Chapter 113

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My thumping heartbeat decelerated as I stared at Derek's lifeless body, my eyes filling up with tears of relief and gratefulness. Ace dug his claws into Derek's chest, uprooting his heart and signifying the end of the war.

Like a whiff, all the memories and history I had with Derek raced through my mind.

"It's finally over," I heard Acantha sigh, and the tears dropped from my eyes.

It was really over. Derek was dead! It was over for good. My nose crinkled in disbelief, my eyes furrowing as the reality settled within me.

My gaze shifted to Ace and despite the loud chants and celebration, I could hear the beating of my heart clearly. Despite the amount of people around, my eyes could somehow only see Ace.

Amongst the crowd hovering around him, his gaze found me, too, and before I could burst, I swooped into his arms. He caught me easily and I buried my face into his chest, releasing my emotions shamelessly. Two of our greatest enemies were now gone for good!

Ace nuzzled his face into my hair, whispering words to me that sounded like music. I inhaled his scent desperately, our hearts beating as one as though we had become inseparable.

I released myself and stared into his tired eyes that he tried to light up for my sake. Mine was soaked with tears that struggled to pour down.

I touched his bruised face, returning his smile despite the emotions flowing out of me.

What did I do to deserve a man like him? Just like he promised, he had protected and fought for me until the end.

A lot of words were shared between us just by our stares and soon we were hugging each other tightly again, like we had freshly found each other.

The hall was filled with a crazy shout of celebration. Derek's death meant instant defeat for his pack, and his followers readily gave up, seeing that they weren't given a chance to escape.

Fear was evident in their eyes as they fell on their knees, signifying surrender.

With me by his side, Ace faced the members and appreciated them for their efforts.

"... soon, I will give a speech and attend to all of your confusions, I will also reveal my plans for the Crimson pack. For now, let the wounded get treated, and let us celebrate this victory !"

The chants resumed as soon as he was done speaking and he held me in his arms as we walked to the pack house. He had a grin on his face but I could tell he was still going through a lot of pain.

We had just defeated the second most powerful pack in the underworld, it was no small feat for us. For the first time since I lost my powers, I wished I could regain it; even for a minute. I wish I could rid Ace of the pain and every other discomfort he must be passing through.

From time to time, he would wince but his face continuously held a smile.

I walked him to the hospital, and the doctors provided first aid; Ace underwent a minor surgery that he refused to be anesthetized for.

The hospital was crowded as the medical team ran around, attending to the wounded members. Acantha did her bit, too, before I convinced her to take some rest before the big announcement.

In less than an hour, news of our victory against the Crimson pack hit the werewolf community and every media outlet carried it. Seated beside Ace on the hospital bed, I could see a TV host talking about the war that had just ended; the headlines carried the same information.

In such a short time, we already had a lot of pending interviews and a lot of people showed interest in our explanation.

On the live chat from the disorganized battleground, questions were poured out and even though a few comments were not so good, I was surprised to see we had a lot of supporters. Without me having to lay an explanation, the majority of the viewers expressed how proud they were of me.

I couldn't deny that it boosted my emotions a great deal to see the amount of support we got. I felt Ace's bandaged hand picking mine up, he placed it on his lips and planted a kiss on it.

"You should get treated too," he whispered.

I shook my head, "I'm fine. Acantha herbs are more effective than you think. How do you feel?"

"Never been better," he grinned. "Seeing how we already have this much attention in less than an hour, we have a long day ahead of us. Will you be okay?"

"As long as you're there, I can face anything."

He placed a kiss on my fingers again, "I'll be right beside you, so don't listen to or see anyone else's opposition."

"I already know that," I beamed. "What's your plan for the Crimson pack?"

"There's nothing else to take from them except their lives. I will wipe them out completely and proceed to the Lamia pack. Henry is already looking into it; this time, there will be no mistake," Ace's face hardened as he spoke.

"Er.. can I ask for a favor?" I asked, skeptical. Ace sat up, giving me a concerned look before nodding.

"If I pleaded on their behalf, would you spare the Crimson pack?"

His face went blank for a moment, as though he was trying to figure out if I had just asked that.

"Why?" He asked, amongst the many other words that I could tell were running through his mind.

"I.. well, I-I don't know why exactly but I just feel like I should be a bit considerate. I know I had a rough life being with them, and they totally deserve your wrath, but they were once my pack. I'm not justifying my plea but I just want to show one final act of kindness to them, from my heart. I will understand if you choose not to do this for me."

Ace heaved a sigh, his eyes holding a conflict.

"Ace, please. Oliver is still my father even though I don't care about him."

"So, what happens to them, I can't give them their pack back."

"We can take them in. We can peacefully incorporate them into our pack and become the Ocean Howls pack together."

"What if they don't want to?"

"They wouldn't have a choice. It's either their life or that. Their Alpha is gone and Jeffrey is stricken in years. Please, Ace."

I thought of Henry and Brittany as well. What would become their fate?

With Ace's lips pursed in contemplation, he eventually nodded. "If that's what you really want, then we can do that."

A smile hooked my lips in a flattened position, "thank you!"

"It's nothing," he shook his head. "Now, can I get a kiss for being a good boy?"

I giggled, "Henry would cringe so hard if he heard you."

"Good thing the walls are soundproofed," he pulled me into his thigh, and I carefully balanced myself so I wouldn't break open his stitches. I held his face, leaning in to kiss him when I felt a strong surge of electricity reverberate through me.

I felt it transport through my insides for a moment before pouring into my hands and glowing on Ace's face.

It was a familiar feeling that I recognized too well. With the new force, I jerked away from Ace; my jaw hanging.

"Are you alright, babe?" He asked, grabbing my shoulders gently.

I raised my brows to look at him, my face scrunched with skepticism.

"Ace, I think.." I stuttered. "My powers.." I spread out my palms, gazing into them with blurry eyes.

Ace seemed to have understood me and without hesitation, he tore off a bandage from his face. With a hopeful prayer, I looked at it and exhaled a smile.

I touched his face, my smile widening.

"My powers are back!"

Ace was stunned too. "If the flower of destiny didn't take it then.." his words trailed and it hit me. Acantha!

At once, I yanked to my feet, attempting to go check up on my grandmother, when the door to Ace's ward went open, and she walked in.

"I was told I would find you both here," she said cluelessly.

"Grandma!" I cried and went into her arms unannounced. She staggered and laughed heartily.

"Oh child, I wouldn't leave without informing you guys."

She was completely clueless.

"Thank you so much for not leaving," I smiled, wrapping my arms around her.

____

While the effect of the war settled, Ace was seriously occupied. The media gave us no breathing space and we continuously accepted interviews, repeating our stories and ordeals.

For days, the news of our victory stayed on the top of trending topics, and a larger percentage of the audience was on our side. After being able to explain my side of the story, I gained a lot of sympathy and praise. Many showed how proud they were of me for fighting for my mate regardless of the situation, and they praised Ace for sticking by me despite the opposition.

Undeniably, very few others condemned me and blamed me for everything that had happened regardless but as Ace and I had agreed, I kept my thoughts only on him and the fact that he thought differently of me. It made me feel so much better.

Due to the sudden increase in our fame, strength, and respect, we officially evolved into the most powerful pack in the world. We had defeated the only pack that could be positioned after us and now no pack came close.

Considering this, and as a means of appealing to Ace for castigating him at first, the werewolf council decided to officially elect him as the Alpha king.