Alpha's STOLEN Mate (by Abigail Hayes) novel Chapter 179

Chapter 179

Elowen

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The moment Kaius left, my tension skyrocketed-not because I was afraid of Sera, but because I could already sense that whatever she

was about to say would make me want to punch her in the face.

Stay calm. Don’t give her the satisfaction.

Sera moved with deliberate slowness, gesturing for me to sit at a small table near the window. She settled across from me, her veiled face

tilted in my direction.

“You know I don’t like you,” she said conversationally.

I couldn’t help the sarcasm. “Wow. I hadn’t noticed at all.”

“But don’t worry,” she continued, a smile evident in her voice. “I don’t dislike you because you’re weak. Quite the opposite-I dislike you

because you’re too strong.”

“So being strong is somehow my fault now?” I stared at her incredulously.

Through the veil, I could make out the vague outline of her face-the shape of delicate features, the suggestion of beauty. But it was all obscured, hidden, concealed.

“Or maybe,’ I said coldly, “you’d prefer a Queen who knows her place? Who keeps herself covered and submissive? Is that it?”

Sera’s laugh was bitter. “And what other choice is there? When you’re bound to a man carrying the Blackthorne Berserker bloodline?” Her voice dropped. “Caution isn’t just wise-it’s the only way to survive.”

I shoved my chair back, standing abruptly. “What the hell are you talking about? Berserker bloodline? Kaius doesn’t have any abnormalities! We get along perfectly fine!”

“No.” Sera’s tone was infuriatingly certain. “The blood doesn’t change. He inherited it from his father, Aldric. And I suggest you prepare yourself for when it awakens.” She paused. “Though perhaps you’ve already experienced glimpses of it.”

I turned to leave, done with this insane conversation-

Then she lifted her veil.

Oh God.

Her face was a roadmap of violence. Thin white scars crisscrossed her cheeks like spiderwebs. A thick, brutal line ran from her temple to her jaw-clearly from a blade. Circular marks on her forehead and chin suggested burns, or perhaps claws that had been pressed deep into

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flesh. Her left eye was surrounded by discolored skin, old bruises that had never fully healed. And her lips-one corner was twisted

slightly, as if the muscle had been damaged and healed incorrectly.

She had been beautiful once. You could still see it in the bone structure, the shape of her eyes. But that beauty had been systematically

destroyed.

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“What the fuck, I breathed.

“Aldric’s handiwork.” Sera’s voice remained eerily calm as she lowered the veil again. “He once hung me upside down for three days because I broke a vase. Another time, he carved this-” She gestured to the scar on her jaw. -into my face because I spoke out of turn

during a formal dinner.”

Horror crawled up my spine. “So that’s why you’re not upset he’s missing. You’re glad he’s gone.”

“Wouldn’t you be?” She tilted her head. “But don’t misunderstand-I’m not here to speak ill of Aldric. I’m here to warn you about Kaius.”

“Kaius would never- I started hotly.

“Oh, my mate was wonderful before our coronation,” Sera interrupted. “Gentle. Protective. Everything a woman could want.” Her voice turned sharp. “But after the Queen’s coronation ceremony-after I officially became his Queen-everything changed. His true nature emerged. The ancient Berserker blood in his veins finally awakened, and he became… complete. A true tyrant. And a Lycan.”

Lycan.

The word hit me like ice water. I’d heard legends-wolves with the ability to transform into something between human and beast, massive and nearly unstoppable. Creatures of pure rage and power.

Aldric was a Lycan. Which means Kaius…

“You’re lying,” I said, but my voice wavered.

Unbidden, memories flooded back. Kaius tearing apart that young rogue wolf with casual brutality. The way he’d slaughtered entire packs who opposed him. How he’d kept me locked in a cell, forced himself on me-

No. That was different. That was before we—

But was it?

Sera began pacing, her silk gown rustling. “I don’t know what it is about the Queen’s coronation that triggers this transformation in Blackthorne men. Perhaps it’s the ceremony itself-some ancient magic woven into the ritual. Or perhaps…” She paused. “Perhaps having a Queen makes them feel truly like Kings. Truly in control. And that control corrupts them absolutely.”

“This is insane,” I managed.

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“Is it?” Sera’s voice was gentle now, almost pitying. “Think carefully, Elowen. Has Kaius ever lost control around you? Ever shown violence

that seemed… disproportionate? Excessive?”

I wanted to say no. Wanted to insist that Kaius was nothing like his father.

But I couldn’t.

“Why are you telling me this?” I demanded. “You came all this way just to warn me that your son might be an abusive monster? That he

might become a violent tyrant?”

“No.” For the first time, Sera’s voice carried genuine emotion-something raw and desperate. “I came to beg you-if that day comes,

Kaius loses himself to the Berserker blood-run.”

if

I stared at her, speechless.

“Don’t fight him,” she continued urgently. “Don’t try to reason with him. Don’t try to fix him or save him. Just run. Get as far away as

possible and never look back.”

“You want me to abandon him?”

“I want you to survive!” Sera moved closer, her hands reaching toward me before stopping, hovering uncertainly. “You’re the White Wolf. You’re the only creature in existence who could potentially defeat an Alpha King in combat. You have the power to kill him if it comes to

that.”

Understanding dawned. “You’re not protecting me. You’re protecting him.”

“I’m protecting you both.” Sera’s voice cracked slightly. “If you stay and fight, one of you will die. Probably you, because you’ll hesitate- you’ll still see the man you love underneath the monster. And that hesitation will cost you everything.” She paused. “But if you run-if you leave before it reaches that point-then maybe Kaius survives. Maybe he finds a way back to himself. Maybe-”

“This is ridiculous.” I stood, done with this conversation. “Today ends here. I’m not listening to any more of your paranoid delusions.”

“Elowen-

“Kaius is nothing like Aldric,” I said firmly. “And I’m not you. I won’t spend my life cowering behind a veil, making myself small and quiet in the hopes that it’ll keep me safe.”

“I’m not asking you to cower,” Sera said quietly. “I’m asking you to be smart. To recognize danger when it comes.”

I headed for the door.

‘Don’t misunderstand,” Sera called after me. “I want you to stay together. I want you to have a long, happy life as mates.” Her voice took on an odd quality. “I just want you to understand how to… navigate that life. How to survive it.”

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Alpha’s STOLEN Mate