The door opened with a sudden force that made them turn their heads at once. A moment later the Alpha of the Evergreen Pack stepped inside.
Tall, broad-shouldered, his dark hair still ruffled by the cold wind outside.
Exactly as she remembered him.
For a single heartbeat Ace stood completely still.
Ithilien.
The name echoed through his mind with such force that for a moment the world around him seemed to fall strangely silent. He had imagined this moment more times than he cared to admit—imagined running into her somewhere by accident, imagined what he would say, what she would look like, whether she would even stop long enough to speak to him.
But none of those imagined moments had prepared him for the reality of standing in the same room with her again.
Then her scent reached him.
Forest rain and cold mountain air, jasmine, something untamed and wild that no distance of time had ever managed to erase.
His wolf surged forward instantly.
Mine.
Somewhere deep inside Ithilien, Tauriel answered with a low, aching howl. Vaelor stirred beneath Ace's skin like a restless shadow, reacting to the presence of the wolf he had not felt in so long.
The air between them seemed to grow suddenly heavy.
Ace barely noticed his father or Marco anymore. His gaze had already locked onto Ithilien as if some invisible force had drawn his entire attention to her alone.
"What are you—"
The words died in his throat.
She flinched.
Only then did Ace understand what had caused that reaction.
The faint scent of Bista clung to his clothes.
Damn it.
He had barely noticed it himself. Bista had thrown her arms around him that morning before he left the house, laughing about something trivial, and the sweet, powdery trace of her scent had stayed behind.
Suddenly Jeff's voice cut through the tension.
"Marco and Ithilien came to talk about Project Fenrir."
Ace heard the words, but they barely registered. His gaze had already dropped lower.
To the bandage on Ithilien's side.
For a second something cold tightened in his chest.
"You're injured."
He took a few steps toward her without even realizing he had moved. The reaction was instinctive—pure Alpha, pure mate.
Ithilien rose immediately from her chair and crossed to the other side of the room. The heavy wooden table between them suddenly felt less like furniture and more like a carefully placed barrier.
Ace stopped. The distance felt wrong.
"It's nothing serious," she said calmly, holding his gaze without hesitation.
"Who did this to you?"
The quiet threat in his voice made Marco glance toward Jeff.
Inside Ace, Vaelor had already begun pacing.
Someone touched her.
Someone hurt her.
Find them.
"Ace, damn it!" Jeff finally growled, clearly losing patience. "She's injured because a Fenrir mutant attacked her. If you're not going to help us, then at least stop interfering. We're working."
The authority of a former Alpha still carried weight.
Ace forced himself to breathe. Forced the anger back down into something manageable.
"Fine," he said at last. Then he looked at her again. "Ithilien, come outside with me for a moment. Explain everything. Maybe I can help."
Without a word she took her jacket and headed toward the door.
Ace watched her the entire time.
She's thinner.
And that look in her eyes…
What happened to you while you were gone?
Outside the cold air struck his face sharply. They walked in silence for a minute before Ace reached out and caught her wrist. The moment his fingers closed around her skin, the reaction was immediate. The bond stirred like something waking from sleep.
Still there.
"What happened to you?"
Ithilien briefly explained the events of the last few weeks. She spoke calmly, almost too calmly, avoiding certain details with deliberate care.
Ace listened without interrupting. But with every sentence his expression grew darker.
Fenrir mutants.
Illegal experiments.
Young wolves dying.
And Ithilien standing directly in the middle of it all.
Of course she would run straight toward danger.
"So let me understand this," he said slowly as they continued walking down the quiet street. "You and Marco are trying to find someone who is still running those experiments?"
"Yes." Her voice was steady. "If this continues, a lot of people will die. Not to mention all those young wolves."
Ace nodded slowly.
"Alright. We'll start checking what's happening in our territory. I'll speak to the other packs."
For several moments they walked without speaking.
Ace glanced toward her again. Something about her scent felt… different.
"Ithilien…"
Her heart visibly skipped.
Ace inhaled slowly and the realization hit him like a blow.
"Why do you smell like another wolf?"