Chapter Three
1059 Words
The morning sun poured like molten gold across the courtyard, setting the sea of white caps and gowns aglow. The air shimmered with laughter, pride, and the bittersweet hum of endings.
Ace stood among them, her pulse thudding against her ribs. Somehow, she had made it... through the whispers, the lingering stares, the months of pretending she was fine. Graduation. A word that once promised freedom now felt like the closing of a chapter she hadn’t wanted to write.
Beside her, Emily nearly vibrated with excitement. “Are you ready?” She asked, her voice high and effervescent, joy uncontained. Ace’s laugh was soft, almost fragile. “Yes… and no.”
Felix appeared then, slipping through the crowd, all easy charm and warmth. His hand found her waist with the kind of familiarity that once made her blush. “Who’s ready to never read another word again?” He joked, raising his hand as though announcing victory over the universe.
Emily swatted him playfully. “Please, Felix, you’ve barely read anything to begin with.” Ace smiled faintly, trying to stay anchored in their easy banter.
“Unlike you two, I’ll still have reading and plenty of other things to keep me busy,” she said. Her parents had agreed, against pack tradition, to let her attend college. It was her escape, a chance to build a life beyond the pack’s walls, beyond her heartbreak.
Felix grinned, his auburn hair glinting beneath the warm summer sunlight. “Can’t believe you’d willingly keep going to school. You’re braver than I am.” Ace grinned but her smile faltered when she saw them. Jameson and Max striding across the courtyard, sleeves rolled up, suit slacks pressed neatly; their presence was magnetic and impossible to ignore.
Her breath hitched. The sound of the crowd dulled, her heartbeat roaring in her ears. Jameson’s gaze found hers instantly, sharp as the edge of a blade. And when his eyes dropped to where Felix’s hand rested on her waist, a flicker of something primal and possessive darkened his expression.
She stepped closer to Emily, the motion instinctive. The distance between her and Felix felt suddenly necessary. Her pulse unsteady, her mind screaming at her to move.
“Hey, guys! It’s almost over!” Emily’s cheerful voice cut through the tension, blissfully unaware of the war raging behind Ace’s calm eyes.
“Any plans after this?” Max asked, his tone casual, though even he seemed to sense the undercurrent between them.
Felix smiled easily. “Ace and I are heading to the lake house. My dad said we could use it for the week. You’re all welcome to join.”
Ace’s stomach twisted. It was a kind gesture, one they’d done a dozen times before but now the thought of Jameson near her, seeing her, remembering her... it was too much. She forced a laugh. “That sounds great,” she said, but her voice cracked on the lie.
Panic rose like a tide. She suddenly needed space, air, and distance. “Well, congratulations, everyone,” she managed, forcing brightness into her tone. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to the ladies’ room before the ceremony starts.”
She slipped away before anyone could stop her, the heavy doors closing behind her with a soft echo. Inside the quiet stall, she exhaled shakily, pressing her palms to the cool tile.
Her chest ached. Guilt. Longing. Fear. It all came rushing back in a single crushing wave. Would it ever fade? Would she ever be able to stop these feelings for him? She didn’t know.
Hours later, after walking across the stage, the endless photos and forced smiles her mother demanded, Ace found herself in the passenger seat of Felix’s car, the world outside streaking past in golden blurs.
At home, she changed quickly. Slipping into a dark green bikini beneath a stylish cover-up. When she stepped into the living room, Felix’s appreciative whistle made her cheeks flush.
“You look… incredible,” he said, voice low and warm. He stepped closer, fingers brushing her waist, his lips finding hers in a kiss that was soft and practiced. She let him because it was familiar, because it was easier than feeling nothing at all.
It wasn’t what it once had been, but time had softened the ache between them. Maybe comfort was enough. “I... my parents will be home soon,” she murmured, breath hitching as his eyes darkened with restrained desire.
He groaned, stepping back. “Fine. I get a whole week of you to myself anyway.” With a teasing grin, he swept her off her feet, her laughter ringing bright and unguarded as he carried her toward the door.
The drive to the lake was filled with music, open windows, and the wind tangling her hair. But when the shimmering water came into view, something deeper stirred inside her. Nostalgia, longing, maybe even hope.
The lake house hadn’t changed. Its wooden frame gleamed in the afternoon sun, wrapped in the scent of pine and memory. Every inch of it whispered of summers past. Barefoot races, laughter and firelight under the stars.
Felix opened her door, grinning. “You ready to have some fun, beautiful?” “Yes,” she whispered. And she meant it, even if the word carried more than one truth. With a sudden burst of mischief, she shoved him lightly and sprinted toward the porch. “Race you inside!”
He laughed, chasing her, his footsteps pounding the old boards behind her. When he caught her, it was effortless, his hands braced on either side of her against the wall. His chest pressed to hers, his breath warm against her ear.
“You’ve always smelled like spring,” he murmured. “Like jasmine.” Her laugh trembled, soft and unsure. “Really?” “Mmm,” he hummed, his voice low, teasing, intimate.
The space between them crackled with energy. Desire tempered by memory. She could feel his heartbeat, steady and real, grounding her. But beneath it, deep in her chest, a quiet ache pulsed in time with another’s name.
Felix was safe. Steady. Loyal. But he was not her mate. Still, for now, she let herself lean into the warmth, into the fragile illusion that she could be whole again. Because here, it almost felt true. Almost.
- Writer
