Alpha's STOLEN Mate Chapter 73

Elowen

Throughout the day, I checked on Scarlett multiple times. Each visit revealed Evelyn trying increasingly absurd methods to cheer her up.

"Look at this!" Evelyn thrust a magazine into Scarlett's hands during my second visit. "Human men! Completely naked! See? There are plenty of attractive males out there who don't come with supernatural baggage!"

Scarlett stared at the glossy pages with obvious confusion. "Why are they all oiled up and posing with motorcycles?"

"It's a human thing," Evelyn said dismissively. "The point is—options!"

By afternoon, the witch had moved on to her potions collection. "This one is specifically designed for post-breakup emotional recovery! It's made from heartbreak flowers, tears of the forgotten, and a dash of vodka for good measure."

"That sounds terrible," Scarlett said flatly.

"Or!" Evelyn pulled out her tarot cards with theatrical flair. "Let me divine your future mate! I'm seeing someone... tall, yes, very tall. Handsome. Powerful. Much stronger than that blue-haired coward!"

I couldn't help but roll my eyes at the witch's dramatics, but at least she was trying. Scarlett seemed more annoyed than devastated, which was probably an improvement.

When I finally told them about my plans to investigate the cave with Kaius, Scarlett's expression immediately soured.

"Frost isn't trustworthy," she said coldly. "What makes you think his alpha is any better?"

Evelyn laughed delightedly. "Oh! Someone's finally showing some temper! Usually we're the dramatic ones. I'm so proud of you!"

"I'm still recovering," Scarlett snapped. "Could you not antagonize me? Do you have any idea how long it takes a body to heal after severing a mate bond?"

"Anger looks much better on you than that dead-eyed depression," Evelyn shot back cheerfully. "It's just one Frost! Our alpha doesn't even respect the Alpha King—why should you care about his beta?"

I pressed my hand to my forehead. *Well, at least with Evelyn around, Scarlett's emotional state is covered.*

I said my goodbyes and headed for the entrance, where Kaius was already waiting. He'd changed into a black shirt that showed off entirely too much chest.

"We're going into battle," I said flatly. "Why are you broadcasting pheromones like you're going to a mating ritual?"

Kaius smiled that infuriating smile. "I heard that when mates fight together, mutual hormonal stimulation makes both partners stronger."

I shoved him. "You're shameless."

He just laughed and followed me to the central square. I opened a spatial rift, the lightning crackling around its edges as reality tore open. We stepped through together.

When we emerged, we were standing directly at the cave entrance—my spatial control had improved significantly. The mysterious cavern still radiated that seductive glow, inviting and dangerous in equal measure.

Kaius grabbed my hand before I could pull away, already striding forward. "It's dangerous inside. Don't get separated from me."

I wanted to protest but he was already pulling me into the cave's depths. The interior was even more spectacular than before—purple and pink lights danced across walls that gleamed like polished glass.

As we ventured deeper, the tunnel system expanded dramatically. The walls weren't just reflective—they were actual mirrors positioned at different angles, some vertical, others tilted at sharp degrees, creating an impossible maze of reflected images. Every surface caught and multiplied the colorful lights, making it nearly impossible to distinguish reality from reflection.

The path branched into multiple directions, each corridor lined with these mirror walls that fragmented our images into hundreds of copies. Far in the distance—impossibly far, down what seemed like an endless tunnel—I could barely make out the faint glow of something massive. A gemstone, perhaps, but so remote it was little more than a pinpoint of intense light through the labyrinth of reflections.

"The magical source is down the center path," Kaius said, his voice echoing strangely off the mirrored surfaces. "But we'll have to navigate carefully. These mirrors are designed to disorient."

I followed as he led us deeper, trying to focus on the distant glow rather than the dizzying multiplication of our reflections. The lights grew more intense with each step, but the crystal remained frustratingly far away, visible only as occasional flashes through the maze of angles and reflections.

The mirror walls created blind spots everywhere—what looked like an empty corridor might hide an alcove, and what appeared to be a solid surface could be a reflection of empty space. It was a perfect ambush zone.

"Careful," Kaius warned. "We need to reach that crystal, but I can barely judge the distance. This whole place is a trap."

Before I could respond, movement exploded from every direction at once!

Countless enhanced wolves seemed to materialize from the walls themselves—but the mirrors made it impossible to tell where they were actually coming from. Images bounced between reflective surfaces, making five wolves look like fifty, turning single attacks into an overwhelming assault from all angles.

Kaius pulled me aside as we dodged—but the mirror's reflection confused our direction. What looked like an empty space to our left was actually a solid wall, while the "wall" to our right was the real escape route. He took a glancing blow meant for me, his shoulder clipping a jutting mirror panel.

"Fuck! The reflections completely distorted where they were actually coming from!" I cursed, spinning around to try to get my bearings.

"Don't trust your eyes," Kaius said calmly, shaking off the impact. "Use your other senses. The mirrors lie."

He shifted into his massive black wolf form. I transformed as well, my white fur gleaming in the strange light. Instinctively, our tails touched, creating a defensive formation back-to-back.

Despite the danger, having him at my back felt... right. Safe.

I closed my eyes and used scent instead. What had looked like dozens of wolves attacking from every mirror surface was actually only five real creatures, their images endlessly reflected and multiplied by the crystalline walls.

When the next wolf attacked, I was ready. My flaming claws tore through it, incinerating it completely. Kaius drove back several others with brutal efficiency, though they didn't fall.

*Of course. Only my fire can actually kill them.*

I went on the offensive, channeling lightning through my body. High-voltage electricity crackled through the tunnel, frying the remaining wolves until their fur and flesh disintegrated.

*That was easier than expected,* I thought, opening a mindlink to Kaius. *Did you see how quickly I—*

*Don't celebrate yet,* he interrupted.

Five more wolves materialized from thin air—or more accurately, emerged from hidden alcoves that the mirrors had completely concealed. I tried to identify their real positions through scent, but these new ones carried barely any odor at all, as if they'd been specifically designed to counter my tracking abilities. I was forced to rely on my eyes again.

The mirror maze made fighting nearly impossible. I'd strike at what looked like a wolf in front of me, only to hit empty air because the real target was actually to my left, its position distorted by three different angled mirrors. Multiple times I nearly crashed into walls that looked like open corridors.

Exhaustion was beginning to set in, and I still couldn't see any progress toward that distant crystal glow.

When Kaius's voice rang through the mindlink, I was almost relieved.

*I can feel the energy source ahead!* Kaius's voice rang with certainty. *My magic sensitivity is cutting through all these illusions—I can sense the source directly, like a beacon. The mirrors can't fool that. I'm going for it. Can you hold them off?*

The moment he moved deeper into the mirror maze, disappearing around a corner where his image fractured into a dozen copies before vanishing entirely, the wolves' attention shifted entirely to him. That confirmed his direction was correct—they were trying to protect something.

I threw myself between the wolves and the tunnel Kaius had taken, my flames consuming anything that tried to follow him. The mirrors reflected my fire into blinding patterns, but at least the flames were real no matter which surface they bounced off.

*Go! I've got this!*

I couldn't see him anymore—the maze had swallowed him completely. The distant crystal glow remained impossibly far away, unchanged despite his progress. But I had to trust he was getting closer.

Moments later, his voice came through the mindlink with urgent excitement. *I found it! The crystal is sitting on top of some kind of portal. The wolves are being generated from beneath it—they're coming through in waves. I'm going to destroy the crystal!*

Relief flooded through me. *Do it! End this—*

Suddenly, the mindlink went dead.

Not just silent—completely severed. And with it came a surge of agony through the mate bond, so intense it drove me to my knees. The sensation of Kaius's life force draining away at terrifying speed, just like when he'd been ambushed before.

He was dying. Right now. I could feel his life slipping away like sand through my fingers.

*Fuck! What happened to him?*

Panic shattered my concentration. I started attacking wildly, without strategy or focus. The enhanced wolves sensed my distraction immediately, pressing their advantage.

Claws raked across my side. Fangs grazed my shoulder. I was losing ground, falling into chaos as that terrible emptiness in the bond grew larger.

*Kaius!* I screamed through the mindlink, but there was no response. Only that horrifying sense of him fading, dying, leaving me alone in this crystalline trap.

My vision was blurring—whether from pain, exhaustion, or the tears I refused to acknowledge, I couldn't tell.

*Hold on,* I thought desperately, even as another wolf's claws found their mark. *Please, you arrogant bastard, just hold on.*