The Alpha's forbidden omega mate - Chapter 153: Chapter 153

Rowan POV:
“Rowan? Are you even listening to me?”
Isabelle’s voice, sharp and annoyed, snapped me out of the memory.
Or was it a vision? A nightmare?
I blinked, the candlelight on the table flickering, casting dancing shadows on the walls of the restaurant.
“Sorry, Isabelle,” I mumbled, looking down at my plate.
The gourmet meal in front of me was tasteless. I wasn't hungry. A knot of dread was twisting in my gut.
“What’s wrong with you, Rowan? You’re acting like a scared omega.” My wolf growled. He was confused, sensing my fear.
“You’ve been… distant all evening,” Isabelle continued.
Her emerald eyes, usually so cold and calculating, were softer now, almost… concerned? It was a surprising glimpse of the woman beneath the Alpha’s mask.
“Is something… bothering you, Rowan?” She hesitated.
I wanted to tell her. I wanted to tell her about the flood of memories, visions, nightmares that had been haunting me since I woke up in my bedroom.
It was like my life had been reset. All the love, the loss, the battles, the sacrifices… gone.
But how could I explain it?
“It’s… nothing, Isabelle,” I lied, forcing a smile and looking away.
I couldn’t meet her gaze. The weight of her scrutiny, her expectations, was too much. “Just… a lot on my mind. Football. School. The Alpha ceremony…”
Lies. My wolf snarled, his claws digging into my palms. He could sense my anxiety, my fear.
These memories, these visions, were breaking through, shattering the illusion of normalcy I was trying to maintain.
“The ceremony,” Isabelle echoed, her voice softening. I couldn't tell what she was feeling.
Longing? Anticipation? Maybe she thought the ceremony would finally make our arranged bond feel real.
Our engagement had been made a few weeks ago. It was a strategic alliance, a merging of two powerful packs. It was a destiny I’d accepted, a necessary part of the werewolf world, a world of power and alliances.
But now… with these echoes of another life, another love, haunting me… the thought of the ceremony, of pledging myself to Isabelle, of binding myself to a she-wolf who wasn’t… her… filled me with dread.
“Are you… having second thoughts, Rowan?” Isabelle asked, her voice sharp, her eyes narrowing. Her wolf sensed the shift in me, the doubt, the fear.
“No, of course not,” I lied again, my voice too quick, too eager.
Liar. My wolf snarled, digging his claws deeper.
I was playing a dangerous game, a game with terrible consequences. I was betraying her, betraying myself, betraying the memory of a love I couldn't explain, couldn't forget.
“Are you sure?” Isabelle pressed, her gaze holding mine.
“It’s just… you seem distracted. Preoccupied. You’re not… seeing someone else, are you?”
Her question caught me off guard.
I hesitated, the lies tangled on my tongue, the truth—a truth I couldn’t even admit to myself—weighing me down.
“It’s… nothing like that, Isabelle,” I said evasively, looking away.
“Just… a fling. A human girl. For fun.” The words tasted like poison.
Isabelle flinched, her eyes flickering with a pain that surprised me.
She might be a strong Alpha, but she was also a woman who craved a real connection, a love that had been denied to her.
“I… I see,” she said after a moment, her voice carefully controlled, but the sadness in her eyes was obvious.
“It’s… your choice, Rowan. You’re the Alpha. You have… certain freedoms. As long as you fulfill your duty to the pack, to our alliance… your private life is your own.”
She tried to sound indifferent, like it didn’t matter. But I saw the truth in her eyes.
She was hurt. She longed for a connection, a love, that I couldn’t give her.
“We’re both trapped, Isabelle.” My wolf rumbled, understanding her pain. “Stuck in a situation we didn’t choose.”
The rest of the dinner was a blur. Isabelle talked about pack business, about the upcoming Alpha summit, about the challenges we faced.
But I couldn’t focus. The visions, the memories, the nightmares, kept flashing through my mind, reminding me of the future I’d glimpsed, the path I was desperately trying to avoid.
I saw my father, his amber eyes cold, his voice a harsh bark, pushing me to be strong, ruthless, everything he thought an Alpha should be.
I saw the Kezrach Larva, a writhing mass of shadows, whispering promises of power and darkness.
I saw the Magnus Hotel engulfed in flames, my packmates screaming, a vision of Damien’s destruction.
I saw King Korvash, his icy blue eyes a reminder of ancient powers and a destiny I couldn't escape. And I saw the Drakhor Clan, their magic twisting reality itself, a power that both terrified and fascinated me.
And then… I saw him. Lucas. My son.
A tiny, perfect being. He was laughing, reaching for me, his scent filling me with a love so fierce it made my heart ache.
But the woman, his mother… her face was always blurry, a phantom I couldn’t grasp. Just a whisper of lavender and vanilla, a flash of silver fur.
“Who is she, Rowan?” My wolf growled, frustrated. “Who is the mother of your pup?”
I shivered, a cold dread gripping me. I couldn’t escape these visions, these memories of a life I wasn’t supposed to remember.
“Rowan? Are you alright?” Isabelle asked again. “You look… pale. Are you sure you’re not sick?”
“I’m fine, Isabelle,” I lied, forcing a smile, pushing the memories down. I had to pretend.
But I knew I wasn’t fine. And I knew I wouldn’t be… not until I found her. Not until I remembered.
We finished dinner, the conversation was strained and awkward. Even though Isabelle said she didn’t care, I knew she was hurt.
I walked her to her car, the cool night air a welcome relief after the stuffy restaurant.
Even though our paths were intertwined by our fathers’ ambitions, by this arranged mating, I knew we were headed in different directions.
She was a strong Alpha, destined to lead her pack. She deserved a mate who would love her, who would choose her.
And me? I was lost.
Lost in a maze of forgotten memories, searching for a ghost, a scent, a flicker of silver fur.
Searching for a love that had touched my soul, a destiny I couldn’t escape.