CHAPTER 4

Jace steps into the pack training ground, coming out of the gym, he’s wearing a black joggers and a sleeveless top soaked in sweat, which hugs his delicious muscular frame tightly.

Everyone stops the moment they see him enter, all baring their neck to him.

“Carry on,” he says, his eyes searching the crowd for Clara but he doesn’t find her.

This is the third day in a row that she hasn’t shown up to training and he can see most of the new shifters who she is responsible for training just messing around.

Is she still upset? This is the first time she ever throws a tantrum.

“Gather round,” he frowns at the group of first shifters, “make a circle. I want one on one physical combat. The loser does 500 pushups with the winner standing on his back,” he orders coldly and the group quickly do as he instructs.

He walks a distance away but not too far so he can continue to observe the first shifters and he mindlinks Clara but she blocks him.

He scoffs, a tiny smile tugging the corner of his lips.

Who would have thought his little bullet had it in her?

“Alpha! Alpha!” His Delta, Ethan, runs towards him, holding out his phone, “you need to see this.”

Jace frowns, not liking to be disturbed during training sessions.

“What is it?”

“It’s better if you take a look,” Ethan replies, bowing slightly.

Jace yanks the phone from him and an even deeper frown contorts his face, his eyes bulge in shock and he looks sharply at Ethan before looking back at the phone.

It’s a video of Clara burning her wedding dress. What has gotten into her?

“Who else has seen this?”

“It’s gone viral Alpha, it’s everywhere.”

Jace sneers, “make it disappear,” he says, shoving the phone against Ethan chest.

“I said fucking combat, not sparring! Put some fucking weight behind your punch!”

He yells at the two people fighting in the centre of the circle and he mindlinks his Beta, stepping closer to the circle.

‘Where are you?’

‘Just outside the—’

‘Training ground. Now.’

He cuts Gabriel off, takes out his phone and dials Clara’s number but it goes straight to voicemail.

He grinds his teeth, wondering what has gotten into her. He’s not used to being ignored by her, this feels….strange.

“Alpha,” Gabriel says, bowing slightly as he appears behind him moments later, “you sounded like it was an emergency.”

“What are you doing? You don’t give the enemy a chance when he’s down, you finish him off,” Jace says to one fighter in the group before turning to Gabriel with a cold glare in his eyes.

“Clara is not here. Did you deliver my message to her?”

“Yes Alpha,” Gabriel nods.

“And…?”

Gabriel huffs, bringing his face close to Jace’s ear to whisper away from the hearing of the others. “Well, she…..she said she’s on honeymoon leave and she’s not coming back.”

“She said what?” Jace cocks his head and looks at Gabriel sharply, “without having a fucking wedding?”

“Yes. When I tried to confront her over her attitude, she wouldn’t listen. That woman, she’s something else,” Gabriel replies, an undertone of spite in his voice.

“Huh,” Jace replies in a low tone, thinning his lips.

What could have gotten into her to that extent? He knows she has a stubborn, ill tempered side to her but never towards him.

“And you made it clear that I sent you?” He asks, his tone still full of disbelief.

“As clear as day,” Gabriel replies sharply.

Jace scoffs, finding the whole thing rather amusing. “Does she know plans are already in place to get her a bigger wedding as I promised?”

“I told her everything Alpha, I tried my best to convince her, she just wouldn’t listen.”

“Obviously not your best, I’ll go see her myself,” Jace sneers at him, feeling an uneasiness within.

“You have more important things to worry about, let me try again, I’ll bring her home this time,” Gabriel interjects.

“Fine,” Jace grunts.

****

Clara in bed, watching old videos of her and Jace on her phone, sometimes smiling, mostly crying, when she hears the hurried footsteps of her mother coming towards her door before she hears the woman yell.

After moving out of Jace’s house, she had nowhere else to go but to move back to her parents house.

“Honey! Honey! Come out! The Alpha Just parked outside,” her mother knocks frantically on her door. “Hurry up and come out. Wear something nice. The man misses you so much he had to come get you himself,” her mother chuckles.

Clara’s heart immediately races, hearing Jace is here to get her.

He came? He really came?

For some reason, the gloom she has been feeling lifts off.

She just wants to hear what he has to say, what excuse he wants to give her this time.

She lazily makes her way out of her bedroom to the living room, only for heart to sink when she sees Gabriel standing in their living room and not Jace.