Alpha's STOLEN Mate (by Abigail Hayes) novel Chapter 185

Chapter 185

Elowen

The moment we stepped through the rift into my territory, the world turned into hell.

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Fire. Everywhere. Flames consumed what remained of the pack houses, sending towers of black smoke into the night sky. The ground

itself looked poisoned-scorched earth where grass and flowers had once grown, now nothing but cracked, blackened soil that would bear

nothing for years to come.

Buildings had collapsed. Support beams lay scattered like broken bones, crushing bodies beneath their weight. Blood pooled in the dirt,

mixing with ash. The metallic scent of it choked the air.

And at the entrance to the main house-the only structure still standing-Frost and Scarlett held their ground.

Frost was unconscious, slumped against the doorframe. Scarlett stood over him, her body a tapestry of wounds. Deep gashes across her

arms. Burns on her shoulders. Blood running down her face from a cut above her eye. But she stood, sword still raised, protecting the

crying voices I could hear from inside the house.

My pack. What’s left of them.

My legs gave out.

I would have hit the ground if Kaius hadn’t caught me, his arms wrapping around my waist to hold me upright. But even his strength felt

distant, muffled, like I was underwater.

“No no no,” I heard myself saying, the words tumbling out in a broken stream. “How did this happen? God, this is my fault. I thought

they’d be safe here. I thought-fuck, the barrier-how did it break? My people-my pack- My voice cracked. “This is all my fault.”

I was spiraling. I could feel it. The edges of my vision going dark, my breath coming too fast, my thoughts fragmenting into useless guilt

and horror-

“Alpha!” Scarlett’s voice cut through the haze. Weak but firm. “Don’t lose it now. We still need you. We need you to stay strong.”

She coughed, and blood sprayed from her lips-bright red against her pale face.

The sight of it shocked me back to reality. I bit down on my own lip, hard enough to draw blood, using the pain to anchor myself. The

copper taste helped clear my head.

Focus. My pack needs me. Falling apart helps no one.

I moved to Scarlett and Frost, white light already gathering in my hands. My healing ability poured into them-knitting torn flesh, mending broken bones, purging infection from their wounds. Frost’s breathing steadied. Color returned to Scarlett’s face.

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19:47 Wed, Jan 14

Chapter 185

Kaius’s voice was shaking when he finally spoke. “Scarlett. Who did this?”

୪

:))

I rounded on him, fury burning through the grief. “God! Do you really need to ask?! Who else could it be?! Your father did this! That witch Morgath predicted we’d be at your territory defending it, so she sent him here instead!” My voice rose to a shout. “She’s a fucking

psychopath! And your father is her rabid dog!”

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Scarlett struggled to sit up, supporting Frost’s still-unconscious form. “A massive golden wolf,” she said, her voice hoarse. “I’ve never seen anything like it. It tore through Evelyn’s barrier like paper-just walked straight through like the magic didn’t exist.”

“The casualties-how bad?” I demanded, my voice tight.

Scarlett’s face darkened. “Bad. We lost at least a dozen before most of the pack could evacuate. That wolf… Frost and I tried to fight it. Tried to slow it down at least.” She laughed bitterly. “We weren’t even close to being enough. Its claws were like steel. Its teeth could

pierce through support beams like they were twigs.”

Kaius pulled out the dagger-the one infused with the antidote. His hands were shaking so badly the blade trembled. “Elowen,” he said, his voice raw with guilt and rage, “I swear to you-I will kill him. I will drive this blade into his heart and make him pay for what he’s done to

your pack. I promise you.”

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19:47 Wed, Jan 14

Alpha’s STOLEN Mate