Alpha's mate is a male?!?-Chapter 94: Weight of Absence!

It’s been days since Kieran left. Days of restless nights, of wandering thoughts that circle endlessly in Ace’s mind.

He barely remembers what sleep feels like.

Now, sitting in the college library, staring at a textbook he hasn’t turned a page of in an hour, Ace feels like he’s running on fumes.

His fingers grip the edge of the table as he forces himself to focus, to find a strategy, to figure out a way_ anything_ to track Kieran down.

His phone vibrates.

Ace barely glances at it before swiping to answer, his voice low. "Rey?"

On the other end, Rey’s voice isn’t its usual steady calm. There’s something off_ strained, almost breathless.

"Ace." A brief pause. "I don’t think what’s happening to the wolves is just the stress of losing Kieran. It’s getting worse."

Ace’s grip on the phone tightens. "What do you mean?"

"I mean it’s not just exhaustion anymore. I feel it too. At first, it just seemed like we were all overworked, but it’s different now. I can’t shift as easily. My energy drains faster. Even small wounds aren’t healing like they should." Rey exhales sharply. "And I’m not the only one."

Ace straightens in his seat, his pulse spiking.

"Some of the warriors started feeling the same. They’re losing strength. They’re getting dizzy during training. Some of them can barely hold their forms for long."

A cold weight settles in Ace’s stomach. This isn’t normal.

He pushes up from his seat, already grabbing his bag. "I’m coming."

Rey exhales on the other end. "Okay, hurry, we need to figure out before something worse happens. Can you pass by and come with your parents?"

"Yeah, sure. Does Jun know?" Ace asks.

"Yes, he is here with me." Rey answers.

"Okay"

The line cuts off.

Ace doesn’t waste a second. He grabs his keys and heads straight for the car, his heartbeat a steady drum against his ribs. The urgency in Rey’s voice lingers in his ears, settling in his bones like a cold weight.

Something is wrong.

Not just with the wolves.

With everything.

The mansion is too far to head straight there. He needs to pick up Marsel and Elira first.

The drive to Jun’s hotel is a blur. When he arrives, the sight of his parents in their usual work attire would normally bring him a strange sense of normalcy_ but not today.

Elira is the first to notice him. "Ace?" Her hands still, eyes narrowing slightly. "You said your class will end at 2 pm. Why a... wait, you don’t look okay, what’s wrong?"

"We need to go," he says, cutting straight to the point. "Something’s happening in the pack. Rey called me."

Marsel wipes his hands on a towel, glancing at Elira before nodding. They don’t ask for more details. They just move.

By the time they settle into the car, Ace’s thoughts are already racing ahead.

"He doesn’t think that what has been happening to the pack is about Kieran’s departure, it’s becoming worse, even to himself," Ace explains.

"What? Could it be some kind of illness?" Elira asks.

"Definitely, and it must be coming from a common source for it to affect all of them in the same way." Marsel agrees.

They try to figure out as they are still on the way. Every possible cause.

As Ace pulls into the long road leading to the mansion, Ace spots Jun standing at the entrance, waiting.

His stance is tense, arms crossed, but when he sees the car, he pushes off the wall and walks forward.

Ace barely cuts the engine before stepping out. "Where’s Rey?"

"Inside," Jun answers. His brows pull together. "Ace, it’s bad." Jun is obviously tense, especially when he talks about Rey.

Ace clenches his jaw and steps inside, the weight of what he’s about to face pressing heavier with each step.

The moment they enter Rey’s room, Ace stops.

Rey is sitting on the edge of his bed, his head in his hands. He looks up when they enter, and the sight makes something in Ace twist.

Pale. Exhausted. Eyes unfocused.

Not just stress.

Not just Kieran’s absence.

Something more.

Rey swallows, his voice hoarse. "It’s getting worse. They came complaining, nothing is happening in the pack, it’s like every activity has stopped because there’s really no wince of energy in the body right now."

The room is thick with tension. Rey rubs a hand down his face, eyes flickering between the four of them.

Jun tries to touch him rubbing him his body as if to try and ease his pain.

Elira is the first to break the silence. "Have the wolf doctors been called?"

Rey exhales, shaking his head. "They are in the same state. And they have already investigated." His voice is heavy, almost drained. "They don’t know what’s causing it. And the medicine they’ve given? It’s not working."

Marsel and Elira exchange a glance.

Ace’s stomach knots. "Then what the hell is happening? Is it food? Water? Or something that you guys did or Ate together, because if it was just a disease for wolves in this pack then we would be affected too. And means we cant eat or drink anything here for now."

No one answers.

Jun shifts uncomfortably. "It has to be one of the things that you’ve mentioned Ace, because if it were just exhaustion from losing Kieran, wouldn’t it have started easing up by now? Wolves are strong. They recover fast. This... this isn’t normal."

Rey nods. "That’s what I’ve been thinking. I thought maybe it was stress at first, but now..." His fingers press against his temples. "Something is affecting them. And I_" He hesitates. "I feel it too."

Marsel tries to think hard but nothing comes to his mind, "It cannot be food, because not everyone eats here, and there was not a ceremony, so then it must be water from the river." he says.

"Then could it be that someone poisoned the water?" Elira wonders aloud.

Rey exhales through his nose. "The doctors said it’s not poison."

A creeping sense of unease spreads through Ace’s chest.

Before anyone can speak again, they hear a commotion out.

They both rush out.

A young wolf stumbles inside, gasping. His face is drenched in sweat, eyes glassy with panic.

They are pack members who seem to be in pain now, not just exhaustion.

"Please..." one young wolf’s voice cracks. "Please help..."

Ace moves first, catching him before he collapses.

More footsteps.

More wolves.

Some barely standing. Some clutching their heads. Others coughing, trembling... crying.

Jun stiffens beside him. "Shit..."

Marsel and Elira immediately step forward, reaching for the closest wolves, checking pulses, assessing symptoms.

Rey stands frozen for a moment before snapping into action. "Get them inside."

The mansion is no longer a safe haven.

It has become a battlefield.