Alpha's mate is a male?!?-Chapter 188: My man.

Ace rushes inside, his heartbeat drumming in his ears as he steps into Max and Rica’s cabin. Determined to inform them that Lila might be on her way here.

The air inside is thick with magic, charged and crackling like static before a storm.

The dimly lit space flickers with the glow of candles, their flames wavering as if reacting to the energy swirling around.

Max and Rica stand in the center of the room, their eyes closed, hands lifted as they weave invisible threads of power into existence.

Their lips move in silent chants, their concentration so deep that they seem unaware of Ace’s abrupt entrance.

The tension in the air is suffocating, wrapping around him like an unseen force.

Ace opens his mouth to speak, but stops himself.

He can’t.

They’re too far gone into their spell, too immersed in whatever magic they’re conjuring.

Disrupting them now could have dire consequences, and he isn’t about to be the one responsible for breaking whatever delicate balance they’ve created.

Damn it.

He wasn’t even supposed to be here, yet here he is, standing amidst forces he doesn’t entirely understand.

Before he can figure out his next move, the cabin door creaks open.

Ace barely has time to react before she walks in.

Lila, inside Lucy’s body.

For a moment, there’s confusion in her expression, a flicker of hesitation as her eyes scan the room.

But the second she realizes what’s happening, her features twist in a mix of fury and alarm.

She doesn’t get the chance to move.

In a heartbeat, Max and Rica’s magic strikes like a coiled snake.

An unseen force slams into her, sending her crashing onto the wooden floor with a hard thud.

The impact is brutal, knocking the air from her lungs. She struggles, thrashing as though an invisible weight is pressing down on her, pinning her in place.

Her fingers twitch, then she goes still.

She can’t move. Not even a single inch.

Ace watches, his breathing shallow.

The sound of hurried footsteps outside barely registers before the cabin door slams open again.

Kieran.

His presence is like a storm rolling in- strong, commanding, intense.

His sharp gaze sweeps across the room, taking in the sight of Lila’s trapped form, Max and Rica holding their focus, and Ace standing in the middle of it all.

His jaw clenches, his entire body taut with tension. He confirms that Ace is actually fine.

Max’s voice is sharp, reprimanding. "Why did you guys come in here? Once you’re inside, there’s no getting out until this is done. It’s dangerous for both of you to be here."

Ace turns to him, frowning. "You didn’t tell me that."

Before Max can respond, laughter rings out through the cabin.

Low, dark, taunting.

It slithers through the air like poison, curling around them in a sickeningly familiar way.

Ace stiffens.

Kieran’s hands clench into fists.

Even trapped, Lila finds amusement in the situation.

Her lips curl into a smirk, her eyes gleaming with something twisted. "Ace," she muses, her tone laced with mock admiration. "You’ve grown up. Smart, strong, making decisions all on your own. I’m impressed." She tilts her head, eyes dark with amusement. "It’s funny, really. I remember when you were just a helpless little thing. Innocent. Weak. Clinging to the alpha who didn’t want you."

Ace says nothing, his expression unreadable.

She chuckles, the sound grating. "You were pathetic. A poor little boy running after someone who rejected him. Someone who saw him as disgusting. And now? What- do you actually believe he loves you?"

Ace inhales slowly, his fingers twitching at his sides.

Lila hums, feigning thoughtfulness. "I can’t imagine myself chasing after someone who never wanted me. But you? Oh, you were so desperate. And now you think it’s different? That he’s changed?"

Ace exhales sharply, shaking his head. "Is there a way to shut this woman up?"

Max and Rica remain silent, too focused on their magic to intervene.

Ace sighs. "Actually, never mind. Don’t."

Instead, he moves toward Kieran, his eyes searching the alpha’s face.

He sees it.

The flicker of guilt.

The weight of old mistakes pressing against his shoulders. Again.

Ace narrows his eyes. "What?" His voice is steady, but there’s an edge to it. "The only person who has the right to make you feel guilty about the past is me. And I already told you... we’re not living in the past anymore."

Kieran exhales through his nose, but he doesn’t speak.

Lila, however, is far from finished.

She lets out a sharp laugh. "Oh, look at this. Fake lover’s promises?" Her smirk deepens. "Ace, I thought you were smarter now, but clearly, you’re still blind. You can’t even see it, can you? Kieran doesn’t actually love you. He just feels guilty. That’s all this is."

Her voice drops, deceptively soft. "He was never gay after all. And suddenly, he’s in love with you? Cute. Gay for you?"

Kieran’s entire body goes rigid.

Lila grins. "He can’t even resist a woman. I tested that. And guess what? It’s true."

Ace exhales through his nose, impatiently. "This is a waste of time. We have better things to do." His voice is cold, detached. "Can we just get this over with already? I don’t have the patience to stand here listening to bullshit about my man as if I don’t know him."

Max and Rica nod, shifting their focus.

"No, wait!" Lila’s voice changes.

There’s something different in it now, something almost... desperate.

They hesitate.

"I know I did terrible things," she says quickly. "Countless things. But I’ve changed. And I’m willing to change more." Her eyes flick between Ace and Kieran. "If I were still that person, I would’ve gone after your pack. I would’ve killed Jun. And then I would’ve come for you." She swallows hard. "But I didn’t. That has to mean something."

Ace tilts his head. "Are you done?"

Kieran doesn’t hesitate. "Because if you’re trying to gain sympathy, don’t bother." His voice is sharp, controlled, but the anger simmering beneath is close to breaking through.

"I’m telling the tr..."

Ace cuts her off. "Unfortunately, you have to give this body back. It doesn’t belong to you." He looks at Max and Rica. "Come on, guys. Let’s finish this."

Max and Rica move without hesitation.

Kieran takes a step forward, his gaze locked on Lila. "How are you going to do this?" His voice is calmer now, but there’s an edge to it. "If Lucy is still alive in there, I don’t want her dying in the process."

"She won’t," Max assures. "We extract the spirit, trap it, and crush it."

Kieran nods. "Alright."

The energy in the cabin shifts.

Ace watches as Max and Rica lift their hands, magic swirling around them, crackling like an approaching storm.

Lila thrashes.

Her body convulses as the spell takes hold, her screams echoing through the cabin.

Her limbs spasm, her back arching unnaturally as the spell digs into her, forcing the spirit within to separate.

But she fights.

Ace watches, jaw tight, as the magic swirls around her like a storm trapped in a bottle. The room shudders with each second that passes, the force of their power rattling the very foundation of the cabin.

Lila’s screams are inhuman.

Her voice warps, shifting between Lucy’s and something far darker.

Her voice is layered, two tones speaking at once.

"You think you can force me out?" she snarls, her lips barely moving as the words slither through the air.

The room shakes.

The floorboards beneath them groan, the very air warping with the force of her resistance.

Lucy’s body convulses, her skin turning ashen as the battle inside her rages on. Her chest heaves, her fingers twitching, she’s losing.

Max and Rica push harder.

Sweat beads on their foreheads, their lips moving faster, their eyes locked onto Lila’s thrashing form.

But Lila doesn’t give in.

Her resistance grows stronger, wilder, desperate.

The cabin’s walls tremble, the wooden beams above creaking dangerously. The candles flicker violently before the flames are snuffed out completely, plunging the room into an eerie, unnatural darkness.

Then comes A sharp, cracking sound.

Not from the walls.

Not from the floor.

But from Lucy’s body.

For a moment, there’s nothing.

Then a ghastly wail pierces the silence.

The force of it slams through the room, knocking Ace back a step, sending the candles scattering across the floor.

Lila’s spirit rips free from Lucy’s body like a dark storm bursting through shattered glass.

A swirling, writhing mass of shadows erupts from Lucy’s unmoving form, twisting unnaturally, tendrils of blackness slashing through the air like living chains.

Lucy’s body collapses, limp and unmoving, as the spirit detaches completely.

But Lila is not weak.

Not anymore.

Outside of the body, she is more.

More dangerous. More powerful. More uncontained.

The sheer force of her presence slams into them like a tidal wave, knocking over furniture, sending parchments flying off the nearby table. The cabin shudders, the windows cracking under the pressure of her fury.

Max and Rica stagger, their control slipping.

"What..." Rica gasps, eyes wide. "We... we can’t contain her!"

Her form expands, filling the cabin with swirling shadows, tendrils lashing out at the edges of the room.

Ace reacts instantly.

He raises his hands, channeling the power that has become second nature to him, the heat within him flaring to life.

A pulse of blue flame erupts from his chest to his palms, colliding with the darkness.

For a brief moment, the two forces battle, fire against shadow, light against void.

But Lila is relentless.

She twists around the flames, avoiding the full force of his power, and with an unnatural burst of speed, she lunges.

Straight for Ace.

The attack is too fast.

Ace doesn’t even have time to react before the shadows plunge into his chest.

His body seizes.

The world tilts, his vision blurring, his limbs locking up as the cold seeps into his veins.

He hears voices, muffled, distant.

Kieran shouting. Max and Rica chanting again.

But it’s too late. Because Lila’s spirit is inside him now.