Alpha's STOLEN Mate Chapter 8

Elowen

He merely smiled, a predatory curve of his lips, and his hand moved again, a slow, deliberate stroke that sent another jolt of raw pleasure through my overstimulated nerves. My back arched, a strangled whimper escaping me despite my iron will.

"You really want to play this game, Elowen?" His voice was a silken threat. "This can end whenever you want it to. Just tell me."

The relentless pleasure, mingled with the crushing humiliation, was too much. My body was screaming, aching, utterly consumed. "You... you can't threaten me like this!" I gasped, tears of frustration and need pricking at my eyes.

He leaned in again, his lips brushing my ear, a ghost of a whisper that scorched me. "Who told you I couldn't? You should have cooperated earlier, little wolf." His hand intensified, a teasing, tormenting pressure that brought me to the precipice of my endurance. "Tell me."

My body was convulsing, fighting an internal battle between defiance and absolute, overwhelming need. I hated him. I hated myself. But the agony of denial was swiftly becoming unbearable.

"I'm from... from home!" I choked out, the words ripped from me, barely coherent, but a desperate, final defiance against the rising tide of sensation.

Something in his expression flickered, a primal fury replacing the cold calculation. He took a sharp, indrawn breath, his body tensing. His hand, no longer teasing, abruptly gripped the waistband of my underwear, yanking it down and off my legs in one violent motion.

I cried out, a strangled sound, as my bare skin was exposed to the cool air, and then to the immediate, searing heat of his erection pressing insistently against my throbbing core. The raw, blunt force of him, the promise of penetration, ignited a terrifying cocktail of fear and desperate, burning anticipation within me. My hips involuntarily bucked, a silent plea and protest all at once. The storm was here, raging, imminent.

Just as he angled himself, his hips pressing down, preparing to plunge into me—just as the first brush of his hard, insistent tip seared against my entrance, ready to break through my last defenses, to claim me in the most brutal, absolute way—an insistent, rhythmic knock echoed sharply from the medical facility door, shattering the oppressive tension, breaking the spell of our torment.

"Damn them!" he snarled, his voice a low, guttural growl of pure frustration, eyes still locked on mine, blazing with unfulfilled desire and rage. "Who the hell is it at a time like this?"

"Alpha King," a voice called from outside, strained and urgent. "There's immediate military activity that requires your presence. It's critical."

Kaius froze, every muscle in his powerful body rigid with fury. He slowly lifted himself from me, his eyes never leaving my face, burning with a promise of retribution that chilled me to the bone. "Don't think this is over, Elowen," he threatened, his voice a dangerous whisper that promised future torment.

*Then he was gone—grabbing his shirt, responding to whoever had interrupted us with clipped, furious words I couldn't quite make out through the door.*

I watched through the small window as he stalked down the corridor, pulling his shirt back on with violent, jerky movements. Even from here, I could see the rigid tension in his shoulders, the barely contained fury in every line of his body.

Only when he disappeared from view did I allow myself to collapse back against the pillows, a shuddering breath escaping my lips.

*Thank God.*

But the relief was tainted by something far worse—the bitter taste of self-betrayal. My body was still humming with unfulfilled desire, every nerve ending alive with the memory of his touch. The mate bond pulsed traitorously in my chest, mourning the loss of his proximity like a physical ache.

*Did his blood make this worse?* The thought clawed at my mind as I stared at the ceiling, trying to make sense of what had just happened. Four years I'd managed to keep my distance, to build walls around my heart. Four years of telling myself I was over him, that the mate bond meant nothing.

And then one forced blood exchange later, I was practically melting under his touch like some lovesick teenager.

*Fucking mate bonds. Fucking Alpha King blood. Fucking—*

"You're looking much better."

I bolted upright so fast my vision spotted, clutching the torn remains of my medical gown to my chest. Frost stood in the doorway, and I realized with dawning horror that his had been the voice from outside—the one that had saved me from making the biggest mistake of my life.

*Oh God. How much did he hear?*

Heat flooded my cheeks as I took in my appearance through his eyes—hair wild from Kaius's hands, lips swollen from his brutal kisses, the shredded fabric barely covering anything important. I scrambled for my underwear, tugging it back on with as much dignity as I could muster while trying to hold the gown together.

But Frost's expression held no shock, no judgment—just that same calm assessment I'd noticed during the execution. As if walking in on his Alpha King's interrupted claiming session was just another Tuesday for him.

"You recover quickly," he said, approaching with the same unhurried grace. There was something soothing about his presence, a coolness that was the complete opposite of Kaius's burning intensity. "I thought you might need this."

From behind his back, he produced a neatly folded set of clothes—a dress the color of deep ocean water, soft and clearly expensive.

I stared at the offering suspiciously. "Your Alpha's interrogation of me isn't finished. I doubt my wardrobe is his highest priority right now."

Frost's lips curved in a gentle smile. "This was my idea. I thought you might appreciate it." His blue eyes held a warmth that made something tight in my chest loosen slightly. "You might also want to bathe. It's been... a difficult few days for you."

*Bathe.* The word hit me like a physical blow of longing. I'd been through hell—torture, near-death, whatever the fuck had just happened with Kaius—and I probably smelled like a combination of blood, sweat, fear, and worst of all, him. His scent clung to my skin like a brand, a constant reminder of how thoroughly he'd marked me without even completing the claiming.

"I can bathe?" The words came out more eager than I intended, hope creeping into my voice despite my best efforts.

"Of course." Frost's smile widened, transforming his sharp features into something almost boyish. "You're the Alpha King's mate. You can do whatever you like."

*Mate.* The word sent a familiar spike of rebellion through me, but I pushed it down. If being his "mate" got me access to soap and hot water, I'd swallow my pride for the moment.

"Can I... go outside? Walk around?" I crossed my arms, trying to look casual while testing the boundaries of this supposed freedom.

"That," Frost said with obvious amusement, "would be the Alpha King's decision to make."

*Of course it would.* I studied him more carefully, noting the way he carried himself with quiet authority, the intelligence behind those gentle eyes. Where Kaius was all fire and violence, Frost was ice and calculation. Two sides of the same deadly coin.

Maybe I could work with that.

"Can you wait for me?" I asked, accepting the dress from his hands. The fabric was softer than anything I'd worn in years. "I have some things I'd like to ask you. It's been... well, it's been several years since I was part of this pack."