Alpha's STOLEN Mate Chapter 123

Elowen

The moment we stepped through the rift into my territory, the world turned into hell.

Fire. Everywhere. Flames consumed what remained of the pack houses, sending towers of black smoke into the night sky. The ground itself looked poisoned—scorched earth where grass and flowers had once grown, now nothing but cracked, blackened soil that would bear nothing for years to come.

Buildings had collapsed. Support beams lay scattered like broken bones, crushing bodies beneath their weight. Blood pooled in the dirt, mixing with ash. The metallic scent of it choked the air.

And at the entrance to the main house—the only structure still standing—Frost and Scarlett held their ground.

Frost was unconscious, slumped against the doorframe. Scarlett stood over him, her body a tapestry of wounds. Deep gashes across her arms. Burns on her shoulders. Blood running down her face from a cut above her eye. But she stood, sword still raised, protecting the crying voices I could hear from inside the house.

*My pack. What's left of them.*

My legs gave out.

I would have hit the ground if Kaius hadn't caught me, his arms wrapping around my waist to hold me upright. But even his strength felt distant, muffled, like I was underwater.

"No no no," I heard myself saying, the words tumbling out in a broken stream. "How did this happen? God, this is my fault. I thought they'd be safe here. I thought—fuck, the barrier—how did it break? My people—my pack—" My voice cracked. "This is all my fault."

I was spiraling. I could feel it. The edges of my vision going dark, my breath coming too fast, my thoughts fragmenting into useless guilt and horror—

"Alpha!" Scarlett's voice cut through the haze. Weak but firm. "Don't lose it now. We still need you. We need you to stay strong."

She coughed, and blood sprayed from her lips—bright red against her pale face.

The sight of it shocked me back to reality. I bit down on my own lip, hard enough to draw blood, using the pain to anchor myself. The copper taste helped clear my head.

*Focus. My pack needs me. Falling apart helps no one.*

I moved to Scarlett and Frost, white light already gathering in my hands. My healing ability poured into them—knitting torn flesh, mending broken bones, purging infection from their wounds. Frost's breathing steadied. Color returned to Scarlett's face.

Kaius's voice was shaking when he finally spoke. "Scarlett. Who did this?"

I rounded on him, fury burning through the grief. "God! Do you really need to ask?! Who else could it be?! Your father did this! That witch Morgath predicted we'd be at your territory defending it, so she sent him here instead!" My voice rose to a shout. "She's a fucking psychopath! And your father is her rabid dog!"

Scarlett struggled to sit up, supporting Frost's still-unconscious form. "A massive golden wolf," she said, her voice hoarse. "I've never seen anything like it. It tore through Evelyn's barrier like paper—just walked straight through like the magic didn't exist."

"The casualties—how bad?" I demanded, my voice tight.

Scarlett's face darkened. "Bad. We lost at least a dozen before most of the pack could evacuate. That wolf... Frost and I tried to fight it. Tried to slow it down at least." She laughed bitterly. "We weren't even close to being enough. Its claws were like steel. Its teeth could pierce through support beams like they were twigs."

Kaius pulled out the dagger—the one infused with the antidote. His hands were shaking so badly the blade trembled. "Elowen," he said, his voice raw with guilt and rage, "I swear to you—I will kill him. I will drive this blade into his heart and make him pay for what he's done to your pack. I promise you."

Something in me snapped.

I slapped the dagger from his hand so hard it went flying, embedding itself in a nearby tree.

"Fuck the dagger!" I snarled. "That's too quick. Too easy. Too merciful." White flames began flickering along my arms—not healing light, but something else. Something that burned. "I'm going to roast him alive. Slowly. And before he dies, I'll use that blade to wake him up—make him fully conscious and aware of what he's done. Let him feel every ounce of guilt and horror. And then I'll let the flames finish him."

Frost stirred, his eyes cracking open. Despite his wounds being healed, he still looked utterly exhausted—pale and weak, like his life force had been drained. He reached out, fingers catching the edge of my jacket.

"Elowen," he gasped. "That golden wolf—it wasn't—"

A massive crash from the forest cut him off. Trees splintering. The unmistakable sound of something enormous moving through the undergrowth.

Kaius's entire body went rigid. "I can smell him. My father—he's still here."

Frost pulled harder on my jacket, desperation in his eyes. "Elowen, listen—that wolf—"

But I was already pulling away, my mind focused on one thing only. "Frost, you're exhausted. Don't worry." I pressed him gently back into Scarlett's arms. "Kaius and I will handle this. We'll get justice for everyone he hurt."

I turned to Scarlett. "Protect him. Protect everyone inside. We'll be back soon."

"With his head," I added coldly.

Then Kaius and I were moving, racing toward the sounds in the forest.

We burst through the treeline and stopped dead.

There, bathed in moonlight, was the golden wolf.

It was massive—easily twice the size of any normal wolf, its fur gleaming like molten gold. Every movement radiated power. This was an apex predator, something that had evolved beyond the normal limits of our kind.

But something was wrong.

The wolf wasn't attacking. Wasn't stalking. It was running—erratically, frantically—circling through the trees like it was searching for something. Or trying to escape something. Its movements had no purpose, no direction. Just pure, mindless panic.

And I felt... nothing from it. No aggression. No bloodlust. No predatory intent.

Just confusion. And fear.

"Pathetic," I spat. "You slaughter my pack and now you're too much of a coward to face us? Running in circles looking for an exit, Aldric?" I let my white wolf form explode outward, power crackling through the air like lightning. "There is no exit. Only judgment. And I promise you—your death will be a thousand times more agonizing than anything you inflicted on my people!"

I leaped forward, positioning myself to cut off his path.

The golden wolf's head whipped toward me, and for just an instant, I saw something flicker in those eyes—recognition? Shock? Confusion?

He started to turn, to flee in the opposite direction—

Kaius was already there, dagger back in hand, blocking the escape route.

"Father," Kaius said quietly. His voice was cold but carrying an undercurrent of something that might have been grief. "It's been a long time."

The golden wolf's head swung toward Kaius, and the sound that came from its throat—

It was a howl. Anguished. Heartbroken. Like the cry of a creature in unimaginable pain.

For a split second, I saw something human in those eyes. Something that recognized the son standing before it with a raised blade.

But then Kaius's expression hardened into something merciless. "I understand, Father. You're not yourself anymore. You're nothing but a tool—Morgath's weapon. But you wouldn't want to stay trapped in that witch's control forever, would you?" His grip tightened on the dagger. "Today, you must answer for your sins."