Mystery of the Wish

Chapter Sixteen

Henry

"You seem to be in a foul mood today," Marc said during breakfast. Jace's chair across me was empty, and I could feel the guilt creeping up to my brain. I was a little too harsh with him last night, but I had to tell him, give him a piece of my mind. If he took it to heart, then there was nothing I could do. He had to mend his own heart, and I wouldn't be surprised if our situation of me picking on his mistakes bothered him.

"Nah, I'm fine," I said and stuffed my mouth with food. I chewed and looked at the rest of my companions at the table.

Marc glared at me while Norman chowed down on his food along with three other pack fighters. They were not bothered enough to comment on our situation. Jelena was lost in her own thoughts as she stabbed her food with her fork. I knew that Marc could feel my distress, but I didn't understand how no one could sense the change in Jace's behaviour over the last few days. He was distant, very distant. I could tell Jace was up to something, something that he was unwilling to inform us. Every time I confronted him, he denied. He would either laugh it off or glare at me, saying how I was overthinking and imagining things. He has been working excessively, patrolling the pack when everyone was aware of the scheme to protect the pack. We had changed our patrol routes again and increased our border guards. I didn't want any deaths inside our pack.

The incident that took place two years ago left a scar. Everyone was afraid of the possibility of another war. We wanted to keep our family and pups safe from any harm. We knew that the potential threat of a war deflated as the pact was made, but we wanted a safe environment for our new generation. Even through the grind of securing our pack and managing our own lives, I could sense that Jace was bothered about something.

What could it be?

What is bothering him? I asked myself.

I had no answer.

Jace kept secrets, and I was confident that he was somewhat considering options that would hurt him further.

"Where is Jace?" Marc asked. Everyone stopped eating for a second and looked at each other.

No one had seen him in the packhouse.

"I think he went out," Norman said, looking at me.

"Maybe." I gritted through my teeth.
Everyone was busy in their own tiny worlds and didn't even notice the slight changes Jace was going through. I could tell he was having doubts, second thoughts about himself and his life. I also knew that he was blinded by the need to avenge his mate's death. The way he had been sneaking outside the Celestial Pack hasn't gone unnoticed by me.

I couldn't imagine the pain of losing my mate, but whatever happened with Skylar and Jace, I knew it was horrendous. They both suffered immensely, and unfortunately, Skylar didn't survive. She was brutally murdered. The only reason why Jace survived that incident was because of me. He survived because I was aware of his situation. We used to meet at unclaimed territories, and he used to inform me of all significant matters that occurred in his life and around him. One of them was finding his mate. I remembered the day he came to me to pass on the great news of finding his mate. He was ecstatic and couldn't wait to share the information about his newfound love.

I was certain the very first time I laid my eyes on Skylar that Jace was doomed. In her eyes, I saw determination; I saw anger and hatred. I didn't know why, but I knew that her determination was going to swallow him alive. I was not blessed with the ability to foretell, nor could I sense upcoming disasters. There was something about her, the way she looked at Jace, to me, it didn't seem like a casual glance or that of love.
I warned Jace. Several times. I told him to stay aware and updated. Even then, he laughed it off, throwing all my warnings to the side; he lived his 'peaceful' life with his mate.

"He has been working a lot lately," Marc said.

Jelena huffed. "He is trying to keep himself busy."

I looked at her. She was a pretty girl with long hair and blue eyes. Most importantly, she had the hots for Jace.

Then it struck me.

"Jelena, I have been noticing for a while that you act differently around Jace. Why is that?" I asked.

She stopped eating and looked at me. "Different?"

"Yes. You seem all giddy and happy around him." I said with a smug.

"And clingy," Norman added.

Marc and I laughed at Norman's remark. It was indeed true that Jelena would grope Jace every time he was around her.

She blushed at our comments. "I'm not that transparent, am I?"

I ignored her statement. "Are you in love with Jace?" I asked, getting straight to my question.

She choked and waved her hand in front of us, dismissing the idea. "No, no. Love is a strong word."

"So you don't love him?" Marc asked with a quizzical expression on his face.
I considered the option of letting Jelena mix a little more with Jace. I wanted them to spend time together. They were very much alike in terms of losing their mates, and I wanted them to bond over it. As much as I hated to admit it, Jelena was my only hope. I felt she was the only person who could bring him out of his misery. Her lone wolf could fix and get Jace out of his misery.

"I fancy him." She said. "He is rather interesting."

"And hot," Norman said, dragging his syllables. "I heard you saying that once."

Jelena blushed and pointed her fork at Norman.

I cleared my throat to get their attention.

"Let's assume, he likes you back. What will you do?" I asked, giving her a hypothetical situation.

"That's never going to happen and what's the rush? Again, love is a powerful word, and I wouldn't throw it around like that. I wouldn't mind getting to know him a little more, but he always runs away from me. There is not much I can do, Henry." She explained, twiddling her long slender fingers around her fork.

I could tell that she liked him more than she was originally telling us. The look in her eyes made her emotions evident, but at the same time, it mostly seemed sexual.