Alpha's STOLEN Mate Chapter 139

Frost

The deepest chamber of the cave stretched before us, all jagged rock and shadows that seemed to pulse with their own dark rhythm. We stood at the threshold of something ancient and terrible—I could feel it in my bones.

Evelyn positioned herself in front of a smooth section of wall, her fingers tracing patterns only she could see. She turned back to face us, and despite everything, there was a fierce grin on her face.

"Ready, warriors?" Her voice rang with confidence. "The day of reckoning with Morgath is finally here!"

I couldn't help but smile at the sight of her. She'd transformed herself into something out of a fantasy novel—dressed head to toe in a dark purple bodysuit that hugged her frame, with various vials and pouches hanging from her belt and thighs. In her hand, she gripped what looked like a dagger, except the blade was impossibly thin and delicate, more like a metal wand than any weapon I'd ever seen. Rings glittered on her fingers, each one humming with subtle magic. Even her hair was woven through with small charms and crystals that caught the dim light.

"With how perfectly prepared you are," I said, my grin widening, "I'm confident Scarlett and I are more than ready. Open the barrier, Evelyn."

She laughed, a sound of pure determination. "I brought every treasure I've been hoarding! All my best materials, all my secret weapons!" She pulled out two small vials from her collection, the liquid inside shimmering with an iridescent glow. "You two better protect me in there. Now drink these—quickly! They'll help us slip past Morgath's defenses undetected."

I took the vial and downed it in one gulp. It tasted like starlight and smoke.

Scarlett finished hers and flashed a rare smile. "I've never seen you this committed to anything before. If you're putting this much effort in, then I know for damn sure we're bringing our Alpha home."

Evelyn's hands began to glow as she worked her magic on the barrier. "Just watch me."

The wall shimmered, then dissolved like morning mist. Beyond it, a swirling vortex of energy beckoned—the gateway into Morgath's twisted realm.

We stepped through together.

The sensation was like falling through water and air simultaneously, gravity twisting in impossible directions. When we finally touched down, it was beside one of those massive crystalline trees I'd seen before—the ones that seemed to breathe with corrupted magic.

We huddled close, voices low as we strategized.

Evelyn pulled out her strange dagger-wand, whispering an incantation under her breath. The metal sphere at its tip suddenly flared to life, shooting out a beam of light that pointed steadily eastward.

Scarlett's eyes widened. "Wait—is that Elowen's location? How did you find her so easily?"

Evelyn's expression was fierce with pride. "I told you—this time I'm fighting to the death. I'm using every skill I've ever learned, every trick I've ever mastered!" She tapped the dagger. "Tracking spell. One of my best."

I felt hope surge in my chest. "Then let's move. We need to—"

"No, no, no!" Evelyn cut me off, shaking her head emphatically. "We can't all go. Someone needs to stay here as our backup—our escape route if things go sideways."

I scratched the back of my head, confused. "Do we really need that? You said you're fighting to the death."

"Well, yes!" Evelyn shot back. "But even a death battle needs an exit strategy! What kind of idiot charges in without a backup plan? If the situation turns against us and we have no way out, we'll actually die!"

Scarlett nodded slowly. "She's right. I'll stay here and cover our retreat."

Evelyn immediately pulled off one of her bracelets—a delicate silver thing woven with tiny runes—and fastened it around Scarlett's wrist.

"If we're in danger, this will start glowing," she explained, her voice urgent. "When that happens, follow the bracelet's guidance. It'll lead you to us so you can help us escape."

Scarlett actually laughed out loud. "Good God, Evelyn! When you're serious, you're like a master strategist! If you'd always been this thorough with enemies..." She shook her head in amazement. "We'd have been safe ages ago!"

Evelyn puffed up with pride. "I know Morgath is a genius witch! But who wasn't a genius when they were young? If I hadn't been wasting away in your pack all these years—back in my prime, I was the—"

Scarlett clapped a hand over her mouth, grinning. "Alright, alright, genius! Save the bragging for after we win. Now go!"

---

Evelyn and I moved through the crystalline landscape like ghosts.

Evelyn's potions and enchantments worked flawlessly—we passed patrol after patrol without a single guard noticing our presence. The wolves here were wrong, corrupted, their eyes glowing with that same unnatural red. Each one made my skin crawl.

Before long, we found ourselves standing before an enormous structure—a house, if you could call it that, made entirely of crystal. Light refracted through its walls in dizzying patterns. The tracking spell's beam pointed directly inside.

Elowen was in there.

But so were the guards.

Six witches stood at the entrance, each one flanked by a red-eyed wolf creature. The wolves were bigger than they should be, their proportions all wrong, muscles bulging unnaturally beneath their fur.

"Fuck," I muttered, dropping into a crouch behind a crystalline outcropping. "We can't force our way through. Those guards alone are formidable. Who knows what's waiting inside?"

I could feel frustration building. We were so close. Elowen was right there, just beyond that door, and we were stuck out here trying to figure out how to—

"Well," Evelyn said softly, a sly smile crossing her face. "How about I show them a little magic trick?"

She reached into one of her pouches and pulled out a deck of cards. Tarot cards, from the look of them—ornate and shimmering with enchantment.

I stared at her. "Really? Evelyn! This isn't the time for fortune-telling!"

She gave me an exasperated look. "Frost, can you throw a dart?"

The question was so random I blinked. "What?"

"Can you throw a dart accurately?" she repeated, her tone patient but urgent. "Yes or no?"

"I... yes? I can throw things accurately. Why—"

She thrust the deck of cards into my hands. "Hit all six witches at once. Can you do that?"

I opened my mouth to protest, to say this was insane, but something in her expression stopped me. This wasn't random chaos. She had a plan.

"Evelyn, I don't understand what you're—"

"Just do what I'm telling you!" she hissed. "Trust me! Don't hesitate!"

Fine. If she wanted me to throw cards at guards, I'd throw cards at guards.

I took a deep breath, centering myself. Selected six cards from the deck—they felt warm in my hands, thrumming with contained power. Drew my arm back.

And threw.

The cards flew through the air in perfect formation, each one spinning toward its target. The moment they made contact—hitting all six witches simultaneously—they exploded.

Except it wasn't a normal explosion. There was no sound, no fire, no shockwave. Just a brief flash of light.

And then the witches went mad.

All six of them suddenly turned on their own wolf companions, screaming accusations I couldn't quite hear. Within seconds, they were locked in combat—not with us, but with each other. Completely lost in whatever illusion Evelyn's spell had created.

I stood there, jaw hanging open.

"Evelyn..." I turned to look at her, awe and disbelief warring in my chest. "You know how much you were bragging earlier? About being a genius?"

She raised an eyebrow.

"I just want you to know," I continued, shaking my head slowly, "that I'm in complete agreement. You really are a genius."

Her smile was radiant. "Well! I certainly hope Morgath doesn't try to run away this time. Because I'm going to make her pay for what she did to me in our last encounter!"

We strode toward the entrance, passing right by the battling guards who were too consumed by their hallucinations to even notice us. The crystal doors loomed ahead, growing larger with each step.

This was it. We were going to find Elowen. We were going to—

A massive shadow fell across our path.

I looked up, and my blood turned to ice.

A Lycan. Not a wolf, not some corrupted beast, but a true Lycan—standing upright, easily eight feet tall, muscles rippling beneath black fur. The creature's eyes glowed with intelligence and malice.

No.

Not just any Lycan.

"Kaius," I breathed, and rage exploded through my veins like wildfire.

Every memory came flooding back—Kaius attacking Elowen, betraying everything we'd built, serving that twisted witch. My hands clenched into fists, my wolf surging forward, demanding blood.

"KAIUS!" I roared, my voice echoing off the crystal walls. "It's you!"