Ace Gone!

At the first rays of dawn, Kieran strides back into his mansion, his steps heavy with exhaustion and a gnawing unease that he can't shake.

The dim light filtering through the tall windows does little to lift the oppressive weight hanging over him.

The night in the woods has left him rattled, his thoughts swirling with doubts and unanswered questions.

The mansion is quiet, eerily so.

Even the ever-present hum of distant conversations or footsteps seems absent, leaving only the faint creak of the floorboards beneath his boots.

Kieran feels the silence as if it's pressing on his chest.

He ascends the staircase with a sense of foreboding, his wolf restless within him, pacing, growling lowly in the back of his mind.

He halts in front of Ace's room.

The door is shut, just as he left it.

For a moment, he hesitates, his hand hovering over the doorknob.

A faint flicker of guilt flares up, and he clenches his jaw.

But the strange calm that Ace's presence stirs in him is somehow missing today, he always feels it around the mansion.

With a sharp intake of breath, he pushes the door open.

The room is empty.

At first, Kieran doesn't register what he's seeing—or rather, not seeing.

He steps inside, his eyes scanning the space for Ace. His eyes landing on the open window.

Kieran storms across the floor, his chest heaving as he examines it.

The window had been reinforced and locked—an extra precaution he had personally ordered.

But now, the lock is mangled, as if melted away.

He steps back, the realization hitting him like a blow.

Ace used his powers.

The faint scorch marks around the window frame, the acrid smell of burned wood—it's clear Ace channeled the strange, volatile energy within him to force his way out.

A cold shiver runs down Kieran's spine.

Then, his gaze falls on the desk, and his stomach twists.

A piece of paper, folded neatly, lies in the center.

Kieran's name is scrawled across it in hurried, shaky handwriting.

His chest tightens as he picks it up, unfolding it with trembling fingers.

The words hit him like a blow:

Kieran,

I trusted you.

Or at least, I wanted to.

But you've made it clear that you don't trust me, and maybe you never will.

You keep demanding answers from me, answers I don't have.

But what about you?

Why won't you listen to me?

Why won't you see what's right in front of you?

Lila...

She's dangerous, Kieran.

I don't know how or why, but I feel it.

She's not what she pretends to be.

You need to open your eyes before it's too late.

I've begged you to help me figure out what's happening to me, but you've done nothing except lock me away like some criminal.

Ever since we slept together, it seems like everything in my life, even emotions and feelings revolve around you.

Every time you are around I just want to be so close to you , to feel you , but you always wanna make me beg for that , and even when I do , you still deny me that.

I don't understand why this seem to lean on my side so much than to yours.

Anyway, I can't stay here. If you won't help me, I'll find someone who will.

ACE,,,

Kieran grips the note tightly, his vision blurring with a mix of emotions that he can't figure out for now.

His wolf howls in his mind, an anguished cry that echoes the turmoil in his chest.

He turns to the window, inspecting the iron bars.

One of them is slightly bent, just enough to allow a slender figure to slip through.

His wolf growls disappointedly. Kieran's mind churns with conflicting emotions: guilt, worry and failure.

Ace is out there, alone, vulnerable.

If he truly doesn't understand what's happening to him, he could be walking into danger—or worse, unleashing it.

And then there's Lila.

The mention of her name in the letter only deepens Kieran's unease.

What if Ace is right?

What if Lila is hiding something?

But another part of him resists the idea. Lila has been by his side in his sorrowful days. She's always been loyal, steadfast, providing solutions.

And yet, doubt creeps in, insidious and persistent.

Kieran slams his fist against the wall, the sound echoing through the empty room.

He can't think straight, can't reconcile the storm of emotions tearing through him. He needs answers, now more than ever.

A knock at the door jolts him from his thoughts. It's hurried and insistent, not the polite tap of one of his staff.

"Alpha" An omega guard's voice comes through, strained and urgent.

"What is it?" Kieran snaps, his tone sharper than he intends.

"There's… there's a man, a young man at the gate," the guard stammers. "He's armed. He's firing into the air and demanding we let him in. He says he's here for someone named Ace."

The name sends a jolt through Kieran. His wolf surges forward, growling protectively.

Kieran strides out of the room, the letter still clutched tightly in his hand.

As he makes his way to the front of the mansion, his thoughts race. Who is this man? What does he want with Ace? And how does he even know Ace is—or was—here?

The morning sun casts long shadows across the estate as Kieran steps outside, his wolf ready to fight if necessary. Whatever this new threat is, he'll face it head-on.

••

A lone figure stands at the gates, his silhouette outlined by the pale morning light.

His disheveled hair falls into his face as he lifts a gun skyward and fires, the sharp cracks shattering the early quiet.

"Open the damn gate!" he shouts, his voice hoarse with desperation. "I know he's in there!"

The guards stationed nearby hesitate, their hands hovering over their weapons. Xiao Jun paces, his movements erratic.

He fires another shot, this one grazing the top of the gate.

"I'll burn this place down if I have to!"

At that moment Kieran shows up , Xiao Jun's face light up like he has just found something he has been desperately looking for.