Alpha's mate is a male?!?-Chapter 57: Feeling His Pain

Ace walks slowly, his body trembling with fury as his glowing chest pulses brighter with every heartbeat.

He doesn’t look back at Xiao Jun, doesn’t dare let his grief consume him yet_ not while she’s still standing there.

Lila.

She trembles under his burning gaze, taking a cautious step back.

For the first time, the smug confidence in her expression is gone, replaced by a fear she tries to mask.

"You wanted these powers so much, didn’t you?" Ace’s voice cuts through the air like a blade, low and dangerous.

He keeps walking toward her, each step slow and deliberate, like a predator cornering its prey. "You’ve schemed, manipulated, and killed for them. So come on," he snarls, his eyes blazing with golden fire. "Take them."

Lila’s lips part, and for a moment, she’s speechless.

The glow emanating from Ace’s chest grows brighter, illuminating the clearing and casting flickering shadows across her face.

Her hands tremble, but then her lips twist into a shaky smile, as if clinging to the illusion of control.

"Ace," Kieran calls from behind, his voice firm but tinged with worry. He starts to move toward him, leaving Xiao Jun stable but unconscious on the ground. "What are you doing? She doesn’t deserve mercy. Don’t waste time on her!"

But Ace ignores him, his focus locked entirely on Lila.

"Bring the anchor," he commands sharply, his voice ringing with authority.

The wolves surrounding Lila hesitate, exchanging wary glances.

"Didn’t you hear me?" Ace’s voice rises, seething with barely contained fury. "Bring the damn anchor!"

One of the wolves, still hesitant, finally steps forward and retrieves the anchor from the ground.

The weight of it seems to grow heavier in their hands as they approach Ace, their movements reluctant.

Kieran steps closer, placing a hand on Ace’s arm. "Stop this," he says in a low, urgent tone. "What do you think you are doing?!"

Ace brushes him off without even a glance.

The wolf places the anchor in Ace’s outstretched hand.

The moment his fingers curl around the cold metal, the air shifts. It hums with an almost unbearable tension, as if the forest itself is holding its breath.

Lila’s eyes widen as Ace steps closer, holding the anchor out to her. "Take it," he commands, his voice cutting and emotionless.

Confusion flashes across her face, quickly replaced by triumph.

Her trembling hands reach for the anchor, grasping it tightly as if it’s the answer to everything she’s ever wanted.

For a moment, she stares at it, a manic smile spreading across her lips.

"Raise it," Ace adds coldly.

Lila looks up, startled by the sharpness in his tone.

"What?"

"I said raise it," Ace repeats, his voice like steel. "You want the power, don’t you? Raise it. Let me channel my energy into it."

Lila hesitates, then nods, her grin widening as she lifts the anchor above her head. She glances at Ace, giddy with anticipation. "Do it," she demands.

Ace closes his eyes, his glowing chest now radiating like a small sun.

The golden light flows from him, crackling with raw energy, and begins to spiral toward the anchor.

For a brief moment, the anchor pulses with power, and Lila’s face lights up with unrestrained joy.

But then, the glow shifts. freēwēbnovel.com

The anchor begins to flare, its edges sparking wildly.

The light grows hotter, more blinding, until it no longer looks like a tool but a weapon engulfed in a consuming, fiery inferno.

Lila’s smile falters. "What... what’s happening?"

Ace opens his eyes, and they burn with a terrifying intensity. "You wanted it," he says quietly. "So take it."

The anchor erupts, the fire consuming it spreading rapidly up Lila’s arms.

She screams, dropping the anchor, but it clings to her hands as if fused to her flesh.

The flames crawl up her body, unstoppable, relentless.

"No! No, this isn’t what I_!" Her voice breaks into a shriek as the fire engulfs her completely.

She flails, trying to rid herself of the burning metal, but it’s too late.

The fire consumes her, her body glowing like a dying star before disintegrating into ash.

The clearing falls silent, save for the crackling remnants of the flames that fade into nothingness.

The anchor, now charred and lifeless, crumbles to dust at Ace’s feet.

Ace stands still, his chest heaving, his glowing light dimming back to a soft ember.

Kieran steps forward cautiously, his voice gentle. "Ace..."

But Ace doesn’t respond. His shoulders tremble as he finally turns back to Xiao Jun, rushing to his side and falling to his knees.

"Jun," Ace whispers, his voice breaking as he cups Jun’s pale face.

His vision blurs as he watches the shallow rise and fall of Jun’s chest, the only sign of life.

Kieran kneels beside him, placing a hand on Ace’s shoulder. "He’s alive," Kieran says quietly. "But we need to get him somewhere comfortable."

Ace still doesn’t know what kieran did to save Xiao Jun, and Kieran has no idea how he will tell Ace that news. But one thing he couldn’t do is let Xiao Jun die.

Ace nods, his hands trembling as he brushes a stray strand of hair from Jun’s face.

The wolves around them lower their heads in silent respect, the weight of what just transpired settling over the group.

Lila is gone.

The threat she posed has been extinguished, but the cost of victory lingers heavy in the air.

Kieran commands the wolves to pick up mr. Wang who couldn’t stand seeing all that was happening, and passed out.

But then, a voice breaks the fragile calm.

"Alpha... Mr. Wang..."

Kieran’s head snaps up at the sound of the wolf’s hesitant tone.

His heart sinks as he sees the wolves clustered around Jun’s father, their expressions grim.

Kieran strides toward them, leaving Ace to hold Jun.

His footsteps crunch over charred leaves, each step heavy with dread.

As he approaches, the wolves part silently, revealing Mr. Wang’s lifeless body lying limp on the forest floor.

"What?!" Kieran mutters, kneeling beside the man. He checks for a pulse, for even the faintest sign of life, but finds none.

The wolf who spoke earlier clears his throat nervously. "Alpha... it seems... he couldn’t take it anymore. The shock, the fear_ it must have been too much for him."

Kieran’s jaw clenches as his heart sinks.

The older man, though bound and terrified, had held on for so long_ only for his heart to fail him in the final moments.

Kieran glances back at Ace, debating whether to tell him.

But the decision is made for him when Ace’s golden eyes lock onto his.

"What is it?" Ace’s voice trembles, his chest still faintly glowing with the remnants of his power. "What’s wrong?"

Kieran exhales sharply, his shoulders stiffening. "Ace..." he begins, his voice heavy. "It’s Mr. Wang. He... he didn’t make it."

For a moment, it doesn’t register.

Ace stares blankly, his arms still wrapped protectively around Jun.

But then, the words hit like a physical blow.

"No, no, what are you telling me right now?!" Ace whispers, shaking his head. "He was fine! He... he wasn’t even hurt!"

Kieran steps closer, his voice soft but steady. "It wasn’t a wound, Ace. The stress, the terror_ it must have overwhelmed him."

Ace’s breath quickens, his body trembling as if the ground beneath him is crumbling. "This can’t be happening. Not Jun’s dad. Not after everything..."

The wolves bow their heads in sorrow, their quiet mourning a stark contrast to Ace’s rising panic. "Ju... oh G-d!"

"Ace." Kieran kneels beside him, gripping his shoulder firmly. "You did everything you could. Don’t always blame yourself for everything that goes wrong!"

But Ace doesn’t seem to hear him.

His breathing grows erratic, his glowing chest flickering with unstable energy.

The weight of it all.... the fight, Lila’s evil, Jun’s condition, and now this... it threatens to crush him.

"Ace, look at me," Kieran says sharply, his voice snapping through the haze of Ace’s spiraling thoughts. "Get hold of yourself! Hey! Look at me! We can’t hold on to what’s happened already! Look, Jun is alive! Isn’t that a good thing?!"

Ace squeezes his eyes shut, his jaw tightening as he forces himself to focus. Jun. Jun is still alive. That’s all that matters right now.

Kieran turns to the wolves, his tone commanding. "Carry Mr. Wang back to the mansion. Treat him with respect. I’m coming."

The wolves nod solemnly, gently lifting the older man’s body. As they carry him away, Kieran places a hand on Ace’s back.

"Come on," Kieran says quietly.

Kieran for the first time he feels real sorrow. Not because what is bringing sorrow right now, but because Ace is broken, and it’s like he can’t stand seeing him like that.

He wants to hold him, asure him that everything will be fine.

Ace nods numbly, cradling Jun closer as he rises to his feet. The wolves fall into formation around them, their somber silence heavy with loss.

The trek back to the mansion is long and agonizing. Every step feels like a reminder of what they’ve lost, of what’s at stake.

When they finally reach the gates, Kieran looks at Ace, who hasn’t spoken a word since they left the clearing.

But Ace’s mind is still replaying the events over and over, the weight of his failures pressing down on him.