Alpha's STOLEN Mate Chapter 20

Kaius

The morning light streaming through the tall windows caught the deep navy of my dress shirt as I adjusted the silver cufflinks with practiced precision. The charcoal suit jacket hung perfectly across my shoulders, tailored to emphasize every line of muscle earned through years of warfare. My reflection stared back from the mirror—storm-gray eyes sharp as blades, dark hair swept back to showcase the brutal angles of my face.

*Let's see what pathetic excuse for a male thinks he can touch what's mine.*

The thought burned through me like acid, chasing away the last remnants of guilt from my conversation with Elowen's parents. Yes, I felt responsible for driving her away—twice. But that didn't change the fundamental truth: she was still my mate. The bond she'd refused to sever four years ago made that crystal clear.

"Indeed, what male could possibly compete with you?" Frost's amused voice drifted from the doorway.

I spun around, annoyed that my thoughts had been so transparent. "I wasn't—"

"Please," Frost interrupted with that infuriating smile of his. "You've been preening in front of that mirror for the past ten minutes. Either you're planning to seduce someone, or you're imagining what you'll look like when you tear apart whoever dared to kiss your mate."

Rather than dignify that observation with a response, I stalked past him toward the study. The massive windows offered a commanding view of the mountain peaks that stretched to the horizon, their snow-capped summits gleaming like weapons in the morning sun. I braced my hands against the windowsill, letting the sight of my domain steady my racing pulse.

"I'm not jealous of anyone," I said, my voice deadly quiet. "But she is still my fucking mate. She didn't accept my rejection four years ago, which means she belongs to me. No one else gets to touch what's mine."

Frost moved to stand beside me, his reflection joining mine in the glass. "Oh, my dear Alpha King," he said with obvious amusement, "but you do realize that everything that's happened is entirely your fault? If you want to blame someone for this situation, you should start with the wolf in the mirror."

I turned to face him, my hands clenching into fists. "You think I forced her to jump off that cliff? Forced her to run away?"

"Didn't you?" Frost's tone remained conversational, but there was steel underneath. "You rejected her publicly, imprisoned her, and then murdered a defenseless pup in front of her. What exactly did you expect her to do? Thank you?"

"That woman is too fucking stubborn for her own good!" I snarled, beginning to pace. "If I find her again, I'm locking her up somewhere she can't run. Somewhere she has to listen to reason instead of throwing herself off cliffs like a dramatic child."

"Charming approach," Frost said dryly. "I'm sure that will win her heart."

I shot him a warning look, but he seemed entirely unimpressed by my attempt at intimidation.

"Although I must admit, I'm curious about something," he continued, settling into one of the leather chairs with infuriating casualness. "You've had four years to search for her. Four years during which you showed absolutely no interest in tracking down your supposedly precious mate. So why the sudden obsession now?"

The question hit too close to home. I'd been asking myself the same thing since that moment on the cliff when I'd watched her white form disappear into empty air. Why hadn't I searched for her before? Why had it taken seeing her again to make me realize what I'd lost?

"Don't ask questions you don't want answered," I said instead, my voice carrying enough menace to make lesser wolves submit.

But Frost just shrugged, apparently immune to my intimidation tactics. "Fair enough. Though I hope when you do find her, you'll try actually courting her instead of just relying on the mate bond. Some she-wolves prefer to be wooed rather than claimed through supernatural compulsion."

"My good beta," I said through gritted teeth, "I accepted you as my second-in-command because of your strategic mind and intelligence. Not to receive relationship advice."

"Noted," Frost replied with a grin. "Now, shall we focus on the practical matter of actually finding your wayward mate? Because I can assure you, locating a white wolf who's managed to stay hidden for four years isn't going to be simple."

He had a point. I moved to my desk, pulling out detailed maps of our territory and the surrounding regions. "She doesn't smell like a rogue," I muttered, spreading the parchment across the surface. "If she's been able to hide herself this completely, grow this powerful, there has to be a pack supporting her. A significant one."

"Already considered that," Frost said, rising to examine the maps. "I've had discrete inquiries made with every major pack within a hundred-mile radius. No trace of her, and no rumors of any legendary white wolves taking refuge with established alphas."

"Then where the hell could she be?" I demanded, frustrated.

Frost's smile turned knowing. "Think about it, Kaius. Given her abilities, her obvious leadership qualities, her sheer force of will... what do you think she became during those four years of exile?"

I paused, remembering the way she'd carried herself during our fight. The absolute confidence, the strategic thinking, the way she'd commanded respect even from my own warriors when they'd seen her white wolf form. That wasn't the behavior of a follower.

"Fuck," I breathed, the realization hitting me like a physical blow. "She's an Alpha. She has the presence, the strength, the bloody-minded determination to lead her own pack."

"Exactly," Frost confirmed. "The question is: where?"

I stared down at the maps, feeling the pieces click into place. "She founded her own pack. Somewhere hidden, somewhere we wouldn't think to look..."

"Remember that peculiar entry in the attendance records?" Frost asked casually, producing a leather-bound ledger from inside his jacket. "The Silent Forest Pack? Five consecutive absences, creative excuses, and a leader who's never once shown her face at our assemblies?" He flipped through a few pages. "According to our records, they've claimed the Ashen Barrens as their domain."

My head snapped up, confusion creasing my brow. "The Silent Forest Pack... occupies the Ashen Barrens? How does that even make sense?"

"Exactly my point," Frost said, opening the ledger to a specific page. "That's precisely why I think this territory is worth investigating—especially when you consider the geographical anomaly."

"What anomaly?"

Frost moved to the large cabinet against the far wall, retrieving a thick tome bound in weathered leather. "The Territorial Survey of the Northern Kingdoms, compiled by the Council of Elders fifty years ago. Every major landmark, resource, and settlement mapped in precise detail."

He flipped through pages covered in meticulous handwriting and detailed illustrations until he found what he was looking for.

"Here," he said, pointing to a specific entry. "The Ashen Barrens. According to these records, the Silent Forest Pack claims territory in a volcanic valley where nothing can grow. No vegetation, no water sources, temperatures that would kill most wildlife. The survey notes specifically mention that the area is 'uninhabitable for extended periods' and 'devoid of resources necessary to sustain a wolf pack.'"

I leaned over the page, studying the precise notations and detailed geographical descriptions. Everything about the location screamed impossibility.

"How the hell does a pack survive in a place like that?" I muttered.

"They don't," Frost said simply. "Unless something very unusual is happening there. Something that would require... supernatural intervention."

The implications hit me like a thunderbolt. I straightened, a fierce grin spreading across my face.

"Of course it would be something impossible," I said, laughing despite myself. "Nothing about that woman has ever made sense. She goes from being unable to shift to becoming the rarest wolf bloodline in existence. She survives torture that should have killed her, jumps off a cliff that should have been certain death, and now she's apparently leading a pack in a wasteland where nothing should be able to live."

"It does seem rather on-brand for her," Frost agreed with obvious amusement.

I was already moving toward the door, my mind racing with possibilities. "Cancel my afternoon appointments. We're taking a reconnaissance party to the Ashen Barrens."