Alpha's mate is a male? Chapter 125: Reply

The sun hangs high above the training grounds, casting long shadows across the dirt as Rika moves through the air, her magic pulsing with each calculated movent.

She lands lightly, twisting her wrist as energy crackles at her fingertips before she releases it toward Max.

He deflects it with ease, his stance steady. "Too predictable," he calls out. "Again."

She grits her teeth, adjusting her stance before sending another strike.

This ti, she feints left before shifting her weight, sending a second blast toward his side. Max barely dodges in ti.

A smirk tugs at her lips. "Not predictable anymore, huh?"

Max exhales, shaking his head. "Not bad."

But just as he’s about to reset his stance...

A shift. A disturbance in the air.

Rika’s entire body stills.

The hair at the back of her neck stands on end as sothing unseen coils in the space between them.

Then, before her eyes, a parchnt materializes from thin air, landing softly in the dirt at her feet.

Max steps forward, tense. "That’s..."

Rika doesn’t wait. Her heartbeat quickens as she snatches it up, fingers trembling slightly as she breaks the seal.

Ace and the others notice the change in atmosphere instantly. From where he stands near the training circle, he watches as Rika’s expression tightens, her eyes scanning the parchnt in silence.

Then, without a word, she turns on her heel and sprints toward them.

"Ace!"

His spine stiffens.

The urgency in her tone sends a ripple of unease through the group.

Kieran steps forward instinctively, his eyes narrowing as Rika skids to a stop before them.

She takes a breath, then holds up the parchnt. "We have sothing."

The words settle over them like a thick fog.

Ace swallows, forcing himself to stay calm. "What does it say?"

Rika looks down, scanning it once more.

"They agreed."

Silence.

Then, Elira exhales sharply. She has been wondering if she made a big mistake, bring out her suggestion.

Kieran, ever unreadable, rely tilts his head. "So they’re willing to et?"

"Yes," Rika confirms. "They didn’t say much... just a location and ti. No terms. No explanations."

Ace leans in slightly. "Where?"

"Shadow Valley. Tomorrow night."

Kieran’s jaw tightens. "That’s close."

Elira hums, thoughtful. "And they gave no conditions?"

"None," Rika replies. "It’s... unsettling."

Max crosses his arms. "Feels like a trap."

Ace, however, exhales. "It’s more than nothing. We don’t have to think the worst of it."

They linger on the words, letting them settle.

For now, it’s enough.

They discuss, agreeing and disagreeing until they agree, they will go ready.

Jun walks back, barely looking at Ace. It’s obvious that he is really in a bad mood even if he is trying to act normal, except with Ace. "They probably followed our idea of not making them think that we don’t have bad intention calling for a discussion, so maybe this group really has no bad intention too."

So agree with them...

Later on, Rika starts walking back to the field, but Ace stops her.

"It’s enough, you guys can stop now, freshen up and eat sothing, then rest, no need to kill yourselves with that."

Rika listens, releasing everyone.

_

The tension still lingers as the sun sets.

Ace, sensing the weight in the air, makes a decision.

"We should eat," he says, his voice breaking the silence. "Properly. Not like we’re waiting for sothing to fall out of the sky."

Max raises an eyebrow. "We kind of are, though."

Ace shakes his head. "It won’t help to sit around and dwell on it."

Elira sighs but doesn’t argue. "I’ll have food prepared." She says.

Soon enough, everyone is called in.

All this ti, Ace has been trying to talk to Jun , but he has been ignoring him. And Ace wonders what is going on with him, did he really talk rudely and harshly to him.

The group gathers around the large wooden table.

They try to talk, to erase the tension, and sohow they try till it starts fading away.

It almost feels normal.

Until...

A second ripple in the air.

Not as sudden as the first, but no less jarring.

This ti, the parchnt doesn’t drop at Rika’s feet.

It lands directly in front of Ace.

The entire table stills.

Slowly, Ace reaches for it, fingers brushing the worn texture of the parchnt. He breaks the seal, unfolding it carefully as the others watch.

His eyes scan the words. Others really curious.

And when Ace’s expression darkens, everyone’s else darkens even when they haven’t still seen the news.

"They have conditions." Ace announces.

A sharp breath from Elira. Max sets down his cup.

Kieran leans forward slightly. "What kind of conditions?"

Ace exhales. "They say they can’t just forget everything your group did to them, and if you want peace, you should earn it. If we want to earn it, we have to prove ourselves first."

Jun frowns. "What does that an?"

Ace’s hands tighten around the parchnt as he reads aloud, his voice carrying a weight that settles heavily over the room.

"If you truly seek peace, it will not co on a silver plate. Hunter may be gone, but his sins remain unpaid. Blood calls for blood. If you want our forgiveness, you must offer sothing of equal value. A sacrifice. A trade. A debt to be settled. We will not et you in words alone. Show us you are willing to make ands, and then we will talk. Tell us when you are ready, but don’t keep us waiting, we might decide to change our mind to Sothing more. After all, you were working with that psychopath."

The words hang in the air, suffocating and unyielding.

Jun’s fork clatters against his plate, the sharp sound jarring in the silence. "They want a sacrifice?" His voice is quiet but taut with restrained emotion.

Elira exhales sharply, pushing back from the table. "They know Hunter is already dead. And still this?"

Max’s gaze flicker with unease. "What does that even an? ’A debt to be settled’? They want a trade? A life for a life?"

"They’re not asking for sothing impossible," Rika murmurs, her expression dark. "But they’re making sure we know peace won’t co cheap."

Ace lowers the letter slightly, his gaze shifting between them. "It’s a test," he says. "They want to see how far we’re willing to go. If we actually an what we say."

Kieran, who has been silent until now, leans forward, his golden eyes sharp. "Then we et them tomorrow as those other ones. Give them sa location, sa ti." he states. "If they want proof, we’ll settle it there. We’re not playing their ga, but we’ll show them we’re serious."

Ace nods. "Agreed. If we’re going to do this, we deal with both responses at once. No running back and forth."

Another silence stretches between them, heavier than before. The night suddenly feels colder, the weight of the demand pressing down on all of them.

Dealing with both groups for sure will hard. But not with Ace around, not when they know or have heard about him and know what he can do.