Alpha's mate is a male?!?-Chapter 177: He’s out of Danger

Chaos erupts all around, screams pierce the air, people scatter in panic, but despite the shock and confusion, the detectives spring into action. They rush forward, securing Paul in handcuffs.

Their former boss.

A man they once respected, now a criminal before their very eyes.

Even as they restrain him, Paul thrashes, his eyes wild with conviction as he points furiously at Ace.

"He’s the one I was aiming for! He’s not human!" he yells.

The detectives don’t understand.

Paul, Adele and others only saw Ace when they went to attack the pack house, they have no idea that Kieran is a werewolf too.

Meanwhile, Ace is frozen, his mind struggling to process what just happened.

Kieran lies at his feet, blood pooling beneath him, his body already reacting to the silver embedded inside.

Beside him, Adele lies lifeless.

The sound of sirens wails in the distance, but Ace remains numb, unable to move, unable to react.

It’s as if touching Kieran, calling his name, will make this nightmare real.

The paramedics arrive in an instant, lifting Kieran onto a stretcher, and only then does Ace snap out of his trance.

His feet move before his mind can catch up, he follows, climbing into the ambulance.

"You need to get that bullet out of him right now! Please!" Ace pleads, his voice shaking as he watches the doctors attempt to control the bleeding.

"We understand your concern," one of them says calmly. "But you need to trust us. We’ll do everything in our power to save him. We can’t remove the bullet right now, it requires surgery, and that can’t be performed in the ambulance."

But Ace isn’t listening. His heart pounds violently against his ribs. He knows.

The longer that silver stays inside Kieran, the faster it will kill him.

Tears spill down his cheeks as his breathing grows erratic. His mind screams for answers.

Why?!

Why did Kieran do this?

Why would he run death when he knows Ace can’t leave without him? What’s the point of saving him?!

He just lost his parents. And now... now Kieran is throwing himself in harm’s way to save him? What’s the point of it all?

What’s the point of surviving if the people he loves keep getting taken from him?

Panic seizes him. His body trembles so hard that the doctors exchange worried glances.

"You... you don’t get it," Ace stammers, his voice desperate. "The bullet was poisoned. The longer it stays inside him, the faster it will spread! You have to get it out now!"

It’s a lie.

But how else can he explain that a silver bullet is lethal to Kieran?

The doctors strip off Kieran’s shirt, and their faces darken as they take in the sight of his veins, dark tendrils crawling through them, as if something is spreading.

Acting fast, they tie a tight bandage above the wound to slow the circulation, preventing the "poison" from reaching his heart.

The ambulance speeds up.

Within minutes, they arrive at the hospital. Kieran is rushed into surgery, leaving Ace standing there, locked out, pacing endlessly, his soul, his mind, his entire being aching with unbearable fear.

~Back at the police station,

Paul is locked up, but he doesn’t stop.

He keeps shouting, keeps trying to convince the officers that he’s telling the truth, that Ace isn’t human. That he saw it with his own eyes.

No one listens.

The other four men involved in Adele’s scheme are also detained.

Around the detectives’ quarters, the atmosphere is suffocatingly tense.

Their new boss was just shot.

But the most baffling part?

Why did Kieran take the bullet for Ace?

They barely knew each other. Why sacrifice himself like that? They thought.

Some detectives rush to the hospital to check on him.

~Meanwhile, the city is in an uproar. Social media explodes with mixed reactions

, some celebrating Adele’s death, saying she deserved worse. Others arguing that she got off too easy.

But amidst the debates, one sentiment is clear, people are in awe of new DCI Kieran Hale.

He had barely joined their team, yet he had already captured the infamous criminal-- Adele.

They wish he gets better soon.

~

Back at the hospital,

Still no news.

The surgery isn’t over.

Ace barely acknowledges the detectives who came to check in. He can’t pretend to be "less worried" to maintain the illusion that he and Kieran are strangers.

"Ace!"

Jun and Rey rush down the hallway, and the moment Ace sees them, he staggers forward, collapsing into their arms.

Before they can say anything, the surgery room doors swing open.

A doctor steps out.

"The surgery was successful," he announces, but his tone is grave. "We removed the bullet. But the poison is still spreading. We’ve tried every possible treatment, but nothing is working. And to be honest... he’s not looking good. If we don’t find an antidote soon, he won’t last more than a few hours."

Ace’s heart stops.

His legs give out, and Jun and Rey catch him before he crumbles to the floor.

"We’ll keep trying," the doctor says before turning back inside. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓

"I know what can help him," Rey suddenly says. His voice low.

Ace whips around. "What? What do you know?!"

"These human doctors don’t know Kieran isn’t human. They’re treating him like a normal patient, but human medicine won’t work. We need our pack doctor here... now."

Jun frowns. "How are we supposed to get him in without raising suspicion?"

"We’ll find a way. We can’t move Kieran right now, so the doctor has to come here!"

Rey turns, about to run back to the pack house to get Marcon- the pack doctor.

But Rica and Max suddenly step inside from the hallway, their breaths short and heavy.

"Don’t worry," Rica says. "We’ve got this. We got him."

Behind them, a man follows at a distance, dressed in a pristine lab coat marked with Everton Hospital.

An ID hangs from his chest. Wire-rimmed glasses perch on his nose. He’s older, but he moves with the confidence of a seasoned professional.

He carries a black medical bag.

As he approaches, Ace, Rey, and Jun recognize him immediately.

Marcon... their pack doctor.

He nods discreetly before knocking on the surgery room door. When the other doctor steps out, Marcon flashes his ID and is granted access.

Ace’s group watches anxiously as the door shuts behind him.

From a distance, a group of detectives eyes them suspiciously.

One of them steps forward.

"Mr. Carter... by any chance, are you related to Mr. Hale?"

Before Ace can respond, before he can accidentally blurt out the truth, that yes he is my boyfriend or rather husband- Jun steps in.

"No, no," Jun says quickly, forcing a laugh. "They’re not related. We just feel terrible. Our friend could’ve died, but Mr. Hale took the bullet for him."

The detectives nod, accepting the explanation. It sounds sensible after all.

"I hope he recovers soon," one of them mutters.

Just a moment later, the door opens.

Marcon steps out.

Ace’s group and the detectives rush forward, desperate for news.

"He’s fine," Marcon announces. "We neutralized the poison. He just needs time to heal."

A collective exhale- no one realized they had been holding their breath.

"Can I see him?" Ace asks, but before Marcon can answer, Ace is already rushing inside.

Inside, Kieran lies still, his lips dry, his body drained.

A nurse offers Ace a sympathetic smile.

"Don’t worry," she reassures him. "Dr. Andrie is incredible. He handled something we couldn’t even begin to treat- within minutes."

Ace nods weakly, unable to find his voice.

He turns to Kieran, reaching out, his palm brushing against his cheek.

A faint reaction.

Ace’s throat tightens.

"Wake up soon," he whispers.

-

~Outside the room, Rey, Jun, Max, and Rica remain after Marcon leaves. He assured them that Kieran is no longer in danger, he will wake up soon, and when he does, he will be completely fine.

Marcon didn’t want to risk staying around in case the staff members realized he wasn’t actually a doctor. I mean, he was a doctor, just not the kind they expected.

So he left,

"So... are we safe now? Are people convinced that Blake was just a result of a failed experiment, so they won’t suspect that wolves really exist?" Rica asks.

"Well, let’s hope so. Adele is dead, and she was the one holding the most information about us. The good thing is, she admitted to experimenting on her own daughter," Rey replies.

"But those five men... If Adele worked with them, then they know we do exist, especially Paul. He didn’t look like he would stop until he exposed us. Ace is in danger. Paul saw him, and he didn’t look like he would stop, even if he’s locked up," Jun says, his voice laced with worry and fear.

"Actually, I don’t think you guys should be worrying about anything. Once Kieran recovers, he can erase their memories of what they saw and what they know. That will be it. If they don’t remember, then there’s no risk of them exposing us. We’ll go back to living among humans like we always have, without conflict, without them knowing we exist," Max says.

Everyone exhales in relief. They hadn’t even considered that solution before, but now, it feels like the only thing that could truly keep them safe.