Ace's body convulses as the fire inside him reaches its peak.
He cries out, clawing at his arms, his back arching as pain tears through him.
"What's happening to me?" he chokes out, his voice raw and desperate.
Kieran is at his side in an instant, his strong hands gripping Ace's shoulders.
"You're shifting," he says, his tone firm yet strangely gentle. "What? Is it your first time!?"
"Wha... what is this?! I...!" Ace gasps, his body trembling violently.
"Just let it happen," Kieran groans. "Stop fighting it, it will happen anyway."
"I don't know what this is... I... I can't take it..."
"Yes, you can," Kieran says, his voice softening, a soothing balm to Ace's torment. "I'm here. Let it happen."
The soulmark between them flares, glowing bright like molten gold. The heat spreads through Ace, intertwining with Kieran's calming presence.
"Focus on me," Kieran says, leaning closer. His scent earthy, masculine, and overwhelmingly comforting, wraps around Ace like a shield.
Ace whimpers, gripping Kieran's arms as his body contorts. His bones crack, muscles stretch, and skin ripples. It's agony, but beneath it all, there's a strange sense of release.
Ace groans painfully, and Kieran holds him tighter.
When the shift is over, Ace lies trembling on the ground, his breathing ragged. His senses are heightened, every sound, every scent, every sensation sharper than ever before.
Kieran leans over him, his silver eyes soft but intense. As he gazes at Ace, he struggles to control himself, his hands roaming over Ace's wolf form.
Suddenly, without warning, Ace's body shifts back, human once more, bare from head to toe.
Kieran groans uncontrollably. He leans down, crushing his lips against Ace's in a kiss that is furious and desperate. He lifts Ace into his arms, his hands greedily exploring every inch of his body.
Ace clings to him, desperate for his touch, wanting more, needing more, even in places he doesn't fully understand. He aches to feel Kieran inside him.
The heat burning inside them both is overwhelming, impatient.
Kieran, without thinking, tears off his own clothes, remaining as bare as Ace.
"Mate," he groans, the word slipping out unconsciously, something he would never willingly admit. "You're mine," he growls, his wolf rejoicing in the claim.
Ace doesn't fully understand the words, but they ignite something primal deep within him.
Kieran lays him down, settling between his legs. His fingers hover at Ace's rim, his lips trailing fire from Ace's neck to his lips. Ace shudders under the touches, trembling.
"I really want you right now," Kieran murmurs against his skin. "I'm sorry."
Ace gasps, clinging tighter to Kieran's shoulders, his body arching for more.
Ace had prepared himself tonight, cleaned himself, made himself ready, expecting to do this with Xiao Jun. But now, faced with this stranger instead of Jun, he finds himself wanting the stranger so badly that his body aches.
Kieran, despite never having been with a man before, isn't foolish, he knows what's needed to make this possible, to avoid hurting his mate. Without proper preparation, he does the only thing he can: he uses saliva, determined to make Ace as comfortable as he can.
As Ace drowns in the pleasure of Kieran's touch, Kieran convinces himself he's prepared him enough.
Before Ace can even register the pain, Kieran pushes forward, slowly, steadily. Inch by inch, Kieran enters him, until he's fully inside. Ace's body trembles, electrified.
"You're mine," Kieran murmurs again, his voice deep, reverberating with authority and raw need.
Each slow thrust builds to a desperate rhythm, the friction igniting hotter flames inside them both. They groan, they cry out, overwhelmed by the sheer intensity of the connection.
The satisfaction of claiming a mate.
In the heat of the moment, Kieran gives in completely, his wolf taking over. He sinks his teeth into Ace's neck, marking him as his own.
Ace gasps, his hands clutching at Kieran as their souls intertwine. The soulmark on his chest pulses brighter before fading into a deep, glowing gold.
The bite sends a shockwave through Ace, awakening a hunger and strength he never knew he possessed.
Their souls collide, binding them in a connection that is both exhilarating and terrifying.
Kieran pulls back, his tongue brushing over the mark he left.
"You're mine now," he whispers, reverent and breathless.
Finally, Ace's body relaxes, the chaos inside him soothed by Kieran's presence.
He doesn't have the words to explain what's happened.
But in Kieran's arms, he feels safe, for the first time in his life.