The cold wakes him.
Ace stirs, his body aching and heavy as though he's run a marathon.
The ground beneath him is damp, the forest floor cool against his skin.
Slowly, he opens his eyes to find the world around him bathed in soft morning light. Trees tower above him, their branches swaying gently in the breeze.
For a moment, everything feels still, peaceful. But then the realization strikes—he's lying naked in the middle of the forest. His body stiffens, and his heart pounds as panic grips him.
"What...?"
His voice is barely a whisper as he sits up, wincing at the sharp ache in his muscles.
His hand brushes against his neck, and he freezes. His fingers find a mark—warm, faintly pulsing beneath his touch.
Confusion clouds his mind as he traces it, a strange energy emanating from the spot.
It wasn't there before.
Shaking, he looks down at himself, finding his clothes torn to shreds, barely clinging to him.
His breath hitches, and flashes of the previous night begin to surface in fragments: a pair of piercing silver eyes, the warmth of strong arms, the way his body had moved as if it wasn't his own.
A strange man. A stranger.
The memories come rushing back, hazy but undeniable. Ace recalls the pull he felt, the overwhelming connection, the way he let that man—whoever he was—touch him in ways only Xiao Jun ever should have.
Xiao Jun.
The thought of his boyfriend strikes him like a dagger to the heart.
Xiao Jun, who had been patient with him , waiting for him to turn 18 years old so that he takes his Virginity, but instead he gave his Virginity to someone else, not just someone but a stranger!
Xiao Jun, who had trusted him. Who had denied himself everything and gave Ace whatever he demanded for.
Xiao Jun , who took him in , who is everything to him, who gave him family when he was totally family less and homeless, who is protective and possessive of him.
Xiao Jun, who promise him everyday that he would never let their relationship die no matter what and he would always love him and give him a good life.
He betrayed him, he gave out to a stranger everything that he had promised to only give to Xiao Jun.
Ace thinks.
"Oh, no..." his voice trembles as tears sting his eyes. "What have I done?"
He remembers leaving the house, desperate to clear his mind, to sort through the strange feelings that had been consuming him.
But he never came back. He left Xiao Jun without a word. What must Xiao Jun be thinking now? He must have looked for him all night! Because that's what he does, he never rests until he knows that Ace is fine.
And then there's the mark that he always thought it was a birthmark until last night.
Ace presses a hand against it, hoping—praying—it's just some birthmark and what he thinks happened to it was just a dream.
But when he pulls his hand away, it glows faintly, as if mocking him. He stares in disbelief, his chest tightening with fear.
"This isn't real," he whispers. "This can't be real."
But it is.
The mark is real, and so are the memories of what happened—the stranger's touch, the way his body responded without hesitation, the inexplicable bond that drew them together.
The way he wanted that man__ , not want but, needed that man is real.
His breathing quickens as the weight of it all crashes down on him.
Yesterday had been his 18th birthday. It was supposed to be special, something he'd dreamed of sharing with Xiao Jun. Instead, he'd given himself—his first time—to someone else.
Ace crumples, burying his face in his hands as sobs wrack his body. He cries until his throat feels raw, the pain, guilt, and confusion consuming him.
How could he let this happen? Why did he feel so powerless to stop it?
And then, another memory surfaces—a terrifying, impossible one.
He remembers the change.
Ace's heart races as he recalls the sensation of his body shifting, his bones reshaping, fur covering his skin.
He remembers running through the forest on four legs, his senses sharper than ever before. It's absurd, unthinkable. But the images won't go away.
"What am I?" he whispers, his voice barely audible.
The tears start again, slower this time, as he tries to piece together the shattered fragments of his life.
The stranger, the mark, the transformation, his first time—it all feels like a nightmare, but the aching in his body tells him it's real.
Hours pass as Ace sits there, lost in his thoughts, the weight of everything suffocating him.
He doesn't know what to do, where to go. How can he face Xiao Jun? How can he explain what's happened when he doesn't even understand it himself?
But as the sun climbs higher, the cold forces him to act.
He can't stay here, vulnerable and exposed, with nothing but confusion and fear to keep him company.
He needs to leave the forest. He needs to go home.
He glances around, desperate for anything to cover himself.
His own clothes lie scattered in tatters—ripped apart during the strange, terrifying transformation.
But then, his eyes land on another pile nearby, ripped too but still intact enough to wear.
They aren't his clothes.
They must be for the stranger man, did he go away naked. Ace wonders.
Confusion flickers in his mind as he picks them up. The scent clinging to the fabric is strange yet oddly comforting, a mixture of musk and forest air.
It's the same scent that lingered on the man from last night—the man who had...
He can't help but sniff them for almost an hour , drugging him and intoxicating him, calming the storm inside of him.
He later pulls the shirt over his head and ties the larger pants around his waist. The fit is loose but manageable.
The path back is unclear, but something inside him stirs—an instinct, a pull.
He follows it blindly, his legs trembling with each step. The forest feels unfamiliar, alien, as though it's watching him.
When he finally sees the edge of the trees, relief floods him, but it's short-lived. His heart pounds as he thinks about what awaits him at home.
Xiao Jun will be there. He'll have questions. Questions Ace doesn't have answers to.
He pauses at the edge of the forest, staring at the distant rooftops of his neighborhood. His hands tremble as he clutches the makeshift covering around himself.
"I can't do this," he whispers. But he knows he doesn't have a choice.
With a deep breath, Ace steps out of the forest, each step heavier than the last. The closer he gets to home, the more his guilt and fear grow.
All he can do now is face whatever comes next.