A Werewolf's Unexpected Mate-Chapter 44 The Scent of Truth (+18)

Ovelia’s POV

The bedroom door crashed shut behind us with a sound like a gunshot, the impact rattling the framed landscape on the wall. Ace released my wrist only to slam both palms against the plaster, his fingers curling into claws that left faint crescent marks in the white surface. His broad back rose and fell with ragged, uneven breaths that filled the silent room.

When he finally turned, the fury in his gray eyes had banked to something far more dangerous - a smoldering intensity that made my pulse stutter beneath my skin. The afternoon sunlight streaming through the curtains caught the sweat beading along his hairline, the sharp angle of his clenched jaw.

"Explain." The word tore from his throat like gravel under wagon wheels. His knuckles whitened where they still pressed against the wall. "Now."

I watched his throat work as he swallowed hard, the tendons in his neck standing out in sharp relief. The scent of his distress - that familiar pine-and-leather aroma now laced with something acrid and metallic - filled my nose, making my own breath come quicker.

With deliberate slowness, I raised my hand and scratched the exact spot on my neck where Ann had touched me earlier. The motion made my flour-dusted apron rustle softly. "It was just an itch," I said, keeping my voice steady despite the tremor in my hands.

Ace’s face went utterly blank. His lips parted slightly. "...An itch."

"An itchy neck," I confirmed, crossing my arms tight over my chest. The movement released a faint whiff of lavender soap from our morning laundry. My fingernails dug into my own sleeves as I fought to keep my voice even. "Satisfied?"

His Adam’s apple bobbed violently. Then his knees hit the floorboards with a jarring thud that made me flinch. Before I could react, he pressed his forehead against my abdomen, his warm breath seeping through the thin cotton of my dress. Every muscle in his body seemed to collapse inward, leaving only trembling vulnerability in its wake.

"Goddammit, Ovelia..." His voice came out muffled and thick against the fabric. "I thought—"

The raw anguish in those words stole my breath. Though his grip had loosened, the intensity in his eyes when they met mine hadn’t dimmed. The weight of his reaction settled over me like a physical thing - this wasn’t just about mate instincts or possession. Something deeper had shaken him to his core.

And yet... the roughness of his handling still lingered in my memory. The way he’d dragged me up the stairs, the wildfire in his gaze when he thought another man had touched me - it sent an unexpected heat fluttering through my chest even now.

Why?

Why this visceral fear of losing me if his heart still belonged to Eliana? Was this the wolf’s doing? Or because we both remembered that I am his mate since I was a baby?

My fingers moved without conscious thought, threading through his sweat-damp hair. The silver strands were coarse against my skin, slightly tangled from our hurried ascent. Beneath my touch, I felt the tension in his shoulders begin to ease, his breathing gradually slowing to match the rhythm of my strokes.

The question slipped out before I could cage it. "Ace..." My voice came out softer than I’d intended, barely more than a whisper. "Do you love me?"

His entire body locked as if struck by lightning.

For three heartbeats, the world seemed to stop. The only sound was the distant clatter of pots from the kitchen below. When he finally lifted his head, his expression moved through shock, then uncertainty, before settling on something so painfully vulnerable it made my chest ache.

I shouldn’t have asked.

To him, I was just a friend - a mate when desire demanded it, but never his first choice. Never Eliana.

And yet here I was, falling deeper and deeper while he still hesitated at the threshold of his own heart.

Firera’s POV

The weight of my guilt sat heavy in my stomach like undigested stone. Through our shared consciousness, I felt every tremor of Ovelia’s pain - the way her breath caught just slightly when Ace hesitated, the minute tightening around her eyes that no one else would notice. The bitter taste of regret coated my tongue.

This is my doing.

The white void of our mental space seemed to pulse with her anguish. My fingers - if I had physical form here - would have curled into fists. The phantom ache in my chest mirrored hers precisely.

If only my past self hadn’t been so reckless with Ace’s memories. If I had left their bond intact, perhaps this hesitation wouldn’t exist. Perhaps her brave question would have been met with immediate certainty, rather than this terrible silence.

But regrets were useless now. Ovelia’s heartache vibrated through our connection, each throb of pain as sharp as if it were my own.

Ovelia... The apology echoed uselessly in the empty space between us. No words could undo what I’d taken from them.

Ovelia’s POV

The silence between us was thick enough to choke on. My heartbeat pounded in my ears, each thump sending waves of heat up my neck. The unspoken rejection felt like a persistent rash I couldn’t scratch. Of course he couldn’t answer; his feelings for Eliana still lingered between us, her invisible fingers tangled in his heartstrings.

Then - movement.

My own hands surprised me, rising to pinch my cheeks sharply. The sting brought immediate tears to my eyes but cleared the heavy air between us.

Ace’s head jerked back, his silver eyes widening. "What was—"

"Remember what you told me?" I interrupted, forcing my lips into a grin that made my face ache. My voice came out brighter than I felt, the false cheer ringing hollow to my own ears. "That you’d make me fall for you?" I pressed my palms against his cheeks. "And that I had to make you fall for me too?"

Something in his expression softened then. The tension around his eyes eased just slightly, the beginnings of a real smile touching his lips.

I leaned closer until our foreheads nearly touched. "It’s alright," I whispered, my breath stirring the hair at his temples. "You don’t have to answer today." The words tasted bitter, but I made myself continue. "But next time I ask..." I pulled back just enough to meet his gaze squarely, pouring every ounce of stubborn hope I possessed into my next words. "You’d better be ready with an answer."

Ace’s POV

Her words - that ridiculous, stubborn hope of hers - struck me like a physical blow to the sternum. The air rushed from my lungs as if I’d been punched.

I wanted to answer her. Gods knew how badly I wanted to.

But the truth coiled inside me like a nest of vipers, each one hissing a different warning. My feelings for Eliana still lingered, her memory woven into my mind. Yet as Ovelia’s fingertips traced idle patterns along my jawline, something primal in my chest settled. My wolf, who had been snarling and snapping moments before, quieted to a low rumble.

Thought abandoned me. My body moved on its own.

I rose in one fluid motion, my arms sliding beneath her knees and around her back before she could react. She weighed nothing in my arms - just warm curves and startled breaths.

"Ace?!" Her gasp sent electric current down my spine as I deposited her gently on the quilted bedspread. The mattress dipped under my weight as I stretched out beside her, close enough that our body heat mingled.

My nose brushed against her hair, inhaling deeply. The lavender soap mingled with something uniquely her - sweet like summer honey with an underlying spice that made my mouth water. My arms tightened around her slender frame almost involuntarily.

"Are you really jealous?" Her whisper ghosted across my collarbone.

Every muscle in my body locked. My wolf growled his affirmation low in my throat - yes, desperately, obsessively jealous. The words burned my tongue but refused to take shape.

Her light laughter vibrated against my chest, dissolving some last barrier inside me. "No matter what happens between us," she murmured, her breath warm through my shirt, "whether you ever love me or we remain just friends... I could never betray you."

The declaration wrapped around my heart like iron bands, squeezing until I couldn’t breathe.

Acting purely on instinct, I pulled back just enough to press our foreheads together - then my lips found hers. Soft. Warm. Perfectly yielding. Her response was immediate - arms winding around my neck, body arching toward mine. The taste of her - like spiced tea and something indefinably sweet - drowned out every doubt, every ghost, every shred of reason.

My wolf growled his approval. "Don’t just kiss her," he snarled in the back of my mind. "Make her forget her damn name."

Heat surged low in my belly, my body reacting before conscious thought could intervene. My hips pressed against hers of their own accord, drawing a sharp gasp from her lips. The layers of fabric between us might as well have been nonexistent - the way her breath hitched, the flush spreading down her neck like spilled wine told me everything I needed to know.

My fingers trembled as they worked the lowest button of her blouse, revealing a tantalizing sliver of smooth, pale skin.

"A-Ace?" Her voice shook. "What are you—"

I couldn’t form words. My mouth trailed downward, teeth grazing the delicate arch of her collarbone. One hand braced beside her head, the other gripping her waist possessively—

"Stop." The word cut through the haze.

I froze.

Her voice said stop. But her body - trembling beneath me, her pulse fluttering like a caged bird at her throat - told a different story.

With tremendous effort, I forced myself back just as my senses prickled in warning. Someone stood outside the door. Ray and Philip. The mission. Reality crashed back in like icy water.

Cursing under my breath, I rolled away, adjusting my trousers hastily. "I’m sorry, Ovelia. If we weren’t on a timeline—"

She pressed a palm to her kiss-swollen lips, eyes wide and unreadable in the dim light. "It’s fine." But the furious blush creeping down her neck betrayed her.

My wolf exhaled in frustration, pacing beneath my skin.

Before leaving, I leaned in one last time, my lips brushing the sensitive spot below her ear before sucking gently. The barely-stifled moan that escaped her sent fresh heat coiling through me.

Good. Let her remember exactly what awaited her when I returned.

"Consider this a warning," I murmured against her flushed skin, unable to resist teasing. "My wolf wants to punish you properly later."

"Ace!" She covered her face with both hands, the tips of her ears turning crimson.

I smirked, shutting the door behind me—only to nearly collide with Ann. Her small frame blocked the hallway, her expression uncharacteristically solemn.

"Sir Ace," she said, her voice firm despite the way her fingers twisted in her apron. The scent of nervous sweat and determination clung to her. "Do you love Lady Ovelia?"

The question hung between us. I stared at her for three heartbeats, my pulse loud in my ears.

Then, quietly—

"Maybe."

The word tasted both like a confession and a betrayal as it left my lips. I strode past her before she could respond, leaving the truth half-spoken, still tangled in the wreckage of my conflicted heart.