Alpha's STOLEN Mate (by Abigail Hayes) novel Chapter 23

Chapter 23

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“Send word to Commander Theron and his mate,” I said, fixing Frost with a meaningful look. “I want them here tomorrow.”

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Frost frowned. “Tomorrow? Kaius, given their distance from the southwestern border, they can’t possibly make it in a single day. And more

importantly, tomorrow is the quarterly pack assembly–you know these alphas aren’t truly loyal. They need to see your strength, your

authority. This is hardly the time to be distracted by personal matters.*

“I don’t give a damn,” I said with cold indifference. “If they dare to rebel, I’ll simply slaughter them all. Wouldn’t be the first time.”

Frost studied my expression for a long moment before speaking quietly. “You want to know about her transformation, don’t you? How a wolf who couldn’t shift on her eighteenth birthday became the most legendary bloodline in our world.” His voice grew thoughtful.

“Exactly!” I said, my voice carrying an edge of frustrated curiosity. “Aren’t you curious how that’s even possible?”

Frost smiled knowingly, understanding flickering in his eyes. “Of course. I’ll send the message.*

After Frost departed, I found myself wandering back to my chambers like a ghost drawn to familiar haunts. The massive room felt too large, too empty, filled with shadows that seemed to mock my solitude.

Her scent still lingered.

It was faint now, after five days, but unmistakable–vanilla and wildflowers with that underlying steel that had always driven me to

distraction. I sank onto the edge of the bed where she’d slept, where I’d nearly claimed her completely, and breathed deeply.

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The mate bond stirred in my chest, that treacherous connection that should have died with her. Instead, it pulsed with a hollow ache that made me want to tear something apart.

Am I missing her?

The thought hit me like a physical blow. I shoved it away immediately, focusing instead on the rage that was safer, more familiar. Missing her was weakness. Mourning a disobedient mate who’d chosen death over submission was pathetic.

I needed to prove to myself that she meant nothing. That her loss was simply the annoyance of losing a valuable asset, nothing more.

My mental voice reached out through the pack link, summoning the usual trio of willing she–wolves. Vera, the blonde with the generous curves who knew exactly how to use her mouth. Celine, the redhead who never complained no matter how rough I got. Diana, the brunette who’d learned to anticipate my every preference.

They arrived within minutes, dressed to entice in flowing silks that left little to the imagination. Beautiful wolves from good families, eager to please their Alpha King in hopes of earning permanent favor.

“My king,” Vera purred, her voice honey–sweet as she approached the bed. “You seem… tense.”

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Chapter 23

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I stripped off my shirt, revealing the muscles they’d explored countless times before. Usually, the sight of their hungry gazes was enough to stir my interest, their familiar scents triggering automatic arousal.

Tonight, I felt nothing.

They climbed onto the bed with practiced grace, hands roaming over my chest and shoulders with skilled expertise. Celine’s lips found my neck while Diana’s fingers traced the lines of my abdomen. Everything they did was perfect, calculated to drive me wild with need.

Instead, I felt increasingly detached, watching their ministrations as if from a great distance.

When their hands moved lower, seeking to coax a response from my uninterested body, revulsion hit me like a physical force. Their scents -too cloying, too artificial–made my wolf recoil in disgust. Everything about them suddenly seemed wrong, inadequate, a pale shadow of what I truly wanted.

What I couldn’t have.

“Get off.” The words came out harsher than I’d intended, backed by enough Alpha authority to make all three women freeze instantly.

When they hesitated, confusion and hurt flickering across their faces, my patience snapped completely. I shoved them away from me with

enough force to send them tumbling off the bed, their carefully arranged silk gowns pooling around them on the stone floor.

“I said get off!” I roared, my voice echoing off the chamber walls. “All of you–out!”

They scrambled to their feet, wide–eyed and trembling. Vera opened her mouth as if to speak, but one look at my expression sent her

fleeing toward the door with the others close behind.

As the door slammed shut behind them, I slumped forward, head in my hands. The silence that followed felt deafening.

Fuck

I’d just humiliated three pack members for the crime of not being her. For not having silver hair that caught moonlight like liquid

mercury, or amber eyes that blazed with defiance even in the face of death. For not being the impossible she–wolf who’d chosen to

plummet into oblivion rather than submit to my will.

The mate bond pulsed again, that persistent ache that reminded me of everything I’d lost. Everything I’d driven away with my own

stupidity.

10:28 Mon, Jan 12