Alpha's mate is a male?!?-Chapter 91: Kieran Steps Down As An Alpha!

A Month Later

It’s been a month, and Ace has built a life outside of Kieran’s shadow.

College keeps him busy, and between studying and managing the hotel with Jun, his days are full.

His parents are settling into their new home, they even couldn’t just sit idling and joined to work at the hotel.

And Jun moving in and living with them, the house feels warm_ like a real family.

Ace tells himself he has moved on. He doesn’t think about Kieran. He doesn’t wonder where he is or what he’s doing.

At least, that’s what he wants to believe.

But even as he convinces himself he’s done with Kieran, the world refuses to let him forget.

News spreads fast.

Kieran has been making drastic changes. First, he publicly acknowledges same-gender pairings, something no alpha before him has done.

He reverses every outdated law that forbade them, and in an almost desperate move, he organizes an official celebration honoring same-gender mates.

Ace watches the announcement on his phone, his fingers gripping the device tightly.

The Kieran on screen looks different_ exhausted, haunted. But his voice is steady as he speaks about equality, respect, and embracing the will of the Moon Goddess.

Ace doesn’t know how to feel.

He should be glad, shouldn’t he? This is what he wanted from Kieran all along_ to see the truth, to change.

And yet, watching him stand there, Ace feels nothing but frustration.

Did it really take losing him to make Kieran open his damn eyes?

Jun must sense his mood because he reaches over and plucks the phone from Ace’s grip. "You don’t have to watch this," he says simply.

Ace exhales, rubbing his temples. "I don’t care, actually." he mutters. "He can do whatever he wants."

Jun gives him a knowing look. "Really Ace, can you stop this now?! Don’t you think you’ve punished him enough? Don’t you think you are going too far? In case you he has ever hurting then you are wrong, and he is not getting any better, he has realized his mistakes, stop hurting the both of you." Jun advices for the a thousandth time this month.

"You have never seen any wrong in him from the beginning, both of you, mom , dad, you , Ren! You have always been on his side from the beginning, so what makes you think I’ll listen to you now when you say now should go back with him?!" Ace snaps.

"No one is forcing you to go back with him, why don’t you just follow your heart because am sure that’s where it will lead you?"

Am not using my heart anymore, time for using my heart is long gone, now am using my head." Ace still argues.

"Ace, let me ask you something. You claim to have gotten over with Kieran, do you really wanna see him with someone else? Do think you can accept that? So what if he decides that you don’t want him and decides to be with someone else even if he doesn’t want them? He is an alpha after all, he needs to have a luna of the pack. So are you ready to see him with someone else?" Jun asks.

Ace can’t bring himself to uttering even a single word.

That thought gnaws at him day and night.

-

The next day at dinner, the mood is unusually choking.

The clinking of cutlery fills the dining room as Ace absentmindedly stirs his food, his focus still on the notes sprawled beside his plate.

College assignments have been consuming most of his time, since balancing it , the work and his pernal issues have been overwhelming.

Across from him, Jun scrolls through his phone while Marsel and Elira converse quietly.

There’s a heaviness in their tone, a sadness that makes Ace glance up briefly.

He doesn’t think much of it at first_ until Jun sighs and sets his phone down with a shake of his head.

"It must’ve been really hard for him," Jun murmurs.

Marsel nods solemnly. "Kieran’s always been one of a kind. Seeing him step down like this..." He trails off, glancing at Elira, who presses her lips together.

Elira sighs. "He ruled with pride, but he truly cared for his pack. I can’t imagine how much this decision must have weighed on him. I mean, the pack was his first priority, and I don’t think he wanted to leave us like this."

"How can’t he put the pack first before himself, after all, the pack is the only thing that has always made him feel like he doing his parents justice." Marsel adds.

Now Ace is even startled to speak.

"By the way, what happened to his parents?" Jun asks curiously.

"His parents were Alpha and Luna of Lunar Crest pack. But at some point long ago, there was a fierce fight between packs, they wanted to dissolve Lunar Crest pack because it was the weakest with fewest wolves, but his parents couldn’t agree, so they wanted to do it by force.

In the middle of the chaos, his parents died. And the pack was dissolved, but Kieran couldn’t take it, especially with his parents murdered, he didn’t rest until he defeated them and brought his pack back.

His determination made him rise as the most powerful alpha among all alphas. Even the moon goddess was impressed and he made him even more than he was." Marsel explains.

Ace’s heart sinks, his pen pausing mid-air. "What are you talking about?"

The table falls silent.

Jun looks at him hesitantly, as if realizing too late that Ace hadn’t heard. He glances at Marsel and Elira before exhaling. "Ace... Kieran stepped down as alpha."

Yes, he knows that, he heard them say it. Confirming it and hearing Kieran’s past story eats him up.

He has always wondered about his parents, but he didn’t know it was that bad. His breath catches.

Kieran... stepped down?

His fingers tighten around his pen before he places it down with forced precision.

His pulse roars in his ears, drowning out whatever Jun says next. He doesn’t even hear Elira’s attempt at reassurance. The walls feel too close, the air too thick_

He pushes back his chair abruptly, the legs scraping against the floor. Without a word, he stands and walks away, heading straight for his room.

He doesn’t slam the door, but the sound of it closing feels final.

And inside, with only the quiet hum of his own rapid breathing, Ace finally lets himself feel it.

Kieran gave up his title, and it is the only thing that made him feel like he was fighting for his parents and justice.