The Alpha's forbidden omega mate - Chapter 116: Chapter 116

Rowan POV:
The Mondragon mansion was quiet. All I could hear was the soft ticking of the clock in the hallway.
Moonlight shone through the windows, making the room feel full of shadows.
I crept into our bedroom, trying not to wake Catrina. She was asleep on the bed, Lucas curled up next to her, their breathing in sync.
They look so peaceful.
A pang of guilt hit me. I’d spent the evening in the training yard, trying to work off the restlessness that gnawed at me.
Maybe it’s better if I stay away. Maybe she’s better off without my darkness, my doubts.
My wolf was a mess of conflicting emotions. He wanted to be close to Catrina, to smell her scent, to feel her warmth.
But he also sensed the distance growing between us, the unspoken questions in her eyes.
I’m pushing her away, I realized. My heart ached.
I’m so scared of hurting her, of tainting her with my own darkness, that I’m becoming just like my father.
The thought made me shiver. I didn’t want to be like Marcus.
I had to break free of his legacy, of the darkness he’d left behind.
I gently brushed a strand of hair from Catrina’s forehead, my fingers lingering on her soft skin.
She stirred, her lips curving into a sleepy smile, a murmur of my name escaping her lips.
I wanted to wake her up, pull her close, and forget about everything else.
But I couldn’t. Not yet.
I need to figure this out. I need to be the Alpha she deserves, the Alpha my pack needs.
I left the room quietly, the weight of responsibility heavy on my shoulders. I climbed the stairs, my footsteps echoing in the stillness.
Isabelle’s office door was open, a sliver of light spilling into the hallway.
Maybe she’s still awake. Maybe she can help me make sense of things.
I hesitated. Things with Isabelle were… complicated. Our forced marriage, the pressure from King Alaric, the tension between our packs… It felt like one wrong step could set everything off.
But I needed to talk to someone.
Someone who understood the pressures of being an Alpha, the loneliness, the weight of expectations.
I pushed the door open. Isabelle was sitting at her desk, a half-empty bottle of whiskey and two glasses on the table.
She was wearing a silk robe, her hair loose, her cheeks flushed.
Her eyes were bright, but there was something… off about them.
“Rowan,” she said, her voice slurred. She laughed. “What a surprise! Want a drink?”
She lifted the bottle, her hand a little unsteady.
“Don’t tell me you’ve gone soft now that you’re Alpha.”
She’s drunk. Disappointment washed over me.
I’d been hoping for a clear-headed conversation, not this.
“I think you’ve had enough, Isabelle,” I said gently but firmly.
“It’s late. You should get some rest.”
She laughed again, but this time it sounded brittle, almost painful. “Rest? What’s the point? All I get are nightmares. Nightmares about failing my pack, about my husband who… prefers another she-wolf.”
Her words stung, sharp and bitter. I knew she was hurting, just like I was.
“Isabelle…” I started, but she cut me off, her voice rising, her eyes blazing with anger.
“Don’t ‘Isabelle’ me, Rowan,” she spat, slamming her glass down on the desk.
“You walk in here, all concerned, while I’m left to clean up your mess. You think this is easy for me? Watching you and Catrina play happy family while my pack is falling apart?”
I frowned, confused. “What are you talking about, Isabelle? What mess?”
“You really are clueless, aren’t you?” she scoffed.
“You’re so wrapped up in your little omega world, you haven’t even noticed what’s happening around you.”
She stood up, swaying a little, her anger radiating off her.
“King Alaric is furious, Rowan. He feels insulted, betrayed. He wants an heir, a real heir, not some… pup from a rogue bloodline. He wants proof that our packs are truly united. And you… you’ve given him nothing but excuses and disrespect.”
My stomach twisted. I knew King Alaric was dangerous, ambitious, and quick to anger.
But I’d been so focused on my own pack, on Catrina, that I hadn’t realized how bad things were with the alliance.
“What… what does he want, Isabelle?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper.
“He wants you to do your duty, Rowan,” she said, her voice cold.
“He wants you to claim me, to give him an heir worthy of the Magnus name. An heir to lead the Southern packs.”
A wave of nausea washed over me. I’d known our marriage was for political reasons, to protect our packs from King Alaric.
But I’d hoped… foolishly hoped… that we could do this without hurting each other.
“Isabelle, I…” I stammered, trying to find the words to explain. To tell her that my heart belonged to Catrina, that I could never betray her like that.
“Don’t,” she interrupted, her voice brittle.
“Don’t insult me with apologies and excuses. You made your choice, Rowan. You chose your omega. And now we’re all paying the price.”
Her words were like shards of ice, piercing my heart.
“That’s not fair, Isabelle,” I protested, anger rising in my chest.
“I’m trying to do what’s best for everyone. For the pack, for Catrina, for Lucas…”
“For Catrina?” she scoffed, her laughter sharp and cruel. “Of course. It’s always about Catrina. You’re so blinded by her, you can’t see the damage you’re causing.”
“She’s not like that, Isabelle,” I growled, my wolf rising up to defend her. “She’s not some manipulative…”
I stopped, the words dying on my tongue.
I sounded just like my father, judging Catrina, blaming her for everything.
I’m turning into him. I’m seeing her through his eyes.
Shame washed over me, heavy and suffocating.
Isabelle’s eyes narrowed. “Not manipulative? Is that what you tell yourself, Rowan? Or is that the lie she’s feeding you, the sweet poison that keeps you blind?”
I wanted to argue, to defend Catrina. But Isabelle was right.
I was blinded.
I’d been so focused on protecting Catrina from the pack, from the elders, that I’d forgotten about everything else.
“If you claim her as your Luna, do you even realize what King Alaric will do?” Isabelle’s voice was sharp, cutting.
“He’ll destroy us, Rowan. He’ll see it as a betrayal. He’ll break the alliance. The Mondragon pack will be vulnerable, alone, ready to be conquered.”
“But… our packs are strong,” I stammered, clinging to hope. “We can fight him. Together…”
“Don’t be a fool, Rowan,” Isabelle snapped.
“King Alaric controls the whole Southern Range. He has allies, resources, a ruthlessness that you, with your soft heart and your obsession with that omega, can’t even imagine.”
Her words were harsh, but they were true. I’d been naive. I’d underestimated King Alaric, underestimated the danger we were in.
I sank into a chair, my shoulders heavy with the weight of my failure.
I’m messing everything up. I’m hurting everyone.
My wolf whined, a low, sad sound in my chest.
“What… what do we do, Isabelle?” I asked, my voice empty.
She sighed, her anger fading into a weariness that matched my own.
She poured herself another drink, the whiskey sloshing in the glass.
“I don’t know, Rowan,” she said quietly.
“I honestly don’t know. But I won’t be his pawn. I won’t be used to breed his perfect little heir.”
She took a long gulp of whiskey, her eyes meeting mine. They were filled with a sadness that cut me to the core.
“If he wants to break the alliance… fine,” she whispered, her voice cracking. “I’d rather face his anger than live with this… humiliation. This constant reminder of your… betrayal.”
She turned away, her shoulders shaking.
I wanted to comfort her, to apologize, to explain… but I couldn’t. The words were stuck in my throat.
I’m a failure. An Alpha who can’t protect his pack and can’t keep his promises. A man who can’t even find the right words to say.
Shame washed over me, heavy and suffocating.
“Maybe… maybe I should just step down,” I mumbled.
“Let someone else deal with this. Someone stronger, someone who doesn’t…” My voice trailed off, the words too painful to say.
“And what about Catrina?” Isabelle’s voice was sharp, cutting through my despair.
“What about your precious omega? You think they’ll accept her? Make her Luna? They’ll tear her apart, Rowan. And your pup… they won’t hesitate to…”
Her words, brutal but honest, hit me hard.
I’d been so focused on my own guilt that I hadn’t even thought about what this meant for Catrina, for Lucas.
She’s not safe. Not with the elders whispering their poison, not with King Alaric breathing down our necks.
“I… I’ll protect her,” I stammered, desperation clawing at my throat.
“We’ll leave. Start over somewhere else. Somewhere far away, where…”
But the words sounded empty, even to me.
Where could we go? Where could we hide from the Alpha King, from the laws of our world, from the prejudice that followed us like a shadow?
I’ve messed everything up. I’ve hurt everyone I love.
Despair threatened to swallow me whole. I had no answers, no solutions. Just a growing sense of dread, a feeling that a storm was coming, and I was powerless to stop it.
“She’s nothing but a burden, Rowan,” Isabelle said coldly. “A liability. She’s distracting you from your duties, your responsibilities.”
A soft gasp came from the shadows near the door. My blood turned to ice.
Catrina?
I turned, my heart pounding, and saw her standing there.
Her face was pale, her eyes wide with hurt, with betrayal.
She’d heard everything.
“Catrina, I…” I started, but the words died in my throat.
There was nothing I could say. The pain in her eyes said it all.
She looked at me, then at Isabelle. And then, without a word, she turned and ran, disappearing into the darkness.
The sound of her retreating footsteps echoed in the silence, a heartbreaking reminder of the love, the trust, that I’d just shattered.