Chapter 21 - Mira
Hours and hours of staring at the computer screen have given me a raging headache. My body is exhausted, but my mind is ten times worse. Yet I can’t give up now. I can’t stop looking for my mistake until I find it.
The entire pack is divided, and it’s all because of me.
I’ve seen the strain Jace is under. He comes home looking hollow and tired. He must hate me for what I’ve done.
I have to fix this.
I can barely be around him lately because of my own guilt, so I’ve been spending day after day at the lab. It’s better this way anyway because this is where I need to be to fix whatever I did.
People put their trust in me, and I’ve let them down. I’ve let Jace down. He believed in me, and I made him look like a fool.
***
I’m alone in my workspace, with my office door closed because I can’t bear how some of the pack members glare at me.
It’s obvious who is on Jace’s side and who leans toward Marcus and what he is saying. They don’t hide it when they stare with coldness and accusation in their eyes.
I have my team searching every inch of code that makes up this program, but I’m doing the same. It’s not their fault. It’s mine.
Glancing at my phone, I see it’s almost eight, dinner time has come and gone, and I didn’t even realize it. Again.
Most nights this week have gone this way. I think part of me knows how late it is and doesn’t care. I only want to go home after Jace has gone to sleep so that I don’t have to face him and the line of questions he has for me.
I turn my phone face down on the desk, so I don’t have to see the time, and turn my attention back to my computer.
The door of my office bursts open, and my heart leaps into my throat.
“Jace!” I blurt out, horrified.
“Why are you still here, Mira?” he snaps.
“I’m…I’m working,” I say defensively.
“You can’t do this to yourself. You need to eat, sleep, and rest. You need to spend time with me and talk to me. If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were avoiding me. You leave before I wake up, and you're home after I go to bed. I’m sick of it!” he huffs.
“Jace…” I stammer, standing up to face him. He looks furious. I don’t blame him for being angry at me. He has every right.
“No, Mira, don’t Jace me. Just tell me why you’re never home. Why you haven’t spoken to me in days,” he demands.
“Because this is all my fault!” I blurt out, fighting tears. “Because I have to fix this so that you don’t end up hating me for it!”
He takes a step back and looks shocked.
“Hate you? What in the world are you talking about, Mira?” he mutters.
“I’m the reason the pack is divided, and you’re fighting with the elders. I’m the reason you’re so stressed. I have to come in early and leave late because I have to find a way to fix this, Jace,” I say miserably, waiting for him to agree with me.
Jace shakes his head, his face traced with hurt. The expression confuses me.
“Is that what you think of me?” he asks quietly.
“What…what do you mean?” I whisper.
“You think so low of me that you expect me to just agree with that? To say, yes, I think this is your fault? Mira, I would never let you take the blame for this!” he says.
“You …wouldn’t?” I stammer, confused.
He scoffs, annoyed. “I have ever faith in your capabilities. I have full faith in you as my mate, my wife, and the head of the security systems for this pack. In every single way, no matter what, I am on your side, Mira. I always will be. How can you not know that?”
“Because I messed up,” I murmur.
“Maybe you did, maybe you didn’t, but I won’t sit there and point fingers. We are a team. Through everything. Do you understand?”
I nod slowly, shocked by his insistence. Floored by how committed he is to supporting me.
Jace steps forward and pulls me into his arms. He hugs me and I melt against him, relieved beyond words. “I never want to disappoint you,” I whisper quietly.
“And you never could, Mira. You’re brilliant. Smart. Beautiful. Whatever the problem is, you will figure it out, and if you let me help you, we can figure it out even quicker.”
I nod, sighing softly and stepping back.
“Now tell me what you need me to do,” he demands.
“Firstly, we need dinner. Then, you can help me go through a million lines of code?” I grin.
“Done and done. What do you want? I’ll go grab us something,” he says.
“Anything,” I smile.
Jace leaves, and I stare at the door, wondering what just happened. I never expected him to react that way. I never thought I had his unwavering support through all of this.
I can’t believe it. He is my mate. Truly.
With renewed enthusiasm to make things right and no longer burdened with guilt, I sit back down to go through the code again. I start testing the program from every angle I can think of, and when Jace returns with Chinese takeout, I am flabbergasted.
“What’s going on?” he asks, noticing my expression.
“I have looked at every part of this system so many times I can recite the code backward. I’ve tested every piece of it, every command, and I can’t see anything wrong. The system is working. There is absolutely nothing wrong with it,” I sigh, throwing my hands in the air.
Jace sets our food on the coffee table near the sofas and then takes my hand to lead me to sit down.
“Let’s eat and brainstorm,” he says calmly.
I don’t argue, because my head is so tired I definitely need food. And even if I were to start testing something else, I don’t know what it would be. I’ve looked at everything. Every. Possible. Thing.
We’re busy discussing the tests I’ve run and enjoying the Chinese food when Miles arrives. He peeks around the frame, knocking on the open door before he steps in.
“Hi, how are things going?” he asks.
Jace gestures for him to grab some food. “Not so well. We’re a bit stumped,” he says.
“I’ve looked at everything,” I sigh in frustration.
“Alright, well, run me through it. Sometimes a fresh pair of ears is all you need,” he says, sitting down and grabbing a bowl of sweet and sour pork balls.
Two hours later, I’ve given them both a very detailed rundown on how the system works and everything I've tested. They’ve thrown questions back at me, asked me from a new perspective, and it's brought us right back to where we started.
The system is working.
There is nothing wrong with the system. No one has hacked our firewall or breached our perimeter.
“Look, I have no idea what half the stuff you told me means, but one thing is glaringly obvious…you’ve thought of everything and you’ve checked everything,” Miles says.
“I agree,” Jace sighs. “So what now?”
“Now I have to start again. I have to go through it again to see what I missed.”
“No, Mira. You’re wasting your time. You’re system is not the issue.” Jace says.
“You really believe that?” I ask.
“I do. Do you trust your work?”
“Yes,” I say after a pause. “I do. I’m always thorough.”
“Then I trust your work. I always did, Mira. That’s what I was trying to tell you.”
“Same here. You’re the smartest person I know,” Miles chuckles.
“So, what then?” I'm at a loss, frustrated about the issues. But I also want to smile because it means so much to me that both of them have such trust and faith in me.
“Well, there’s only one other thing it could be,” Miles shrugs.
“What’s that?” I ask, too tired to think of anyone.
“It’s not a hacker. It’s not someone getting in from outside. So that means someone from the inside is messing with it. Someone who has access, or clearance, is tripping the alarm on purpose.”
My jaw drops open, and Jace lets out a low growl.
“Who!? Why?” I blurt out.
Miles shrugs. “I don’t have that answer, but it makes sense, doesn’t it?”
“Someone in the pack?” Jace says coldly, mulling over the idea.
“It’s not unheard of for people to double-cross their own pack,” Miles nods.
For a long time, we sit in utter silence as we consider the implications of this new concept.
Jace stands up, holding his hand out for me and pulling me to my feet. “Let’s go home and get some sleep. I don’t think there is any reason for you to keep searching through your system. I think Miles is on to something, and I need to redirect my investigation,” he says.
Miles stands too. “I’m going to grab some sleep, too. In the morning, I’ll start sniffing around. Someone knows something, and I have a feeling regarding where to start looking.”
Jace nods. “Do that. And let me know what you find out.”