Chapter 15
May 15, 2025
Rowan’s sword clattered to the floor. His entire body locked up, eyes wide with shock.
“Mate!”
His wolf’s roar echoed in his mind, shaking his very core. His mate? Ace?
His breath came fast, uneven. His fists clenched and unclenched as he tried to process. Was this why his body had reacted so strongly to her all along? Because she wasn’t just some warrior? She was a woman?
Rowan’s heart pounded like a war drum, and his instincts urged him to claim her. But his anger fought against it.
She had lied. She had deceived him. She had made a fool of him.
Ace dropped to her knees.
“Forgive me, Alpha,” she whispered.
Her voice wavered, filled with something that pulled at him, something raw and painful.
Rowan stiffened. His wolf growled in agony.
Why was he feeling this way? Why did her pain slice through him like a dagger?
He remembered the battlefield—the moment she had collapsed, the unbearable pain that had surged through him. Now, it all made sense. The bond had been there all along, hidden beneath her deception.
The prophecy was here. He never knew Ace was his mate, because she had disguised herself as a man, and now that her true identity was out, her wolf had admitted it.
She was his.
Had anyone at Ravelwood even known she was a woman?
Clearly, no one had.
Ace lowered her head, shoulders trembling.
“Forgive me, Alpha,” she repeated, this time, her voice cracking.
Rowan’s jaw tightened. He stared at her, struggling to reconcile the rage in his chest with the undeniable pull of the mate bond.
What do I do?
She had lied. Deceived everyone. Disrespected him.
Yet… he couldn’t bring himself to punish her.
The sword felt heavy in his grip, as if the weight of his decision was pressing down on him.
With a frustrated sigh, he dropped it and sank onto the bed.
“Cover yourself,” he muttered.
Ace quickly pulled her discarded tunic back over her body, hands shaking. When she finally stood before him, Rowan motioned to the chair opposite him.
“Sit.”
She hesitated, then obeyed.
His gaze dropped to her abdomen, still wrapped in fresh bandages. She had risked her life for him. Fought for him.
The realization hit harder than he expected.
Rowan exhaled sharply. “Are you going to tell me how this happened?”
Ace lowered her gaze, remaining silent.
Rowan clenched his jaw. “How the hell did you deceive everyone for twenty years?” His voice darkened. “Talk to me if you want me to protect you.”
Ace lifted her head, her eyes filled with something haunting.
“I’ve lived this life since birth,” she whispered. “I don’t know why. I was never told. I only did what I was told to do.”
Rowan froze.
She wasn’t just pretending to be someone else. She had been raised this way. He stared at her, his anger warring with something deeper, something more troubling.
Before he could demand more answers, the door burst open.
Kane.
This time, his face wasn’t confused. It was filled with horror.
With rage and with a sword in his hand.
Before Rowan could react, Kane lunged at Ace.
