The Awakening.

As Ace watches Kieran standing beside Lila, his breathing quickens, her smug presence filling the room like a poisonous fog.

The sight of her so close to him makes something inside Ace stir—no, rage.

A low growl threatens to rise from his chest, and he clenches his fists to keep it at bay.

His wolf, usually dormant and silent, is now awake and restless, clawing at him from the inside.

The urge to act, to protect, is overwhelming. It doesn't make sense, but it's there—an unrelenting push, as though his very soul is screaming for him to shield Kieran from her.

"So," Ace says, his voice sharper than he intends, "this is the person you're so desperate to be with? Physically?"

Kieran's head snaps toward him, his jaw tightening. Lila's expression twists in anger, her eyes narrowing.

"Hey!" she snaps, stepping forward, her tone biting. "Don't talk about me like that!"

Ace's wolf surges within him, the power rising like a tidal wave, and for the first time, he doesn't try to suppress it. His gaze locks onto hers, unwavering and fierce.

"I'm not talking to you," he says coldly, his voice steady and cutting.

For a fleeting moment, Lila flinches, the confidence in her demeanor faltering under the intensity of his stare.

Kieran steps forward, his frustration palpable. "It doesn't matter."

Ace tears his eyes away from Lila and looks at Kieran. Something shifts within him—a deeper, primal force.

His wolf isn't just restless now; it's desperate.

Desperate to keep Kieran away from her. Desperate to protect him.

But why? Ace doesn't understand it himself. He only feels that he has to act.

"Can we talk?" Ace asks, his tone softer now, almost pleading. "Please."

Kieran hesitates, his eyes flicking between Ace and Lila. The room is thick with tension, and for a moment, Ace thinks he might agree.

"Speak," Kieran finally says, his voice clipped.

"Me and you. Alone," Ace clarifies, his wolf snarling at him to push harder, to make Kieran listen.

Lila laughs, the sound grating against Ace's nerves. "Now I see what you meant when you said he's stubborn," she says, looking at Kieran.

Then, turning to Ace, her tone grows mocking. "What don't you understand? Kieran and I share everything. Even if you talk to him alone, he'll just tell me anyway—"

"I've already made it clear," Ace cuts her off, his voice low and simmering with a power he doesn't fully understand. "I'm not talking to you."

Lila's lips press into a thin line, her confidence faltering once again.

"Just say whatever it is you want to say," Kieran says impatiently. "She's in all these, she knows everything."

Ace's chest tightens, frustration mingling with the fierce instinct driving him. He knows he can't say what he needs to with her there.

"Forget it," he mutters, stepping back.

His emotions churn violently—anger, confusion, and a raw, burning need to protect Kieran.

His wolf howls inside him, urging him to act, but he feels helpless.

He doesn't know how to make Kieran see the danger standing right beside him.

Lila smirks, her confidence returning. "I hope you're ready for what's coming tomorrow," she says lightly, her voice dripping with condescension. "Whether you like it or not."

Ace doesn't respond.

His wolf snarls, the power within him swirling, growing stronger by the second. But he doesn't know what to do with it.

He walks to what he realized is a bathroom in the room, slamming the door behind him.

The Next Day

Ace barely slept through the night. His body thrummed with restless energy, and every time he closed his eyes, he felt the presence of something darker—something clawing at his soul.

The faint burn of his soulmark beneath his hoodie was a constant reminder that something was not right.

Now, as morning arrives, he sits on the edge of the bed, staring blankly at the door.

The muffled sound of voices outside drifts in occasionally—Lila's unmistakable condescension, Kieran's low and impatient tone—

When the door suddenly opens, his breath hitches, and his wolf growls deep within him.

Lila steps inside first, her smug smile radiating confidence.

Behind her, a woman follows, her presence suffocating and wrong.

The air in the room feels colder, and Ace's chest tightens as though an invisible weight presses down on him.

"You're coming with us," Lila says, her voice overly sweet, as if she's addressing a stubborn child.

Ace shakes his head, standing.

His fists clench at his sides, but he manages to keep his voice steady. "I'm not going anywhere."

The witch tilts her head, her cold, calculating eyes boring into him.

Slowly, she raises her hand, the movement deliberate, like a predator about to strike. "We don't need your cooperation," she says, her voice sharp and venomous.

The moment her fingers touch Ace's arm, everything explodes.

Pain shoots through Ace like a lightning bolt, searing and unrelenting.

Fire erupts from within him—pure, blinding energy surging outward.

His soulmark flares , burning the his hoodie at that point, glowing so brightly it pierces through the fabric.

A scream fills the room—not his, but the witch's.

Her hand jerks back as if she's touched molten lava. Her body convulses violently as light floods the room, wild and uncontrollable.

Ace collapses to his knees, trembling as the raw energy tears through him. He can't think, can't breathe.

It's as though his body is no longer his own, every nerve alight with power he doesn't understand.

When the light fades, the room falls silent. The witch's ash lies on the ground. Her once imposing presence is gone, she's no where at all to be seen.

Ace's heart pounds in his chest. His hands shake uncontrollably. He stares at the witch's remnants , his mind unable to process what just happened.

Terror grips him now, cold and unrelenting. Whatever just came out of him—it's something he doesn't understand, something he can't control.

He scrambles back, his breaths coming fast and shallow. His legs give out, and he slumps against the wall, his eyes fixed on the body in front of him.

Lila stands frozen, her mouth slightly open, shock painted across her face. For the first time, her confidence is nowhere to be found.

Kieran is in the doorway, his gaze locked on Ace. His expression is unreadable—somewhere between disbelief , confusion and fear.

Ace doesn't speak.

He can't.

Something inside him—something he doesn't understand—just killed someone, and the weight of that realization is suffocating.

He collapses to the ground.