Alpha's mate is a male?!?-Chapter 186: Lila ||

Ace steps into the packhouse, his movements brisk, his mind still tangled with the lingering tension from his staged argument with Kieran.

The moment he walks in, Rica, already waiting with Jun and Rey, greets him with a teasing smirk.

"Took you forever," she quips, arms crossed as she leans casually against the wall.

"Sorry," Ace exhales, rubbing the back of his neck. "Too much drama."

Rey straightens up from where he’s sitting, his brows furrowing. "What’s going on?"

Without wasting time, Ace explains everything, Lucy, the suspicions surrounding her, and the possibility that dark magic is involved.

He doesn’t dive into every little detail but gives them enough to understand the urgency of the situation.

By the time he finishes, the air in the room feels heavier.

"So, you guys think the serial killer is using dark magic to kill? And that’s why there’s no trace of anything?" Rica asks, eyes narrowing in thought.

"Exactly," Ace nods. "We need to confirm if magic is really at play. And if so, we need to know who’s behind it."

Rica taps her fingers against her chin. "I could try... but I’ll need access to at least one of the bodies."

"Then we have to go to the morgue," Ace states decisively. "Come on, we need to figure this out now." He’s already turning toward the door, his urgency clear.

"We’re coming," Jun says, stepping forward, but Ace stops and turns to face them.

"Guys, things are unpredictable right now," Ace says firmly. "Someone needs to stay here and make sure everyone is okay. Kieran, Rica, and I will handle things there. You two handle things here."

Jun and Rey exchange glances but don’t argue. Jun steps forward instead, pulling Ace into a brief hug.

"Be careful," he says, his concern evident in the way he squeezes Ace’s shoulder before pulling back.

Ace smirks slightly. "You too. And take care of my baby." He ruffles Jun’s hair playfully before stepping away.

As Ace and Rica step outside, they see a familiar figure approaching.

"Thank heavens you came," Rica exclaims, immediately rushing toward Max. She wraps her arms around him in a tight hug before Max leans down, pecking her lips.

Ace stops mid-step, his eyes widening. He wasn’t expecting that.

"You guys...?!" Ace gasps, pointing between them.

Max smirks, his voice soft as he looks at Rica. "I couldn’t let you face the dangers alone."

Ace’s shock quickly turns into playful exasperation. "Wait... you guys really got together?! When?! How?!"

Rica simply grins while Max chuckles. "Ace, what’s more important? Getting down to business or sitting down to hear our undeniable love story?" he teases.

Ace groans. "Bastard," he mutters, rolling his eyes as he unlocks the car and gets in.

Max smirk before holding Rica’s hand and join Ace in the car.

-

As they drive, Rica and Ace tell Max everything.

"We should be prepared for anything," Ace says, gripping the wheel. "If dark magic is involved, we don’t know what we’re walking into."

"We’ve dealt with worse," Max assures him. "And besides, Rica and I together? We’re unstoppable."

Ace side-eyes them. "If you two start making heart eyes at each other in the middle of a murder investigation, I’m walking out."

Rica laughs. "Relax, Ace. Focus on driving."

Within minutes, they reach the morgue.

Getting inside isn’t easy.

The place is guarded, and they can’t just stroll in and start poking around.

But Ace, being the DCI’s trusted partner, has enough authority to request access under the pretense of re-examining the bodies for further investigation.

Once they’re inside, the cold, sterile air greets them.

The sharp scent of disinfectant and formaldehyde lingers in the space, making Ace wrinkle his nose.

The dim overhead lights cast eerie shadows across the metallic tables where several bodies are covered with white sheets.

Rica and Max exchange a look before stepping closer to the nearest body.

"We need privacy," Max murmurs.

Ace nods, checking the hallway before shutting the door behind them. "Alright, do your witch stuff. I’ll stand guard."

Rica rolls her eyes. "It’s called magic, Ace. Not ’witch stuff.’"

"Same difference," Ace mutters, but his arms cross as he leans against the wall, keeping an eye on the door. He has been ignoring Kieran’s calls.

Max pulls out a small vial of dark liquid from his pocket, whispering something under his breath as he drips a few drops onto the body’s chest.

Rica joins him, pressing her palms together before placing them gently over the corpse. The air shifts immediately, a faint energy buzzing around them.

Ace watches closely, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end.

Max’s voice is low and steady as he chants, the words rolling off his tongue in an ancient dialect Ace doesn’t recognize.

Rica follows suit, her fingers glowing faintly as they hover above the victim’s skin.

For a long moment, nothing happens. The...

The lights flicker.

A sudden gust of wind sweeps through the room despite there being no open windows.

And then, the corpse exhales.

Ace stiffens, his fingers instinctively reaching for his weapon. "Uh, guys?"

"Shh!" Rica hisses, her concentration unwavering.

The body trembles, its chest rising unnaturally, and suddenly, a shadow-like substance begins oozing from its mouth.

It’s dark, inky, almost alive as it writhes and twists above the body like a snake. The temperature in the room drops drastically, their breaths turning visible.

"There it is," Max mutters. "Proof of dark magic."

Ace clenches his jaw. "Can you be able to trace who used the magic that killed them?" Ace asks, he can’t wait to know.

To confirm that it’s actually Lucy.

"We can try," Max says, voice firm.

Without wasting time, they kneel beside the corpse, their focus solely on the dark, writhing substance still lingering on the dead body’s skin.

Max moves first, muttering an incantation as he presses his fingers to the cold metal table.

The inky magic reacts instantly, swirling toward his touch, pulsing as if alive.

Rica follows, her hands hovering just above it. The substance quivers before slowly stretching outward, forming thin, twisting tendrils of shadow that curl around their fingers.

Their eyes flutter shut.

The room around them disappears.

For a long moment, there’s only darkness. Then shapes begin to take form. Blurred at first, then clearer, sharper.

A woman.

Dark hair spills over her shoulders, her lips curling as she mutters something under her breath.

Slowly her face becomes clearer.

Rica’s breath catches in her throat.

Max stiffens beside her.

When their eyes snap open, they turn to Ace.

"A woman, We saw a woman," Rica says, her voice tight. "We’re certain that she’s the one who did this."

Ace frowns. "Describe her."

Max hesitates before speaking. "Dark hair. Looks innocent at first glance. Excess red lipstick."

"That’s exactly her! Lucy! I knew it!" Ace exclaims.

Max frowns, rubbing his temple as if trying to piece together a memory buried deep in his mind.

The magic’s presence lingers in the air, thick and unmistakable, yet something about it feels disturbingly familiar.

"Why do I feel like I recognize this magic?" he mutters, mostly to himself.

Ace, standing beside him, stiffens. "What do you mean?"

Max glances at Rica, and something flashes in her eyes- understanding, hesitation, and dread all at once.

"You know," Max says slowly, trying to put his thoughts into words, "every witch- each and every one, is born with a unique magic signature. No two witches share the same kind, not even twins. Magic is like a fingerprint, impossible to replicate."

Rica nods, her lips parting as the realization settles. "And this... this was specifically for our cruel leader."

Max swallows. "So here is how it works, this magic cannot be learnt by any other witch or passed down. But it can be passed down to a non-witch. And it can only be passed once! Lila visited regularly, she was desperate for something stronger, deeper. So the man passed to her at a cost. A real big cost they agreed themselves."

"So does that mean, Lila couldn’t pass it to anyone?" Ace asks.

"Yes"

Ace exhales sharply, trying to process what this means. His mind races through the possibilities, searching for an explanation that makes sense.

"But you saw someone else," he points out. "Not Lila. I mean, she burnt into ashes before our eyes."

Max nods. "But..." He cuts himself off, brows furrowing as he struggles to make sense of it. "...then how? This isn’t just borrowed magic. It’s the exact same essence. Magic like this doesn’t just pass on when someone dies. It clings. It corrupts."

Rica’s fingers tremble slightly. "Unless..."

She doesn’t finish the thought, but Ace does. The pieces snap together in his mind, but the answer makes his stomach turn.

"Unless Lila’s spirit was still alive, roaming around," he murmurs, voice barely above a whisper. "It never died with her. Now it makes sense, it makes sense how clean Lucy’s records looked clean. She is just an innocent woman consumed by dark spirit!"

They immediately walk out of the morgue, they now have a real lead. Determined.

"But I don’t understand one thing," Rica says. "Why is she killing random people without a reason?!"

"She must be just trying to mess with us. She now knows Kieran work at the station, maybe she just wants to give him a hell of time, running up and down to solve cases. I mean, she tried to make us argue so that we go our separate ways. I don’t know what her motive is." Ace explains.