Shattered Mate

Chapter 5

Grace pov

My eighteenth birthday passed without fanfare—exactly as I had hoped. No party, no celebration, just another day of classes followed by my shift at the diner. The only difference was the strange new awareness humming beneath my skin, a heightened sensitivity to scents and sounds that marked my full transition into adulthood. My wolf felt stronger now, more present, though still frustratingly submissive whenever Jace was near.

What I didn't expect was Brittany Chen's sudden interest in being friendly.

"Grace! There you are," Brittany's voice rang out across the school parking lot as I headed toward my beat-up bicycle. The popular she-wolf practically bounced over, her perfect blonde hair catching the afternoon sunlight. "I've been looking everywhere for you."

I paused, immediately suspicious. In the year I had been at Crescent Falls High, Brittany had never so much as acknowledged my existence—except to laugh when Jace was tormenting me.

"What do you want, Brittany?" I asked warily.

"I wanted to invite you to my party tonight!" Brittany's smile was dazzling, but something about it made my newly heightened instincts prickle with unease. "It's sort of a belated birthday celebration for all the recent eighteen-year-olds. You know, before the Rank Games next month."

My stomach clenched at the mention of the games. I had been trying not to think about them, focusing instead on my escape plan. My grandfather hadn't responded to the letter I had sent two weeks ago, but that didn't mean anything. Mail was slow, and he probably needed time to think about taking in a granddaughter he'd never met.

"I don't think—" I started.

"Oh, come on," Brittany interrupted, stepping closer. "You can't spend your whole life hiding. Besides, there will be other packs there—including some visiting wolves from out of state. It could be good for you to make some... connections."

The way she said 'connections' made my skin crawl, but there was something else in Brittany's scent—excitement mixed with an undercurrent of malice that made me want to run.

"Thanks, but I have to work tonight," I lied.

Brittany's smile faltered for just a moment before returning full force. "Actually, I already checked with Mrs. Henderson. She said you could have the night off since it's your birthday week. Wasn't that sweet of her?"

My blood turned to ice. Brittany had gone to my workplace? Had talked to Mrs. Henderson? The level of manipulation required for that was both impressive and terrifying.

"Look," Brittany continued, pulling out her phone, "I even got you something to wear. Consider it a birthday present." She showed me a photo of a beautiful red dress—something far nicer than anything in my secondhand wardrobe.

"I really can't—"

"Grace." Brittany's voice hardened slightly, and for the first time, her Alpha bloodline showed through. "You're eighteen now. You're going to have to start participating in pack life eventually. The Rank Games are in four weeks, and if you show up having made zero effort to integrate, well... let's just say it won't look good."

The threat was subtle but clear. My hands tightened on my bike handles as I weighed my options. Brittany was right about one thing—my complete isolation from pack social events would definitely count against me in the games. Not that it mattered, since I planned to be gone long before then. But refusing Brittany's 'invitation' could make my last few weeks here even more miserable.

"Fine," I said finally. "But I can't stay long."

"Perfect!" Brittany clapped her hands together. "The party starts at eight. I'll have the dress delivered to your apartment, along with some other things. You're going to look amazing."

As Brittany walked away, I couldn't shake the feeling that I had just made a terrible mistake.

---

The dress fit perfectly—which should have been my first warning sign. Brittany had somehow known my exact measurements, down to my shoe size. The red fabric hugged my curves in a way that made me uncomfortable, and the neckline was lower than anything I had ever worn. But when I looked in the mirror, I barely recognized myself. For the first time in months, I looked... pretty.

The party was being held at the Chen family's estate on the wealthy side of town. I had never been there before, and the size of the house made me feel even more out of place. Music pounded from inside, and I could see people dancing through the floor-to-ceiling windows.

"Grace! You made it!" Brittany appeared at my side the moment I walked through the door, pressing a red solo cup into my hands. "You look absolutely stunning. That color is perfect on you."

The drink was sweet—some kind of fruity punch that masked the alcohol underneath. I took a small sip, then another. My nerves were stretched tight, and the alcohol helped take the edge off.

"Come on," Brittany said, linking our arms. "Let me introduce you to some people."

The next hour passed in a blur of faces and names I wouldn't remember. Brittany kept refilling my cup, and I found myself relaxing despite my earlier reservations. Maybe this wasn't so bad. Maybe Brittany really was trying to be nice.

It wasn't until I started feeling dizzy that I realized something was wrong.

"I need some air," I mumbled, setting down my cup and pushing through the crowd toward what I hoped was a door to outside.

Instead, I found myself in a hallway lined with doors. My vision was swimming now, and my egs felt like they were made of rubber. This wasn't just alcohol—something else was in that drink.

"Here, let me help you," a male voice said, and strong hands gripped my arms. I tried to focus on the face, recognizing Derek Walsh—a nineteen-year-old from a neighboring pack. He was swaying almost as much as I was.

"Something's wrong," I tried to say, but the words came out slurred.

Derek nodded, his eyes unfocused. "Feel sick. Need to lie down."

Someone guided us into a bedroom—I couldn't tell who through the haze clouding my mind. The last thing I remembered was falling onto a bed, Derek collapsing beside me, and the sound of a camera clicking in the darkness.

---

I woke to the sound of a door slamming so hard it rattled the walls. My head felt like it was splitting in half, and my mouth tasted like cotton. I tried to sit up and immediately regretted it as nausea washed over me.

"What the hell is this?"

The voice was filled with such rage that my blood turned to ice. I forced my eyes open and immediately wished I hadn't.

Jace stood in the doorway, his face a mask of absolute fury. His hands were clenched into fists at his sides, and his eyes were glowing with an inner fire that meant his wolf was very close to the surface.

That's when I noticed Derek beside me on the bed, still unconscious. We were both fully clothed, thank God, but the implication was clear. To anyone walking in, it would look like we had spent the night together.

"It's not—" I started, but my voice came out as a croak.

"Get. Away. From. Her." Each word dripped with deadly menace as Jace advanced into the room. "Now."

Derek stirred at the sound, blinking groggily. When he saw Jace, he scrambled backward off the bed so fast he nearly fell.

"Alpha, I swear, nothing happened. I don't even remember—"

"GET OUT!" Jace roared, and Derek fled without another word.

I tried to stand, but my legs wouldn't support me. The room spun sickeningly, and I had to grip the bedpost to keep from falling.

"Grace." Jace's voice was different now—still angry, but underneath the rage was something that sounded almost like pain. "Tell me what happened. Tell me the truth."

Through my drug-addled haze, I tried to piece together the evening. The party, Brittany's sudden friendliness, the drinks that had tasted too sweet...

"Brittany," I whispered, and Jace's expression darkened further.

"What about Brittany?"

"She invited me. Kept giving me drinks. I felt dizzy, and then..." My voice trailed off as the implications hit me. "Oh God. She drugged us."

The sound that came from Jace's throat was barely human. His eyes were fully wolf now, glowing amber in the morning light streaming through the windows.

"Where is she?" he growled.

Before I could answer, Brittany herself appeared in the doorway, flanked by several other pack members. Her face was the picture of false concern, but I could see the satisfaction gleaming in her eyes.

"Oh my goodness, Grace! Are you okay? When I couldn't find you last night, I was so worried. And then this morning when someone said you and Derek—"

"You lying bitch." Jace's voice was deadly quiet now, which was somehow more terrifying than his roaring. "You did this."

Brittany's eyes widened in perfectly practiced innocence. "Jace, I have no idea what you're talking about. I was just trying to help Grace make friends. If she chose to... well, that's her business, isn't it?"

I watched in horror as Brittany pulled out her phone, showing the screen to the gathered crowd. On it was a photo of Grace and Derek on the bed, unconscious and tangled together in a way that looked intimate.

"I mean," Brittany continued with false sympathy, "we all know Grace has been struggling since her parents died. Maybe she just wanted to feel close to someone."

The photo would be all over school by noon. All over the pack by evening. My reputation—what little I had left—was completely destroyed.

But none of that mattered compared to the look on Jace's face. He was staring at the photo with an expression of such raw anguish that I felt my heart break a little more.

And in that moment, despite everything he'd put me through, I found myself wanting to reach out to him.

Because for the first time since I had known him, Jace Storms looked utterly, completely lost.