Alpha's STOLEN Mate (by Abigail Hayes) novel Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Kalus

I sat in my study nursing a glass of whiskey that had long since lost its burn, staring into the flames crackling in the hearth. The alcohol did nothing to dull the persistent ache in my chest or quiet the memories that had been haunting me for days.

A soft sound at the door made me look up. A figure mater

from the shadows so quietly I hadn’t even hard him enter. Wraith

stood before me, his unnaturally thin frame draped in dark clothes that made him blend sennilessly with the dimness. Everything about him was forgettable–average height, unren features, the kind of face that disappeared in crowds. Perfect qualities for the

kingdom’s most effective spy.

“Wraith?” I set down my glass, genuinely surprised. “What are you doing here? I don’t recall assigning you any missions.”

He shifted uncomfortably, which was unusual. Wraith typically delivered reports with the same emotional investment as reading a shopping list.

“Beta Frost sent me to Investigate Alpha Thaddeus,” he said in his perpetually quiet voice. “After the assembly confrontation, he was concerned about potential challenges to your authority. I… have some findings to report,”

I waved a dismissive hand, already losing interest. “Thaddeus? That pompous fool wouldn’t dare move against me directly. What could be possibly be doing that warrants concern?”

Wraith hesitated, clearly uncomfortable with my casual dismissal. “Alpha King, I believe we should consider summoning him for a formal discussion. Since the public humiliation at the assembly, he’s returned to his territory and begun… intensive preparations.”

“Such as?”

“Daily combat training for all pack members. Aggressive recruitment of rogues and displaced wolves. He’s doubled his fighting force in less

than a week, and-

The sound of approaching footsteps in the corridor cut him off. I straightened, recognizing the familiar cadence mixed with heavier, unfamiliar steps.

“The guests I’ve been expecting,” I said, rising from my chair. “As for Thaddeus, stop wasting time on his pathetic posturing. He’s probably just trying to salvage his reputation after I embarrassed him. The fool knows exactly how powerful I am–he wouldn’t dare challenge me directly. Let him play soldier with his expanded pack. I almost hope he tries something.”

Wraith opened his mouth as if to argue, then seemed to think better of it. Before I could blink, he’d melted back into the shadows, disappearing so completely that even I had trouble tracking where he’d gone. Impressive, even by his standards.

Frost entered first, his expression carefully neutral but tinged with something that looked suspiciously like guilt. Behind him came two figures I recognized immediately, despite the years that had passed.

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Chapter 28

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Commander Theron looked every inch the career soldier–shoulders squared, spine straight, but his weathered face carried lines of worry I’d never seen before. Beside him, his mate Lydia appeared smaller than I remembered, her silver–streaked hair pulled back severely and her amber eyes–so like her daughter’s–burning with barely contained fury.

The moment they saw me, I knew Frost had told them everything. Their expressions confirmed it–grief, anger, and accusation written.

clearly across their features.

Damn it, Frost. I wanted to handle this delicately.

“Please, sit,” I gestured to the chairs arranged before my desk. They settled with the rigid posture of wolves preparing for battle, while

Frost took his customary position at my right side.

An uncomfortable silence stretched between us. I remained standing, unsure how to begin a conversation that would inevitably end with

me admitting I’d failed their daughter twice.

Lydia solved my dilemma by launching the first attack.

“Alpha King,” she said, her voice trembling with controlled rage, “I respect your authority in all matters of pack governance. But when it

comes to my daughter, I deserve answers!”

Her composure cracked slightly, years of suppressed maternal fury spilling over. “Four years ago, your rejection drove her to disappear without a trace. Four years we searched, followed every lead, hoped against hope she was alive somewhere. And when she finally surfaces, instead of notifying her parents, you imprison her? Torture her? Drive her to jump off a fucking cliff rather than face whatever you had

planned?”

The words hit me like physical blows. I’d expected anger, but hearing it laid out so starkly–the pattern of harm I’d inflicted on their daughter–made my chest tighten with guilt.

Theron placed a gentle but firm hand on his mate’s arm. “Lydia,” he said quietly, his voice carrying the weight of command even in gentleness. “Frost explained the circumstances. Elowen chose to hide her scent, chose not to reveal herself. And at the end… she chose the cliff over returning to pack life. You know how stubborn she is. Once she sets her mind to something…”