She Is His Mate

She Is His Mate

Ace Carter didn't like people.
He never had, and he doubted he ever would.
That was why the cave deep in the Golden Shine Mountains had become the perfect place for him.
Kateyke had told him the pack members rarely came this far. The mountains were too dangerous, and the creatures living there were difficult even for powerful wolves to handle.
But Ace had never had a problem with them.
Since the first day he came here, none of the creatures had dared approach him. They either kept their distance or fled the moment they sensed his presence.
It gave him exactly what he wanted.
Silence.
Isolation.
No one to see. No one to touch.
And yet, even here, he couldn't escape one particular woman.
The woman from the auction.
Their first meeting had lasted only a few hours, but somehow, she had gotten into his head.
For centuries, Ace had never cared enough about a woman to keep thinking about her afterward.
But this one was different.
He remembered her face.
Her attitude.
The way she had walked away from him without fear.
And worse, he wanted to see her again.
He didn't understand why.
Thane hadn't helped.
His wolf had been furious ever since the auction and had stopped speaking to him completely.
Ace could still feel him pacing at the back of his mind, angry that Ace had allowed the woman to leave.
Thane had always been simple when it came to what he wanted.
He took it.
No hesitation. No questions.
At the auction, Thane had even tried to force a shift so he could chase after her.
Ace had stopped him.
It was the first time he had ever needed to.
He understood his wolf's frustration, but he refused to let instinct control him.
Then the gods seemed to play a sick joke on him.
Because the same woman walked straight into his cave.
She had disguised herself again. Her scent and face were hidden, just as they had been at the auction.
It didn't matter.
Ace knew it was her the moment she entered.
That was the only reason she was still alive.
Anyone else who wandered into his hiding place wouldn't have been so lucky.
When the guards approached the cave, her heartbeat quickened.
Ace should have pushed her away.
He definitely should have killed her the moment she grabbed his hood and exposed his face.
No one outside his pack was supposed to see him and live.
But when her wide eyes met his, Ace did nothing.
Then she kissed him.
For the first time in his life, Ace Carter's mind went completely blank.
Her lips pressed against his, and every thought disappeared.
Thane, who had been silent for hours, suddenly released a deep, satisfied growl inside him.
'More.'
Ace's rational mind immediately fought back.
Push her away.
Don't let anyone get close.
He knew better than anyone what happened when he allowed someone past his defenses.
Yet his body ignored every warning.
His arm tightened around her waist.
Her breath caught.
That small reaction destroyed what little control he had left.
Ace kissed her back.
Harder.
She stiffened in surprise, which almost amused him considering she had started this.
Her fingers tightened around his cloak as his other hand came up to cup her cheek.
Ace tilted his head and deepened the kiss.
She gasped softly against his mouth.
He was about to pull her even closer when a voice suddenly echoed through the cave.
“Who's there?!”
Torchlight filled the entrance.
The guard stopped.
Ace slowly lifted his gaze.
The man's eyes widened.
For a moment, nobody moved.
Then Ace realized what the guard was seeing.
Two men kissing inside a hidden cave.
The woman was still disguised as a man.
Apparently, she had decided the easiest way to avoid being discovered was to make the guard believe they had come here for a secret meeting.
Ace understood her plan now.
The flash of phoenix fire he had seen earlier had already told him that the seal had been broken.
She had something to do with it.
And now she was using him to escape suspicion.
Ace couldn't decide whether he wanted to laugh or kill someone.
This woman had guts.
The guard stood awkwardly at the entrance, clearly unsure whether he should investigate or pretend he had seen nothing.
Ace made the decision for him.
Without pulling away from the woman, he looked directly at the guard.
His stare carried a simple warning.
Leave.
Now.
The guard visibly flinched.
“O-oh... my apologies.”
He quickly lowered the torch.
“Carry on with your... special stuff. I'll make sure the other guards don't come here.”
He turned around and hurried away.
Ace could still hear him muttering as he disappeared.
“Two men kissing in a cave... that's new. Poor things. They must be hiding their love from their families.”
Ace almost laughed.
Almost.
But the woman was still holding on to him.
Her breathing was uneven.
And now that the guard was gone, there was no reason to continue pretending.
Ace knew that.
He simply didn't stop.
Instead, he rose and tightened his hold around her waist.
In one quick movement, he reversed their positions and pressed her against the cave wall.
Then he kissed her again.
This time, there was no guard to fool.
No excuse.
Her arms immediately wrapped around his neck.
She kissed him back with the same urgency.
Ace's control slipped further.
She tasted sweet.
Far too sweet.
One hand stayed around her waist while the other supported her thigh as he pulled her closer.
He kissed her until her breathing became unsteady.
When Ace finally broke away from her lips, she drew in a sharp breath.
Before she could speak, his mouth moved to her neck.
Her head tilted back.
Ace paused for half a second.
She was exposing her throat to him.
For wolves, the neck wasn't something to offer carelessly.
It was where a mate's mark belonged.
Either she didn't understand the danger...
Or she wasn't thinking at all.
Ace pressed his lips against her skin.
Her pulse beat quickly beneath his mouth.
He kissed her again before lightly grazing her skin with his fangs.
Her scent flooded his senses.
Then Thane growled.
One word echoed through Ace's mind.
'Mate.'
Ace stopped.
Everything inside him went still.
Thane's voice came again, deeper this time.
'Mark her, Ace Carter.'
Ace slowly lifted his head from her neck.
'What did you just say?'
Thane's growl vibrated through his skull.
'She's our mate.'
Ace didn't move.
For thousands of years, there had been no one.
No mate.
No bond.
Nothing.
Thane continued.
'I felt it earlier. It was faint at first, but it's real. The bond is forming piece by piece.'
Ace stared at the woman trapped between his body and the cave wall.
Her.
The mysterious woman from the auction.
The woman he couldn't stop thinking about.
The woman who had somehow walked straight into his hiding place.
His mate?
Thane growled again, more impatient this time.
'I know it sounds reckless, but mark her. We haven't had a mate in thousands of years. This may be our only chance to claim what's ours.'
Ace remained frozen.
Then Thane gave him one final warning.
'If you let her slip away again, I swear I'll tear you apart myself.'