Alpha's STOLEN Mate (by Abigail Hayes) novel Chapter 32

Chapter 32

He had a point. I moved to my desk, pulling out detailed maps of our territory and the surrounding regions. “She doesn’t smell like a rogue, I muttered, spreading the parchment across the surface. “If she’s been able to hide herself this completely, grow this powerful, there has to be a pack supporting her. A significant one.”

“Already considered that,” Frost said, rising to examine the maps. “I’ve had discrete inquiries made with every major pack within a hundred–mile radius. No trace of her, and no rumors of any legendary white wolves taking refuge with established alphas.”

“Then where the hell could she be?” I demanded, frustrated.

Frost’s smile turned knowing. “Think about it, Kaius. Given her abilities, her obvious leadership qualities, her sheer force of will… what do

you think she became during those four years of exile?”

I paused, remembering the way she’d carried herself during our fight. The absolute confidence, the strategic thinking, the way she’d commanded respect even from my own warriors when they’d seen her white wolf form. That wasn’t the behavior of a follower.

“Fuck,” I breathed, the realization hitting me like a physical blow. “She’s an Alpha. She has the presence, the strength, the bloody–minded

determination to lead her own pack.”

“Exactly,” Frost confirmed. “The question is: where?”

I stared down at the maps, feeling the pieces click into place. “She founded her own pack. Somewhere hidden, somewhere we wouldn’t

think to look…”

“Remember that peculiar entry in the attendance records?” Frost asked casually, producing a leather–bound ledger from inside his jacket. “The Silent Forest Pack? Five consecutive absences, creative excuses, and a leader who’s never once shown her face at our assemblies?‘ He flipped through a few pages. “According to our records, they’ve claimed the Ashen Barrens as their domain.”

My head snapped up, confusion creasing my brow. “The Silent Forest Pack… occupies the Ashen Barrens? How does that even make

sense?”

“Exactly my point,” Frost said, opening the ledger to a specific page. “That’s precisely why I think this territory is worth investigating- especially when you consider the geographical anomaly.”

“What anomaly?”

Frost moved to the large cabinet against the far wall, retrieving a thick tome bound in weathered leather. “The Territorial Survey of the Northern Kingdoms, compiled by the Council of Elders fifty years ago. Every major landmark, tesource, and settlement mapped in precise

detail.”

He flipped through pages covered in meticulous handwriting and detailed illustrations until he found what he was looking for.

“Here,” he said, pointing to a specific entry. “The Ashen Barrens. According to these records, the Silent Forest Pack claims territory in a

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Chapter 32

volcanic valley where nothing can grow. No vegetation, no water sources, temperatures that would kill most wildlife. The survey notes specifically mention that the area is ‘uninhabitable for extended periods‘ and ‘devoid of resources necessary to sustain a wolf pack.”

I leaned over the page, studying the precise notations and detailed geographical descriptions. Everything about the location screamed

impossibility.

“How the hell does a pack survive in a place like that?” I muttered.

“They don’t,” Frost said simply. “Unless something very unusual is happening there. Something that would require… supernatural

intervention.”

(76),

The implications hit me like a thunderbolt. I straightened, a fierce grin spreading across my face.

“Of course it would be something impossible,” I said, laughing despite myself. “Nothing about that woman has ever made sense. She goes from being unable to shift to becoming the rarest wolf bloodline in existence. She survives torture that should have killed her, jumps off a cliff that should have been certain death, and now she’s apparently leading a pack in a wasteland where nothing should be able to live.”

“It does seem rather on–brand for her,” Frost agreed with obvious amusement.

I was already moving toward the door, my mind racing with possibilities. “Cancel my afternoon appointments. We’re taking a reconnaissance party to the Ashen Barrens.”