13|What did you say?

“What did you say?” he muttered, his voice barely a whisper.

Dorothy seemed to have fallen into a trance as she stared at the man before her. Tears streamed down her cheeks, glistening like delicate crystals. Her heart hurt—it ached unbearably, as if something within her was missing, something she wanted to remember but couldn’t grasp, no matter how hard she tried.

“Ace, I—I missed you so much. I really did,” Dorothy whispered, the words slipping from her lips before she could stop herself.

Ignoring the pain of Ace’s strong grip, she took a step closer, her legs trembling but determined. She stopped just inches away from him, her hand hesitantly reaching for his face.

Ace stood frozen, his heart pounding wildly in his chest as Dorothy’s thumb gently stroked his cheek. Her touch was soft, yet it carried a sadness that pierced through him. She offered him a sad smile, and for a fleeting moment, the image of Eleanor overlapped with hers.

It was as if Eleanor was standing there in Dorothy’s place, and Ace couldn’t tell where one ended and the other began.

“Ace,” Dorothy whispered, her voice soft and trembling as she leaned closer, her lips now just inches from his.

He hadn’t realized it, but the moment his eyes flickered to her plump, red lips, his feet had already moved, closing the distance between them. The way she said his name ignited something deep within him—a spark that roared into a flame. It beckoned him, pulling him in as if under a spell, like a siren’s call.

But the thing about a siren’s call was its danger. Sirens lured their prey to ruin, and Dorothy... Dorothy was no different. She was dangerous.

Before their lips could meet, Ace narrowed his eyes. In an instant, the illusion before him disappeared, and standing there was not Eleanor, but his second-chance mate—the woman he could never accept.

He growled, his grip tightening around Dorothy’s hand. This time, he didn’t hold back. If he squeezed any harder, her hand would shatter.

The pain jolted Dorothy out of her daze—like a snap of the fingers. The strange emotions, the spell that had overtaken her, the woman she once was vanished in an instant. She couldn’t remember what she had just done moments ago.

"What the hell, what is going on–" Dorothy yelled, her eyes snapping open before she immediately shut them again out of instinct. Nah, the man before her wasn’t Alpha Ace. The guy who’d nearly killed her twice wasn’t just glaring at her like he wanted to make it the third time.

"I should be asking that," Ace said, his voice calm—too calm. It sent a chill down her spine. "What do you think you're doing here? And, most of all, who gave you the right to call me by my name?"

Call him by his name? When did she do that? It wasn’t like she was trying to get herself killed today.

She opened her mouth to respond, but all that came out was a surprised gasp. Her lips were moving, but no words were leaving them. She looked like a fish out of water, desperately gasping for air. This proximity—she was so close to him that if she leaned in just a bit more, their lips would meet. She knew she shouldn’t stare—heck, she was openly checking out the world’s strongest Alpha—but she couldn’t help herself.

Her gaze wandered from his intense eyes to the bridge of his nose, then lower... and—oh no—she licked her lips. Before she knew it, her body was leaning in, and the space between them was about to disappear. But before she could make contact, she was shoved back—hard!

"Whoa, what the hell?!" Dorothy yelped as she stumbled back, falling on the ground on her butt again. Her face turned a bright red as she rubbed it in embarrassment. Ace didn’t look fazed; in fact, he seemed mildly annoyed. But Dorothy couldn’t help it—she just got a little too distracted by the sheer presence of the most terrifying, yet annoyingly attractive, man in existence.

“Do you want to die?” Ace asked, his tone surprisingly calm, as though he were genuinely curious, as if he were waiting for her answer.

Of course not!

“I- I am sorry, Alpha. I didn’t know what came over—” Dorothy stammered, but Ace groaned and held out his hand toward her, silencing her words.

"Enough," he cut her off, his voice low and commanding. Ace was teetering on the edge of losing control. This girl had gotten under his skin like no one else ever had, and it had only been a day since she arrived. Already, he was fighting the urge to kill her.

To make matters worse, there was this damn wolf, Damien, constantly urging him to get closer to their mate. He was this close to kissing her, but Ace had ruthlessly shoved her away, forcing himself to keep his distance.

“I do not like repeating my words," Ace growled, his tone dangerously calm. "If you prefer to continue breathing, then do not ever show yourself to me again. Do not touch me. Stay exactly five meters away, and most of all, do not ever step foot into this place again.”

He said it all in one breath, surprising himself slightly. He wasn’t a man of many words, but when it came to this nuisance, he couldn’t control himself.

She was an idiot, and he had to make sure she understood that.

"Do you understand?" Ace asked again, his hands casually tucked into his pockets as he watched her sitting on the floor, her head bowed in submission.

"Y-yes, Alpha," Dorothy quickly responded, keeping her gaze down. She didn’t want to be anywhere near him either. She didn’t even understand why she tried to kiss him—what on earth had been going on in her head?

“It’s because he’s our mate, duh. I mean, look at him,” Alya's voice chimed in her head.

“Oh, shut up. It’s all your fault!” Dorothy cursed silently, her frustration mounting as she tried to block out her wolf’s voice.

“Are you going to sit there all day?” Ace’s voice cut through the silence, and Dorothy finally realized she had been sitting on the ground the whole time, like some kind of confused fool.

She quickly stood up, her face burning with embarrassment. "I-I'm sorry, Alpha," she stammered, bowing her head again. "I didn’t mean to... I’ll leave now."

She turned to walk away, but after taking only a few steps, she hesitated. She turned back to Ace, who was still watching her with an unreadable expression.

"I-I am sorry but... which way is the exit?" Dorothy asked, her voice quieter than before, almost sheepish.

Ace let out a long, frustrated sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. “You’ve got to be kidding me…” he muttered, shaking his head as he motioned vaguely in the direction of the door. "Just go straight and turn left."

Dorothy blinked, then nodded quickly, grateful for his answer. Without another word, she made her way toward the exit, silently cursing herself for her ridiculous behavior.

Meanwhile, Sofia and her mate Lucas, who had been watching the scene from a tree branch near the garden, exchanged bright smiles.

Who knew someone could finally get under Ace's skin like the previous Luna.