Alpha's STOLEN Mate Chapter 142

Elowen

Dreams carried me away from the nightmare.

In my sleep, I was small again—maybe nine or ten, hiding behind the weapons rack at the edge of the training grounds.

I'd snuck out to watch him train. Again.

Kaius—barely a teenager himself—was being pushed through drills that would break grown warriors. His father, the old Alpha King, stood over him with cold eyes and an iron voice. "Again. Faster. You think enemies will give you time to catch your breath?"

The boy's arms were shaking, blood dripping from split knuckles. But he gripped the sword tighter and lunged again. And again. Never crying. Never complaining. Just that fierce, stubborn determination burning in his eyes.

I'd watched, transfixed. Not because he was strong—though he was. Not because he was the future king—though he'd be that too.

It was the way he refused to break. The way he kept getting up, kept pushing forward, even when his own father seemed determined to crush him.

I want to be like that, I'd thought, clutching my own small fists. I want to be strong enough that nothing can break me.

From that day on, I trained. Pushed myself harder than anyone expected. Because somewhere in my young heart, I wanted him to see me one day and think: She's strong too.

A childish dream. A girl's admiration for a boy who probably never noticed her watching from the shadows.

"Kaius..." The name slipped from my lips, soft and yearning. "Please... don't give up. You never give up..."

"What's wrong? Still got time for sweet dreams, do we, little wolf?"

The voice yanked me back to reality like a hook through flesh.

I opened my eyes to find that monstrous half-wolf, half-man face staring down at me. Kaius in his Lycan form, a twisted mockery of the boy I'd once admired.

I recoiled instantly, pressing myself against the back of the cage.

He smiled—a cold, cruel expression. "Your sleeping face looked peaceful. Such a shame we don't get to live in dreams anymore, isn't it?"

Rage boiled up inside me. I opened my mouth to curse him, to spit every hateful word I could think of—

But the cage door was already opening.

Kaius stepped back, adopting an oddly formal posture—almost gentlemanly, which somehow made everything worse.

"Last day. Thought I'd give you one final courtesy—let you walk out on your own two feet instead of being dragged."

The absurdity of it snapped something inside me. I kicked the cage door open violently, snarling at him.

"Don't you dare play gentleman now! Even when I'm nothing but a mindless beast, I'll still remember that I need to kill you!"

His smile turned strange—knowing, almost pleased in a way I didn't understand.

"Good. Hold onto that fire," he said softly. "Trust me—you're going to need every bit of it real soon."

Then he stepped aside, clearing the path.

Confusion rippled through me, but I didn't have time to process it. I had no choice but to follow as he led me deeper into the laboratory complex, down corridors I hadn't seen before.

Before we even entered the room, I could see Morgath inside—bustling around between various instruments and machinery. The space was crowded with equipment that looked like it belonged in two different centuries: sleek modern technology sitting alongside ancient ritualistic tools covered in strange runes. The combination was deeply unsettling.

As we stepped through the doorway, Morgath turned and clapped her hands together, delighted.

"Well, well! Kaius, darling! Look at you making real progress!" Her voice dripped with approval. "You've finally grasped the concept—even when she's yours to break however you please, you should still grant her the illusion of dignity!" Her gaze shifted to me, taking in my hateful glare. "And that look! That beautiful hatred in her eyes! I'd bet my best grimoire that last night—exactly as I commanded—you thoroughly enjoyed yourself with her. Every possible way, every degrading moment. Am I right?"

The implication in her words made my stomach turn. I shot the witch a furious look, my hands clenching into fists.

But even as anger burned through me, confusion followed. Last night, Kaius hadn't touched me. Not the way Morgath was suggesting. He'd sat outside my cage and eventually fallen asleep—or pretended to. He'd violated the witch's orders.

Why?

I didn't have time to puzzle it out. Hands guided me toward a medical table—the same one from days before. My body moved mechanically, following instructions because resistance was pointless. Fighting now would only bring more pain, more punishment.

At least... at least the bond severance was something I wanted. Fuck Kaius. Even as a mindless pet, I refused to be connected to him anymore.

I lay down on the cold surface, resignation settling over me like a burial shroud. This was goodbye. Goodbye to everything I'd been, everything I'd hoped to become.

The moment my back touched the table, restraints snapped shut around my wrists and ankles—automatic cuffs that locked me in place. Just like before.

And just like before, a beam of violet light shot down from the ceiling, so bright and intense I had to squeeze my eyes shut against it.

But even through my closed eyelids, I could sense movement. I turned my head slightly, squinting through the purple glare—

And saw Kaius's expression.

His eyes held something I didn't expect. Anxiety? No—it was stronger than that. Almost like... fear?

I must have imagined it. Must be seeing things in the harsh light.

But then his body began to react in ways I couldn't ignore. He moved closer to the table. Closer to me. His gaze kept darting up to the ceiling, to the source of that violet beam. His legs twitched involuntarily. His breathing became labored.

And then his hands were on me.

His clawed fingers traced over my arms, my shoulders, sliding down my sides with an urgency that seemed desperate rather than lustful. I tried to pull away, but the restraints held me fast. His touch was everywhere—proprietary, insistent.

"Get off me! Don't you dare—"

Morgath's laugh cut through my protests, clearly amused by the display.

"My, my! Kaius, darling! Is this your body's natural response kicking in?" She chuckled darkly. "Now that the bond's about to be severed, you're instinctively drawn to her! Can't help yourself, can you? Need to touch her one last time?" Her voice took on a mockingly sympathetic tone. "I imagine this whole procedure feels rather like castration to you, poor beast. But relax—once little Elowen's transformation is complete, she'll still be yours. You can mount her whenever the urge strikes."

Kaius's expression shifted—something that looked almost like embarrassment, though his eyes remained sharp.

"My lady—please," he said, his voice strained. "Can I... can I stay like this? Right here, close to her?" His hands continued their exploration. "I need to be near her. Need to feel her while the bond still exists. It's the only thing making this bearable—"

His hands grew bolder, roaming across my collarbone, down over my ribs, fingers splaying possessively across my stomach. The touch was intimate, claiming, and it made my skin crawl even as something in my chest twisted painfully.

Morgath waved dismissively. "A beast's instinct! How could I possibly refuse such a raw, natural reaction? Besides, it's rather entertaining." She picked up the glowing scalpel again, examining its edge. "Fine, fine. Stay close if you must. Watch the surgery from the front row."

She didn't wait for my fear to build. In one smooth motion, she raised a scalpel—glowing with magical energy—and I felt the bond manifest physically on my skin. Threads of light appeared, connecting me to Kaius in ways I could see for the first time.

I closed my eyes, forcing myself to accept it.

"Come on," I whispered to myself. "Just one cut. I can handle one cut. I've survived worse. I can—"

Pain.

Sudden, excruciating pain that felt like my soul was being torn in half. Not physical—something deeper, more fundamental. A loss that went beyond words, beyond thought.

I couldn't stop the scream that ripped from my throat. "NO!"

And then—

A tremendous CRASH.

My eyes flew open.

The sight before me made my mind go blank with shock.

Kaius had Morgath by the throat.

His massive Lycan hand was wrapped around her neck, lifting her completely off the ground. His grip was iron, unbreakable, crushing the life from her with methodical precision. Her feet dangled uselessly in the air.

The magical scalpel had fallen from her hand, clattering across the floor.

Morgath's eyes were wide—not with anger or arrogance, but with genuine confusion. Disbelief. As if she couldn't comprehend what was happening even as she choked in his grasp.