AIDEN'S POV
I hadn't planned to kiss her.
Hell, I hadn't even planned to step that close. But when she tilted her chin like she was daring me to, when her lips parted just slightly with that challenge in her eyes… I snapped.
And the moment her lips met mine, everything else blurred. My control slipped. Ace surged, hunger curling in the pit of my chest like smoke rising from a fire just beginning to burn.
"Ours," he growled, clawing beneath the surface. "Claim her. Now."
It took everything in me to keep him leashed.
To not press her back against the wall and show her exactly how territorial I could be.
But I didn't need to mark her to prove a point.
Not yet.
So instead, I let the kiss deepen slowly. I made it count and to my surprise, she kissed me back.
And that was all it took.
Ace wanted more… I wanted more.
More of her scent. Her skin. Her voice when she wasn't trying to outsmart me. The soft gasp she made when our mouths met—goddess, I wanted to hear it again.
When I pulled away, I could still taste her. Still feel her breath hitching between us.
"Only I have the right," I murmured, my voice sounding low and rough, "to get this close to you. And from the way you reacted…" I let my gaze dip to her mouth. "It's obvious you'd prefer it that way."
Her fingers were still gripping my shirt tightly.
"I only kissed back because you caught me off guard," she said in a shaky voice.
"Mmm." I raised a brow. "Want me to do it again? Just to make sure?"
But Jasmine pulled away like she'd just remembered who we were. Her eyes were wide. Her breath ragged. And her body tensed like she might bolt at any second.
"That was a mistake," she said, mostly to herself.
I let her go, but didn't step back.
Because the truth was, I didn't believe her.
Not when her pulse was racing.
Not when her eyes lingered too long on my lips.
Not when her scent shifted with something I couldn't name—but wanted.
She pushed past me and went further inside her room, muttering something about space and bad decisions.
I watched her go, dropping her bag and removing her jewellery before I walked out without a word.
Ace growled inside me, "Whether she likes it or not, she can't escape us."
—
That night, she didn't come down for dinner. When Grandpa asked of her, I had to make up an excuse of her being a bot under the weather.
The next morning, Sunday, I found her barricading herself in busyness.
It was obvious she was avoiding me… not subtly, not politely. She flat-out buried herself in anything and everything that didn't involve me.
She made every call she could. Reorganised the library. Rearranging entire sections of the mansion again like she was nesting. Changed out the guest room décor.
And then, just to drive the point home?
She claimed my study.
My study.
I stood in the doorway for a full minute, watching her recline like a queen in my leather chair, laptop open, hair pinned back, papers spread across the desk in the kind of disorganised chaos that gave me hives, and a steaming mug of tea on my desk.
She didn't even look up. "Find somewhere else to brood, Frost. This desk's taken."
"That's my desk you're talking about… in my study."
"And so? It has better lighting."
"I have an entire office wing, wifey. You can just take any."
"You can do the same, husby," she emphasized the last word with a smile that didn't reach her eyes.
I narrowed my eyes. "You're playing with fire."
She smirked without looking at me. "I'm bored. Burn me."
Touché.
"And don't you have other things to do, crises to resolve and wardrobe problems to fix?"
I tensed. "What did you do?"
"Nothing permanent."
It wasn't until I went to change that I saw the full extent of the crime.
My ties were in the shape of origami animals.
My charcoal suits were missing entirely.
Someone had arranged my shoes by colour gradient.
I stared at the mess like it had personally betrayed me.
So, I retaliated.
Pettily.
First, I had Walter replace her expensive shampoo with mine. She wouldn't notice right away, but by tonight, she'd smell like cedar and black amber… like me.
Then I "borrowed" her perfume and wore it on my wrists. Just a spritz or two. Enough to mess with her senses.
And finally?
I walked out of the room shirtless and casually walked past the study, more times than necessary, just to see if I truly didn't affect.
She did look up, though she didn't comment.
But I saw her stare.
More than once.
Score: Jasmine - 1, Me - 1
—
It was around three in the afternoon when Kieran arrived.
I heard his boots before I saw him. Jasmine was in the sitting room, typing away on her laptop, pretending like I didn't exist.
When Kieran stepped inside, she looked up and smiled like they were old friends.
"Hey," she greeted with a cheerful tone that was a little too bright. "Kieran, right?"
He gave her a polite nod. "Ma'am."
"Jasmine," she corrected. "We're not at a palace."
He glanced at me, amused. "She's fun."
"She's trying to get under my skin."
"Is it working?" she asked without looking up from her laptop.
More than I wanted to admit.
I gestured for Kieran to follow me. As soon as we were out of earshot, Kieran raised a brow. "So how's married life treating you?"
"Watch it," I said lightly.
"You know… She's cute when she's annoyed."
"She's always cute."
We moved to the second-floor balcony for privacy. The sun filtered through the canopy above, but there was no warmth in his voice when he spoke next.
"We've had rogue sightings."
My jaw tightened. "How close?"
"They're circling. Not a coordinated attack. But they're testing our response. Pushing at the edges of the territory. Fast and quiet."
My thoughts immediately went to Jasmine.
She didn't know.
She couldn't know.
Not yet.
"Double the guards," I said. "And install a sensor perimeter around her wing. Discreetly."
Kieran hesitated. "She's human. You're still hiding it."
"I'm protecting her."
"You're delaying the inevitable."
"I'm choosing the right moment."
"You know, by the time she finds out, she won't be happy."
"She's not supposed to be," I muttered. "She's supposed to be safe."
He didn't argue further. Just nodded once, his expression unreadable. "Full moon's coming."
"I know."
When he left, I lingered outside the study, half expecting to find Jasmine still occupying my desk. But she was gone.
I found her again that evening, curled into one of the armchairs in the library, a book open across her lap and her hair tucked behind one ear.
She looked up when she sensed me, lifting a brow. "Don't say anything," she said. "I'm just reading."
I leaned against the doorframe. "What are you reading?"
She lifted the book slightly so I could see the title. Werewolf Lore & Lycanthropic Lineage: Myths Through Time.
My mouth tilted into a slow smile. "That's an interesting choice."
"It was on the shelf," she said defensively. "I was bored."
"Anything good?"
"Apparently, werewolves hate silver, can smell lies, and like to mate for life."
I walked in slowly, the hardwood soft beneath my feet.
"Sounds… interesting."
She laughed, her eyes sparkling just a bit. "Oh, it gets better. They also have unnatural strength, super hearing, and an instinct to protect their… mate."
I raised a brow. "You sound amused."
"I'm skeptical," she replied. "But it's a good fantasy."
I took the seat across from her. "You don't believe in any of that?"
"Werewolves? Vampires? Witches?" She snorted. "Please. I believe in capitalism, corporate backstabbing, and overpriced wine. The rest is fiction."
I smirked. "Careful. Some people would call that a very narrow worldview."
"Well," she said with a shrug, "I don't date people who think the moon makes them horny."
I chuckled. "Oh really?"
She rolled her eyes. "Yup."
A comfortable yet strange silence settled around us. She gently traced her fingers along the book's edges. I couldn't take my eyes off her, especially with the firelight flickering over her skin, drawn to her warmth.
She wasn't just beautiful. She was… everything. And she was mine.
I stood slowly, ignoring the burn in my chest as I turned toward the door.
I'd gotten too close tonight.
Too many times lately.
Back in my room, I poured a glass of water, leaning on the edge of the sink as I stared at my reflection.
Ace's voice rose up from the back of my mind, low and steady. "How long do you think we can keep this from her?"
I didn't answer, but he continued. "Remember, the full moon's coming."