Hey, beauties :)

Once any of the Werewolf Institutes became involved in something, especially when someone from the Clave was sent out, everything began moving very quickly. News had spread through the town like wildfire, so by the time Jace and Clary had woken up from their recovery nap, most people in town were already fully aware of what had happened. Or, at least, most of what had happened. Each version got tweaked a little as people gossiped and passed around the news, and it wasn't until a full statement was made from Sheriff Jeremiah that the story was straightened out. Helen had been called into work as soon as she had woken up, helping to manage the chaos that had erupted when people realized that there was a feral werewolf that had been responsible for the killings.

Sebastian was taken into custody of the Clave and sent to be sentenced in a rushed trial. Trials of werewolves were usually kept quite hush-hush, and details never really got out, but given Robert and Maryse were part of the Clave, they told Jace and their children what was happening. Sebastian had been sentenced to life in the tombs below the Werewolf Institute in Idris. It was one of the most heavily guarded prison in the world and there was no way that Sebastian was going to be seeing the light of day, ever again.

Kaelie and the body of her brother, Samuel, had been handed over to the Seelie Council. Kaelie had looked absolutely petrified as the Seelie Queen approached them. The Queen had taken on the form of a young child, maybe around the age of twelve or thirteen, and Clary had been there when she was handed over and the Queen had been completely eerie. She had stroked her fingers down Kaelie's arm and tsked under her breath and it looked as though she was treating this whole thing off-handedly but then she snapped her fingers and Kaelie started crying out in pain before her guards moved forward and grabbed her.

The seelie's also wanted to take Meliorn, however the Clave refused. Meliorn was still going to be held accountable for what he had done, but his circumstances were going to be taken into account. They were also going to help him complete his transformation into a werewolf, because the seelie's were just going to put him to death.

Clary was just relieved that it was all over.

She was glad that Jace and the rest of her friends and family—her pack—were cleared.

However it then meant that since her mind was no longer split between two things, her focus on Jace and the feelings between them were just increased. It was also since that connection that Jace had made when he was standing over Sebastian, between himself and her and the rest of the pack, that everything between them had intensified. When they were together, she was aware of everything coming from Jace, and when they were apart, she could always feel his presence as well. It was distracting at first and a bit overwhelming, and she could sympathize with Bat, who had recently had to deal with the onslaught on his senses since becoming a werewolf.

Jace dealt with it a lot better than she did, maybe because he had already been aware of what he felt and had been dealing with it longer. Maybe it was also because he was good at filtering things because of his advanced senses as a werewolf.

Luke helped her a lot, and her mother. Jocelyn knew about being a human and being mates with an Alpha werewolf, given she was in that position herself, and she helped Clary sort through the bond that they had with each other. While they had definitely been connected before, it wasn't until he had drawn on their bond for strength that things had really fallen into place, that final connection between them was established.

Her pack also made her feel better, helped to ground her. That connection that he had made between them all was usually something that happened when a pack was officially established. Given how many people were being brought into the pack—how it was like two packs coming together—there was generally a ceremony that happened. Obviously, this was a bit different, because Jace had needed their strength just to stand and fight back, but it had officially made them a pack, and Clary's bond with all of them was strong. It had become evident to all of them, even the ones who hadn't known, that she was the mate of the Alpha. Lydia and Helen hadn't been drawn into the connection that Jace had created, but they were both very happy just being honorary members of the pack, not quite prepared to join something so permanent. Jordan, on the other hand, was going to be brought in on the next full moon.

But the one who helped the most was Jace.

He never expected things of her.

He never asked for anything.

He never told her that he needed more.

Jace let her take everything at her pace, including talking to the pack—their pack—about their bond, and about the fact that they were mates, and that Clary held the most powerful position in the pack, other than Jace. It wasn't as though it was going to be met with any resistance, Clary had already been some sort of leader to her own friends and Alec, Isabelle and Magnus knew who she was to Jace, and knew that once they had come together, she would be in the next highest position. Alec would still remain Jace's second in command, but Clary's position was like just an extension of Jace's place, almost a secondary Alpha.

Clary needed a couple of weeks before she was comfortable with talking to the rest of the pack.

When they did, they were met with nothing but grins and knowing looks.

Clary didn't think that she would ever feel as at home as she did at Jace's side and with the pack. Her whole life, she felt as though she had belonged to a family and was loved, but something was just off, and she hadn't known if that spot was ever going to be filled.

But it had been.

And for Jace; he was home. He was in the house that he had grown up in, with his family and their pack. That had all been ripped away from him when he was so young, and he hadn't thought that he would ever get that back again. He had been an angry teenager and he hadn't thought he deserved anything, given he had lost his previous pack and then gone on a murdering spree of all the people responsible. He had turned his back on his mate at the first chance that he had of meeting her, and it had only been luck that had brought her back into his life.

Sometimes he still couldn't believe how lucky he was.

"No, no, no!" There was a cry from the kitchen, but it was far from a panicked one. There was laughing and then there was shrieking, and a moment later, Isabelle came running through the lounge, streaking from the door of the hallway across to the other side of the room, standing behind the couch, which was where Jace and Alec were sitting. Alec raised his eyebrow at his sister as he saw dough on her chin and stuck to her shirt.

"My kitchen better not be a crime scene—" Jace was cut off as Simon skidded into the room, and there was even more dough on him, stuck to his hair and his clothes. "What the—" Jace was cut off again as Simon lunged toward where Isabelle was. Isabelle let out a squeal as she jumped over the coffee table and sprinted back out the door that she had come through. Jace narrowed his eyes, although it was clear that he wasn't angry. "Seriously? Do I not have any respect around here? Does no one listen to me?" Alec was focused back on his phone and Jace stared at him for a few beats before he looked up and met Jace's eyes.

"What, were you saying something?" He asked, before his face broke out in a smirk and Jace rolled his eyes. "Sorry, man, but have you seen Clary's face when she gets mad? That's why you're not quite as scary as you used to be."

"I heard that!" Came a yell from the kitchen where Simon and Isabelle had just come running from. "And those are your puppies—I don't care if I'm the scary one, get them under control!" Jace made a face, eyes widening, and he quickly got up from the couch. Alec laughed under his breath at how fast his Alpha went running. Clary had all of them wrapped around her little finger.

It wasn't like Alec could say anything.

Last week Clary had a bit of a runny nose and he had slipped out of the house and spent over a hundred dollars on cold and flu medicine at the local pharmacy, just in case.

He loved her just as much as the rest of the pack.

Jace came into the kitchen and was surprised that it didn't actually look as though a war had torn through. From what he had heard and the chaos of Isabelle and Simon, he had expected it to be a lot messier than it was. But from Clary's arched eyebrow and pointed look, he looked over his shoulder, the wall around the door that he had just walked through was splattered with flour and his lips parted. He turned back around to face Clary and he couldn't really help the guilty expression on his face even though he hadn't done anything, more just because it had been his pack that had caused the mess.

"Sorry?" He attempted a smile but Clary's eyes were flat and her eyes were pursed. "I'll...I'll go and get them to help clean up?" He offered and she nodded once. Clary turned back to the bowl in front of her, which was almost overflowing with whatever dough she was mixing—it looked like maybe it was for chocolate chip cookies—and Jace couldn't help but glance down to where she was stirring it.

He couldn't believe what he was considering.

Just a few short months ago, he could never imagine himself in this situation where he felt this happy and like a fourteen year old, and doing what he was about to do.

But Jace could barely smother his laugh as he walked slowly toward Clary and put a hand on her hip. She probably thought that he was just coming over to give her a kiss or a hug and she leaned back against him. Jace licked his lips and reached around her...And then he dunked his hand into the dough, feeling it squidge through his fingers, before lifting it up and smushing it against Clary's face.

Clary's response was slightly delayed, her shoulders slowly tensing as he wiped his thumb along her jawline, smearing the last of the dough against her smooth skin. She slowly began turning around, her eyes wide and her mouth open as she moved right around to face him. Jace was trying to bite back his laugh but he could feel his face getting hot and he knew that he was failing miserably, and the next thing he knew, Clary was letting out a some sort of battle cry and was firing cookie dough at him.

"What the fuck is going on in here?!" Alec exclaimed and they could hear his footsteps as he came from the lounge and into the kitchen. "Uh..." he looked between the two with wide eyes. "I think I'm—" he didn't even get the chance to step back out of the room before Clary was scooping up another handful of cookie dough and sent it flying across the kitchen and hitting Alec in the chest. He looked absolutely scandalized as his eyes dropped down to his chest and then looked back up at Clary and then down at his shirt again. There was the thundering off footsteps as Isabelle and Simon came down the stairs and crowded behind Alec, surveying the situation.

They were all still in that frozen position when the front door opened and Magnus, Maia and Bat came in, quickly followed by Lydia and Jordan. The five of them had gone out to the movies and were coming back in time for dinner. They were all talking loudly as they came in and took off their shoes and Magnus reached them first, peering over Isabelle's shoulder to see what had happened.

"How do food fights keep on breaking out?!" He cried. "This never happened back in New York!" But there was a grin on his face and laughs coming from behind him. Alec grabbed the dough that was sticking to his shirt and then tossed it over his shoulder, so that it managed to catch Magnus in the fact, although some of the crumbs hit Isabelle. There were a few indignant gasps and then all hell broke loose. Clary practically shoved the mixing bowl at Simon and Alec as they lunged for it and then ducked out of the way, protecting herself by kneeling behind the centre console. Jace mimicked her motion as chaos erupted, the rest of their pack yelling and laughing with each other as they threw the cookie dough around.

"Look what you started," Clary grinned over at Jace from where they were now sitting on the floor of the kitchen with their legs tucked in close to their bodies.

"Actually," Jace raised his eyebrow at her. "I'm pretty sure you started this."

"How about we blame Isabelle and Simon and call it even?" Clary suggested and Jace nodded with a laugh.

He felt so completely free and happy and he could help but laugh again at the loud exchanges between their pack. And Clary was happy as well, he could smell it all over her. Sweethappymatehome. All of them smelt like home. He was never going to get sick of that smell.

"I love you," Clary said softly as she tugged on Jace's shirt to bring him in for a kiss. It wasn't her first time saying the words since she realized just how deeply she felt for him, but they still felt so good coming out of her mouth. Jace returned the pressure and was about to return the sentiment for the second or third or nineteenth time that day when Maia's head popped over the centre island and gave out a yell.

"They're hiding!" She cried out to the rest of the pack, and suddenly both of them were being pelted with bits of chocolate cookie dough.

And Jace wouldn't trade it for the world.

So that's it! That's this story! As always, there may be some follow up at some point, but I'm not promising anything. I know some people were hoping for a mating ceremony, but I just never had that planned, I'm really sorry. Maybe I'll be inspired to add something in there later, but...For now, this it!

Hope you enjoyed x

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