Alpha's STOLEN Mate Chapter 175

Elowen

Three months.

It had been three months since that blood-soaked day in the vampire territory. Three months since I'd watched Kaius fall, his hand still wrapped around Zane's crushed heart, his final words echoing through the mate bond before it went silent forever.

*My Queen. I love you. You will always be my Queen.*

I stood before the mirror in what used to be our shared chambers, adjusting the silver circlet on my head—the symbol of my sole reign. The room felt too large now. Too quiet. But I'd learned to live with the emptiness, to fill it with purpose instead of grief.

The past three months had been a whirlwind. After Frost carried me back from vampire territory—broken, bleeding, and screaming Kaius's name—I'd had exactly two days to mourn before duty demanded I rise. The kingdom needed a ruler. The pack needed an Alpha. And with Kaius gone, that responsibility fell entirely on my shoulders.

So I'd done what he would have wanted. I'd stood before the Council of Elders and claimed my right to rule alone. Not as a regent. Not as a temporary placeholder. But as Queen in my own right.

Some had protested, of course. Whispers about a female ruling without a mate, about the "unnatural" state of affairs. But those whispers died quickly when I led our warriors back to vampire territory and systematically eliminated every one of Zane's remaining loyalists. The other vampire lords, eager to distance themselves from Zane's madness, had actually helped—offering intelligence, safe passage, even troops to assist in the purge.

Turned out that Zane had been universally hated among his own kind. Who knew?

With the vampire threat neutralized, I'd turned my attention inward. Reformed the Council. Established diplomatic relations with the witches—Evelyn had been instrumental there, despite her complicated feelings about her mother's death. Even opened talks with the human settlements on our borders.

And most importantly—most revolutionary—I'd abolished the omega system entirely.

That had caused an uproar. But I'd stood firm. No more slaves. No more breeding programs. No more wolves treated as property. Every member of the pack, regardless of their birth rank, would be valued and respected.

Kaius would have been proud.

*Stop. Don't think about what he would have felt. Focus on what needs to be done.*

Today marked my twelfth visit to his grave. I'd gone every week without fail, rain or shine, bringing fresh flowers and updates on the kingdom. Talking to a headstone like he could hear me.

Pathetic, maybe. But necessary.

"Your Majesty?" Frost's voice came from the doorway. "They're ready when you are."

I turned to find him standing there with Scarlett at his side, both of them dressed simply for the journey. Behind them, Evelyn lounged against the doorframe, twirling a flower between her fingers.

"Let's go then," I said, my voice steady. "I have a lot to tell him today."

---

The path to the royal cemetery wound through a grove of silver birch trees, their white bark gleaming in the afternoon sun. It was peaceful here. Quiet. A good place for a king to rest.

Kaius's grave sat on a small hill overlooking the pack lands—at his own request, apparently, written in a will I'd discovered weeks after his death. He'd wanted to watch over the territory even in death.

Sentimental bastard.

"You know," Evelyn said as we walked, her tone deliberately light, "every time we come here, I'm still amazed that Kaius actually managed to kill Zane. That vampire was practically immortal. Enhanced by my bloodline, centuries of experience, Blood Lord transformation—and your mate still tore out his heart with his bare hands."

"Evelyn," Scarlett hissed. "Maybe don't—"

"It's fine," I interrupted, surprising them both. "Really. I'm not going to fall apart every time someone mentions how he died." I managed a small smile. "Besides, I want to hear about it. About him. About how incredibly, stupidly, magnificently brave he was."

Frost made a sound that might have been a choked laugh. "My Queen, you're... you're handling this much better than before."

"Before, I was drowning," I said simply. "You three threw me a rope—made me focus on ruling, on rebuilding, on being the Queen he believed I could be. I'm not going to dishonor that by wallowing forever."

We reached the grave, and I knelt to place my bouquet of white roses against the headstone. Simple inscription: *Kaius. King. Mate. Hero.*

"Though I do miss him," I added quietly. "Every single day."

Frost placed his own flowers—mountain lilies, Kaius's favorite. "He knew, you know. At the end. Through the bond. He felt your love. Felt that you'd be okay."

"I hope so." I traced the letters of his name with one finger. "I really hope so."

Scarlett and Evelyn added their bouquets, and for a moment we all just stood there in companionable silence.

Then Evelyn, because she was Evelyn, couldn't help herself.

"So," she said, flopping down on the grass beside the grave like we were at a picnic instead of a cemetery. "Speaking of being okay—the kingdom is actually thriving. Exports are up, crime is down, and apparently the other packs are calling this the 'Golden Age of the White Wolf.' Not bad for three months of work."

"Don't forget the part where she accidentally started a minor religious movement," Scarlett added, sitting down more carefully. "Half the pack now believes she's blessed by the Moon Goddess herself."

I groaned. "That's not my fault. I just abolished slavery and gave everyone equal rights. Basic decency shouldn't be considered divine intervention."

"And yet." Evelyn grinned. "Here we are."

Frost settled himself against a nearby tree, long legs stretched out. "The kingdom is in good hands. Better than good. I think..." He paused, choosing his words carefully. "I think it's time we celebrated that. Acknowledged that while we've lost someone irreplaceable, we've also built something worth protecting."

"A party?" I raised an eyebrow. "At a gravesite? Frost, that's—"

"Actually a brilliant idea," Evelyn interrupted. "Not here, obviously. But soon. A celebration of new beginnings. New leadership. New—" Her eyes lit up with mischief. "—new unions?"

Scarlett went very still beside her. "Evelyn, don't you dare—"

"Oh, I dare." Evelyn turned to me with an absolutely wicked smile. "Your Majesty, when exactly are you going to make an honest woman out of your Beta's mate? These two have been doing the 'will they won't they' dance for months now, and frankly, it's getting boring."

"We are not—" Scarlett started.

"You literally share a bed every night," I pointed out.

"That's not—we're just—" Scarlett's face was turning an impressive shade of red.

Frost, to his credit, just laughed. "She's right, you know. We should probably make it official."

Scarlett rounded on him. "Did you just propose to me in front of the late King's grave?"

"Technically, Evelyn proposed for me," Frost said mildly. "But yes?"

I couldn't help it—I started laughing. Real, genuine laughter that I hadn't felt in months. "Oh Goddess, this is perfect. Yes. Yes! We're having a wedding. A proper royal wedding with all the ceremonies and celebrations." I pointed at Frost and Scarlett. "You two are getting married, and I'm going to be the officiant."

"I want to write the vows!" Evelyn bounced excitedly. "Oh, I have so many ideas—"

"Absolutely not," Scarlett said firmly. "Your vows would be completely inappropriate."

"That's what makes them fun!" Evelyn was already pulling out a small notebook. "Okay, how about this—'Do you, Frost, take Scarlett to be your lawfully wedded wife? To have and to hold, to support her emotionally and satisfy her physically, to always warm her side of the bed and never leave her sexually frustrated for more than three consecutive days—'"

"EVELYN!"

Scarlett lunged for her, but Evelyn danced away, still reciting. "—'To worship her body with the devotion of a religious zealot, to never fake a headache when she's in the mood, to learn the exact location and proper stimulation of her—'"

"I'm going to kill you!"

"—'to experiment with new positions at least twice a month, to never judge her kinks—'"

Frost was laughing so hard he'd slid down the tree trunk. I was doubled over, tears streaming down my face—tears of mirth this time, not grief.

Scarlett finally caught Evelyn and they went tumbling to the ground in a tangle of limbs and laughter, Evelyn shrieking protests while Scarlett tried to grab the notebook.

"You're both terrible!" Scarlett managed between laughs. "Absolutely terrible!"

"But you love us," Evelyn sing-songed, wiggling out of Scarlett's grip.

"Debatable," Scarlett muttered, but she was smiling now too.

I watched them—my found family, my closest friends, my anchors through the darkest time of my life—and felt something warm expand in my chest. Not happiness, exactly. Not yet. But something close. Something like hope.

My eyes drifted back to the headstone. To Kaius's name carved in stone.

*I miss you,* I thought. *Every hour of every day, I miss you. But I'm doing what you asked. I'm being their Queen. Our Queen. I'm protecting what we built together.*

"So," Evelyn said, still sprawled on the grass with her hair full of leaves, "are we doing this wedding or what? Because I have seventeen more verses prepared, and they get progressively more explicit."

"We're doing it," Frost confirmed, pulling Scarlett up and into his arms despite her half-hearted protests. "Though perhaps we'll workshop the vows a bit."

"Boring," Evelyn declared.

"Appropriate," Scarlett countered.

"Two weeks from now," I announced. "That gives us time to plan something worthy of my Beta and his mate. Something joyful. Something—" I smiled. "—something that celebrates life instead of mourning death."

Frost met my eyes over Scarlett's head. "Thank you, my Queen."

"Don't thank me yet. Wait until you see what Evelyn puts in those vows."

"Hey!" Evelyn protested. "I'll have you know my vows are works of art! Poetry! Sacred texts of matrimonial—"

"Smut," Scarlett finished. "You're writing smut."

"Poetic smut!"

I watched them bicker, warmth spreading through my chest.

But underneath that warmth, a familiar ache stirred. Kaius should be here, making terrible jokes and pretending to be scandalized by Evelyn's suggestions.

He should see his Beta get married. He should be here.

"I'm tired," I said suddenly. "Let's head back. I need to rest."