The Alpha's forbidden omega mate - Chapter 128: Chapter 128

Derek POV:
“They thought they could buy us out, Jarrett. Scare us off. They were wrong.”
I stood in the wrecked lobby of the Magnus Hotel. My knuckles were bloody, my chest hurt, and the air smelled like wolf, blood, and fear.
Thorne’s goons – a bunch of human mercenaries – were gone. They’d scattered like cockroaches when we fought back.
Cowards. My wolf snarled, disgusted. They think they can just waltz in here, flash their money, and take what’s ours.
They thought we were weak.
But the victory felt empty. The lobby was a mess.
Furniture was overturned, windows were shattered, and blood stained the carpets.
We’d won, but at a cost.
Jarrett, his grey fur matted with sweat and blood, leaned on his cane, looking over the damage.
He’d fought like a warrior twice his age, taking down two of Thorne’s biggest guys with ease.
“They did underestimate us,” Jarrett agreed, his voice rough.
“They forgot that wolves fight for their home, their pack. They thought money was everything. They were wrong.”
“But they’ll be back, Jarrett,” I said, worry weighing me down.
Since Rowan left for the Mondragon mansion, the responsibility of protecting the pack had fallen on me.
It was a burden I never wanted, a role I wasn’t sure I was ready for.
“Thorne won’t give up. He wants this hotel. He wants to destroy everything my father built and put his own mark on it.”
He’s a vulture, just like Alaric. My wolf growled, his anger growing.
They’re waiting for us to fall apart so they can swoop in and take everything.
“We’ll be ready for them,” Jarrett said, his voice firm.
He met my gaze, and I saw the same determination in his eyes, the spark of a fighter.
“They might have money and guns, but they don’t have what we have. They don’t have the bond, the loyalty, the heart of a pack.”
“We’re not united, Jarrett,” I argued, frustration bubbling up.
The elders were constantly whispering doubts about Rowan, about Catrina, about me. They thought I wasn’t strong enough to lead, that I wasn’t like Marcus.
“They’re still questioning everything. They’re stuck in the past, clinging to the old ways. They don’t see that we have to change if we want to survive.”
They’re scared, Derek. My wolf’s voice was softer now. They’re grieving. They’re lost. They want someone to blame.
But you have to show them a different way. Rowan’s way.
A way of strength and kindness. A way of bringing everyone together.
“They’ll come around, Derek,” Jarrett said, squeezing my shoulder.
“They just need time. They need to see that we’re all fighting for the same thing—the survival of the Magnus pack.”
“And what about Lucas, Jarrett?” I asked, my voice breaking.
The fear, the guilt, the bone-deep ache of my brother separated from his pup, my nephew.
A wound that refused to heal, a constant throb of pain that eclipsed even the physical injuries I’d sustained in the fight against Thorne’s mercenaries.
“What if we never find him? What if…”
My voice trailed off, the unspoken fear, the unbearable thought of a future without Lucas, without the pup who’d brought so much joy, so much hope, into our lives, a dark cloud that threatened to extinguish the fragile optimism that remained within me.
“They will find him, Derek,” Jarrett said, his voice strong and steady.
He looked me in the eye, his amber eyes filled with a promise. “Rowan won’t give up. Catrina won’t give up. And neither will we.”
He looked towards the north, towards the mountains that separated our territory from the Mondragons’.
“King Korvash… he’s a powerful ally,” Jarrett said thoughtfully.
“He’s wise, and he doesn’t give his loyalty easily. But he’s chosen to help Rowan. He sees something in him, something special.”
I nodded. King Korvash’s arrival had given us all a much-needed boost of hope. It meant we weren't alone in this fight.
But what about Catrina? What about… the prophecy?
My wolf’s voice was a low growl, full of worry.
The old stories, the legends of an omega with the power to save or destroy our pack, haunted me.
Catrina. Rowan’s mate. Lucas’s mother. And now an omega with a connection to the spirit realm, a power that even Damien feared.
She was the key to everything.
We need her. Rowan needs her. But can we trust her? Can we control her?
My wolf’s question echoed the doubts in my own mind.
The fear that she might be too powerful, too unpredictable.
“We have to trust them, Jarrett,” I said, meeting his gaze. I had to believe in Rowan, in Catrina, in their ability to lead us through this darkness.
“We have to believe that they can bring Lucas home, that they can defeat Damien, that they can build a better future for our pack.”
Jarrett nodded. “We have to, Derek,” he said. “It’s our only hope.”
I looked around the wrecked lobby, at the broken furniture, the bloodstains.
It was a reminder of the battles we’d fought, the challenges we still faced. But even in the wreckage, I saw hope.
The pack was already cleaning up, fixing the damage. They were working united.
We would rebuild. We would heal. We would find Lucas. And we would face whatever came next as a pack.
“You know, lad,” Jarrett said, placing a calloused hand on my arm.
His gaze was kind, but resolute.
“There were times… dark times, when I thought we’d lose everything. When Marcus… when the Larva… it felt like the darkness would swallow us whole. But we’re still here, Derek. We’re Magnus wolves. We’re survivors. We’re stronger than we think.”
He squeezed my shoulder.
“Don’t lose hope. Not now. We’ll get through this. Together.”
As the moon rose, casting its silvery light over the wounded but determined Magnus pack, I felt a surge of pride.
We were battered, but not broken.
We would survive.