Alpha's STOLEN Mate Chapter 90

Frost

The journey back to Kaius's territory passed in a blur of rage. My wolf pushed harder than necessary, branches whipping past, the landscape blending into meaningless shapes as one thought consumed me:

*How dare he hurt her?*

I didn't know the specifics of what had happened. The timeline was a confusing mess—Elowen's rescue mission, the execution, whatever transpired at the Sacred Grounds. But I knew one critical fact with absolute certainty:

Kaius was alive and whole. And Elowen was devastated.

*That fucking Alpha King. After everything she risked for him. How could he?*

I shifted back to human form as I reached the castle gates, barely acknowledging the guards who greeted me. Pack members called out welcomes, their faces bright with relief at my return, but I stormed past them all with singular purpose.

*The office. He'll be in the office.*

I burst through the door without knocking. Empty.

*His chambers then.*

I took the stairs three at a time, my fist already clenched. But his private rooms were vacant as well, the bed neatly made, no sign of recent occupation.

*Where the fuck is he?*

I was about to expand my search when I passed the castle library—a room Kaius rarely used, preferring to conduct his reading in private. Through the heavy oak doors, I heard it:

A woman's laughter. Sultry, provocative, far too intimate for any professional interaction.

And beneath it, Kaius's low voice, warm with amusement.

My blood turned to ice, then immediately boiled over.

I shoved the doors open hard enough to make them crack against the walls.

A woman was just leaving, brushing past me with a knowing smile. Even in my peripheral vision—because my eyes were locked straight ahead—I registered her appearance: enormous breasts barely contained by her low-cut top, shorts so short they might as well not exist, lips painted blood-red.

*A fucking courtesan. Or close enough.*

And there, standing in the middle of the library with a book in his hands, was Kaius. His expression shifted from surprise to see me, to recognition, to something that looked almost like... relief?

Then my fist connected with his face.

The punch carried every ounce of my fury. Kaius's head snapped back, the book flying from his hands as he crashed to the floor. Blood burst from his split lip, spattering across the ancient carpet.

I was on him in an instant, grabbing his collar and hauling him up just enough to land another blow. Then another. My knuckles split against his cheekbone, our blood mingling.

"What the FUCK was that?!" I roared, punctuating each word with violence. "Who was that woman?! Do you have any idea what you're doing?!"

Kaius didn't fight back. Didn't block. Didn't even try to defend himself.

Instead, he just... smiled. A small, sad smile as blood dripped from his mouth onto his expensive shirt.

"Hit me as much as you need to," he said quietly. "I won't explain until you're calm."

I raised my fist again, ready to break his perfect nose—but something in his complete acceptance stopped me. He wasn't resisting out of weakness or fear. He was *letting* me do this. Offering himself as a target for my rage because he knew he deserved it.

*What the fuck is wrong with him?*

My anger didn't dissipate, but it cooled enough that I released his collar and slumped backward onto the floor beside him. My hands were shaking—from adrenaline, from shock at what I'd just done.

*I hit the Alpha King. I attacked my own Alpha. That's execution-worthy in most packs.*

Kaius remained sitting on the floor rather than standing to reassert his dominance. He wiped blood from his mouth with the back of his hand, his voice carefully neutral. "You saw Elowen? Is she alright?"

"None of your fucking business!" The words burst out of me. "From what I understand, she's done with you. She's not coming back to this pack. She wants nothing to do with you!"

Pain flickered across Kaius's face—raw and genuine—before his mask of control slammed back into place. "Good," he said softly. "That's... good. Until I resolve my current situation, I can't risk her getting caught up in this."

My hand shot out, grabbing his collar again. "WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?! I want the full story—from start to finish! What the fuck happened while I was gone these past few days?!"

For a moment, I thought he'd retreat behind his walls of silence. But something in my expression—or maybe the blood I'd already drawn—convinced him to speak.

Then he told me about Cross. The gamma's betrayal. How he'd been working with the Elders all along, feeding them information.

Before I could fully process that revelation—before the rage could even begin to build—Kaius continued, his voice urgent:

"At the execution," he said, his tone shifting to something heavier. "When Silas was about to kill Elowen... I had no choice. I made a deal with Rowan." His jaw clenched. "She offered to save Elowen's life if I agreed to certain... terms. I didn't even ask what they were. I just agreed."

Understanding crashed over me like cold water. "You sold yourself to that witch to save her."

"She killed Silas," Kaius continued, his voice flat. "Secured my throne. Made all the other Elders bow to our combined authority. And now..." He gestured vaguely around the library. "I'm bound to honor whatever bargain I made."

I slowly released him, my mind racing. "But Silas is dead! That woman just now—that was Rowan, wasn't it? The Elder?" My hands clenched into fists again. "Let me kill her. End this. Your deal dies with her!"

Kaius shook his head firmly. "She still has value. Information I need."

"Really?" I couldn't keep the disgust from my voice. "A several-hundred-year-old hag has value? Is it the sex? Or do you just enjoy staring at her artificially enhanced tits?"

"Frost—"

"I'm telling Elowen the truth!" I shot back. "She deserves to know!"

Kaius's entire demeanor shifted. The injured, bleeding man on the floor vanished, replaced by the Alpha King. Authority rolled off him in waves, pressing down on me with suffocating weight.

"Beta." His voice carried absolute command. "You're exhausted. You need rest." His eyes bored into mine with dangerous intensity. "As for other matters—you will NOT involve my mate in this. You don't understand the hidden threats surrounding her. The danger she's already in without knowing it."

The Alpha pressure was crushing. My wolf whimpered, instinctively submitting despite my human rage. I forced myself to nod, the gesture feeling like moving through concrete.

"Yes, Alpha," I managed through gritted teeth.

I stood slowly, and after a moment, Kaius extended his hand. I grasped it and pulled him to his feet. He bent to retrieve the fallen book, brushing dust from the leather cover with careful reverence.

My eyes caught the title embossed in faded gold: *The Celestial Prophecies: Ancient Covenants Between the Moon's Children and the Elder Bloodlines*.

*What the fuck is he researching?*

"I know what I'm doing, Frost," Kaius said quietly, not looking at me. "I need you to trust me on this."

"I still have something to handle," I said, my voice cold. The gamma's betrayal burned fresh in my memory now that Kaius had confirmed the details. My hatred had found a new, deserving target.

I turned toward the door, already planning how to make Cross suffer for his treachery.

"You're going after the gamma?" Kaius called after me.

I paused, expecting him to order restraint. To remind me of proper trials and pack justice. To show caution because Cross was one of the Elders' favored pets now, and going after him could bring consequences.

Instead, Kaius's voice dropped to something dark and pitiless:

"Take your time with him. Let him feel every moment. He doesn't deserve the mercy of a quick death."