Alpha's mate is a male?!?-Chapter 102: Judgement.

The grand hall is a storm of voices, low murmurs blending with sharp, deliberate tones.

The alphas are gathered, their presence heavy with authority, their eyes flickering with a mix of wariness and expectation.

Some lean forward, their hands resting on the long wooden table, while others sit rigidly in their seats, expressions unreadable.

Kieran stands at the head of the room, posture straight, presence commanding.

Yet his focus is scattered, fragmented by the weight of too many thoughts pressing in at once.

He had started speaking, something about Rehan, about judgment, about the future, but the words falter, slipping from his grasp like sand through clenched fingers when Ace walks in.

All his attention turns to Ace.

Ace moves through the room with quiet poise, his gaze scanning the gathered alphas, taking in the tension, the barely restrained aggression simmering beneath the surface.

His presence is subtle yet powerful, a stark contrast to the wolves around him_ those who look at him with admiration, those who look at him with mystery in their eyes.

Elira moves first.

"Ace."

Her voice is soft, filled with something that almost sounds like relief. Without hesitation, she steps forward and wraps her arms around him, a mother’s embrace unguarded and unburdened by expectation.

Ace stiffens for a second before slowly allowing himself to sink into the warmth, into the comfort.

The room quiets slightly, but the moment is short-lived. As Elira steps back, the alphas nod toward Ace, some offering words of acknowledgment, others merely tilting their heads in quiet greeting.

Jun walks back to the seat that he was beside Rey.

Ace looks around only to realize the only seat that is empty is the one beside Kieran.

Wordlessly, he walks over, each step drawing him closer to Kieran.

Kieran doesn’t move as Ace lowers himself onto the chair next to him.

But he feels it.

The presence. The warmth. The shift in the air between them, crackling with something unspoken, something still raw and unfinished.

Marsel, seated nearby, clears his throat. "Kieran, go on," he prompts, tone light yet firm.

Kieran blinks, realization dawning. Right. He was speaking.

His fingers curl slightly against the table’s edge, grounding himself as he forces his mind back to the matter at hand.

"I was asking..." His voice is steady, but only barely. His gaze flickers, nearly betraying him by returning to Ace before he pulls it away. "I was asking if you think Rehan is worth forgiveness, regardless of what he has done. Because I personally can never forgive him. And the punishment_ is inevitable."

A beat of silence.

Then, murmurs ripple through the hall, quiet at first, then swelling as the alphas exchange glances, their opinions breaking free in hushed voices.

Some shake their heads, disapproval etched in their expressions. Others seem uncertain, as if weighing the consequences of mercy against justice.

It is one of the older alphas who finally speaks.

"I’ve always known Rehan as someone who manipulates his power for his own gain," the alpha says, voice deep and steady. His sharp gaze sweeps over the room, landing on Kieran. "His actions have not only endangered his own pack but have brought chaos to others. Forgiveness? Tell me, Kieran_ does a man like that deserve it?"

The question hangs in the air, thick with expectation.

But Kieran doesn’t answer.

Because he hasn’t heard a single word.

His thoughts are trapped in the space between now and the moment before_ the moment Ace walked in, the moment his breath caught, the moment his world tilted off balance again.

Ace kissed him~

Since the second he sat down, Kieran has felt Ace’s presence like a gravitational pull, something impossible to ignore.

Every now and then, at the corner of his eye, he catches glimpses_ Ace shifting slightly in his seat, the slow rise and fall of his breath, the way his fingers tap lightly against the chair.

It’s maddening.

And Kieran knows.

He knows he’s supposed to be listening. He knows this meeting is important, that Rehan’s fate could change everything.

But his mind betrays him, looping back to the kiss, to the feel of Ace against him, to the way it shattered everything he thought he had control over.

The way he wants to turn to him right now~

Beside him, Marsel watches, his keen eyes picking up on the subtle cracks in Kieran’s composure.

Gently, he nudges Kieran’s arm under the table_ a silent prompt, a quiet warning.

Kieran doesn’t react right away. He clenches his jaw, forcing himself to focus, to push past the static in his mind.

But when he looks up, the alphas are still waiting. The silence stretches too long.

And Ace notices.

Because of course he does.

He’s seen the glances, felt the weight of Kieran’s gaze, the way it lingers too long before flickering away.

Kieran isn’t paying attention because of him.

A quiet exhale leaves Ace’s lips before he shifts in his seat. Then, "Excuse me for a moment." He says standing up.

The movement is sudden but not abrupt, his departure fluid, natural.

He steps away from the table and walks toward the exit, leaving behind the tension, the weight.

The door closes behind Ace with a quiet click.

Marsel takes a slow breath, then resumes speaking, subtly weaving in the points made earlier, indirectly summarizing what Kieran missed.

It’s a lifeline, a way to keep the meeting moving without outright exposing Kieran’s distraction.

The discussion continues.

The alphas debate, offer suggestions, weigh Rehan’s fate with careful words.

As the meeting continues, Kieran’s focus gradually shifts back to the discussion. The room remains tense as everyone considers what to do with Rehan.

"We can’t let him go free," someone states firmly. "He’s already proven he’s a threat."

"Agreed," another voice chimes in. "If we cast him out, what’s stopping him from coming back? He’ll just find another way to attack us."

"But keeping him here could be just as dangerous," Jun argues. " He could stir up trouble from within the pack."

Elira folds her arms. "I say we lock him up permanently. If he’s caged, he won’t have a chance to harm anyone."

Rey, who has been listening quietly, finally speaks. "Locking him up isn’t enough. He’ll still have allies outside these walls. And if we kill him outright, we risk provoking a bigger conflict." His voice is measured but firm. "We need a solution that ensures he never becomes a problem again."

A heavy silence follows as the weight of Rey’s words settles over the room.

Finally, Kieran exhales sharply. "Exiling him isn’t an option. If he leaves, he’ll come back stronger, more prepared. Killing him now would be too easy_ it won’t guarantee our safety. I say we strip him of his title and keep him under constant watch. He won’t be able to scheme if he has no power left, we keep him locked up and ensure no one, goes near him, he might as well live as life cease out of him."

Murmurs of agreement ripple through the room, though some remain skeptical.

Jun speaks. "That might work. If his pack remains under your rule, then he won’t have anyone to rally against you."

"That’s settled then," Kieran concludes. "Rehan will be stripped of his position. His pack will remain under our control, and he will be closely monitored in his lock up, to ensure he never poses a threat again."

_

As the conversation shifts, someone brings up the burning corpse. "That man_ who was he? The one who turned to ash when he touched Ace?"

Kieran leans back in his chair, expression grim. "It must have been a witch. That’s what happens when a witch’s body comes into contact with Ace. They burn."

A few wolves exchange uneasy glances. "So there are witches crossing our borders now?" one of the elders questions. "If they’re getting involved, we need to act fast."

"Lila used magic, and it must be from the witches, we have never been friendly or worked with the witches, and Lila must have worked with them, and now they are getting to us slowly by slowly. They have a highly manipulating curse to us that we can’t resist, and if they keep coming like this_ then I guess we will live to be manipulated the rest of our lives!" One says frustrated.

Rey shakes his head. "We need to be careful. Rushing into another battle without knowing who we’re up against could be a mistake."

Kieran nods. "Let everyone go out there, try out anything, am not saying that you go and start a war. We need to know if there’s anything that they are holding against us. Or how suddenly wolves have started trusting them and working with them. We’ll call a meeting early next week to discuss that, bring what you have found out." he says, his word final.

With that, the meeting concludes.

-

The moment the gathering disperses, Kieran orders Rey and Jun to deal with the situation of the wolves organizing them while Marsel and Elira work on Rehan.

While Kieran himself strides toward his room, his mind consumed by one thought_ Ace.