Alpha's STOLEN Mate (by Abigail Hayes) novel Chapter 243

Chapter 243

Elowen

Today was the day Evelyn was supposed to leave-off on her grand adventure to vampire territory, chasing whatever happiness or freedom

she thought she’d find there. Part of me was genuinely excited for her, truly, She deserved to explore, to break free from everything that

had been holding her back.

But God, I was going to miss her. More than I wanted to admit.

That’s why I’d dragged myself out of bed before dawn, even though every muscle in my body protested after last night with Kalus. I’d carefully wrapped a farewell gift-something I’d spent weeks thinking about, something meaningful she could carry with her. I wanted to see her off properly, to give her a send-off worthy of our friendship.

The wrapped package sat on my dresser, ribbons perfectly tied. I was reaching for it, mentally rehearsing what I’d say, when Scarlett burst

through the door without knocking.

“Elowen!” She was waving a sealed envelope frantically, her expression caught somewhere between confusion and concern. “You won’t

believe this-Evelyn already left! Like, she’s gone! Just disappeared without saying goodbye to anyone!”

She thrust the letter toward me like it might explode. “She only left this behind. Look at the front-“To my two best friends. Can you

believe it?”

I set down the gift slowly, staring at the envelope with growing unease. The handwriting was definitely Evelyn’s-messy, confident, with

that characteristic flourish on the capital letters.

“Wait, she left a letter?” I took it from Scarlett’s trembling hands, turning it over. “That doesn’t sound like Evelyn at all. Since when does our impulsive, act-first-think-never witch bother with written goodbyes?”

Scarlett laughed, though it sounded forced, slightly hysterical. “Right? If anything, I expected her to spontaneously decide at three in the morning that she was leaving and just portal away without telling anyone! But writing an actual letter? Planning ahead? That’s…” She trailed off, frowning. “That’s actually really thoughtful. Maybe she’s finally growing up?”

“Maybe.” But doubt gnawed at my stomach. Something about this felt wrong.

Scarlett leaned over my shoulder, practically vibrating with anticipation. “Come on, open it already! I’m dying to know what she wrote!”

I broke the wax seal-deep purple, Evelyn’s favorite color-and carefully unfolded the parchment.

The letter’s content was cheerful, almost breezy:

My dearest friends!

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Chapter 243

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By the time you read this, I’ll already be on the road with Zane, heading into vampire territory. I know this seems sudden, but this trip is about experiencing true freedom-real freedom for the first time in my life!

I finally had that conversation with Arabella like we talked about. It’s done. We’ve cut ties completely, and honestly? I feel lighter already. Free!

I’m finally free of her!

Oh, and about Faclan-our breakup probably hit him harder than he let on. Could you check on him for me? Make sure he’s okay? Thanks!

I know you’re probably wondering why I didn’t say goodbye in person. The truth is, I’m too cool for tearful farewells, and this journey is something I need to do alone. Completely alone. Just me figuring things out, you know? Solo!

I’ll miss you both so much, but I need this.

*Love,

Evelyn”

P.S. Don’t wait up! This could take a while… quite a while…

–

At the bottom was a strange, incomplete symbol.

Something felt wrong.

“She sounds happy, doesn’t she?” Scarlett smiled, eyes glistening. “God, I’m jealous sometimes! To just pack up and leave like that, so

free…”

“Yeah…” I stared at the letter, my unease growing. “Too perfect, actually.”

Scarlett looked at me, confused. “What do you mean?”

“This letter…” I traced the lines with my finger. “It’s so… organized. Structured. She explains everything-where she’s going, why she confronted Arabella, asks us to check on Faelan, even apologizes for not saying goodbye in person.” I looked up at Scarlett. “When has

Evelyn ever been this thoughtful and thorough?”

“Well, maybe she’s finally being responsible?” Scarlett offered weakly.

“Scarlett, if this was really Evelyn being spontaneous, she’d scribble two messy sentences and disappear.” I gestured at the neat paragraphs. “This reads like… like someone carefully composing a letter to cover all bases. To make sure we wouldn’t worry or ask

questions.”

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