The wolf within

5. The Wolf Within

Ace kept a firm grip on my thigh the entire drive to his house. Every time he squeezed too much, I would wince, and he would loosen it and start rubbing the spot in soothing circles with his thumb.

I didn’t mind his possessive touch. It helped settle my pounding head. I was even grateful for his brooding silence.

As soon as we got to his house, I knew he would have questions about what happened, and my migraine would flare once more as I tried to come up with answers.

So, I valued these few moments of peace. It gave me time to gather my thoughts.

Once we pulled into his driveway, I tried to bat his hands away from me, refusing to be carried like a child yet again, but he just growled and lifted me before marching me into his house.

His touch was soft, but his message was clear: he was upset and in no mood to be disobeyed.

To my relief, he placed me on my feet once we were inside, though his hand remained on the small of my back as he ushered me into the living room.

There, he took a seat in the big, leather armchair and looked at me expectantly.

I remained a few steps away, anxiously shifting from foot to foot. His thunderous expression made me nervous. Was he upset with me?

His eyes softened, and he held out a hand. “Come here, Doe.”

My muscles loosened with relief. I took his hand and let him tug me into his lap so I straddled him.

Ace led my cheek to rest against his chest and massaged the back of my head, his quiet purrs reverberating through my bones.

As always, his touch filled my belly with warmth and forced me to relax, causing my worries to melt away. The hammering in my brain ebbed to a low, aching thrum.

After a few minutes, Ace broke the silence. “Tell me who made you cry.”

I moaned in exasperation. “Do we have to talk about this right now?”

“Yes. I know your head still hurts but I need to know what upset you before I completely lose it. I’m hanging on by a thread.”

My head touched his chest in defeat. “It was stupid really.”

Ace dragged his fingers up and down my spine, waiting for me to continue.

“I got a bad grade,” I finally said. It wasn’t a lie; it just wasn’t exactly the whole truth. “On the science midterm.

“And I know it’s not a big deal, but I really want to get a perfect GPA. That one class is going to ruin everything.”

I knew that wasn’t what Ace expected me to say. He wanted me to tell him what happened with Ben, but I would do anything to avoid that topic.

Something dark flashed in Ace’s gaze. “What grade did you get?”

The backs of my eyes pricked as I pulled my test out of my back pocket and handed it to him.

“I’ve been doing the math,” I said as he flipped through the exam. “With all the other low grades Mr. Callahan has given me, I can’t recover. I’m going to end up with a B-Minus or lower in the class.”

“You got all the multiple-choice questions right,” Ace said.

“Yeah, but he gave me zeros on the three essay questions. They were all worth 10

percent.”

Ace turned to the back of the test, skimming over my answers. The muscles in his body visibly tightened.

“You got a perfect grade by the way.” I slumped with embarrassment and toyed with the bottom of my shirt. “I think Mr. Callahan has a vendetta against me,” I muttered under my breath.

Ace looked up. “We can fix this.”

I shook my head. “I tried already. Mr. Callahan said I couldn’t retake it.”

Ace set my exam down on the side table next to us. “We can fix it. No more worrying. You’re going to get the grade you deserve.”

His tone held so much conviction that I almost believed him.

“If you say so,” I said, my shoulders slumping with dejection.

A tense beat passed. Ace gripped my chin and tilted my head up. “Are you going to tell me what Ben did to you or am I going to have to hunt him down and ask him myself?”

I let out a heavy breath. “How do you know it had something to do with me?”

“Madoc wouldn’t have reacted that way for anyone else. He doesn’t attack people for fun.”

I could already feel my migraine creeping back in. “Why don’t you just ask him? I’m sure he would love to tell you all about it.”

Ace leaned back, placing his hands on the armrests on either side of him. How he managed to look so intimidating yet so sexy all at the same time was beyond me.

“I would like to hear it from you,” he said in a dry tone.

Dread churned in my stomach. Knowing there was no way around it, I said, “Ben…

he called you my keeper. And my pimp. He basically said you own me and control everything I do.”

“He was right. You’re mine. I do own you.”

My mouth dropped open. “I’m not an object, Ace! You can’t just own me!”

“And yet, I do,” he stated casually. “What else did he say?”

“No, you don’t just get to say you own me—”

“Doe, don’t test me. I’m not in the mood,” Ace snapped, his voice firmer, more commanding. “Ben said something else. You know you belong to me, so you wouldn’t be this upset if that was everything.”

Ben’s words rang through my mind. “So, what, he uses you behind closed doors but refuses to announce your relationship to the public? That’s harsh, dude.”

How could I explain to my best friend that I was worried he might be embarrassed of me? That I was upset he might be disgusted by the idea of being in a relationship with me?

Ace massaged my hip. “I can’t help if I don’t know what’s wrong.”

I opened my mouth to explain myself when movement caught my eye through the window behind Ace. My eyes widened.

A huge wolf, nearly the size of a horse, was sprinting through Ace’s backyard and toward his house.

“Oh my god!” I screamed. I tried to scramble off Ace’s lap, but he held on to me tightly. “Ace! A-a wolf is running right at us!”

“It’s gonna come into the house!” I yelled, watching the wolf approach the sliding glass door. I had never seen a wolf so huge in my entire life. I had never seen a wolf at all, period.

Still holding me in his arms, Ace jumped to his feet. After a quick glance at the enormous beast, he pushed my face into his neck, obscuring my sight, and started carrying me upstairs.

He brought me into his room and dropped me on his bed. “Don’t move,” he said, his voice barely recognizable in its anger.

I gulped at the livid look on his face. “Ace, what the heck are you do—?”

“I mean it. Okay?”

I nodded.

He turned.

“Wait!” I called out. “You’re going downstairs? But…but the wolf!”

He looked back at me, gripping the doorknob so hard that I wouldn’t have been surprised to see it dented when he let go. “I’m going to take care of it.”

“What? No! You are not going down there!”

A crashing sound came from downstairs, and my heart dropped.

It’s in the house!

A muscle twitched in Ace’s neck.

I started to get up, my eyes on the window on the other side of the bed. “Shut the door, and someone will call the police or animal control or someth—”

Ace sent me a look that was so terrifying, it made my entire body freeze.

“You’re going to stay here and wait for me. And if I see you’ve moved even an inch from where you are right now, I will spank that sweet ass of yours until you can’t sit for a week. Understand?”

I blinked. Heat blanketed my cheeks. “Yes.”

He nodded. “Good,” he grunted. Then he was out the door, locking it behind him securely.

I sat in Ace’s bed for several minutes, listening intently for any noises coming from downstairs.

My heart was beating so fast in my chest that I could feel it against my rib cage. I couldn’t believe Ace would go downstairs and face that monster of a wolf all on his own.

My brain felt swollen within my head, threatening to break my skull open.

The pressure behind my eyes was the worst part. It made the world around me blur and my face feel like it was bruised. I pressed my palms above my ears, swallowing the ball of tears in my throat.

It might’ve been the first time I felt unsafe in Ace’s room. There was something normally so comforting about his space, filled with his musky, masculine scent and the dark colors of his furniture and walls.

Ace had told me countless times that if I was ever in trouble and he couldn’t be with me, I should go and lock myself in his room and wait for him.

It was a strange privilege. Ace’s house had the most intense security system I’d ever seen. Even his bedroom door had an automatic lock with a keypad. I was the only person besides him with the code.

Still, it made me wonder just what kind of secrets his family was hiding.

Every so often, I heard Ace shouting from somewhere downstairs. His voice was so enraged that it sent chills down my spine. Yet, I didn’t hear much movement or any kind of scuffle.

Is he…yelling at the wolf? What good will that do?

At last, I heard a huge crash, and then complete silence.

I stayed where I was, just like Ace had told me, even though everything in me was screaming for me to help him.

My best friend might be getting eaten by a rabid wolf, and I am just sitting here, twiddling my thumbs.  

Just when I thought I couldn’t take it anymore, I heard pounding footsteps marching toward the door. Ace came crashing into the room, his chest heaving and his teeth bared.

With a startled shriek, I scampered away from him, scooting so far back that I was pressed up against his headboard.

Ace’s eyes narrowed at the movement. “Where are you going, Doe?” he growled. His voice was deep, intimidating, and laced with anger. “Are you trying to run away from me?”

I shook my head. “N-no.”

I glanced at his torso. His shirt was gone, his chest was bare…

…and he was covered in blood.