid curse. She's here to break you and prevent you from having an heir so the pack falls apart."

"What did you just say?" I asked, eyes narrowed, voice low. "What the fuck did you just say?"

My heart hammered. Fear, surprise, and horror warred in my mind. Stephanie had just mentioned Dorothy and the curse. No one, no one knew about that except Waylan, Shayna, and Kirsten, and I would have staked my life on the fact that none of them would have let that information slip. Eren knew about Kirsten being my fated mate, but not about the curse. He'd have used that information against me decades ago if he knew. I thought my secret had been held close to the vest, but could I have been wrong?

Stephanie's face paled.

I rose slowly from the couch, towering over her. "I said, what the fuck did you say?" I bellowed, shattering the silence between us.

Stephanie shuddered. "I don't… it was just a thought… I'm, uh, I didn't think… I… uh…" She continued to stammer and trip over her words, something I'd never seen her do before. Then in a rush, the words came tumbling out. "I heard you talking about it with Waylan once. After the pack meeting, you and Waylan were talking. I was coming over to ask about the after-school activities and overheard you two. I'm sorry for eavesdropping, I really am. I should have told you I heard your conversation. I'm so sorry, Jace."

"You heard us?" I said, still pissed. Furious almost beyond reason.

"Yeah." She uncrossed her arms and looked at me with sad, tear-filled eyes. "I thought we were friends, Jace. I was upset that you'd keep something so huge from me. From the pack."

I leveled a finger at her. "You know what that information would do to the pack? For them to know I couldn't have a child, couldn't form any emotional attraction to any woman? Do you know what chaos that would cause?"

She surprised me by jumping up and hugging me. It happened so fast, I couldn't stop her. My wolf snarled, disgusted that another woman's hands were touching us. He wanted me to shove her off, but I controlled myself and slowly, gently pulled her off me. Hurt came over her face again as I did.

"I'm sorry," she said again. "You were probably right to keep it secret, and I should have told you what I heard, but that doesn't change anything," she insisted. "I don't trust Kirsten. Her family did this to you. Don't you think it's a little convenient that this woman's great-granddaughter suddenly shows up, batting her eyelashes at you? You have to see this is some sort of trick. She's not a shifter. She's not like us. Like you. Like me."

Stepping back to put more space between us, I glared at her. Her eyes were filled with a desperate intensity. She knew she was right. The problem was, she wasn't. But could she ever believe that?

"I had doubts in the beginning, too," I said. "Originally, I only wanted to get close to Kirsten to have her help me break the curse. Use her magic to fix everything that had happened. I thought she'd be a tool and nothing else. Things changed. They're different now." I took a breath, preparing myself to say what needed to be said. To drop the mother of all bombs. "Kirsten isn't just my fated mate. I love her."

Stephanie reeled back as if I'd slapped her. "What?"

"You heard me."

"Are you serious?" she said, putting a hand to her mouth. "You just met her, for God's sake. It takes time for that, even with a fated mate. She's just working her magic on you. I refuse to believe you could possibly—"

"I am serious," I cut her off. "This is not some random thing. It's not infatuation, or lust, or magic. This is real. She's my fated mate, the woman meant to be with me forever. I love her. Regardless of whether she's a shifter or not, she is mine, and I'm hers." I took a threatening step toward her again. "And I will not listen to anyone say anything about her that isn't true. That goes for Eren, for anyone in the pack, and that especially goes for anyone on my council." I lowered my voice to a growl. "Is. That. Understood?"

Stephanie bowed her head, averting her eyes, unwilling to bear the full brunt of my anger. "If you trust her, then I do."

"Good. You're free to leave," I said.

She grabbed her things and hurried toward the door. I raised my hand, stopping her. "Remember this," I said. "Remember what I told you here. And if the news that Kirsten is my fated mate gets out before I tell the rest of the pack, I'll know who to look to first. Eren, and"—I pointed at her—"you. Not anyone else on the council. If Eren spills my secret, so be it. He's a cocksucker. If you spill it? You've never seen me really fucking angry, Steph, but that would do it. Remember."

She met my eyes hesitantly and gave a shaky nod. "Got it, Jace. Again, I'm sorry."

Without another word, she hustled out the door. Alone again, I let out a heavy sigh. She seemed to be contrite and ashamed of herself, seemed like she was a good and obedient member of the pack. The problem was I couldn't be sure. Something about all this didn't have me fully convinced. Was there a traitor in my midst? I'd have to keep a very close eye on Stephanie until this was all settled.

Once I'd calmed down, I headed out to find Waylan and let him know how things had gone with her. It was still early enough in the day that he may have returned to his garage to get some work done. Heading there first, I found I was correct. Waylan was leaning over the open engine bay of an SUV as I walked in.

"Well? How'd that go?" he asked.

"About as well as you could fucking imagine," I said bitterly.

"Not good?"

I gave him a quick rundown of what we'd talked about, making sure to emphasize the fact that she'd heard us talking and hadn't bothered to tell us.

"How can I trust her after this?" I said finally.

"Do you want the truth?"

"Why else would I be here?"

"I wouldn't worry too much."

"What?" I sputtered. "Are you fucking serious?"

"Chill, big guy. Everyone and their brother knows Steph's in love with you. You knew it, too. You just chose to ignore it. She's mad and heartbroken that she really doesn't stand a chance with you now. She'd never betray the pack, or you. I can't believe that. We've all known each other since we were born, for God's sake. We know her. Hell, she's the freaking town doctor. So was her dad, and his dad before, all the way back to when the first shifter settlers made it to this part of Missouri. Steph is one of us."

"Yeah," I said. "And what about what Kirsten saw? In the city? She's positive it was Stephanie with Eren in that store."

Waylan tilted his head to the ceiling and groaned. He sat like that, looking like he was inspecting the lights before looking at me again. "Look, not to be a dick. Stephanie is a pretty blonde with a hot body, but honestly? She's kinda cookie-cutter, if you ask me. I bet I could walk down the street of St. Louis and point out three women in ten minutes who bear a resemblance to her. That's probably all Kirsten saw. A hot blond chick who's banging Eren or something."

"You really think so?"

"That's gotta be it. I would be beyond shocked if Stephanie did anything to harm you, Kirsten, or the pack." He raised an eyebrow. "Speaking of, when are you going to announce that Kirsten is your fated mate to the rest of the pack?"

"Not sure yet," I grumbled. "As it goes, I haven't actually officially asked Kirsten to be my mate yet. That's gonna happen soon, though. My wolf is losing patience. If it was up to him, I'd have asked her already."

"You want my suggestion?"

"As if you wouldn't give it to me even if I said no?"

He chuckled and patted me on the shoulder. "You do know me well. My suggestion is do it quick. Stephanie knows, I know, Eren knows, the council knows. You were seen with Kirsten in town. It's gonna spread if it hasn't already. I'm fucking shocked Eren hasn't leaked the info yet as it is. Know the old saying, ‘Two can keep a secret if one of them is dead?' It's the whole damn truth. It's not gonna be a good look if everyone finds out from someone other than you."

"Well, shit," I muttered. He was right. I needed to do something. My wolf was sure, I was sure, so what was I waiting for? Kirsten cared for me, I knew that, but would she be ready for something this big and permanent so soon? She came from the human world where, for the most part, people didn't make big binding romantic decisions after a week.

Well, there was only one way to know for sure.

"I'm gonna go talk to Kirsten," I said, standing up. "She'll either say yes or no. No other option, really."

"Let me know how it goes," Waylan called after me as I left.

Kirsten was out in her new herb garden when I ran up the driveway. Hearing my paws on the gravel, she turned and smiled as she recognized my wolf.

"Hey there," she said, leaning down to pet me.

Nuzzling into her hand, I allowed a few extra pets before shifting to my human form.

"To what do I owe this visit?"

"I have something pretty important to ask you," I said.

Her smile faltered. "Something bad?"

"I don't think so, but I guess we'll see."

"Oof, sounds heavy," she said, taking her gardening gloves off. "Let's have it, then, but please don't tell me you came here to break the news that Bigfoot is real or something."

Despite my nerves, a hearty laugh escaped me. "Not to my knowledge. I wanted to ask you how you were feeling about us. This," I added, gesturing to the space between us.

"It's great. I'm enjoying it. Getting to know you and everything. Why?" She narrowed her eyes, too smart not to see I had something bigger up my sleeve.

We walked to her porch and sat on the steps before I continued. "So, I know how I feel about you. My wolf is sure as well. I, uh, well, I wanted to see if you wanted to be my mate. Officially."

Kirsten's blinked rapidly at me. She was silent for so long that I started to get worried. Panicked wouldn't have been too strong a word, actually.

Then she finally broke the terrible silence. "Jace, this is all going kinda fast, isn't it? I mean, yeah, I really like you. Really," she added, placing a hand on my arm. "But shouldn't we, I don't know, wait a bit? Get to know each other even better?"

The analytical part of my mind knew that made sense, but the emotional core, the deep part of me where the truest and most intense emotions resided, bristled at that. Did that mean she wasn't sure? Could she be second-guessing this relationship? No, I had to remember everything she'd been through. She still had walls up and was only just now learning about herself. I couldn't force her into something. That wasn't who I was.

I couldn't expect her to follow me blindly into the future. Kirsten had to make her own way, and my wolf did not like that one bit. He'd have to get over it and wait a bit longer to claim Kirsten as ours forever.

"I understand," I said. "I totally respect that. I only asked because I'm so sure about you, but I would never push you to do something you aren't ready for."

The relief on her face hit me two-fold. One, it meant she wasn't upset or angry, and that made me happy. Two, it was a little like getting kicked in the nuts, knowing she wasn't fully ready to dive into something that, for all intents and purposes, appeared so perfect.

"I do need to let you know," I added hesitantly. "I'm going to be telling the pack about us. About how I've chosen you as my mate. That doesn't mean the claiming will happen anytime soon, don't worry. It's just that they need to know before Eren or someone lets the cat out of the bag first."

"This is a big part of your customs or something?"

"It is. And it should come from me. No one else. Is that okay?"

She thought about it for a few seconds before nodding. It wasn't an enthusiastic nod, which worried me.

"Sure. That should be fine, I guess. I'm not going to step all over your traditions."

Before I could stop myself, I was kissing her, a gentle, chaste kiss that frustrated my wolf. He was desperate to ravage her right here on the front porch. Taking her hands in mine, I pulled away and studied her face. She looked unsure, a tad worried.

"I promise I'll do everything I can to show you that I'll be the best mate possible for you. Thank you for being so understanding about this. I hate that I sprung it on you like this, though."

"It's fine," she said. "Really. Do you want to come in? I have some iced tea."

"That sounds great."

As we stepped inside, I had the strange feeling that she might not have been as fine as she said. The worry and anxiety in my chest hadn't abated. In fact, as we drank tea on the front porch, it only grew.