Alpha's STOLEN Mate Chapter 156

Elowen

Today was the day Evelyn was supposed to leave—off on her grand adventure to vampire territory, chasing whatever happiness or freedom she thought she'd find there. Part of me was genuinely excited for her, truly. She deserved to explore, to break free from everything that had been holding her back.

But God, I was going to miss her. More than I wanted to admit.

That's why I'd dragged myself out of bed before dawn, even though every muscle in my body protested after last night with Kaius. I'd carefully wrapped a farewell gift—something I'd spent weeks thinking about, something meaningful she could carry with her. I wanted to see her off properly, to give her a send-off worthy of our friendship.

The wrapped package sat on my dresser, ribbons perfectly tied. I was reaching for it, mentally rehearsing what I'd say, when Scarlett burst through the door without knocking.

"Elowen!" She was waving a sealed envelope frantically, her expression caught somewhere between confusion and concern. "You won't believe this—Evelyn already left! Like, she's gone! Just disappeared without saying goodbye to anyone!"

She thrust the letter toward me like it might explode. "She only left this behind. Look at the front—'To my two best friends.' Can you believe it?"

I set down the gift slowly, staring at the envelope with growing unease. The handwriting was definitely Evelyn's—messy, confident, with that characteristic flourish on the capital letters.

"Wait, she left a letter?" I took it from Scarlett's trembling hands, turning it over. "That doesn't sound like Evelyn at all. Since when does our impulsive, act-first-think-never witch bother with written goodbyes?"

Scarlett laughed, though it sounded forced, slightly hysterical. "Right? If anything, I expected her to spontaneously decide at three in the morning that she was leaving and just portal away without telling anyone! But writing an actual letter? Planning ahead? That's..." She trailed off, frowning. "That's actually really thoughtful. Maybe she's finally growing up?"

"Maybe." But doubt gnawed at my stomach. Something about this felt wrong.

Scarlett leaned over my shoulder, practically vibrating with anticipation. "Come on, open it already! I'm dying to know what she wrote!"

I broke the wax seal—deep purple, Evelyn's favorite color—and carefully unfolded the parchment.

The letter's content was cheerful, almost breezy:

---

*My dearest friends!*

*By the time you read this, I'll already be on the road with Zane, heading into vampire territory. I know this seems sudden, but this trip is about experiencing true freedom—real freedom for the first time in my life!*

*I finally had that conversation with Arabella like we talked about. It's done. We've cut ties completely, and honestly? I feel lighter already. Free! I'm finally free of her!*

*Oh, and about Faelan—our breakup probably hit him harder than he let on. Could you check on him for me? Make sure he's okay? Thanks!*

*I know you're probably wondering why I didn't say goodbye in person. The truth is, I'm too cool for tearful farewells, and this journey is something I need to do alone. Completely alone. Just me figuring things out, you know? Solo!*

*I'll miss you both so much, but I need this.*

*Love, 

Evelyn*

*P.S. - Don't wait up! This could take a while... quite a while...*

---

At the bottom was a strange, incomplete symbol.

---

Something felt wrong.

"She sounds happy, doesn't she?" Scarlett smiled, eyes glistening. "God, I'm jealous sometimes! To just pack up and leave like that, so free..."

"Yeah..." I stared at the letter, my unease growing. "Too perfect, actually."

Scarlett looked at me, confused. "What do you mean?"

"This letter..." I traced the lines with my finger. "It's so... organized. Structured. She explains everything—where she's going, why she confronted Arabella, asks us to check on Faelan, even apologizes for not saying goodbye in person." I looked up at Scarlett. "When has Evelyn ever been this thoughtful and thorough?"

"Well, maybe she's finally being responsible?" Scarlett offered weakly.

"Scarlett, if this was really Evelyn being spontaneous, she'd scribble two messy sentences and disappear." I gestured at the neat paragraphs. "This reads like... like someone carefully composing a letter to cover all bases. To make sure we wouldn't worry or ask questions."

Scarlett frowned, reading it again more carefully. "I mean, it does sound like her though?"

"Maybe." My eyes lingered on the postscript. Something about that line—'don't wait up, this could take a while'—left a sour taste in my mouth. Like she was trying too hard to keep us away.

But maybe I was just overthinking it. Reading problems into nothing because I didn't want her to leave.

The scent hit me suddenly. Lavender.

Faint but distinct, wafting up from the parchment like invisible smoke. Common enough—nothing unusual about lavender.

Except my body reacted like I'd been struck by lightning.

The letter ignited in my hands—not literally, but the psychic heat was so intense I nearly dropped it. My fingers didn't burn, my skin wasn't scorched, but every nerve ending screamed *danger*.

*This isn't physical. This is something else entirely.*

Then it hit me like a tsunami.

Not emotions—*echoes*. Psychic imprints carved into the parchment with such brutal force they'd crystallized into the paper itself, waiting dormant for the right person to unlock them. And I was that person.

Fear slammed into me first—sharp and metallic, the kind that makes your mouth go dry and your heart forget how to beat properly. Then urgency, pressing down on my chest like a physical weight, crushing the air from my lungs.

Images flickered behind my eyes—half-memories, half-visions transmitted through touch:

*Evelyn hunched over this very letter, quill trembling in her grip. Her head snapping toward the door every three seconds, pupils dilated with terror. Writing with forced casualness while panic clawed at her throat. The desperate need to finish before someone discovered what she was doing—*

The psychic assault was so strong my knees buckled. I hit the floor hard.

"Elowen!" Scarlett was beside me instantly, hands on my shoulders. "What's wrong?!"

I thrust the letter at her with shaking hands. "Lavender—do you smell it?"

She sniffed the parchment carefully, then shook her head. "No? There's nothing—"

"The imprints—" My voice came out thin, breathless. "Can you feel what she carved into it? The fear?"

Scarlett's confusion deepened. "Elowen, what are you talking about? Letters can't store feelings!"

"There's targeted magic on this!" I struggled to my feet, legs still unsteady. "Keyed specifically to trigger for me—for the White Wolf." My hands were still shaking. "The fear, the terror I felt—it was embedded in the parchment itself!"

I grabbed Scarlett's arms, meeting her eyes. "She wasn't excited when she wrote this. She was terrified. More scared than I've ever felt from her—and you know Evelyn doesn't scare easily!"

Scarlett stared at the letter, then back at me. "But... what does this mean? Why would there be magic on it?"

"I don't know." I steadied myself against the dresser, still shaken. "I can't tell if Evelyn put it there herself as a warning, or if someone else left a trace."

My fists clenched. "But one thing I know for certain—there's something deeply wrong here. That fear I felt? That wasn't normal anxiety about leaving. That was terror."

Scarlett's face drained of color, the full implication hitting her. "Oh God. So this cheerful letter—this whole 'going on adventure' thing—it's all fake?" Panic crept into her voice. "She's in actual trouble and we just let her walk out! Fuck! We can't abandon her—she's our family!"

"We won't." I cut through her rising panic with absolute certainty, my voice steel. "We're going to find her."

Scarlett's jaw set with determination. "Where do we even start? Eastern vampire territory is massive—hundreds of miles!"

"I don't know yet." I looked down at the letter, at Evelyn's handwriting that seemed too careful, too composed—all of it screaming hidden distress beneath the cheerful surface. "But we'll figure it out."

I met Scarlett's eyes, letting her see my unwavering resolve.

"Whatever she's facing, she won't face it alone. We're bringing our witch home."