Alpha's STOLEN Mate (by Abigail Hayes) novel Chapter 271

Chapter 271

Elowen

I couldn’t sleep.

Three months since Kaius died, and I’d gotten used to the empty bed, the silent halls, the weight of ruling alone. I’d even stopped crying

at random moments-progress, according to Evelyn.

But tonight, something pulled me from my chambers, drawing me down familiar corridors until I stood before a door I’d avoided for

weeks.

His room. Our room, once.

The handle turned easily under my hand. Inside, everything remained exactly as he’d left it-papers scattered across his desk, a half- empty glass of whiskey on the nightstand, his favorite leather jacket thrown carelessly over a chair. The maids had offered to pack

everything away, but I’d refused. Pathetic, maybe. But I wasn’t ready to erase him completely.

His scent hit me the moment I crossed the threshold. Faded now, barely a whisper of sandalwood and pine, but still unmistakably him. My

knees went weak.

Get it together, Elowen. You’re a queen now.

But queens were allowed to grieve in private, weren’t they?

I picked up the leather jacket, burying my face in the worn material. The scent was stronger here, trapped in the fibers like a ghost. My fingers traced the familiar scratches on the leather-battle scars from a dozen fights, each one a story he’d never tell again.

“I miss you,” I whispered to the empty room. “God, I miss you so much it feels like I can’t breathe sometimes.”

Moonlight streamed through the windows, painting silver patterns across the floor. I’d stood in this exact spot so many times, watching him work late into the night, too stubborn to rest even when exhaustion pulled at his features. He’d always sensed when I was watching,

would look up with that crooked smile that made my heart skip.

“Come to bed, little wolf.”

The memory was so vivid I could almost hear his voice.

I curled up in his chair, still clutching the jacket. The leather was cool against my cheek, but I imagined warmth-imagined his arms around me, his heartbeat steady beneath my ear. My eyes grew heavy.

Just for a moment. Just let me pretend for a moment.

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Chapter 271

69

Sleep pulled me under gently, and in my dreams, his scent grew stronger. Fresh, like he’d just walked into the room. My heart raced even in sleep, tears sliding down my cheeks as my subconscious played cruel tricks.

Then my eyes snapped open.

I wasn’t in the bedroom anymore.

Moonlight, brighter than any I’d ever seen, illuminated a meadow that shouldn’t exist. Flowers carpeted the ground in impossible colors, their petals glowing with inner light. Mist curled between the stems like living things, and the air itself seemed to shimmer with magic.

But what stopped my breath was the scent.

Kaius. Everywhere. In every flower, every blade of grass, every droplet of dew. As if the entire meadow had been crafted from his essence.

“What the-”

“Beautiful, isn’t it?”

I spun around, heart hammering. A figure stepped from the mist, and my jaw dropped.

“Lysandra?” The witch who’d vanished after providing crucial herbs. She looked exactly the same-ageless, ethereal, with those knowing

eyes that seemed to see through everything. “You’re supposed to be dead. Or missing. Or-”

“Or standing in a pocket dimension made entirely of your grief?” She smiled, a mysterious curve of lips. “Yes, I suppose I am.”

I bent down, plucking a silver flower. Kaius’s scent intensified, so real I had to close my eyes against the pain of it. “How? Why does

everything smell like him?”

“You miss him terribly, don’t you?” Lysandra spread her arms wide, and the flowers began to dance, petals swirling upward in spirals of light. The scent grew overwhelming, and I had to grip the flower tighter to keep from falling to my knees.

“Where is this place?” My voice cracked. “How are you here? Why do you have his scent everywhere?”

She laughed, soft and knowing. “I’ve always been here, child. Watching. Waiting. That moon petal you used to defeat Morgath? My gift. The cure for Frost’s obsession? My design. The ancient texts that revealed your true bloodline? I ensured they found their way to your library. Even that storm that forced you to seek shelter in the cave where you first mastered your elemental powers-not coincidence.”

A chill ran down my spine. “You’re telling me you’ve been pulling strings this whole time? That’s-that’s incredibly creepy, actually.”

“Is it?” She tilted her head. “Or is it destiny?”

“I don’t believe in destiny.” The lie tasted bitter. “And you didn’t answer my question. Why does everything smell like Kaius?”

Her expression shifted, cold beauty warming into something almost maternal. “Because you called me here with your grief, your longing,

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