The Alpha's forbidden omega mate - Chapter 166: Chapter 166

Rowan POV:
“You’re… going to college, Rowan?”
Derek’s voice held a mix of disbelief and something that sounded a lot like… respect?
It made me pause, my hand hovering over my suitcase.
The scent of old leather, the familiar smell of travel, filled the air.
It was a bittersweet reminder of the life I was leaving behind.
“You heard me, Bro,” I said, meeting his gaze.
My gut twisted with a confusing mix of emotions— defiance, sadness, and a deep, gnawing fear.
“I’ve made up my mind. I’m getting out of here. Starting fresh.”
The past few months since graduation, since that dance with Catrina, had been a blur of restless nights and unsettling dreams.
There was a growing unease inside me, a premonition of darkness, a destiny I couldn’t escape.
I’d tried to bury the past, to rewrite it, but it kept coming back to haunt me.
“You can’t outrun fate, Rowan.”My wolf growled.
He was reminding me of the ancient magic, of the mate bond, a connection that was stronger than time, stronger than distance.
“But… college? You? I thought you hated school.”
Derek sounded genuinely confused, and it made me feel guilty.
“I thought you couldn’t wait to get out of here, to be Alpha.”
He’d always seen me as the carefree one, the irresponsible brother, the one who never took anything seriously. And maybe… maybe he was right.
But something had changed. Something had broken inside me.
“She changed you, Rowan.” My wolf growled, his voice sad and full of longing.
“Catrina changed you. Even without mate with her, she awakened something in you.”
“Things change, Derek,” I said, sighing.
My secret, the burden of my past, weighed heavily on me. “People change. I’m not… the same anymore.”
“But… what about Dad? What about the pack?” Derek asked, his voice full of concern.
“Dad’s expecting you to take over. He’s already planning the ceremony.”
“I know, Derek,” I said, meeting his gaze.
My amber eyes, usually so bright and confident, were now clouded with a darkness he couldn’t see, a grief he couldn’t understand.
“But I can’t stay here. Not now.”
I couldn’t tell him the truth. I couldn’t explain the visions that haunted me, the memories that flickered at the edge of my awareness, the fear that gnawed at my soul.
I couldn’t tell him that I was running from a destiny I couldn't escape, a love that could destroy everything, that could destroy her.
“What happened, Rowan?” Derek asked, his voice softer now.
His wolf sensed my turmoil, my fear, and it made my own wolf whimper, longing for the connection we’d once had.
“What happened to change you like this?”
“It’s… complicated, Derek,” I sighed, the weight of my secrets crushing me.
“You wouldn’t understand. I barely understand it myself.”
“He’s your brother, Rowan. You can trust him.” My wolf growled, urging me to confide in him.
But I couldn’t.
How could I explain about the spirit realm, the sorcerer, the prophecy, the sacrifice I’d made, the love I’d lost? How could I burden him with that darkness?
“Just… trust me, Derek,” I said, my gaze pleading with him.
“I’m doing what I have to do. For the pack. For… everyone.”
He stared at me, his golden eyes searching mine, a mix of confusion, hurt, and a grudging respect. And then, he nodded. He trusted me.
“Alright, Rowan,” he said, his voice low and serious.
“But… promise me you’ll be careful. The human world isn’t as safe as you think. And… don’t forget about us. We’re still your family.”
His words, full of concern and love, brought a lump to my throat. I quickly blinked back the tears.
I couldn’t afford to be weak, not now.
“I won’t forget, Derek,” I said, my voice rough. “I promise.”
I turned back to my packing, trying to focus on the routine, on folding clothes and choosing books.
Anything to distract myself from the turmoil inside.
“You’re running away, Rowan.” My wolf growled, accusingly. “From your responsibility, from your destiny, from… her.”
But where could I run? How could I hide from a destiny that was woven into my very being, a bond that defied time and logic?
She’s out there, Rowan. Waiting. And you can’t escape her. You’ll always be drawn back to her.
I slammed my suitcase shut, the sound echoing in the room. It was a decision made, a path chosen.
I was leaving my pack, my family, everything I’d ever known.
But as I turned away from the suitcase, a vision flashed through my mind. Catrina. Her amber eyes were wide with fear, her scent laced with terror. I heard a scream echoing in the silence.
“She’s in danger, Rowan!” My wolf snarled, his instincts screaming a warning. “Go back! Protect her!”
I shook my head, trying to dispel the vision, the fear, the pull towards a destiny I’d tried to change.
“No. It’s just a dream. A nightmare. She’s… she’s safe. She’s better off without me.”
But even as I tried to convince myself, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was running towards something, not away from it.
That I was running towards a destiny I couldn’t escape, a love I couldn’t deny, straight to make it true, like no matter how far i left, it would catch me.
“She’s calling to you, Rowan. And you can’t resist.”
I left my room, the scent of lavender and vanilla, faint but unmistakable, drifting down the hallway.
It was a whisper in the wind, a promise and a threat.
I knew, with a chilling certainty, that I was walking towards her, towards Catrina, towards the omega who held the key to my forgotten past, the secret to my future.
The love that could either save me… or destroy me completely.