The Alpha's forbidden omega mate - Chapter 111: Chapter 111

Marcus POV:
It’s so cold here.
The darkness pressed in around me, suffocating me. It was like a heavy weight crushing my spirit, stealing all the warmth from my soul.
Whispers through the emptiness, promising power, a world where the strong ruled and the weak obeyed.
“Lies,” a voice whispered in my mind. My own voice, weak and tired. “Poison that’s rotting you from the inside out.”
I tried to fight it, to hold onto the good memories, the love, the man I used to be. But the darkness was strong.
It was like a parasite, twisting my thoughts, making my worst impulses even worse.
Sometimes, little pieces of my old life broke through the darkness.
Small glimpses of the family I loved, the pack I led, before the Kezrach Larva took hold.
”Look at them, Jarrett. My sons. The future of the Magnus pack.”
I saw myself, younger and strong, my chest filled with pride. I
was watching Rowan and Derek spar in the training yard. The sun glinted off their sweaty skin, and their laughter filled the air.
Jarrett, my Beta and my brother, clapped me on the shoulder. He was grinning.
”They’re a good pair, Marcus. Strong, loyal. You’ve raised them well.”
”Rowan… he’s a natural. A born Alpha.”
I couldn’t hide my smile. ”He’s going to lead this pack to greatness, Jarrett. I’ll make sure of it.”
”And Derek? What about him? He’s a good lad, Marcus. Don’t forget about his strengths.”
A shadow crossed my face, a hint of the darkness that was already growing inside me.
”Derek… he’s different. Softer. But he’ll learn. He’ll learn to be strong, like his brother.”
The memory faded, replaced by another one, sharper and filled with regret.
”You’re pushing him too hard, Marcus. He’s just a pup.”
It was Vivian’s voice. Soft, but firm.
She was trying to warn me, but I didn't listen. I was so blinded by my own ambition, I couldn't see what I was doing.
We were in our bedroom. The air smelled like her lavender perfume. It used to calm my wolf, soothe the restlessness inside me.
But then, it just reminded me of the distance between us, a distance I refused to acknowledge.
”He needs to be strong, Vivian,” I insisted. ”He’s an Alpha. He has to be ready to lead.”
”He needs love too, Marcus. He needs to know that true strength comes from accepting those who are different, not from crushing them.”
”He’ll learn that out in the world, Vivian. Weakness is punished. Only the strong survive.”
”What about compassion, Marcus? Where does that fit in your world? What about empathy, understanding?”
I turned away from her. Her words stung, piercing the tough shell I’d built around myself.
”Those are luxuries we can’t afford, Vivian. Not if we want to keep the Magnus pack strong. Pure.”
Her sigh, full of sorrow, echoed in my mind.
”You’re blinding yourself, Marcus. You’re creating a world of fear, not strength. You’re pushing away everyone who loves you…”
The darkness closed in again, the memories fading. It left a hollow in me, an emptiness that power and control couldn't fill.
I was wrong. So wrong.
The truth was stark, brutal. I’d built my legacy on lies, on fear, on the belief that strength was everything.
I pushed away my mate, my sons, the people who could have helped me, who could have loved me.
And now… it’s too late.
The Kezrach Larva had won. It had twisted me, turned me into the monster I'd always feared.
My own son, the heir I'd tried to shape in my image, had to kill me to stop me.
“How ironic.” The voice in my head mocked me. “The Alpha, the protector, destroyed by the very darkness he was trying to control.”
The only thing that gave me any comfort was knowing Rowan had survived. That he’d escaped the Larva’s grip.
That he’d embraced the compassion and empathy that I'd tried to destroy.
He was a better Alpha than I’d ever been.
Strong, but kind.
Protective, but understanding.
He’d found a mate who loved him for who he truly was.
He’s everything I should have been.
The thought brought a fresh wave of pain, a longing for the life I'd thrown away.
But there was also a flicker of pride. Hope that maybe, just maybe, Rowan would succeed where I’d failed.
Maybe he would build a better world for our pack. A world free from the Larva. A world where strength and compassion could exist together.
“Please, Rowan… forgive me.”
My plea echoed in the darkness, a whisper lost in the vast emptiness.
I was trapped here, a prisoner of my own mistakes, haunted by the ghosts of my past.
Then I heard a voice. At first, it was just a whisper, a faint rustling in the darkness.
But it grew louder, stronger, until it was all I could hear.
”Who are you?” I asked, my voice trembling.
I knew I was alone in this void. Or so I thought.
”Do you truly not know who I am, Marcus?” the voice whispered back.
A shiver of fear ran down my spine. How did this… this thing know my name?
”L-leave me alone,” I stammered, hating how weak my voice sounded.
”You have nowhere to go, Marcus,” the voice said, a hint of mockery in its tone.
”Don’t you remember what happened? Your precious son took your life. You’re dead.”
”No… it can’t be…” I couldn't accept it. I wouldn't.
”It’s true,” the voice hissed. ”The darkness, the Larva… it left you broken. They were trying to save the pack, not you. They didn't care about you.”
”Stop it!” I yelled, my voice echoing in the void. ”I don’t want to hear anymore!”
”That’s a shame,” the voice purred, its tone almost playful. ”I was about to offer you a deal…”
”A deal?” Hope flared within me, a tiny ember in the vast darkness.
”Yes,” the voice whispered.
”You can come back, Marcus. You can take back what they stole from you. But first… you have to help me.”
Two crimson eyes materialized in the shadows, piercing the gloom, fixing on me with a gaze full of malice and cold, calculating power.
I felt hypnotized, drawn to those eyes, their gaze holding me captive like a snake charming its prey.
”What do you want… Sir?” The words slipped from my lips, my voice barely a whisper.
”That’s what I wanted to hear, Marcus,” the voice purred, a smile in its tone.
”But there’s no need for formalities. You can call me Damien.”