Ace's POV
A YEAR LATER…How fast time flies! Especially when all you're doing is counting the minutes each day until you fall asleep or you're deep in thought or moping around. It's been a year since Betty disappeared from my life. I try so hard to hide the agony she left behind. I try so hard to control it. But then, I figure there's no use denying it. I miss her. I need her back. I need to find her.Searching for her isn't easy. I don't know anything about her. Her crackhead stepfather had disappeared too. No trace of him. She doesn't seem to have any other relatives so my search meets a dead end. Having no clue where to look, I fall into a depth of depression. Craving her but not having her in my arms. I'm about to go insane from that wretched feeling."Master." A knock and footsteps snap me out of my thoughts. My gaze is back on the piles of files on my table that need signing. Treaties and deals for the Pack. My strenuous duties as Alpha. I can't believe I'm slacking off on them just because of her. "What do you want?" I question the man standing inches away from my desk, with his hands at the back in a halted gait. He's one of the guards who watch the main gate. "I'm so sorry, Master. I don't know how to say this —""Say what?""The thing is uh — " He runs his hand over his face like he's nervous. I lean back on my chair waiting for him to speak. But he's taking longer than I bargained for."What is it?!" "The breeder."My eyes dilate. "Did you find her? Is there finally news about her?" It's been a fucking year already. About time someone tells me something good."No, Master." He replies, killing my excitement."Then what is it?!" I growl impatiently."The night she left…""What about it?""We saw her. We let her go.""What?!""No, No…not intentionally.""Start talking." I order hoarsely, standing and grabbing the baseball bat at the corner. Twirling it in my hand, I go closer to him.He flinches, shivering in fright. "We — we were ordered to let her go.""Who gave such orders?!""Beta Luke."No way. Luke can't do that. And if he did, he'll tell me. It's been a year. There's no way he kept it a secret for so long. "Stay here." I tell the guard and hurry out of the study.Luke is at the gym with a couple of guys. They're laughing over some jokes and taking a break from whatever exercise they are doing. They see me and bow. "What's up, man?" Luke is still laughing, as he elbows me."Leave us." I tell the men. They hurry out and it's just me and him. "Is something wrong?" He asks."Tell me the truth, Luke. Did you help Betty escape a year ago? Were you the reason she was able to leave this Packhouse?""What if I was?" He retorts. It snaps at my patience and in the next minute, I'm throwing a punch at him and he hits the ground. "Bastard!" I snarl, clenching my fist harder to deliver another punch."I knew your guards wouldn't keep quiet forever. I knew they'd rat me out someday. Funny that they took so long to do it." He chuckles, wincing at the pain from where I punched him. He's back on his feet but he's not taking his revenge by also throwing a punch. It makes me not throw another. But I can't keep the rage out of my voice. "Why did you do that?!""Because she was suffering in your bloody hands, man. I had to do something.""You had no right to interfere.""I didn't. But when I saw her running for her life, I let her go. I didn't convince her to leave. She chose to!""But I've been searching for her. You've watched me go crazy to find her. And all this time, you kept quiet?""What was I supposed to say? I don't know where she went.""Liar!" I throw another punch but this time, he ducks, evading the hit."Calm down, Ace. I swear to God. I don't know where she went. But even if I knew, I still wouldn't tell you…""Why?!""Because I don't believe that you suddenly care about her now. It doesn't make sense…"He's right. It's not logical that her disappearance left me craving for her. "Maybe you're right. It doesn't make sense. But I do need to see her again. If I do, I'll prove to you, to her, and to everyone else who cares that I've fallen for her. And I just want her back into my life.""That's crazy…" He mutters, with a stare that has 'you've lost your mind' written all over it. And he's right. Again. I have lost my mind and also the strength to continue this argument. I stay locked up in my room all day, lying on my bed. Feeling the raw hurt of Luke's betrayal…nah. I can't even call it that.He didn't betray me. All he did was help her. And back then, I didn't care about her. I wanted her out of my life and he did me the favor. Except now, it's not what I want anymore. My door opens and he walks in. Even with my gaze in a different direction, I can still tell that it's him."I'm sorry, Ace. I just did what I thought was best…"I'm silent. Not a word to him. But I can hear the sincerity in his apology. "I hope this makes up for what I did." I turn and he's giving me something. It takes a second for me to recognize it. It's the bracelet Betty made for me on my birthday. That last night I saw her. "How do you still have this?" I gasp, taking it from him. I recall throwing it in the trash can that night. How is it in Luke's hand?"Go figure." He smiles mischievously. My wild guess? He took it from the trash can.I nod with a smile. "Thanks, man." The bracelet is locked inside my grip. I'm clutching it with all the agony in my heart. Hoping it reminds me of what it feels like to have Betty close. "And another thing…""What is it?" I look up at his tense face. Like he is trying to retract his words. "Tell me, Luke. Please." I urge him. I'm fucking desperate and he needs to see it. He needs to think twice before holding back any information about Betty from me. "That night you fucked her in the hallway and passed out…""What about it?""She said some words to you before she ran off.""What kind of words?""Farewells and…" He drawls, with a silly grin. "...she also called you her mate.""She did what?!" "She said you were her mate, man. I heard her loud and clear." He ends with excitement.SHOCKED doesn't come close to describing how I feel right now. His words are almost unbelievable. There's no way Betty could have been my fated mate. There's no way I wouldn't have known."Maybe she knew from the first day she saw you, man. Maybe that's why she loved you that much and tried everything to win your love. But you kept pushing her away and now she's gone…"I'm barely listening to him. But he keeps rambling and then he stops and adds his last words."I'm sorry I waited a whole year before telling you this. I had to be sure that you really do give a shit about her now and that you're not just playing games. I'm sorry again, Ace. Bloody sorry."He finally leaves, giving me a bit of serenity to absorb the news.Betty is my mate. My fated mate. The one thing I swear to never have. She's it. And I fucking don't know. I'm such a fool!How did I not feel the bond? How cold was I, that the effect of the bond didn't work on me? How fucking indifferent have I been all my life?I lay back on the bed but I'm miles away from feeling sleepy.Gazing at the bracelet again, I stamp it with a kiss. A regretful, apologetic kiss. I'm not the type to cry or I will be wailing my head off right now. But I'm the type to make up for my wrongs, no matter how terrible they are. And with Betty, I've done a lot of wrongs. And I need to make up for them.I'll find you, Betty. I don't care if I have to ransack every corner of the world, I'll fucking find you. And when I do, I'll show you how sorry I am.I'll make up for everything I did to you. My late feelings and realization, I hope you accept them. My foolishness, I hope you forgive it. Our mate bond, I hope it's not broken yet. I hope I still got a chance with you, Betty Danforth.ACE’S POV“The car is ready, Sir.” My chauffeur’s voice pulled me out of my regular zoning. Ever since Luke made that shocking revelation about Betty being my mate, I have searched every pack for her. I have searched with a heavy and regretful heart with every hope of seeing her again. I need to apologize and make my newly found feelings known. I have never felt connected and concerned about a woman not until Betty left. I felt the bond that I stupidly ignored, and I couldn’t let it die with him. I sighed and stood up from the sofa. This was the seventh pack I would be visiting in search of Betty, and I’m onto my eighth already. It was quite tiring, but I have vowed never to stop looking until I find her. I know I will. Pack duties were hanging on my neck, but I have learned to trust Luke with them while I go on the search. I just felt like things could be better between me and Betty. I followed my waiting chauffeur to the parked car.THREE YEARS LATER…..“Okay. Thank you very much
ACE’S POVThe plane touched down gently, and I could hear the voice of the pilot announcing our arrival at Moonlight Pack. I followed the crowd and left the plane. Waiting for a few minutes at the terminal to get my luggageI walked outside the airport after, and noises from cars and people greeted me. I looked around the unfamiliar town and was suddenly filled with fear. I have never imagined myself stepping into Moonlight Pack. Our disagreement and feud have lasted long enough to drift us apart, but here I am, in the same pack I vowed never to visit.Betty is worth more than a feud, and I would go to any length to get her back. I only hope she wants it, too. I caught sight of a black car and a chauffeur carrying a placard with my name written on it. I shook my head as I approached him. Luke was always extracted, so I had kind of expected it. I got into the car, and the driver put my luggage away in the trunk.“Good day, Sir. I’m Alex, and I would be your chauffeur all through your
ACE’S POV“Yes?” I mumbled from my sleep. The gentle knock on my door woke me up. As I sat up on the bed, my head spun, and I squinted my eyes from the bright lights across the room. The sun was up already.I stood up lazily and opened the door. A hotel worker was impatiently waiting for me. “Breakfast is ready, Sir.” she said calmly, hiding her earlier anger well. I replied to her and shut the door. Unable to sleep back, I got ready for the day. The weird situation between Betty and I needed to be solved, so I decided to dedicate my whole day to getting to talk to her. She mostly needs to explain “Maxwell” cause he was definitely my child, and she hid it away from me.Pulled out a simple shirt and jeans from my closet and got dressed. Breakfast was brought in a few minutes later, and I sat quietly to bacon, eggs, and avocado toast. Another gentle knock jolted me out of my thinking. Alex walked in after I responded. I had guessed it was him.“Good morning, Sir. The car is ready.” he
BETTY’S POVSince Ace suddenly showed up at the party, he has not stopped following me. He was everywhere I go. Work, meetings, photoshoots…literally everywhere!I managed to get him to stay away during the photoshoot session. I left immediately after my shot and headed home. Maxwell would be home soon from school, so I wanted to prepare dinner before he got back. I was just leaving the bathroom when the doorbell rang. I thought it was Maxwell but met Ace standing at the door and lusting after my body. I suddenly felt hot. His eyes gazed around my skin, and my cheeks grew red at him checking me out. Calling out his name to get his attention. He looked up at me and repeated similar things he said earlier today. I angrily sent him off and slammed the door in his face. It was hurting to see him again, and accepting him back would be difficult. I ignored the little voice in my head that wanted me to hear him out.“No! Ace would not have his way anymore.” I replied to my wolf and she we
ACE’S POV“I should have known! That good-for-nothing Drake has always wanted what was mine.” I mumbled to no one in particular.I attended the fundraising with the hope of making huge contributions to the company, but I was hit with something unexpected. Betty’s official relationship with Drake! I had suspected after seeing them a few times together and how they acted closer than just friends, but I had assured myself that Betty wouldn’t do that to me. She wouldn’t run into the arms of another man. She said it by herself that we were mates. I had consoled myself, but the announcement dawned everything on me.Heartbroken would be an understatement for what I felt after she dropped the bombshell. I felt like my last piece of hope was shredded into bits that couldn’t be fixed. I looked into Betty’s eyes, and she seemed emotionless. I had searched for regret and want but found nothing. I could not bear to stay in the room anymore, so I left. The drive back to the hotel room felt l
DRAKE’S POVHis eyes darkened as he saw me. Maybe he expected someone else, but I didn’t care. Betty has been a very good friend since she joined Moonlight Pack, and we have helped each other in different ways. But recently, after our fake relationship charade, she has been acting differently. I had used the fake relationship as an opportunity to let my real intentions.I love Betty. Ever since she joined Moonlight Pack, she has captured my heart, and I have tried to make my intentions known, but I was waiting for the right time. But since Ace showed up suddenly, she has been acting weird. She doesn’t pay me as much attention as before, suddenly withdrawing herself from me. I had even ignored it and blamed her busy schedule, but when I asked her to be mine officially, she asked for time to think about it.It has been days now, and I have heard nothing from her. I wanted to be patient, but I was slowly losing my patience. I wanted her so bad. Knowing that Ace showing up might make her
BETTY’S POV The week had been quite stressful. Work, meetings and photoshoots with the thoughts of Ace occupying my mind. I could hardly focus on all that was going on between Ace and Drake. Drake would not stop calling, and I feared he would show up soon after I ignored his calls. Last Wednesday night was a shock, and I didn’t expect Drake’s action. I had only gone out with him with hopes to make up for lost time and unwind about all that was going on. Ace had suddenly left after our fake relationship announcement, and it was not as exciting as I thought, but Drake was with me. His advances did not stop, and even when I told him I needed time to think, he still got me gifts.I have avoided him and his calls since last Wednesday, and I was beginning to feel guilty for rejecting him. Drake had been a friend, help and very great assistance to my life. I was always grateful I met him when I came to Moonlight. I had escaped Viking Hills that night and boarded a train to nowhere in p
ACE’S POVDrake was bold enough to walk into my pack and warn me about staying away from Betty. His boldness and effrontery irritated me. I was infuriated that I did not stay till the end of the party. Luke had noticed my sudden disappearance, and he came to check my room. I was pacing around my room in anger.“Ace Ace!” He called.“How dare he? What guy does he have to walk in here and warn me?” I ranted.“Who? Who are you talking about, Ace?” He asked.“Drake! He was at the party, and he threatened me to stay away from Betty.” I said.He was shocked.“Drake? How did he get into the pack?” Luke had more hatred for Drake than me. It was obvious in his eyes that he was angry. He calmed me down and left to chase after Drake. Returning with news that Drake had gone back.Days after the festival, I stayed locked up in my study. Burying myself with pack duties. Luke tried to get me out of the house, but I channeled all my anger and hurt to work. It was quite productive. Projects left und