Alpha's STOLEN Mate (by Abigail Hayes) novel Chapter 106

Chapter 106

Frost

As night fell, we gathered at the barrier to see Kaius and Elowen off. I watched the shimmering threshold seal behind them, my chest

tight with complicated emotions.

I wanted to be fighting alongside them, protecting them-though I knew rationally that I’d probably be the one needing protection. Especially from Elowen, who grew stronger and more formidable with each passing day. And more beautiful. More captivating.

Stop it. Stop thinking like that.

H

I hated myself for these thoughts, especially when I glanced at Scarlett standing beside me, her face etched with worry. The guilt was

crushing.

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Evelyn, clearly reading the awkward tension between us, smiled with feline mischief. “Scarlett, perhaps you could give Frost a tour of the grounds? This is going to be a very long night, and two people can pass the time much more easily than one.” Her grin widened. “I won’t disturb you I have urgent business with a certain cook who committed crimes against vegetables at lunch.”

As the witch disappeared with obvious glee, panic flooded my system. Fuck. Now I have no choice but to face my mate and the impossible

situation she represents.

Scarlett’s voice was soft, almost tentative. “Would you… like to walk with me?”

I nodded, not trusting my voice.

She led me through winding paths, and I deliberately maintained distance between us, terrified that getting too close would unleash the desperate hunger my wolf felt for her. We arrived at a garden I’d never seen before-a secluded sanctuary with a massive tree at its center, covered in flowers of the deepest crimson I’d ever witnessed.

Scarlett’s blue hair created a striking contrast against the red blooms, the combination both mysterious and achingly beautiful. The moonlight caught in her hair like captured starlight, and the flowers seemed to glow with inner fire.

Despite my resistance to the mate bond, I couldn’t deny what was happening to my body. The closer I got to Scarlett, the more the exhaustion from the forbidden drugs faded. My nearly vanished scent was slowly returning, growing stronger with each step toward her. There was an almost magnetic pull, as if she were calling to something deep within me.

She stopped beneath the flowering tree, leaning against the trunk. Her expression had transformed from earlier shyness to something more composed, almost resigned.

“Stop hiding, Frost,” she said quietly.

My heart stuttered. “I’m not hiding anything.”

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Chapter 106

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Scarlett looked at me with devastating clarity, her eyes reflecting a wisdom beyond her years. “You’re hiding from me. Don’t pretend you

don’t know what I’m talking about.”

Caught, I tried deflecting with a nervous gesture. “But I’m here with you. I’m spending time with you.”

“I spent all day hoping you’d give me some sign, some response,” she said, her voice achingly calm. “You saw how anxious I was, how hopeful I kept getting. But now I understand the truth.” She paused, and the pain in her eyes made my chest constrict. “You’re running from me. You’re fighting against our chemistry, resisting what your wolf so obviously wants. You’re still… you’re still fucking rejecting

me.”

“That’s not ” I started desperately.

“You want to blame it on the drug? On losing your scent?” She cut me off. “Your alpha already told me about that. But I know that’s not the real reason you’re avoiding me. Because when you get close to me, I can feel your scent returning. Yet you still maintain that distance, that carefully measured space between us.” Her voice finally cracked slightly. “You avoid me because you simply don’t want me.”

The words hit like physical blows. Her calm, matter-of-fact delivery somehow made it worse-she’d moved past hope into acceptance of

rejection.

Everything I’d feared was coming true. I was becoming exactly what I’d always despised-a man who hurt women, who failed to protect those who deserved better. My childhood memories of watching my mother and sister suffer at the hands of careless, cruel males crashed

over me.

Without thinking, I closed the distance between us, finally eliminating that careful space I’d been maintaining. My wolf surged to the surface, responding to her proximity with overwhelming intensity. Her scent-fresh, intoxicating, uniquely hers-filled my senses.

I grabbed her hand, my voice rough with emotion. “Scarlett, please. I’m not avoiding you because of anything you’ve done wrong. This is about me, about my own issues. Please don’t misunderstand.”

She laughed, cold and brittle. “Whatever the reason, the result is the same. You’re rejecting me, aren’t you?” Her voice hardened with determination. “Fine. Let’s end this properly. I, Scarlett Morrison, reject—”

Panic overwhelmed every rational thought. The idea of losing her permanently, of never having the chance to explain, of hurting this beautiful, genuine person who’d shown me nothing but kindness-it was unbearable.

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19:10 Wed, Jan 14

Alpha’s STOLEN Mate