At that moment Ace decides , and it feels like a dam breaking inside him.
The bond is gone.
There's no reason to hesitate anymore, no invisible thread tying him to Kieran, no excuse to keep Jun waiting.
The realization fills him with an almost frantic urgency.
"I think am gonna head back. I need to talk to Jun." He says suddenly.
Elira's voice cheeps in, calm but insistent. "Ace, maybe you should take some time and reflect on everything. You shouldn't ju—"
"There's nothing to think about," Ace cuts her, his voice firm, laced with determination.
He softens slightly, his hands curling into fists at his sides as he forces his tone to steady. "If the bond is gone and I still hesitate to go back to the one person who has always cared for me, then... that's just selfish."
Elira's eyes narrow, her lips pressing into a thin line. She doesn't argue further, but Ace can feel her unspoken disapproval hanging in the air.
"You just got here," Marsel interjects, his voice gentler but no less firm. "Shouldn't you at least rest? Why the rush? You can go tomorrow, after you've had time to think it through."
"I've already made up my mind." Ace's tone is resolute. There's no room for debate.
He's done thinking, done hesitating, done letting doubts weigh him down.
Before either of them can stop him, Ace strides to the door and steps into the cool night air.
His body shifts seamlessly into his wolf form, fur rippling and muscles coiling with power.
The forest stretches out before him, and without a moment's pause, he runs.
The world blurs around him as he moves, the wind whipping through his fur, the rhythmic thud of his paws against the earth grounding him.
The moon hangs high above, its light filtering through the trees in scattered beams that dance across his path.
Each stride feels like shedding a layer of the confusion and pain that's plagued him.
By the time he reaches Jun's house, his breathing is steady, but his heart pounds with anticipation.
Shifting back into his human form, Ace stands before the door, his chest rising and falling as he catches his breath.
His fingers tremble slightly as he punches in the familiar code.
The lock clicks open, and he steps inside.
The house is eerily quiet, the dim lighting casting long shadows across the walls.
Ace's gaze sweeps the living room, the kitchen, —each room empty, each absence sending a new pang through his chest.
"Jun?" His voice echoes faintly, but there's no response.
He moves quickly now, checking the bedroom, the study, the guest room.
Still nothing.
His pulse quickens, worry creeping into the edges of his mind.
Finally, he opens the bathroom in their room.
The door is ajar, steam curling out. Ace steps inside, and the sight before him makes him freeze.
Jun is sitting in the bathtub, fully clothed, water soaking through his shirt and jeans.
His dark hair clings to his forehead, and his eyes are half-lidded, gazing distantly at the water rippling around him.
"What are you doing here?" Jun's voice is flat, his gaze lifting to meet Ace's. There's no warmth there, only the lingering edge of anger. "I thought you went to him."
Ace swallows hard, stepping closer. "Jun, I'm sorry for everything I've put you through," he says, his voice low and earnest. "I'm ready now—to go on with our relationship without any distractions. It's just that I've been going through a lot, and processing it all has been killing me. But now… things are clearer. I'm ready to be the boyfriend I was before, and even more."
Jun's lips twist into a faint, bitter smile. "You want to tell me what's been going on between you and Kieran?"
"There's nothing between Kieran and me," Ace answers quickly, too quickly.
"Then why the f*ck would he kiss you! And as if his lips are some kind of magic , they jolted you up! You wanna say there's really nothing more to explain about that?!"
Ace is dazed , frozen, nothing to say about it... so all those fights were about that?! Kieran kissed him, in his unconscious state! And it made his body energized again.
So if at that moment the bond was still there , then when did it disappear?!
Jun's dark eyes narrow, studying him with an intensity that makes Ace's stomach churn. "Ace, I doubt you feel the same way you used to feel about me. I just want to be sure that if we start this, you're really in it."
"I am," Ace says, the words leaving his lips without hesitation.
Jun doesn't respond immediately.
Instead, he pushes himself up slightly, water sloshing around him as he leans forward.
Before Ace can react, Jun reaches out and pulls him into the bathtub, wrapping his arms around him in a firm hug. "I really miss you, I miss us , I just wish everything would go back to normal. Like they used to be." He says in a whisper.
The sudden warmth of Jun's body against his own catches Ace off guard, but he doesn't resist.
Jun's lips find his, soft and insistent, and Ace lets himself sink into the kiss.
But as their lips move together, a pang shoots through Ace's chest—not of joy, but of longing.
Not for Jun, but for Kieran.
Kieran's touches floods his mind, the feeling he had that night with him fills his whole being.
The realization hits him like a slap, and his entire body tenses.
"What?" Jun asks, pulling back slightly, his brow furrowing.
"Nothing," Ace lies, forcing a small smile. "I just… I'm fine."
Jun studies him for a moment, his expression softening. "You don't have to act like everything's fine, Ace. I know you've been through a lot. Just… let me take care of you for once."
Ace nods, but the words do little to soothe the turmoil inside him.
As Jun leans in again, Ace tries to push the intrusive thoughts away, tries to focus on the man in front of him—the man who's always been there for him, who's risked everything for him.
But every touch, every kiss, only makes the ache grow stronger.
Kieran's face flashes in his mind unbidden—the sharpness of his gaze, the weight of his presence, the pull that Ace once thought was only the bond.
Why am I feeling like this if the bond is gone?! He wonders. Was Marsel lying to me?! But the mark Kieran put on me that night is no more, so it must be true.
But why am I feeling like this toward kieran still. Is it that the bond is not entirely gone?!
Realizing that Ace is not responding to him , Xiao Jun pauses, his brow furrowing again. "What?"
"Nothing," Ace says again, the lie heavier this time.
He wants to stop, wants to pull away, but he can't bring himself to do it. Not when Xiao Jun looks at him like that, not when Xiao Jun has given him everything.
"Nothing?!" Xiao Jun asks his brows knitting.
"I think am having side effects if what happened, can I just rest? Please?" Ace asks quietly.
"Okay, we can take a shower and rest, I feel drained too." Xiao Jun answers.
Even as Ace stays, sleeping in the arms of Xiao Jun, a part of him feels like it's slipping further away.