Alpha's STOLEN Mate (by Abigail Hayes) novel Chapter 171

Chapter 171

Frost

I had no idea how long I’d been in Lysandra’s cave. Days? Weeks? Time had lost all meaning in this place where sunlight filtered through

crystal formations and bioluminescent moss marked the passage of hours.

When I first woke up after the curse broke, I’d been frantic. Desperate. Every fiber of my being screamed to find Kaius and Elowen, to make sure they were safe, to apologize for attacking her, to explain what had happened-

But Lysandra had other ideas.

She’d started feeding me concoctions that tasted like earth and starlight and things I couldn’t begin to identify. Strange brews that made my tongue tingle and my thoughts slow. And gradually-so gradually I barely noticed-the panic subsided.

The constant anxiety that had been my companion for months just… faded.

I stopped waking up in cold sweats, terrified that I was running out of time. Stopped obsessing over every little twinge in my body, wondering if this was the day my life force finally gave out. The crushing weight of emotions I’d been carrying-love, guilt, fear, longing- all of it seemed to drift away like morning mist.

Now I felt… peaceful.

It was strange. Unsettling, even. But I couldn’t deny that for the first time in years, I felt like I could actually breathe.

My days had fallen into a simple rhythm. Wake at dawn, venture outside to gather magical herbs from the hidden gardens Lysandra maintained throughout the forest. Return to the cave, carefully transplant and cultivate the specimens. Learn which plants needed moonlight, which thrived in shadow, which required songs sung in ancient languages I was slowly learning to pronounce.

It was honest work. Meditative. The kind of life I’d fantasized about as a child but never thought I’d have.

I’d just finished transplanting a delicate silver-leafed sapling when Lysandra’s voice drifted over from her workbench.

“Very good, Frost.” She didn’t look up from the mortar where she was grinding something that glowed faintly purple. “Your cultivation technique is improving. You have gentle hands. The plants respond well to you.”

I brushed dirt from my palms, smiling slightly. “Well, I owe you my life. The least I can do is help maintain your garden until I’ve repaid that debt.” I paused, then added more seriously, “I’m not going to just run off, you know. I’ll stay as long as you need me.”

Lysandra’s laugh was dry, knowing. “Is that so? You’re really planning to leave this place?” She finally looked up, her pale eyes assessing. “Because from where I’m standing, you seem more and more comfortable with this quiet life every day.”

I opened my mouth to deny it, then closed it again. She wasn’t wrong.

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19:45 Wed, Jan 14

Chapter 171

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“And your complexion,” she continued, returning to her grinding. “It’s improving. Color returning to your cheeks. Your eyes are clearer.”

Her tone remained casual, but the observation felt pointed. “Before, even when you smiled, there was this… restlessness underneath. This

constant tension. Like you were always bracing for the next blow.”

I found myself nodding slowly. “Well… you caught me.” A small laugh escaped. “Honestly? This kind of life-this isolated, simple existence

-it’s something I dreamed about as a kid.”

The memory rose unbidden. I moved to sit on one of the smooth stone benches, tilting my head back to look at the opening in the cave

ceiling. Moonlight poured through, silvery and pure, bathing everything in ethereal light.

“When I was young,” I said quietly, “when my mother and sister and I were still slaves… I used to fantasize about running away. Finding

some remote place where no one knew us, where no one could hurt us anymore.” I swallowed hard. “It didn’t matter if it was barren.

Didn’t matter if it was the middle of nowhere. As long as we could be free. As long as we didn’t have to be anyone’s property anymore.”

I wiped sweat from my brow, still staring at that circle of moonlight. “The moon looks beautiful tonight. I never really took the time to

appreciate it before. Always too busy, too stressed, too-”

But as I gazed at that pale light, my thoughts inevitably drifted. Silver. Luminous. Pure.

Just like Elowen’s hair.

I wonder how she’s doing. If she’s safe. If she thinks about-

“Even though you’ve found peace here,” Lysandra’s voice cut through my thoughts, “I’d bet anything that a single whisper of Elowen’s name, one hint that she’s in trouble, and you’d fall apart again.”

Her back was still turned, but I knew she was right. She always was.

I didn’t respond. Didn’t confirm or deny. But it was true.

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19:45 Wed, Jan 14

Alpha’s STOLEN Mate