Alpha's STOLEN Mate Chapter 67

Kaius

Elowen led us to what I'd assumed would be a simple office, but the moment I stepped through the door, I froze in astonishment.

This was a full military command center. The room's centerpiece was an elaborate tactical sand table that displayed detailed topography of the entire region—every pack territory, every forest, every mountain range rendered in miniature with stunning accuracy.

But what truly caught my attention were the dozens of red flags planted across the surface, each accompanied by meticulous handwritten notes: *Enhanced wolf - observed 2am, regenerative capabilities confirmed. Magic signature: necromantic.* Another read: *Pack of five - lightning-fast coordination, immune to silver weapons, disappeared via portal.*

The most prominent marker sat between my territory and Elowen's—a cave system marked in bold letters: **MYSTERIOUS CAVE. EXTREME DANGER. DO NOT APPROACH.**

I couldn't help but stare, impressed despite myself. This level of intelligence gathering would put my own military advisors to shame.

Elowen caught my expression and smiled slightly. "Sit down. The meeting is just beginning."

The three of us settled around the sand table, and I immediately pointed to the cave marker. "This mysterious cave—it's the source of those magical wolves?"

Elowen's expression turned grave as she nodded. "Yes. They emerge from there constantly, and they vanish back through some kind of portal transportation. The cave itself is incredibly dangerous—not just because of the enhanced wolves, but because the magical energy concentration around it is off the charts."

I nodded slowly, torn between admiration for her thorough research and distraction by how beautiful she looked when she was being serious and professional. *Focus, you idiot.*

My fingers drummed against the table as I thought aloud. "Magic. Always magic. This has to be connected to that witch I tracked in the forest."

Concern flashed across Elowen's face. "What witch? Tell me everything."

I recounted my encounter with the golden-masked witch—her escape through the dimensional portal, her taunting words about wolves being nothing but pets, her implied threats. I kept the summary brief, focusing on the key details.

When I finished, Elowen looked even more worried. "A witch that powerful and that insane? Fuck." She shook her head. "But what concerns me most isn't her strength—it's her ambition. Her endgame."

"Ambition?" I frowned. "She seems to be manipulating wolves, possibly experimenting on them. But what's her actual goal?"

Frost, who'd been silent and uncomfortable since entering the pack territory, finally spoke up. His voice was measured, analytical. "She has a larger agenda, I'm certain of it. This witch isn't aligned with any alpha, doesn't serve any particular pack, and isn't targeting just one group. From what I've observed..." He paused, choosing his words carefully. "She simply despises werewolves. All of them. This isn't political—it's pure species-based hatred."

"Fuck," I said sharply. "You're saying this is a war between wolves and another supernatural species entirely?"

Elowen shook her head slowly, her expression troubled. "Well, combining all our intelligence... it does look like we have a genuine common enemy here."

The weight of that realization settled over the room like a physical presence. Despite everything between us, despite our personal conflicts, we were facing something bigger than mate bonds and pack politics.

I couldn't help myself—I reached out and grasped Elowen's hand. "Don't worry. I'll handle them. Once we get through this crisis, we can—"

She yanked her hand back as if I'd burned her. "We're allies, Kaius! Please don't tell me your control freak tendencies are kicking in again. Stop trying to cop a feel whenever you get a chance! And don't bring up the mate thing right now!"

A slight flush crept up my neck. *Allies are just the beginning. You'll come around eventually. But I need to be patient—can't push too hard too fast.*

I reluctantly released her hand. "Right. Let's focus on what matters." I cleared my throat. "About this mastermind, this bitch witch—I do have one lead. I've already sent someone to investigate."

Elowen leaned forward with obvious interest. "What kind of—"

The door swung open, cutting her off mid-sentence. Evelyn swept in with her characteristic red-haired confidence, completely shattering the tense atmosphere.

"I heard someone calling a witch a bitch just now," she said with amusement. "Let's not get into discrimination territory here, shall we? Not all of us hate werewolves."

All three of us turned to stare at her in surprise.

Evelyn's smile widened. "Oh yes, exactly what you're thinking. There absolutely is a faction of witches who despise wolves unconditionally. They think everything about werewolf society is complete bullshit."

"When did you get here?" Elowen demanded. "And which witches are we talking about? This sounds serious."

Evelyn settled into a chair with casual grace. "We witches have different specializations, you see. I'm an illusionist. Then there are the medical practitioners—like Lysandra, though her research into forbidden drugs is... ethically questionable, she's fundamentally a healer at heart. Most of us coexist peacefully with werewolves in mutually beneficial arrangements." She paused dramatically. "But there's one group that almost nobody talks about..."

She stopped mid-sentence, deliberately leaving us hanging. I felt my frustration spike as she looked at each of us in turn with that fox-like smile, clearly enjoying our impatience.

"For fuck's sake, Evelyn!" Elowen exploded. "Finish the sentence!"

Evelyn's expression turned more serious. "They're called the Flesh-Weavers. A bloodline of witches living in remote, unknown locations. They've been isolated for generations."

The name alone made my skin crawl. Elowen actually shuddered.

"Yes," Evelyn confirmed, reading our reactions. "Exactly what the name implies. The Flesh-Weavers treat living bodies like fabric—something to be torn apart, rewoven, and restructured at will. They're masters of the darkest biological magic, far beyond what any conventional witch would dare attempt." Her voice dropped. "And they've always resented their circumstances, their isolation from mainstream magical society. If anyone has reason to hate werewolves and want to experiment on them..." She spread her hands. "I can't think of better candidates. Of course, this is just my theory based on recent research."

Elowen's fear transformed into indignation. "You talk for five minutes building up this terrifying picture, then admit you're just guessing?"

"Well," Evelyn shot back, "can you think of a more plausible explanation? Those enhanced wolves show clear signs of biological reconstruction and magical augmentation. The methodology screams Flesh-Weaver."

I nodded grimly, my mind racing through implications. *Fuck. Winning Elowen's heart might have to wait—first I need to survive a war against supernatural bio-engineers.* If these Flesh-Weavers were allied with Elder Matthias, even I couldn't guarantee victory.

Elowen sighed heavily, clearly trying to shake off the oppressive atmosphere. "Alright, enough doom and gloom. We'll find a way to deal with them. I'm starving—let's go eat."

As we all stood to leave, a sudden clatter at the doorway made everyone freeze. Something had fallen—it looked like a compact mirror.

I noticed Frost's expression shift to pure mortification. Sure enough, Scarlett suddenly burst through the door with forced casualness, looking flustered and—

I had to suppress a smile. Her makeup was noticeably smudged and hastily reapplied, like she'd been crying and tried to cover the evidence. Clearly she'd been listening at the door.

"Um, Alpha!" Scarlett said with obviously fake composure. "I was just coming to report something important!"

Evelyn's grin turned wicked. "Beta, you're terrible at lying. Did you really think I didn't notice you when I came in? You've been hiding outside that door for at least half an hour."

Scarlett's face flushed bright red, her carefully maintained composure crumbling completely.

Elowen quickly stepped in to save her friend from further embarrassment. "How about you join us for lunch? You can report whatever you need afterward."

"That sounds... yes. Good." Scarlett refused to meet Frost's eyes as she spoke.

As we filed out of the war room, I couldn't help but notice the careful distance Scarlett maintained from Frost, and the pained expression he wore when he thought no one was watching.

*At least I'm not the only one with impossible mate problems,* I thought wryly.