Alpha's mate is a male?!?-Chapter 52: Stuck Between The Two.

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On his way to Marsel’s house, Ace grips the letter tightly in his hand, though his thoughts are far from its contents.

His emotions swirl like a storm threatening to tear him apart from the inside.

Anger, betrayal, loneliness, confusion, and a strange longing he can’t shake_ it all churns together, clouding his mind and, worse, blocking his powers.

He’s tried meditating.

Running.

Forcing his powers until his body gave out.

But no matter what he does, his connection to his abilities feels... fractured.

Marsel and his wife are the only people who might understand.

Ace glances at the letter again as he turns onto the familiar road leading to their house.

"You’ve gone for too long and we were wondering if you are doing fine, If you find some time, pass by our home... we have something to tell you."

I’ll ask about it when I get there, he tells himself. But first, he needs to deal with the chaos in his head before it consumes him entirely.

When he finally arrives, Marsel greets him at the door, his expression warm but tinged with concern.

"You made it," Marsel says, stepping aside to let Ace in. "It’s been a while."

Ace nods, but his usual composure feels distant. "I came because... something’s wrong. My powers. My emotions. It’s all tangled up, and I don’t know how to fix it."

"You can always come to me Ace, whenever you feel like you can’t take it anymore, I’ll always be here for you. We will always be here for you." Marsel says, really concerned, like himself is hurting just by seeing how Ace looks broken.

"Where’s Elira?" Ace asks not seeing her around.

"She’s been expecting you for some days now, and she kept cooking your favourite only for you not to show up, so today again she went to get it, am sure she is on her way back by now." Ace’s mind goes blank,

Sometimes he can’t help but feel some connections to this couple, only that he can’t put a finger_ what kind of connection it is. ƒrēenovelkiss.com

’why would she be doing all that just for me?! She is extremely nice to me, is it because she doesn’t have a child that’s why she is being this nice to me?! But Anabel didn’t have a child too and it made her bitter toward me!’ Ace thinks remembering the couple that picked him by the roadside.

He remembers he hasn’t visited Andrews grave for a long time, the old man was really good to him, but his wife wasn’t.

Marsel studies him carefully, his brows knitting together. "We’ll figure everything out together. Come, sit. Let’s start with what you’re feeling."

As Ace steps into the living room, the faint smell of tea and herbs fills the air, grounding him slightly.

He glances at the letter again and decides to ask.

"About your letter... what is it you and Elira wanted to tell me?"

Marsel clears his throat. "The letter isn’t important right now. We’ll get to it, I promise. But first, let’s deal with the real problem_ your emotions. If your powers are blocked, there’s a reason, and ignoring it will only make things worse."

Marsel motions for Ace to sit by the fireplace, where the faint crackle of flames fills the silence.

He sits across from Ace, leaning forward, his expression a mix of understanding and urgency.

"Ace," Marsel begins, "your emotions aren’t just feelings_ they’re anchors. They connect you to your powers. When they’re balanced, you have control. But when they’re in chaos..." He gestures vaguely, as if trying to pull the right words from the air. "...your powers mirror that chaos."

Ace exhales sharply, running a hand through his hair. "I know that already. But what am I supposed to do? I can’t just turn my emotions off."

Marsel nods slowly. "You’re right. You can’t suppress them. But you don’t need to. Suppressing emotions only makes the storm worse. What you need is to face them every part of them. The anger, the betrayal, the hurt. You can’t let them rule you, but you also can’t run from them."

Ace frowns, looking away. "Easier said than done. You have no idea. The last time I was here, you told me that the moon goddess had severed my bond with kieran, but you know? I don’t feel any difference from how I felt when the mate bond was there, in fact, I feel like am being drown to Kieran even more! And I hate it because it’s like am vulnerable in front of him, so tell me Marsel, are you certain that the moon goddess severed that hell like bond?!" Ace asks, his small composure slipping away.

"Yes, she did, and if you still feel attracted to Kieran, then that means you genuinely love hi..."

"Stop right there! I don’t wanna hear it, shit!" Ace says standing up.

Pacing, frustrations controlling him again.

"I... I feel so stupid because yesterday I... I let what I feel control me, I even confessed to him, but guess what I got in return!" Ace says, his vision blurring again.

"Sit" Marsel says, his voice calm. "Ace, sit down." He repeats when Ace doesn’t sit for the first time.

"Even if you don’t want to hear this, It’s the fact, you are in love, Ace. And it is messing with you because the person you have these feelings for, is not returning them, It’s called unrequited love. Honestly, Ace, you’ve been in a human world all these years so you must know about all these things. It happens, and if someone is not showing the interest, run, and don’t look back, because when they know you love them that much, all they’ll do is take advantage of you, be it sleeping with you and next day they behave like they were not the one, or making you do things for them!

But if they are showing some interest, then give them space, time, they will come to terms with the fact that they need you too, and for sure they will come to you.

Ace, I know what you are feeling about Kieran is unbearable, but if he is not going to be treating you the way you deserve to be treated, use all you have to stay away from him in romantic way, try as much as you can to keep everything professional as you work together on your mission, in fact make him think you don’t care about him in a romantic way anymore.

You can do it, you are strong enough to do it only if you put your mind to it. Eventually it will go away, it always does."

Ace is quiet, but no tears anymore.

"And about Xiao Jun," Marsel continues, "What happened between the two of you, was it intentional?" He asks, his eyes narrowing at Ace.

"No" Ace answers quietly.

"Did you hurt him on purpose?"

"No"

"Then why on earth are you blaming yourself? Huh? If it was meant to happen, it will just happen, you did nothing to him intentionally, and nothing is your fault, _ You facing him and telling him what you truly think and what you feel, it was the bravest thing to do, and it was the best thing to do, instead of living in a lie, in something you don’t want, so focus on yourself and leave those two out, let them deal with it in their own ways too, okay?"

"Okay" Ace answers.

"Just... cry it out, if you must" Marsel adds "If tears come, let them. But this isn’t about weakness, Ace. It’s about releasing the weight that’s keeping your power tied up. When you face your emotions, when you let them pass through you, they lose their hold. And with that release, your powers will come back."

Silence stretches between them, the firelight dancing across Ace’s troubled features.

"I don’t even know where to start," Ace admits, his voice barely above a whisper.

Marsel sits back, his tone thoughtful. "Start with the moment you felt your power slipping. When did it first feel... off?"

Ace stares into the flames, his mind pulling him back to that moment.

The image of Xiao Jun’s devastated expression flashes in his mind, followed by the sharp sting of guilt and the weight of his own decisions.

He swallows hard. "It was when I told Xiao Jun the truth. When I told him... I love Kieran."

Marsel studies Ace carefully. "Then start there. Explore what you felt in that moment_ not just the guilt or the pain, but the love, too. Emotions are complex. Don’t judge them. Just feel them."

At that moment, Elira comes in, excited to see Ace but her expression drops when he notices how the young man looks troubled.

-

When Elira finally goes to the kitchen, Marsel follows her after some time, he asks her to put sleeping herbs in Ace’s food, and that night when Ace ate , he slept everything off, all uncountable sleepless nights are compensated that night.

All the fatigue and every tiredness , leading to his body relaxing for once and processing everything.