Alpha's mate is a male?!?-Chapter 98: Unseen Chains that bind us..

Ace wakes up to an unsettling stillness.

For a moment, everything feels normal, the early morning light streaming through the curtains, the faint rustle of leaves outside. But as he pushes himself up, something feels off.

His mind is unusually clear, yet at the same time, clouded. He can’t put his finger on it, but there’s a pull_ something gnawing at the edges of his thoughts.

Then he hears voices outside.

Slipping out of Kieran’s bed, he moves toward the window. Down in the courtyard, a group of wolves has gathered, all focused on one person.

Rehan.

Ace’s stomach twists.

They’re looking at him differently.

The same wolves who had once eyed Rehan with caution, distrust, or even hostility now seem... drawn to him. Their stances are open, their expressions soft, like he belongs here.

Jun and Rey stand at the front, usually the most guarded, but even they seem at ease. Rey speaks to Rehan with none of his usual sharpness.

Jun, the one who always watches for threats, nods at something Rehan says as if it’s the most natural thing in the world.

Ace steps away from the window, curiosity filling his whole being.

What the hell is happening?

He quickly dresses and heads outside, but the moment he steps into the courtyard, his body locks up.

Rehan turns. Their eyes meet.

And suddenly, everything shifts.

A pulse of heat runs through Ace’s veins, not the usual fire of anger, not the familiar clash of distrust.

Something deeper.

Something wrong.

Rehan’s lips quirk up. "Morning."

Ace swallows hard. His body feels... light, unsteady. His chest tightens in a way that isn’t unpleasant, and that’s what terrifies him the most.

This isn’t normal.

Rehan watches him closely, as if waiting for something.

Jun steps up beside Ace, clapping him on the shoulder. "We were just talking. Rehan was saying he should head back to his pack now that everything’s settled."

Something inside Ace clenches.

He’s leaving?

No.

He shouldn’t.

Ace shakes his head, trying to clear the fog creeping in. "You’re really going?" he forces out, surprised at how tight his throat feels. "Why should you? You just came." He adds.

Rehan lifts a brow, as if amused. "You sound disappointed."

"I’m not," Ace snaps automatically, but the words taste like a lie.

Jun frowns slightly. "I don’t think he should leave, actually. After all he’s done, he deserves to stay longer. Stay with us. Now that Kieran left us, we know who cares for us more." freeweɓnøvel.com

They all node_ agreeing.

"It would be foolish to let him go so soon." Rey adds.

Ace stares at them. As if trying to figure all this out but nothing comes in his mind.

Rehan steps closer to him, lowering his voice just enough for only Ace to hear. "You don’t want me to go? If you want me to stay then that’s fine, I’ll do it, just because of you."

Ace’s breath hitches.

Something about the way he says it-smooth, confident, knowing-sends a shiver down his spine.

Ace grits his teeth. "I don’t care what you do."

But the words don’t feel real.

And Rehan knows it.

His smirk deepens, his fingers grazing Ace’s wrist-just a brief touch, but enough to send a jolt through him.

Ace jerks his hand away, heart hammering.

Rehan watches him carefully, amusement flickering in his eyes. "Interesting," he murmurs.

Ace clenches his fists. He has to figure out what’s happening.

Because this isn’t just about the wolves trusting Rehan.

This is about Ace losing control, feeling like suddenly_ he has become attracted to Rehan. Just in a few hours.

And Rehan enjoying it.

The night deepens, casting long shadows across the mansion, but inside, an unsettling warmth lingers.

The wolves who took the medicine have all but recovered-physically, at least. The pain is gone, their strength returning, yet there is a shift, subtle but undeniable.

Ace feels it too.

He should still be on guard, questioning every move the man makes, but instead, doubt creeps into his mind. Maybe... maybe Rehan isn’t as bad as he thought. Maybe he really has changed.

The thought alone is enough to make Ace grit his teeth.

For some reason he thinks that it’s the medicine, but looking at his parents who took it too but they are not acting like everyone else.

After the wolves healed, Marsel and Elira headed away to check on other things, only to come back today and find out that everything has changed drastically, everyone singing praises of Rehan. And their son looking at him in the way he would never.

That night Rehan says for tenth time... "If you all insist... I suppose I could stay a little longer."

_

Later that night,,

Rehan sneaks out of the mansion,

Deep within the forest, past the eastern border, Rehan steps into the shadows. The air is thick with the scent of damp earth and something older, something twisted.

A figure waits for him, cloaked in darkness.

"Did it work?" the voice murmurs, a slow, pleased sound.

Rehan smirks. "Better than expected. They’re already falling in line. The effects are settling in. They don’t just trust me now-they want me there. They need me."

"And the boy?" the figure asks.

Rehan’s smirk deepens, his fingers flexing at his sides as he recalls the way Ace looked at him-the momentary hesitation, the warmth in his eyes.

"He’s fighting it," Rehan admits. "But he won’t win. Not for long. The way he looks at me now it’s totally different, the way I have always wanted. The way he looked at that Kieran who never gave a damn about it. Now I can finally have him by my side, treat him like he deserves. And have the pack too." He smiles broadly then adds. "I just hope wherever he is, that man never returns!"

The figure chuckles. "Don’t worry, even if he returns_ he won’t get anything, the boy will by then wanting you, and you alone. And about the pack_ there’s no change after they took that medicine. They will feel like they don’t have a leader at all if it’s not you."

"What if his powers resist it, the way am waiting to make him mine_ I cannot take any disappointment."

The figure steps forward, though the shadows keep their face obscured. "I told you and I’ll tell you again, it is done. All that’s left is for you to make him yours."

Rehan smiles, slow, hope pouring in him. "Well, I don’t want to wait. That part has to happen soon, so soon."