Alpha's mate is a male?!?-Chapter 111: Getting Strong!

The pack stands in the courtyard, the cold night air thick with tension.

The scent of burning herbs lingers, curling in the air like unseen tendrils of magic.

The elders form a half-circle, their expressions grave, their gazes sharp.

Marsel steps forward. His voice, steady and authoritative, cuts through the silence. "We will begin now."

A pulse of energy ripples through the ground, subtle at first, like a whisper beneath their feet. Then, without warning, it hits.

The test begins.

A thick fog rolls in, swallowing the courtyard in an eerie white mist.

The world shifts, distorts_ shadows twist into unnatural shapes. Illusions.

Ace clenches his fists. He knows this isn’t real. He knows it’s the elders testing them, but his heartbeat spikes anyway.

His skin burns with a restless heat, his flames reacting to the unseen force.

A flicker, movement in the fog.

Then he hears it.

"Ace..."

The voice is soft. Familiar.

His breath catches. His mother’s voice.

His real mother.

His throat tightens, memories rushing in. He hasn’t heard that voice since, no. This isn’t real.

He shakes his head, forcing himself to focus. "It’s not real," he mutters under his breath. "It’s not real."

But the illusions know how to dig deeper, how to reach into wounds left unhealed.

The mist thickens, and suddenly, Ace is alone. The courtyard vanishes, the pack disappears.

Then, hands wrap around his throat.

Panic surges through him.

The pressure is real, crushing, suffocating

,he gasps, trying to claw at invisible fingers. His fire flares instinctively, but the hands don’t loosen.

He knows this sensation. He knows who this illusion is trying to mimic.

Lila.

A cruel whisper slithers into his ear. "I told you, Ace... you don’t belong here."

Ace’s body stiffens as the illusion tightens around his mind.

The world around him warps_ dark, suffocating shadows curl at the edges of his vision.

A chilling voice slithers into his ears, whispering fears he never dared to speak aloud.

"You will lose everything."

"You cannot protect them."

"You are alone."

His breathing quickens.

The images in front of him shift_ Kieran, lying lifeless at his feet, Jun and Rey turning their backs on him, the pack crumbling into chaos.

He feels a cold wave of despair creeping in, threatening to drown him.

But then, a flicker of warmth.

Deep in his chest, beneath the weight of fear, his fire stirs.

A steady, unwavering presence. His power. His truth.

"No." The word is barely a whisper at first, but it grows stronger.

His fingers twitch, then curl into fists. He focuses on the heat inside him_ the blue flames that have never failed him, never abandoned him.

Ace grits his teeth.

"This isn’t real."

A pulse of energy surges through him, like a flame igniting in his veins. The illusion trembles, the whispers turning into agonized shrieks.

"Get out of my head."

The blue light flickers across his skin, no fire erupts, but the mere presence of his flames burns away the illusion like morning sun dissolving mist.

The darkness vanishes.

The whispers cut off.

And suddenly, Ace is back.

The courtyard reappears around him, the night air cool against his skin. His heart pounds, but he is free.

Ace staggers slightly, inhaling sharply.

His vision clears, revealing the courtyard bathed in moonlight once more.

The murmurs of the night return, rustling leaves, distant howls, the crackling of torches.

You did it," Elira wraps her hands around him. "You did it, we haven’t stopped the illusion but you snapped out of it!" She says happily.

Marsel is busy meditating.

He looks around, but the others... they are still trapped.

He turns, scanning the wolves around him. Some are trembling, caught in their own nightmares.

Others are on their knees, clawing at their heads as if trying to escape the torment.

Ace clenches his fists. They have to fight. They have to break free.

A moment later, Kieran’s body jerks.

His hands curl into fists against the ground, his breathing labored.

The glow in his eyes flickers wildly as he battles against whatever vision haunts him.

Ace watches closely, heart hammering. Come back, Kieran. Snap out.

Then, Kieran roars.

It’s an Alpha’s call, a thunderous growl that vibrates through the courtyard.

His muscles tense, and with sheer force of will, he breaks free. His glowing eyes settle on Ace almost immediately, wild with emotion, before he exhales shakily, steadying himself.

They were fighting earlier but Ace rushes to him, wrapping his arms around him. "We did it."

"Yes" Kieran says in a whisper.

"Mom says, once you snap out of this, no Witch’s illusion can be able to trap your mind, so we’re safe." Ace says happily.

Kieran wraps his mind around him even tightly.

They wait for others, playing hard, praying harder...

Rey stirs next.

His brows furrow deeply, his breath heavy, but then he exhales slowly.

His hands unclench from his sides, his fingers twitching as if grasping onto reality. His lashes flutter before he suddenly blinks awake.

His silver eyes dart around, wide with realization.

"I’m back," he murmurs to himself, shaking off the last remnants of the illusion.

His gaze finds Ace and Kieran, and for the first time in a long while, there’s an emotion Ace can’t quite read, maybe relief. Maybe something else.

One by one, the stronger wolves begin to push through.

Jun snaps later his jaw tightening, his body rigid with strain.

His illusion fights hard, but he fights harder. A sudden snarl rips from his throat as he snaps back to reality, his chest heaving.

The elders awaken next, their minds stronger than most, followed by other warriors.

But some few remain... some still remain lost.

-

Later Marsel ends the illusion, his face obviously showing amusement.

"I didn’t expect that most of you are this strong. Feel happy because once you’ve snapped out of that, there’s no trap that can get to you. But we will have to get the ones that have been unable to snap out, somewhere safe." He announces.

"Maybe later we will train again, and make everyone in this pack strong enough to resist that, but for now, we have now to start thinking about the bigger battle, how to solve it." Elira adds. She says that for the sake if the ones that were unable to overcome it.

Kieran exhales, his muscles still tense from the illusion’s grip.

His sharp gaze sweeps over the courtyard, noting the wolves who remain unconscious. Some are stirring, struggling to wake up, but others lie still. His jaw tightens.

"We are taking them somewhere else now. After that..." Kieran’s voice breaks the silence. "We should attack. We’ve proven we can resist their illusions, at least some of us. This is the best chance we have."

Marsel, standing with his arms crossed, shakes his head. "I don’t think that’s the right move."

Kieran turns to him, eyes narrowing. "Then what do you suggest? We sit here and wait for them to come to us?"

Marsel sighs. "If we attack now, what exactly are we going to do? Kill them all? We don’t even have a solid plan. We don’t know the full extent of their power, and most importantly, we don’t know where this war stands. Is it a battle to the death? Or is there still a way to settle this without losing more lives?"

An elder steps forward. His face is lined with age, but his eyes burn with intensity. "We know exactly where this conflict stands. The witches are after Ace. They see him as a threat, and what do you think they’ll do to him if they get the chance? They’ll kill him, just like you said."

Silence falls over the group. The weight of the elder’s words sinks in, stirring unease in the wolves.

Another elder speaks up, voice tight with uncertainty. "So what you’re saying is... we should strike first? Kill them to prevent that from happening?"

No one answers. The question lingers, heavy in the night air.

Marsel finally speaks, his tone measured. "No. We wait. Let’s see their next move, and that will guide how we deal with them. How they will approach us next time will determine how we will respond, we can’t just kill blindly." His gaze sweeps over the wolves, his expression unwavering. "I promise you, I’ll sense them the moment they try anything_ for our safety, I’ll keep an eye on them."

More murmurs spread through the group, some in agreement, others reluctant. But one by one, they nod.

Elira steps forward, placing a firm hand on Marsel’s shoulder. "Marsel is right, they might be planning something, but we will be too. We’ll train harder, sharpen our defenses. We will be on our toe every second until this is done, And when they show up with whatever they are up to, we’ll be ready to get back at them! Strike in a way that ensures victory_ not chaos." She turns to Kieran. "Alpha Kieran, I understand your concern, but how do you think of this?"

"Sounds reliable." Kieran answers simply.

The decision settles over them. Tension still lingers, but for now, they have a plan. They will wait, watch, and when the time they will go for Victory!