Alpha's STOLEN Mate Chapter 128

Elowen

The moment we crossed through the portal, gravity disappeared.

We were falling—no, floating—suspended in the violet twilight like leaves caught in an invisible current. Behind us, the portal sealed itself with a sound like breaking glass, cutting off our only exit.

Cold sweat broke out across my skin despite my mental preparation.

*We're trapped.*

Then, just as suddenly as it had vanished, gravity returned. But instead of the bone-crushing impact I expected, we landed softly—our feet touching down on solid crystal as if we'd simply stepped off a low curb.

I looked around, trying to orient myself.

We stood in what could only be described as a village. But calling it that felt wrong—like calling a nightmare a dream just because you experienced it while sleeping.

Before us flowed a river. Except it wasn't water. The liquid was viscous, almost syrupy, glowing with faint purple luminescence as it wound its way through the crystalline landscape. It moved with unnatural smoothness, never splashing, never rippling incorrectly.

"Trees" dotted the area—if they could be called that. They had no leaves, no bark. Just smooth, bone-white trunks that looked like they'd been carved from polished ivory or bleached driftwood. Cold. Hard. Dead.

The buildings were worse. They rose from the obsidian ground in organic shapes—curved walls and flowing architecture—all constructed from some translucent amber-like substance. I could see shadows moving inside them, distorted shapes that might have been furniture or equipment or something far more sinister.

Everything had a geometric precision to it that felt deliberate. Calculated. *Wrong.*

Kaius and I exchanged a look, and I saw my own horror reflected in his eyes.

*What have we walked into?*

"God!" Evelyn's voice rang out with genuine delight. "I'm so glad I came! I would have regretted missing this place for the rest of my life!"

I stared at her. "Are you serious right now?"

"What? It's beautiful!"

"Beautiful?!" I knelt by the strange river, dipping my fingers cautiously into the glowing liquid. It clung to my skin but didn't wet it—just rolled off in perfect spheres, like mercury. "Are we looking at the same place? Or are your eyes wired differently than mine?"

Evelyn spread her arms, gesturing at our surroundings. "Look at the symmetry! The violet sky—absolutely gorgeous. The buildings with their perfect geometric crystalline structures. And this river—it flows in an absolutely straight line! Everything here follows mathematical precision. It's like living inside a massive gemstone!"

I watched the purple liquid continue to bead on my fingers, fascinated despite my revulsion. "I think this entire realm is sustained by the power gemstone. Which is incredible, honestly." I let the liquid drop back into the river. "If they weren't our enemies—if they hadn't declared war on all werewolves—I'd almost feel bad about destroying their home."

Then I heard it. A scream—unmistakably wolf—coming from one of the amber buildings. Followed by mechanical sounds. Clinical voices discussing "subjects" and "enhancement protocols."

*They're experimenting on our people. Right now.*

"Fuck," I snarled. "We need to move. Now."

Kaius pulled out the map, studying it quickly. "This way. Follow the river east."

We moved swiftly but cautiously, keeping to shadows where we could find them. The river led us deeper into the village until we reached a structure that could only be described as a shrine.

It was circular, built entirely from the same obsidian crystal as the ground, with an open roof that let in the violet twilight. And in the center, suspended in midair by nothing visible—

The gemstone.

It was massive. Easily the size of a human torso, multifaceted like a cut diamond, pulsing with rhythmic purple light. Energy radiated from it in waves that I could feel against my skin even from this distance.

"God!" I couldn't help grinning. "That was almost too easy! We found it already! Now we just need to destroy it and—"

"Wait." Kaius grabbed my arm. "Be careful. Don't make too much noise. We don't know who—or what—might be nearby."

I nodded and let my white wolf form surge forward. Lightning crackled along my fur as I gathered my power. Fire bloomed in my throat. I unleashed both simultaneously at the gemstone.

Nothing happened.

The energy hit the stone and simply... dissipated. Like I'd attacked a wall of water with more water.

*What?*

Frustration flared hot in my chest. I charged forward and raked my claws across the gemstone's surface.

Pain shot up my foreleg. It was like trying to scratch diamond with my fingernails—no, worse. The gemstone was harder than my claws, and now my paw was throbbing.

*Fine. If direct attacks won't work...*

I backed up and began gathering more power. Much more. Wind whipped around me as I combined elements—fire and lightning merging into a single devastating orb of destruction. The purple sky above turned red, then blue, then back to red as my attack grew.

Kaius's eyes lit up with confidence. He clearly thought this would work.

I released everything at once.

The explosion was tremendous—the kind of force that should have leveled buildings and cracked the earth. The violet twilight turned into a blazing inferno of competing colors.

And when it cleared, the gemstone hung there. Untouched. Unblemished.

*Worse than untouched—*

It was glowing brighter now. Pulsing faster. Like it had absorbed my attack and was using my own power to strengthen itself.

"FUCK!" I shifted back to human form, panting heavily. My energy reserves were significantly depleted from that assault, and we had nothing to show for it.

Evelyn, who'd been standing off to the side with her head tilted thoughtfully, suddenly looked up. "Oh! I know how to break this!"

Both Kaius and I whipped around to stare at her.

"The gemstone has a ward," she explained. "Obviously. That's why Elowen's attacks aren't working—there's a protective barrier absorbing and redirecting the energy. We need to break the ward first, then the gemstone will be vulnerable."

I gaped at her. "You knew there was a ward this whole time?!"

"Well, I suspected." Evelyn shrugged. "But I wanted to see if maybe you could brute-force through it. You are the White Wolf, after all. Special rules sometimes apply."

"You let me waste all that energy—"

"To be fair, it was a reasonable test—"

"Both of you, STOP," Kaius cut in sharply. "Evelyn, can you break the ward or not?"

"Of course I can break it!" She sounded offended by the question. "But it won't be quick. This is complex magic—layered protections, probably with failsafes and alarms built in. I'll need a few minutes of complete concentration."

She moved toward the gemstone, her expression shifting from playful to intensely focused. "Don't interrupt me. Don't make sudden noises. Don't do anything that might break my focus. This is delicate work."

Kaius and I exchanged glances and nodded.

Evelyn raised her hands and began moving them in intricate patterns. Her fingers traced symbols in the air that glowed faintly before fading. Her lips moved silently, forming words in that ancient language that made my teeth ache.

Sweat began beading on her forehead almost immediately. The ward wasn't yielding easily.

Minutes crawled by. Kaius and I stood guard, weapons ready, every nerve on edge. This was taking too long. Far too long. Any moment now, someone—something—would notice what we were doing.

*Just a little longer. We're so close. Victory is right there—*

"Well, well, well."

The voice cut through the silence like a knife.

Morgath materialized from the shadows as if she'd been there all along—simply choosing to reveal herself now. Her mask gleamed under the violet light, expressionless and terrible.

And behind her, two golden wolves prowled forward. Not one. *Two.* Both massive, both radiating that same overwhelming power we'd encountered from Aldric.

*Copies. She made copies of Kaius's father.*

In Morgath's hands dangled several lengths of chain—collars, I realized with horror. Empty collars waiting for necks to fill them.

"You finally arrived," she said, and I could hear the smile in her voice even behind the mask. "I've been waiting for you. My chains have been so lonely." She held up the metal restraints, letting them clink together. "Come now, little wolves. Put these on yourselves. Save us all the unpleasantness of a struggle."

Kaius and I locked eyes for a split second. An entire conversation passed between us in that moment.

*Evelyn's almost done. Just a little more time. We can't let Morgath interrupt her. Whatever it takes.*

We shifted simultaneously—my white wolf and his black wolf erupting into existence. We positioned ourselves in front of Evelyn, forming a living barrier between her and the threat.

The two golden wolves charged forward, their massive forms eating up the distance with terrifying speed.