Alpha's STOLEN Mate Chapter 117

Frost

*For fuck's sake—*

But there was no time to argue. The five red wolves were circling, flames dancing along their claws and muzzles. I had to end this. Now.

The potion Lysandra had given me was working—I could feel magical energy sliding off my fur, the flames that should have been searing my flesh only leaving minor burns. But five against one was still terrible odds.

*Doesn't matter. I'll tear them apart if I have to.*

I threw myself at the nearest wolf with reckless abandon. No strategy, no self-preservation. Just pure, furious assault. My claws found throats, my teeth found spines. I traded injury for injury, accepting wounds that would have made me hesitate before.

*Take the damage. Kill them faster. End this.*

One wolf went down, its neck broken. Then another, its skull crushed between my jaws.

But I was slowing. The wounds were adding up. The pain was becoming unbearable, cutting through even the strange euphoria of whatever Lysandra had given me.

The last three wolves saw their opening. They swarmed me, driving me to the ground under their combined weight. Fangs closed on my shoulder. Claws raked my flanks. Fire scorched my face—

A flash of brilliant blue light split the air.

A wolf—sleek, powerful, its fur the color of deep ocean water—crashed into the fray like a lightning bolt. Its claws were wreathed in crackling blue energy, and with a single swipe, it sent all three red wolves flying backward.

I scrambled to my feet, and suddenly Scarlett—*Scarlett's wolf*—was beside me. Fighting with me. Moving in perfect synchronization like we'd trained together for years.

And something was happening inside me.

The potion. The cigarette. Whatever Lysandra had done—it was all culminating in this moment. I could feel something surging through my body, through my very soul. A connection that had been severed was knitting itself back together, strand by strand.

*The bond. Our mate bond. It's—*

But it wasn't just returning. It was stronger. Fiercer. More intense than it had ever been before, like it had been reinforced with steel cables instead of thread.

*Fuck. What is this?*

Scarlett's blue wolf seemed to feel it too. She moved closer, her movements jubilant, almost playful despite the battle. And when she struck, her attacks were devastating—claws that tore clean through flesh, leaving massive wounds that even the red wolves' regeneration couldn't heal.

Her power had increased exponentially. Like the renewed bond was feeding her strength directly.

Together, we were unstoppable. The three red wolves fell quickly, their bodies going still as their cursed magic finally failed them.

But even as the battle ended, I couldn't calm down. My blood was still singing. My wolf wanted to run, to hunt, to celebrate this victory with—

*With my mate.*

The thought should have terrified me. Should have felt wrong.

Instead, it felt inevitable.

I found myself circling Scarlett's blue wolf, jumping playfully, nudging her shoulder with my muzzle. She responded in kind, her tail wagging, a sound that might have been a laugh escaping her throat.

*This is insane. This is—*

Scarlett shifted back to human form suddenly, collapsing onto the grass. Her chest heaved with exhaustion, and when she looked up at me, her expression was utterly bewildered.

"God," she gasped. "Fuck. What just happened? Our bond—it's—"

I shifted back as well, my mind racing. *The witch. The potion. That knowing look in her eyes when she said we wouldn't see each other again.*

"Fuck," I breathed. "Lysandra's been researching bond restoration magic. That entire time I was there, she was working on it." I looked at the now-empty vial. "The potion she gave me—it wasn't just for magical resistance. The taste was off. Too complex. Too many layers."

Understanding and horror dawned on Scarlett's face simultaneously. "She... she repaired our bond? Without asking? Without—" Anger flashed in her eyes. "You tricked me! You made me take that potion so we'd be bonded again!"

She scrambled to her feet. "But you don't love me! You just admitted you love Elowen! So what the fuck, Frost?! FUCK YOU!"

My head was spinning. The bond was pulling at me, urging me closer to her. And more than that—I was seeing Scarlett differently now. The way she'd fought, the courage it took to come find me, the strength in her eyes even when she was threatening to die rather than accept my help.

*She's not just my former mate. She's not just Elowen's beta. She's—*

Something had shifted. Whether it was the bond, the potion, or the intensity of fighting side by side, I couldn't tell. But my feelings for Elowen—that desperate, consuming obsession—it was fading. Not gone, but... muted. Like someone had turned down the volume.

And in its place, something new was growing. Something focused entirely on the woman standing in front of me.

*Lysandra. You magnificent, meddling witch. This was your parting gift.*

I moved toward Scarlett before I could stop myself. We were both naked from our shifts, and when she realized, her face flushed crimson.

"Frost, don't—" She tried to push me away, but the movement was weak. Hesitant.

The renewed bond was stronger than before. I could feel it pulling us together like gravity, and from the look in her eyes, she felt it too.

"I don't know what happened," I said softly, reaching for her despite every logical part of my brain screaming that this was a terrible idea. "I don't understand how this is possible. But when I look at you now, Scarlett... you're different. Everything about you is different."

My hand found her waist, and she didn't pull away this time.

"I don't know if I love you," I continued, the words coming from somewhere deep and honest. "I can't say that I do. Not yet. But—" I met her eyes, let her see the truth in mine. "I can't say that I don't love you either. Not anymore. Not after this."

Scarlett's breath hitched. Her face was still flushed, her eyes wide and vulnerable. "Fuck," she whispered. "What the hell is the Moon Goddess playing at? What kind of sick joke—"

I pulled her closer, close enough that I could feel the heat of her skin, smell the unique scent that was purely her. "Maybe it's not a joke," I murmured. "Maybe this is exactly what was supposed to happen."

"Frost—"

"I spent so long fighting fate," I said quietly.

I rested my forehead against hers. "But this time... this time I think I need to stop fighting."

Scarlett's hands came up to rest on my chest, not pushing away but not pulling closer either. Just touching. Feeling.

"What are you saying?" Her voice was barely audible.

I closed my eyes, feeling the bond humming between us like a living thing. Feeling Scarlett's heartbeat matching mine. Feeling, for the first time in years, like maybe I was exactly where I was supposed to be.

"I'm saying," I breathed, "that this time, I'm going to accept what fate has given me."