Alpha's STOLEN Mate Chapter 22

Elowen

Moonlight spilled across the red earth like liquid silver as I raced through the barren hills in my wolf form. My white fur caught the pale light, creating an ethereal contrast against the rust-colored soil beneath my paws. Each stride carried me farther from the forest, farther from the danger I'd sensed closing in around Kaius and his beta.

*Why am I doing this?*

The question gnawed at me as I leaped across a narrow ravine, my enhanced abilities making the jump effortless. Kaius's safety had nothing to do with me anymore. If anything, I should be celebrating the fact that some rogue wolves might solve my mate problem permanently.

But the thought of him dying because of me—because those wolves had followed him to my territory—made something twist painfully in my chest. I didn't want him dead. I just wanted him gone. There was a difference, even if I couldn't quite articulate what it was.

*Besides,* I told myself as I splashed through a shallow stream, *I can't have him dying on my pack's doorstep. That would bring all kinds of unwanted attention.*

"Kaius is safe," Evelyn's voice suddenly materialized in my mind through our pack link. "They've escaped the pursuit. You can stop running now."

I skidded to a halt on a rocky outcropping, my chest heaving as relief flooded through me. *Relief? For him?*

*No,* I corrected myself firmly. *Relief that this mess is over. Now that he's escaped his little predicament, his survival is no longer my concern. There won't be any more rescue missions from me.*

Rather than dwell on that uncomfortable thought, I began the process of suppressing my scent completely. I'd deliberately let traces of my presence linger while leading Kaius away—just enough to keep him following the right trail. But now that he was safe, I wanted to disappear completely.

With my scent masked and my white wolf abilities fully engaged, I began manipulating the wind currents around me. What should have been a two-hour journey back to pack territory became a matter of minutes as I rode the air itself, leaping from one gust to another with supernatural grace.

By the time I shifted back to human form outside our pack house, I was exhausted but satisfied. Crisis averted, problem solved, and hopefully Kaius had learned his lesson about wandering into places he didn't belong.

I pushed through the front door and headed straight for my office, rubbing my neck where tension had gathered. All I wanted was a hot shower and about twelve hours of sleep.

But voices from my office made me pause. Through the partially open door, I could see Scarlett and Evelyn hunched over my desk, staring intently at something that cast an eerie blue glow across their faces.

*A scrying crystal. Of course.*

I pushed the door open to find them watching images flickering across the surface of one of Evelyn's larger crystal balls. The scene showed two figures in what looked like a heated argument beside a stopped vehicle.

"I'm exhausted," I announced, crossing my arms. "Since they've already left, you can shut down your little surveillance operation."

Evelyn looked up with a grin that was far too pleased for my liking. "Oh, I spent way too much magical energy opening this connection to just shut it down now. I wasn't just watching to make sure they escaped—I want to see what happens next!"

Scarlett looked confused. "What else could happen? They got away, right?"

I moved closer to the crystal despite myself, squinting at the images. "Hell no! I don't want to watch that arrogant bastard for another second. He can barely save himself, and he thinks he can capture me? Dream on!" I reached toward the crystal ball. "Turn it off!"

"Wait!" Evelyn suddenly straightened, pointing at the swirling images. "Look at this!"

All three of us leaned in to see Kaius and Frost in what appeared to be an intense argument. Kaius was gesticulating wildly while Frost seemed to be trying to calm him down.

"I can't hear anything," I muttered, frustrated by the silent images.

Evelyn wiped sweat from her forehead, looking drained. "I'm running on fumes here. Visual only is about all I can manage. And the image quality is going to get worse—do you have any idea how much energy I spend daily maintaining our protective barriers?"

The crystal's surface began to flicker and blur, as if the connection was weakening.

"No, no, no!" Scarlett suddenly grabbed Evelyn's hand. "Please, just a little longer! I'll cook you that five-course meal with the honey-glazed duck, the truffle risotto, the chocolate soufflé—the whole thing!"

Evelyn's eyes lit up with renewed interest. "Well, when you put it like that... I suppose I can find a little more energy. Seems I'm not the only one who wants to watch this drama unfold."

The image sharpened again, just in time for us to see Kaius physically shoving Frost into the passenger seat and taking control of the steering wheel himself.

"Oh shit," Scarlett breathed. "He's not seriously going to—"

"I know exactly where he's headed," Evelyn said with obvious glee.

My stomach dropped as I watched Kaius turn the vehicle around and drive straight back toward the forest where the rogue wolves were waiting. "You fucking idiot!" I exploded, my hands clenching into fists.

"Now that's interesting," Evelyn commented, studying my face rather than the crystal. "Your expression suggests you're very worried about him dying. Almost like you care what happens to him."

"It's his own stupid fault!" I snapped, crossing my arms defensively. "Nothing to do with me!"

But my eyes remained glued to the crystal as Kaius drove directly back into danger. The rogue wolves were clearly prepared for his return—their vehicles formed a perfect ambush formation as he approached.

Scarlett stood up abruptly, her face serious. "Look, I know the way he conquered packs was brutal, and his methods with rogue wolves are pretty ruthless. But these rogues are using ambush tactics and superior firepower. That goes against my principles." She looked at me directly. "Elowen, he is your mate. If you're willing to help, I could take a team and—"

"Save it!" I cut her off. "I already helped him once today. I'm not responsible for his stupidity now. Besides, if he dies, it'll finally break this damned bond and I'll be free!"

Even as I said the words, they tasted like ash in my mouth.

On the crystal's surface, we watched Kaius drive straight into the ambush. The rogue wolves opened fire immediately—mounted machine guns tearing through metal and glass as the vehicle exploded in a fireball.

"Oh!" The exclamation escaped me before I could stop it, my hand flying to my throat.

"Looks like someone is concerned after all," Evelyn observed dryly.

I ignored her, staring intently at the swirling smoke and flames. "Are they—did they—"

"There!" Evelyn pointed to a section of the crystal. "I can see movement!"

Two wolf forms had emerged from the wreckage and were moving with deadly precision through the chaos. A massive black wolf—unmistakably Kaius—and a smaller gray wolf that had to be Frost. They moved like a coordinated unit, attacking the rogue motorcycles with surgical efficiency.

"They're taking out the motorcycle riders first—smart strategy," Scarlett observed, studying their movements with interest.

We watched in fascination as the two wolves systematically eliminated the lighter, more mobile threats. Frost leaped onto the back of one motorcycle, snapping the rider's neck with brutal efficiency before disappearing into the rocky terrain.

But then the remaining vehicles turned their full firepower on Kaius. The black wolf was forced into the open, weaving desperately between bursts of machine gun fire. The terrain offered little cover—just bare red earth and scattered rocks.

"He's buying time," Scarlett said with professional appreciation. "He knows charging those guns directly would be suicide."

The tactic was working. While Kaius drew their attention, dodging and weaving with supernatural speed, Frost was able to eliminate another gunner from behind.

But even Kaius's incredible reflexes had limits. I watched in growing horror as he stumbled, his left hind leg buckling as a burst of gunfire found its mark.

*No.*

The thought hit me like a physical blow. My wolf surged to the surface, snarling with protective fury that I didn't understand and couldn't control. For a moment, I wanted nothing more than to tear through that crystal ball and rip apart every rogue wolf threatening him.

*What the hell is wrong with me?*

Just as the machine gunners prepared to finish off the wounded black wolf, something extraordinary happened. Frost's gray form began to change—growing larger, his eyes turning blood-red as raw power radiated from his body.

"Holy shit," Scarlett whispered. "Look at him go!"

The transformed Frost moved like a force of nature, his enhanced size and strength allowing him to literally flip the armed vehicles. Machine guns scattered as the heavy trucks rolled over, their operators thrown clear and forced to shift into wolf form for close combat.

That was when Kaius showed why he was the Alpha King. Injured leg or not, the moment the fight became wolf-to-wolf combat, he and Frost began a systematic slaughter that was both beautiful and terrifying to watch.

Unlike the cold brutality I'd witnessed when he killed that pup, this violence felt different. Justified. These rogues had come prepared for war, and they were getting exactly what they'd asked for.

"Damn," Scarlett breathed, her warrior's heart clearly impressed. "That gray wolf is incredible! The way he enhanced his size and power in the middle of combat—I need to learn how to do that!"

"Ask him later," Evelyn mumbled, slumping in her chair with exhaustion. "I'm completely drained. No more crystal ball shows tonight." She looked at me with knowing eyes. "How does it feel knowing your mate survived?"

"Relieved that he won't be my problem anymore," I said quickly, then caught myself. "Well, I mean... as long as he's alive, he won't give up hunting me. But at least he's injured now—that should buy me some time."

But even as I spoke the words, I couldn't shake the memory of how my heart had stopped when I thought he might die. Or the surge of vicious satisfaction I'd felt watching him tear apart the wolves who'd dared to threaten him.