He Knows

He Knows

'What are you planning?'
Thane's irritated voice rumbled through Ace's mind.
'What do you mean?'
Ace kept his answer deliberately calm.
His wolf released a frustrated growl.
'Don't play dumb. This isn't like you. You never let anyone this close. You hate their touch, their scent, even their presence. Yet you're letting her sit in the same water as you.'
Ace crossed his arms over his bare chest.
Thane wasn't finished.
'If you're planning something complicated, forget it. Just mark her. It's quicker and more efficient.'
Ace ignored him and looked across the hot spring.
At her.
She wasn't a man.
That much was obvious.
Nicole might have kept her clothes on, desperately trying to protect her disguise, but the water had made her efforts almost useless.
The wet fabric clung to her body, revealing a small waist and soft curves.
Even the way she moved gave her away.
And somehow, she still believed her disguise was working.
Thane grew restless again.
'Look at her. She's ours. Every instinct in me is screaming for her. We've been alone for centuries, Ace Carter. Centuries. This is the first time we've ever felt this way about anyone. She is...'
Ace shut him out.
His wolf had been acting strangely ever since this woman crossed their path.
Ace wasn't about to let an emotional wolf control his decisions.
Yes, she interested him.
More than anyone had in a very long time.
But that didn't mean he would act on impulse.
That was Thane's nature.
Not his.
Across from him, Nicole suddenly gave an awkward laugh.
“Haha. Look at us.”
Ace raised an eyebrow.
“Man-to-man bonding,” she continued in her fake deep voice. “It's quite nice, don't you think?”
Ace stared at her.
She truly had no idea how to behave around him.
And she was terrible at hiding it.
“Bonding?” he repeated. “You're quite far away for someone who wants to bond.”
Nicole flinched.
Her throat moved as she swallowed.
When she finally looked at him again, nervousness filled her eyes.
Ace studied her carefully.
She had seen his eyes turn red earlier.
She knew exactly who he was.
Yet she continued pretending otherwise.
Normally, anyone outside his pack who discovered his true identity wouldn't live long enough to tell anyone.
But Ace wasn't ready to kill her.
Not yet.
He wanted to see how long she could continue this ridiculous act.
“Oh, I-I'm only sitting far away because we're men,” Nicole explained. “If we get too close, things might become awkward. You know... man to man.”
Her voice weakened toward the end.
Ace's gaze slowly traveled down her soaked body before returning to her face.
“Don't worry.”
Nicole stiffened.
“It wouldn't be awkward for me.”
Then Ace moved.
He crossed the distance between them.
Water rippled around his waist as he approached.
Nicole gasped.
Her wide eyes met his for only a second before she quickly turned her face away.
Heat spread across her cheeks.
“What are you...”
Ace didn't let her finish.
He placed his fingers beneath her chin and gently turned her face back toward him.
Her skin was surprisingly soft for someone trying so hard to convince him she was a man.
Ace placed his other hand against the stone wall behind her, trapping her between his body and the wall.
Nicole froze.
Her breathing changed.
A small tremor went through her body.
Ace leaned closer.
Their faces were only inches apart now.
Close enough that he could feel her warm breath against his lips.
One small movement would have been enough to kiss her again.
But Ace wasn't trying to kiss her.
He wanted something else.
His eyes began to glow.
He focused entirely on her mind.
He had tried reading her thoughts before and failed.
This time, he concentrated harder.
Nothing.
Only white.
An endless void swallowed everything he tried to reach.
Ace frowned.
He pushed deeper.
Still nothing.
No one had ever completely blocked his sight before.
Yet somehow, this woman did it effortlessly.
His interest sharpened.
What are you?
Ace was still trying to understand it when Nicole suddenly closed her eyes.
He paused.
Then she did something completely unexpected.
She leaned toward him.
Her lips puckered slightly.
Ace stared at her.
Was she...
Waiting for him to kiss her?
His head tilted as amusement slowly replaced his concentration.
“What,” he murmured, “are you doing?”
Nicole's eyes flew open.
She jerked backward so quickly that water splashed between them.
Her face turned bright red.
Ace couldn't stop the faint smirk that touched his lips.
Nicole noticed it.
Her embarrassment immediately became worse.
“N-nothing!”
Her voice cracked.
“I wasn't doing anything.”
She shook her head as if she could somehow erase what had just happened.
Then she took a breath and lifted her chin.
“I think that's enough hot spring for today.”
Nicole placed a hand against Ace's chest and pushed.
He could have remained exactly where he was.
Instead, he allowed her to move him.
Ace stepped back.
Nicole immediately escaped.
She climbed out of the hot spring, water pouring from her soaked clothes.
Then the cold cave air hit her.
Her entire body shivered.
“Goddess...” she muttered. “Maybe getting into the water with my clothes on wasn't such a smart idea after all.”
Ace heard every word.
He said nothing.
Instead, he pushed his wet hair away from his face and rose from the spring.
Water ran down his shoulders and chest.
Nicole looked at him.
Her gaze slowly traveled downward.
Ace noticed.
Every second of it.
Interesting.
He stepped out and picked up a towel from a nearby rock.
Then he tossed it toward her.
The towel hit Nicole lightly in the chest.
She fumbled with it before finally catching it.
Her eyes returned to him.
Ace took another towel and ran it through his hair.
Then he pointed toward a neatly folded set of dry clothes resting nearby.
“Change.”
Nicole stared at him.
Ace's expression remained unreadable.
“And leave. The guards should be gone by now.”
Without giving her a chance to respond, he turned and walked deeper into the cave.
His footsteps echoed against the stone.
But one question remained in his mind.
Nicole believed her secret was safe.
She believed Ace still saw a strange young man from the Golden Shine Pack.
She had no idea that her disguise had already failed.
Ace Carter knew exactly what she was hiding.
She was a woman.