The Alpha's Forbidden Mate

CHAPTER 14

XAVIER'S POV

The scent didn’t fade. That was the first thing that told me I was on the right trail.

Vampires were precise. They erased traces, blurred paths, and left nothing behind unless they wanted something found. The fact that I could still catch it—faint, but unmistakable—meant this had been deliberate.

Cold. Metallic. Unnatural.

And woven into it—

Mia.

I drew in a slower breath, forcing myself to focus past the anger building in my chest. She had been here recently. Not long enough for the trail to vanish, but long enough that I needed to move carefully.

The forest thickened the farther I moved from pack territory. The ground grew uneven, roots pushing through the soil, branches hanging low as if trying to block the path ahead. Even the air felt heavier here, like it carried something old and unwelcome.

This wasn’t our land.

I slowed, not because I wanted to, but because rushing would only make their work easier. If they had taken her this far, then they had expected me to follow. Which meant I was already stepping into something planned.

A branch snapped somewhere to my left.

I stopped.

Listened.

Nothing followed. No breath. No shift in the air. Just silence, too clean to be natural.

“Show yourselves,” I said, my voice steady.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then movement—quick and controlled.

One dropped from the trees ahead of me. Another stepped out from the shadows to my right. A third followed, slower, watching more than moving.

Three of them.

Not random. Positioned.

“Wrong direction, Alpha,” the one in front said, tilting his head slightly. His tone was light, but his eyes stayed locked on me.

I didn’t respond. My gaze moved between them, measuring distance, posture, timing. They weren’t hiding what they were, which meant they didn’t feel the need to.

“You’re far from your territory,” another added. “That’s not usually how this works.”

“I’m not here for how things usually work.”

A faint smile crossed the first one’s face. “We know why you’re here.”

Of course they did.

“Where is she?” I asked.

The air shifted, subtle but noticeable.

“The girl?” he said.

My jaw tightened. “You shouldn’t have taken her.”

“And you shouldn’t have let her out of your sight.”

That was enough.

I moved before he finished speaking. My fist connected with his jaw, the impact sending him back into a tree. The crack of wood followed as his body hit it. The others reacted immediately.

One came from the side. Fast. I caught his wrist mid-strike and twisted until I felt the joint give. He hissed, trying to pull away, but I forced him down and stepped back just as the third lunged toward my throat.

I shifted just enough for my claws to break through and struck. He staggered, not down, but slowed.

They recovered quickly.

Faster than most.

The first one straightened, wiping blood from his mouth. He studied me differently now.

“You’re stronger than I expected,” he said.

“I’m not here to impress you.” I stepped forward again. “Where is she?”

He let out a short laugh. “You really don’t know, do you?”

Something in the way he said it—too certain, too relaxed—set something off in my chest.

“Know what?”

His smile widened. “She’s not just your problem anymore.”

My body stilled, not from hesitation, but from focus.

“What does that mean?”

He didn’t answer directly. Instead, he glanced at the others before looking back at me. “You should leave, Alpha. While you still can.”

“I’m not leaving without her.”

“That’s not your choice anymore.”

Silence settled between us, tense and measured. I took another step closer, slow this time.

“Tell me where she is,” I said, “or I start tearing this place apart until I find her.”

For the first time, his expression shifted. Not fear—but something close to caution.

Then he exhaled and stepped back slightly. “You’re already too late.”

The words landed, but I didn’t react outwardly. Not yet.

Behind me, something changed.

Not movement. Not an attack.

A presence.

“Enough.”

The voice cut through the space, calm and controlled.

The three vampires stepped back immediately, not out of fear—but respect.

I turned.

He stood a short distance away, as if he had been there the entire time.

The air around him felt different—denser, sharper. Not loud, not aggressive, but unmistakably powerful.

“So,” he said, his gaze settling on me, “you must be the Alpha.”

My jaw tightened. “And you must be the one who took her.”

A faint smile touched his lips.

“Me?” he chuckled. “No.”

He took a few steps closer, unhurried.

“He kept her...not me”

The words were simple but deliberate.

My chest tightened, just enough to notice.

“Where is she?” I asked.

“Safe,” he replied. “For now.”

“That won’t last.”

His expression didn’t change. If anything, he seemed more interested.

“You came alone,” he said, as if that detail mattered more than anything else.

“That was your first mistake.”

“No,” I said. “Taking her was yours.”

For a moment, neither of us moved. The others stayed back, watching, waiting.

“You care about her,” he observed.

It wasn’t a question.

I didn’t answer.

“I can see why,” he continued. “He said she’s… unusual.”

My focus sharpened. “You don’t get to decide what she is.”

“Don’t I?” he said lightly. “I’ve already learned more about her than you have.”

That hit.

Not because I believed him—but because I didn’t know how much he had seen.

“What do you want?” I asked.

His gaze held mine, steady.

“I want to understand what she is.”

“That’s not your concern. Take me to your leader”

“It became my concern the moment she didn’t respond.”

My fists clenched. “Didn’t respond to what?”

He tilted his head slightly. “You don’t know.”

It wasn’t a question.

“And yet,” he continued, “you’re willing to walk into this place alone for her.”

My control slipped for half a second. Not enough to show—but enough to feel.

“Bring her back,” I said, my voice lower now. “Or this ends badly for everyone here.”

He studied me, as if weighing something.

Then he stepped aside slightly.

“Come find her,” he said. “If you can.”

The invitation wasn’t generous.

It was a test.

Or a trap.

Possibly both.

I didn’t hesitate.

I moved past him, deeper into the trees, following the strongest thread of her scent I could find.

Behind me, I could feel him watching.

Waiting.

He didn’t move to stop me.

That alone told me enough.

They wanted me to go further in.

The deeper I walked, the quieter the forest became. No insects. No wind. Just the faint echo of my own steps and the lingering scent I refused to lose.

Then—

Something shifted.

Not in front of me.

Behind.

To the side.

Every direction at once.

I slowed, my senses sharpening as the feeling crept under my skin.

I wasn’t just being watched.

I was being surrounded.

I exhaled slowly, my claws pressing slightly against my palm as I forced control back into my body.

“Cowards,” I muttered under my breath.

A faint chuckle echoed somewhere in the distance.

Not close enough to strike.

But close enough to remind me—

I wasn’t in control here.

Not yet.