The Alpha's forbidden omega mate - Chapter 134: Chapter 134

Catrina POV:
“You were meant to be my queen, Lyra. We were destined to rule together.”
Damien’s words sent chills down my spine. They were laced with a possessiveness that felt suffocating. Memories, pieces of another life, another love, swirled in my head.
“No,” I whispered, my voice trembling.
My gaze darted between Damien, his crimson eyes burning into me, and Rowan, his amber eyes full of protectiveness. “That wasn’t… that wasn’t me. That was… Lyra.”
The memories, hazy at first, like a half-forgotten dream, became sharper, pulling me back into a past that felt both strange and familiar.
I saw myself, not as Catrina, but as Lyra, a princess of the Lycan Empire. I was standing on a balcony, looking out over a huge city.
The air shimmered with the heat of a thousand torches, and music drifted up from the bustling streets below.
It was a world of luxury, of abundance, where my every wish was granted.
But it was a gilded cage. My wolf, a magnificent silver creature, growled. A prison of silk and jewels, full of meaningless rituals.
“You were promised to me, Lyra,” Damien said, his voice a silken purr. His words felt like a spell, trying to trap me in a past I couldn’t escape, a destiny I didn’t want.
“It was an alliance of power, of destiny. We were meant to rule together.”
He stepped closer, his scent a mix of incense and decay. It was a reminder of the darkness that clung to him, the power he held, the threat he posed.
“We were perfect together, Lyra,” he murmured, his crimson eyes trying to rekindle a flame that had died long ago.
“He’s lying.” My wolf snarled, her hackles rising.
“He never loved you. He just wanted your power, your magic.”
But even as my wolf warned me, I felt a flicker of recognition, a ghost of a feeling, as I looked at Damien.
His face, twisted by centuries of bitterness, still held a trace of the charm that had captivated the young princess, the naive omega who had been promised a throne.
He was handsome, once. Charming. Powerful.
And I… I was so lonely. Trapped in a world of duty and expectations.
“You remember, don’t you, my love?” Damien whispered, his voice like a caress, his words trying to weave a spell of longing and regret around my heart.
“Remember the nights we spent together? The promises? The dreams?”
The vision shifted. The palace faded, replaced by a moonlit garden filled with the scent of jasmine and honeysuckle.
The sound of a waterfall echoed in the distance. But beneath the beauty, I could feel the turmoil in my heart, the secret that threatened to shatter my world.
I saw myself, Lyra, her silver gown shining in the moonlight, laughing as she danced with a young man.
His scent, pine and leather and untamed energy, filled her senses.
Kael. His name was a secret whisper, a forbidden love hidden even from her wolf.
He was an omega, a servant in her father’s court.
He had no lineage, no power.
But his eyes, the color of the summer sky, held a kindness she’d never seen in the cold, calculating gazes of the Alpha suitors who wanted her for her power.
“You shouldn’t be here, Kael,” Lyra whispered, her voice trembling as she touched his hand.
His touch sent shivers down her spine, a thrill of forbidden pleasure.
“It’s dangerous. If they find us…”
“I don’t care, Lyra,” Kael said, his voice a low rumble.
He looked at her with a love that warmed the cold, calculating world she lived in. A world where duty and power were everything, and love meant nothing.
“I can’t stay away from you.”
He cupped her face in his hands, his touch sending a jolt of electricity through her.
“Lyra,” he whispered, his lips brushing against hers. His scent was intoxicating.
“I love you. I know it’s wrong, but… I can’t deny it anymore. And neither can you.”
She kissed him back, her wolf singing with joy, her heart soaring.
She felt free, wild, a bird escaping its cage. Their love made everything else fade away.
“This is real. This is what I want. This is who I am.”
Her wolf purred, rebelling against the rules, against the life that had been chosen for her.
But the memory changed. The joy vanished, replaced by fear. Lyra was kneeling before her father, the King. His face was furious, his eyes cold and unforgiving.
“You’ve shamed us, Lyra,” the King thundered, his voice echoing through the throne room.
“You’ve betrayed your family, your pack, your destiny. You’ve been with a… a nobody. An omega with no power, no worth.”
Tears streamed down Lyra’s face, but she stood her ground. She wouldn’t deny her love for Kael.
“I love him, Father,” she said, her voice trembling. “I don’t care about his lineage, his power. He’s… he’s my mate.”
“Foolish girl!” the King roared. “Love is a weakness! You are a princess! You are destined for greatness! You will be a Queen, a leader! Not some lovesick she-wolf, pining for a… a servant!”
“I don’t want to be Queen, Father,” Lyra whispered, her voice breaking. “I just want to be happy. I want to be with Kael. He makes me feel alive.”
“You will learn obedience, Lyra,” the King said, his voice cold and hard.
“You will marry Damien, as we agreed. And this… this… omega… he will be punished.”
“No!” Lyra screamed, her wolf rising up in defiance.
“You can’t hurt him! He’s done nothing wrong! He loves me! And I love him!”
“Love will not save you, Lyra,” the King said, his voice a chilling whisper.
It was a reminder of the cruelty of their world, a world where love, especially an omega’s love, was seen as weakness.
The vision faded, leaving a coldness in my heart, a feeling of loss and betrayal.
I looked at Damien, his crimson eyes glittering with triumph. He was enjoying my pain, the memory of his own twisted victory.
“You see, Catrina?” he whispered, his voice a venomous caress.
“Love is a curse. A weakness. It will destroy you. Just like it destroyed Lyra. Just like it will destroy… everyone you love.”
But I wouldn’t let him win. I wouldn’t let his lies, his manipulation, break me.
I would fight for the future I chose.