Alpha's STOLEN Mate (by Abigail Hayes) novel Chapter 197

Alpha’s STOLEN Mate

Chapter 197

Kaius’s black wolf form stood frozen, watching me face down both opponents. I could see the anguish in his eyes-the guilt, the rage at

his own inadequacy.

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Morgath drifted closer to him, her voice a poisonous whisper. “Look at her, Kaius. Your mate. Bleeding because you’re too weak to protect

her. Just like your father was too weak to protect your mother.” She circled his wolf form like a vulture. “Tell me-what’s the difference

between you and Aldric? Both of you watch the women you love suffer while you stand by helplessly. Pathetic.”

I felt it through our bond before I saw it-something in Kaius breaking.

No. Kaius, don’t listen to her-

“Keep being useless, and you’ll both become my treasured pets tonight,” Morgath continued, her tone light and conversational. “Of course, I could always help you. Let you tap into that power sleeping in your blood. The same power your father possessed. But you’re too afraid

of it, aren’t you? Too scared of what you might become.”

Kaius! I sent desperately through our mindlink. She’s manipulating you! Playing with your emotions! We just need to hold on a little longer- Evelyn’s almost done!

But his eyes had already gone blank. Whatever I was saying wasn’t reaching him anymore. All he could see was my blood on the ground.

All he could feel was his own powerlessness.

And buried deep in his bloodline, something ancient and terrible answered.

The transformation started with sound-bones cracking, reforming, breaking and healing in rapid succession. His howl wasn’t wolf or human-it was something in between, raw and agonizing and wrong.

His body began to change. Muscles bulged grotesquely, skin splitting to accommodate the expansion. Fur receded in patches, revealing flesh that looked more like armor plating than skin. His claws elongated into black talons the length of daggers. And his eyes-

His eyes became pools of pure blood-red light, with no trace of recognition or sanity.

Lycan.

“Fuck,” I breathed. “What have you done?”

The Lycan that had been Kaius stood at least eight feet tall, hunched but radiating overwhelming physical power. For a moment, he simply stood there, adjusting to his new form. Testing the strength in his limbs.

Then his gaze swept the battlefield. Locked onto Morgath’s floating form.

He launched himself at her with speed that shouldn’t have been possible for something that size. His claws tore through the space where she’d been-but she’d already vanished, reappearing across the chamber.

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Chapter 197

“Wonderful!” she called out. “But I’m not your target right now.”

The Lycan’s head swiveled. His red eyes found the two golden wolves preparing to attack me again.

And for a brief, terrifying moment, his gaze passed over me. I saw something flicker in those crimson depths-recognition? Awareness?

Please. Please still know who I am.

He made his choice. The Lycan surged forward, not toward me, but toward the golden wolves.

Thank God. Thank you, thank you—you still recognize allies from enemies.

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With his new form came power that defied comprehension. He didn’t need strategy or technique anymore. Just pure, brutal force. He

grabbed the first golden wolf by its throat and simply crushed. The wolf’s spine snapped like kindling.

Before the second could react, the Lycan’s other hand caught it mid-lunge. He slammed it into the crystal ground hard enough to create a

crater, then tore it apart with his bare hands.

Golden blood-so much golden blood-sprayed across the chamber. Within seconds, both wolves lay in pieces, their regeneration unable to

cope with the catastrophic damage.

God. He’s ten times stronger. Twenty times.

Kaius? I sent tentatively through the mindlink. Are you okay? Can you hear me? How do you feel?

No response. Just eerie silence in the place where his thoughts should be.

“I did it!” Evelyn’s triumphant shout cut through the tension. “The ward’s broken! The gemstone’s completely vulnerable now! Elowen, get

over here and destroy it!”

Relief flooded through me. Finally. This nightmare is over.

I limped toward the gemstone in my white wolf form, my injuries severe but manageable. Just one more task. Reach the stone and destroy

it with everything I had left-

Movement behind me.

My instincts screamed a warning, but my battered body couldn’t react in time.

The Lycan-the thing that had been Kaius-moved faster than my eyes could track. His massive clawed hand caught me across the torso, talons piercing deep into my shoulder and abdomen. The force of the blow lifted me off my feet and sent me crashing into the crystalline

floor.

Pain beyond description. The impact forced my wolf form to shatter, my body reverting to human as the severe injuries overwhelmed me.

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Chapter 197

The world went white, then red, then dark at the edges.

I couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe properly. Blood was everywhere-my blood, pooling beneath me, soaking into my skin.

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19:50 Wed, Jan 14

Alpha’s STOLEN Mate