Ace Waking in the Unkown

Ace wakes with a start, gasping for air as he pushes himself off the forest floor.

Every muscle in his body screams in protest, and his head pounds like a drumbeat.

The forest around him is eerily quiet, the moonlight filtering through the trees in silvery shards.

He blinks, his vision hazy, trying to make sense of where he is.

The last thing he remembers is running—running so fast his lungs burned, running so far he lost track of time and direction.

He just wanted to run away from everything that has been ruining his life lately, and from the person he doesn't want to hurt anymore _ Xiao Jun

Now, here he is, alone in the middle of nowhere.

Where am I?

The ground beneath him is damp and cold, the air thick with the scent of pine and earth.

He feels like he is floating somewhere between reality and a dream. His breaths come fast and shallow, panic rising in his chest.

He pushes himself up to his knees, his palms digging into the dirt, and looks around. Nothing about the forest is familiar—just endless trees and shadows.

He stumbles to his feet, but each step feels wrong, his body heavy and unsteady.

His wolf stirs, restless, something seems to be missing inside him.

He instinctively reaches for his throat, fingers brushing the smooth surface , the mark , the pendant that always made him feel Kieran's presence.

It's still there , but he can't feel the bond anymore. Kieran's presence, that familiar, grounding sensation, is nowhere to be found.

For the first time since he met Kieran, Ace can't feel him—can't sense that faint, maddening thread that always tethered them together.

His chest tightens, a sharp pang of loss cutting through him. He tells himself he should be relieved, that he's finally free of the bond that tied him to someone who didn't want him. But the ache in his heart betrays him.

He shakes his head, trying to push the thought away. There's no time for weakness. He's on his own now, and he needs to survive.

The snap of a branch pulls him from his thoughts.

He whirls around, his body tensing as his senses flare. Someone is watching him. His wolf stirs restlessly, not in alarm but in curiosity.

At the edge of the clearing, a man steps out from the shadows. His figure is tall and lean, his presence unsettling. Amber eyes glint in the moonlight, sharp and predatory. Ace's stomach churns.

"You shouldn't be here," the man says, his voice low and gravelly. "Not yet."

Ace takes a step back, his instincts screaming at him to run. "Who are you?" His voice is steady, but his hands are clenched into fists at his sides.

The man doesn't answer right away. He moves closer, each step deliberate, his gaze never leaving Ace. "Call me Marsel," he says at last. "I've been expecting you Ace , but at least not now."

"Expecting me?! And how the hell do you even know my name?! Oh G__d?! Why is my life filled with mysteries ?! I don't know who you are, and I actually don't care," he say walking away.

Marcel's next words stop him in his trucks. "You want the answers , don't you?" No, Ace doesn't want the answers, he needs them.

"I don't trust you." Ace says .

Marsel smirks faintly, as if he finds Ace's defiance amusing. "Trust isn't necessary. Not yet. But you will listen, because you have no choice."

Ace's wolf growls in the back of his mind, unsettled but not hostile. He can feel the power radiating off Marsel, but it's not like Kieran's dominance or Lila's cunning. It's something else entirely—something ancient and unyielding.

"I don't want this," Ace says, his voice breaks. "I didn't ask for this. I didn't ask for any of it. Why is this happening to me?!"

Marsel's expression shifts, his amusement fading. "No, you didn't. But that doesn't change what you are—or what's coming."

Ace's breath catches. There's something in Marsel's voice, something that sends a chill down his spine. "What are you talking about?"

Marsel takes another step closer, his amber eyes boring into Ace's. "You carry a power inside you, Ace. A power that is both a blessing and a curse. The Moon Goddess chose you for a reason, though you may not understand it yet. You are not just a werewolf—you are something far greater."

Ace's chest tightens, his mind racing. "Something far greater?!," he says, his voice shaking. "I haven't even come to terms with me being an animal. And now am even more than that animal?!."

Marsel shakes his head, his expression unreadable. "Ace , what you need to do is just accept it , and embrace it, that way you will find it favourable to you. You need to learn to control the power inside of you. If you don't learn to control it, it will destroy you—and everyone around you."

Ace's hands tremble at his sides, he says in a whispers, "All I want is my normal life back."

Marsel's gaze softens, just slightly. "A normal life was never meant for you. You were born for a reason, Ace."

Ace stares at him, his mind spinning.

The forest feels like it's closing in around him, the shadows pressing down on him. He doesn't want to believe Marsel, doesn't want to accept the truth of his words. But deep down, he knows. Nothing else explains what is happening to him.

"Who are you? And why are you telling me this?" Ace asks finally, his voice barely above a whisper.

"I want to help you," Marsel says simply. "But first, you need to accept yourself, you need to let go of your fear. The power inside you is not your enemy. It is your weapon. And if you're going to survive what's coming, you need to learn how to wield it."

Ace doesn't respond.

He feels like he's standing on the edge of a cliff, staring into the abyss.

The choice is his—to take the leap or turn back. But either way, there's no going back to the life he once knew.