The Alpha's forbidden omega mate - Chapter 149: Chapter 149

Rowan POV:
“This is all your fault, Rowan! You and your precious omega!”
Derek’s voice was full of fury and grief. He stood in front of me, his eyes blazing, his wolf snarling. The other pack members cowered, their own fear and anxiety filling the air.
Thorne’s mercenaries were gone, their blood staining the floor of the Magnus Hotel lobby.
They did beat them back, but the hotel was a wreck, a mirror of my own shattered soul.
And Derek… my brother, my Beta, the one I’d trusted to hold the pack together… he blamed me.
He blamed Catrina. He blamed the love that had brought us all this pain.
“This hotel… it’s gone, Rowan!” Derek shouted, his voice cracking.
“Thorne’s lawyers, they… they took it. They took everything! Our home. Our legacy. Everything Dad built…”
“He’s right. It’s my fault.” My wolf whimpered, his claws digging into my palms. Guilt and shame weighed me down.
“It’s just a building, Derek,” I said, my voice weary.
The fight with Damien, the merging, seeing Lucas almost die… it had drained me. I felt like an empty shell, not the strong Alpha I’d thought I could be.
“We can rebuild. We can find a new home.”
“Easy for you to say, Rowan,” Derek snarled. His words were bitter, full of resentment. “You have everything. You’re the Alpha. You have your mate, your pup… you have it all.”
His words twisted inside me, echoing my own doubts, my own failures.
He was right. I hadn't been the Alpha I should have been. I’d let my own insecurities, my fear, push Catrina away. And now…
“You think I have everything, Derek?” I roared, my voice full of pain and anger.
“You think this title, this responsibility, is some kind of prize? It’s a curse, Derek! A burden that’s crushing me!”
I stepped closer, my wolf rising up, his amber eyes blazing.
Derek flinched, his wolf instinctively bowing his head. But his human eyes still held defiance, still mirroring my own hurt.
“My pack… they hate me, Derek,” I said, my voice cracking. “They think I’m weak, a failure. I’ve lost every fight that matters. I had to kill my own father. And now… I’ve lost my mate.”
“What?” Derek whispered, his anger fading, replaced by shock.
“You heard me. Catrina’s in a coma. She might never wake up. And it’s my fault.”
The words felt heavy, like stones in my mouth. The guilt, the despair, threatened to swallow me.
“I… I never… I didn’t mean…” Derek stammered, his face full of regret.
“Of course you didn’t,” I snapped, bitterness twisting my words. “I have everything, right? Just like you said.”
Uncle Jarrett stepped between us, his expression sad and worried.
“You know he didn’t mean it like that, Rowan,” he said gently. “He’s just…”
“I’m done, Jarrett,” I interrupted, my voice empty. “I’m done being Alpha. I’m done with this pack. I’m done with… everything.”
I turned to leave, the weight of my failures too heavy to bear.
“Wait!” Derek called out.
I ignored him. I couldn’t face him, not now. Not when his words had cut so deep, when the truth of them mirrored my own self-hatred.
“Jarrett,” I said, my voice cold, “Prepare the ceremony. Make Derek the Alpha. I won’t be there.”
Jarrett’s eyes were full of sadness, but he knew I meant it.
“I’ll do it, Alpha,” he said quietly.
This isn’t how it’s supposed to be. Everything’s falling apart, and it’s all my fault.
Everyone was hurting. The pack. Derek. Even Isabelle. I’d dragged them into this mess, and now… I couldn’t fix it.
But maybe… maybe there was still one thing I could do. One way to redeem myself. One way to honor Catrina’s sacrifice.
A desperate, crazy idea formed in my mind.
I went to the Mondragon mansion, to the nursery where Maggie and Henry were watching over Lucas. Their faces were etched with worry, their scents heavy with sadness.
“Maggie, Henry,” I said, my voice serious. “I need to talk to you.”
They looked up, alarm in their eyes.
“What is it, Rowan?” Henry asked, his voice gruff.
“I need you to take care of Lucas,” I said. “I don’t know how long I’ll be gone.”
The words hung in the air, heavy with unspoken meaning.
I might never come back.
“Where are you going?” Maggie asked, her voice filled with worry.
“I’m going to bring Catrina back,” I said, meeting their gazes. My resolve was firm.
I wouldn’t give up on her. Not now. Not ever.
I packed a small bag. It was pointless, really.
I wouldn't need any earthly possessions where I was going.
Isabelle came into the room, her amber eyes wide with alarm.
“Rowan, where are you going?” she demanded.
“I need to apologize to you, Isabelle,” I said, my voice rough with emotion. “I’ve dragged you into this. Put your pack in danger. I failed you…”
“That’s not what I asked!” she snapped. Her worry for me was evident, even beneath her anger.
“I’m going to fix things, Isabelle,” I said, my voice firm. “I’ll make everything right.”
And then I left, ignoring her protests. She wouldn’t understand. She wouldn’t let me do what I had to do. She cared about me, but I had to do this alone.
I ran through the night, my wolf guiding me north, toward the mountains, toward the hidden territory of the Drakhor Clan. It was a place of powerful magic, of secrets, of a power that could heal… or destroy.
I found the hidden entrance to their lands, the air shimmering with ancient energy. I stepped through the portal, into a world of ancient trees and whispering waterfalls. Magic pulsed in the very air.
King Korvash stood before me, his icy gaze piercing me, a challenge in his eyes. I knew there was no turning back.
“You said you would help me, Korvash,” I said, my voice rough with emotion. “You said you would help me with anything I needed. I need your help now. More than ever.”
His gaze held mine, testing my resolve. The fate of Catrina and my very soul, hung in the balance.
“Please, Korvash. Let me pay the price.”