Alpha's STOLEN Mate Chapter 24

Kaius

Frost was indeed waiting in the study when I finally made my way downstairs, though he didn't look up from the documents spread across the desk when I entered.

"You took long enough," he said without lifting his head. "In the time you spent getting patched up, showering, and brooding about your mate, I managed to complete a full analysis of today's attack."

*Fuck. He knows I was thinking about Elowen.* Of course Frost would see right through me—the bastard was too perceptive for his own good. I shook my head, forcing myself to focus on the present. For some reason, I suddenly felt the urge to share a drink with my beta. Maybe it was the aftermath of nearly dying, or maybe I just needed something to dull the edge of this restless energy.

I moved to the liquor cabinet, retrieving a bottle of aged whiskey and two crystal glasses. The amber liquid caught the firelight as I poured, creating warm pools of light in the cut crystal.

"Fair enough," I said, offering Frost one glass while keeping the other for myself. "So what did your analysis turn up?" I took a sip, letting the burn ground me. "Let me guess—they'd been watching us for days. Waiting until we were isolated and vulnerable. And judging by their military-grade equipment and professional coordination, they're backed by resources far beyond what typical rogue packs could afford."

Frost finally looked up, a slight smile playing at his lips. "That's the first intelligent thing you've said all day. Finally decided to use that brain of yours?"

I grimaced, settling into the chair across from him. Today had been a series of increasingly poor decisions driven by obsession rather than strategy. I couldn't really argue with his assessment.

Frost reached into a leather portfolio, producing a series of photographs that he spread across the desktop. "Let's look at specifics. These vehicles were modified Ravager ATVs—military spec, about fifty thousand each. The motorcycles were custom Hellhound interceptors, another thirty thousand per unit. And these weapons..." He pointed to close-up shots of the mounted guns. "M249 SAWs with silver-core ammunition. We're looking at a minimum operational cost of half a million for this one ambush."

I studied the images, feeling my eyebrows rise despite myself. "Jesus. That's more than some packs spend on equipment in a decade."

"Exactly," Frost said, leaning back in his chair. "This wasn't some opportunistic attack by desperate rogues. This was a coordinated military operation funded by someone with serious resources."

The implications were staggering. I set down my whiskey, the pleasant burn forgotten as the reality of our situation crystallized.

"So like you suspected before," I said slowly, "some of the alphas still see me as a threat worth eliminating. The question is which ones have both the resources and the balls to try something this direct."

Frost nodded gravely. "I can't point fingers without concrete evidence. But this operation matches the intelligence patterns I've been monitoring. Someone with military connections and deep pockets finally made their move. Today's ambush perfectly confirmed my suspicions."

I studied Frost's expression—the calm, almost satisfied way he delivered that last line. There was no surprise in his eyes, no shock at how close we'd come to dying. Just the look of someone whose theory had been proven correct. A cold realization began creeping up my spine.

"Wait, wait, wait!" I said, my voice rising with incredulous anger. "Don't you fucking tell me you suspected there might be an ambush today and we went anyway!"

Frost didn't deny it, didn't even have the grace to look guilty. Instead, he met my gaze directly, his blue eyes steady and unrepentant.

"I knew I couldn't talk you out of hunting for Elowen," he said evenly. "So I decided to accompany you and hope our enemies would make a move. I needed you to see firsthand that our threats aren't just paranoid fantasies. Sometimes the only way to prove danger exists is to let it show its teeth."

I shot to my feet, anger flaring hot and immediate. "We almost fucking died out there! If you suspected an ambush, you could have warned me, brought more backup—"

"And what?" Frost interrupted, his own voice rising. "You would have believed me if I told you a group of rogues had military-grade weapons? You would have postponed your obsessive hunt long enough to take proper precautions?"

His words hit like physical blows because they were true. I would have dismissed his concerns, probably accused him of trying to delay me with paranoid theories.

"Besides," Frost continued, his tone growing colder, "I wasn't going in unprepared. I used the Primal Echo Brew before we left."

The words hit me like a sledgehammer. I stared at him, momentarily speechless, as the implications crashed over me.

"You used what?" I managed, my voice barely above a whisper.

Frost's expression remained impassive. "The Primal Echo Brew. It's an ancient enhancement that—"

"I know what it fucking is!" I exploded, grabbing him by the shoulders and hauling him to his feet. "That's forbidden magic! The Elders banned it centuries ago because of the side effects!"

The Primal Echo Brew was legendary among our kind—a potent concoction that could multiply a wolf's size and strength tenfold, temporarily unlocking the primal power that had been diluted over generations of civilization. But it came with a terrible price.

"You could have died," I continued, my grip tightening on his shirt. "That stuff doesn't just enhance your abilities—it burns through your life force! How many years did you sacrifice for one afternoon of enhanced combat effectiveness?"

Frost allowed me to shake him, his expression never changing. "The side effects aren't death, so you don't need to worry about losing your Beta anytime soon. And considering we're apparently surrounded by enemies with unlimited resources, I'd say the trade-off was worthwhile."

"That's not the point!" I roared, my control finally snapping completely. "You made that decision without consulting me! You risked your life based on a theory!"

"A theory that proved correct," Frost shot back, his own composure finally cracking. "And maybe if you'd shown even a hint of strategic thinking instead of charging blindly after your mate, I wouldn't have needed to take such drastic measures!"

We stood there glaring at each other, both breathing hard, the air between us crackling with tension. This was the closest we'd ever come to an actual fight, and part of me was furious enough to let it happen.

But then I really looked at him—this man who had spent the entire day thinking three steps ahead, who had risked using forbidden magic to protect me, who had orchestrated everything from the investigation to the backup plan, all while I charged around like an obsessed fool. Even now, in the middle of our confrontation, his concern was for the pack, for our enemies, for threats I was too blind to see.

Everything he'd done today had been for me. For us. And here I was, raging at him for the crime of caring enough to keep me alive.

The fight went out of me all at once.

I released him and stepped back, running my hands through my hair. Moving to the liquor cabinet, I poured myself another whiskey and downed it in one burning gulp, then poured another.

"Sorry," I said quietly, sinking into my chair with a heavy sigh. "You're right about everything. But fuck, Frost... the moment I catch her scent, I lose all rational thought. My wolf goes wild, my heart races, and I can't think of anything except getting to her."

Frost's expression softened as he watched me struggle with the admission. He moved to his own chair, settling down with graceful ease.

"I'm not asking you to abandon your mate," he said, his voice taking on that gentle, knowing tone that made him such an effective counselor. "I understand that your bond is strengthening. I can see how the inability to properly claim her is tearing you apart."

Something warm flickered in my chest at his understanding.

"But right now," Frost continued, leaning forward slightly, his blue eyes holding mine with quiet intensity, "I need you to focus on protecting our pack. As for your beloved mate..." His lips curved in a slight smile, and his voice took on an almost musical quality.

"This time, we'll find her my way."