The Alpha's forbidden omega mate - Chapter 187: Chapter 187

Catrina POV:
"What do you mean... his scent?"
I asked, my voice trembling.
The pounding in my head intensified, the vision of the sorcerer, of those glowing red eyes, a chilling echo in the darkness of my memory.
Rowan's words, his strange accusation about Kael, about the necklace, it all felt connected somehow, a puzzle I couldn't solve.
“Werewolves, we… we have a unique scent,” Rowan explained, his voice a low rumble that sent shivers down my spine.
“It’s… part of who we are. Our wolves, they… they mark their territory, their possessions, with their scent. It’s a way of… claiming what’s theirs.”
He hesitated, his gaze intense, his amber eyes searching mine, a flicker of… something… in their depths.
“And that necklace, Catrina…”
He continued, his voice a husky whisper, the scent of pine and leather, his wolf’s scent, a heady mix that made my head spin, my knees weak.
“It… it smells like him. Like Kael. Like… his wolf.”
“But that’s… that’s impossible,” I stammered, my mind reeling, the pieces of the puzzle.
The fragmented memories, the strange occurrences that had plagued me since I’d woken up in the hospital, a chaotic jumble that refused to make sense.
“I got that necklace weeks ago. Before I even met Kael. It came in the mail… there was no name, no return address… just my name on the label.”
“Are you sure, Catrina?” Rowan pressed, his voice a mix of urgency and desperation.
A reflection of the bond that pulsed between us, a connection he’d tried to deny, a destiny he was trying to outrun.
“Think. Think hard. Are you absolutely sure you didn’t… meet him? See him? Smell him? Before you got the necklace?”
His words, laced with a concern that made my wolf purr, ignited a flicker of a memory, a fleeting image of a shadowy figure, his red eyes glowing in the darkness, a scent of decay and ancient magic, a whisper of a warning that sent shivers down my spine.
“He’s watching you. Be careful, Catrina Blanc. Your past… it’s catching up to you.”
“I… I don’t…” I stammered, my voice trembling, my head pounding, a sudden wave of nausea washing over me.
The memory, so vivid, so terrifying, clashed with the normalcy of my present.
The coffee shop, the scent of roasted beans and cinnamon rolls, Rowan’s concerned gaze, the weight of his presence, a reminder of the world I was trying to escape, the destiny I was trying to deny.
“I don’t know, Rowan. I… I can’t remember. It’s all so… fuzzy.”
“Try, Catrina, please,” he urged, his voice a low rumble that vibrated through my very being, his hand reaching out.
His fingers brushing against mine, a spark of electricity shooting through me, a connection that made my wolf howl.
“It’s important. I have a feeling… a bad feeling… about this. About him.”
He was right. I could feel it too…
The unease, the sense of danger lurking just beneath the surface.
But my memories were like shattered glass, sharp, painful fragments that refused to form a coherent picture.
I closed my eyes, concentrating, trying to grasp the elusive threads of my past, to piece together the puzzle, to make sense of the whispers, the dreams, the encounters, the feelings, that haunted me.
The memory of the night at the frat party, the way I’d throw myself at him, the desperation in my voice, the longing in my eyes…
The taste of his rejection, his disgust, a fresh wave of shame washing over me, a reminder of my own weakness, my inability to control my wolf, my… omega nature.
I remembered running away, heartbroken and confused, seeking solace in the familiar scent of the forest. I remembered collapsing, my legs giving way, the weight of his rejection crushing me.
And then… darkness. A blank space, a void.
I opened my eyes, my gaze meeting Rowan’s, the intensity of his amber eyes, the concern etched on his face, a stark contrast to the coldness, the dismissal, I’d seen that night.
He was different now. Changed. Haunted by something I couldn’t understand.
“I… I don’t remember, Rowan,” I whispered, my voice a broken plea, a confession of my own fractured self. “I… I just… I need to find out who I am. Who… who we are.”
He nodded, his amber eyes holding mine for a moment. It was like we had a silent understanding.
We were both searching for answers, for the truth. We were both caught in this web of darkness, of a power that could either heal us… or destroy us.
“We’ll figure it out, Catrina,” he said, his voice a low rumble. “Together.”
But even as he said those words, even as the warmth of his gaze, the scent of his wolf, the pull of our broken bond, offered a flicker of hope… he pulled back.
“As friends, of course,” Rowan added quickly. “Don’t think that I…”
He stopped, looking away, his jaw clenching.
“I know, I know.” I tried to sound casual, but my cheeks burned with shame. “You have a girlfriend. Emma.”
“Well, not anymore,” he said quietly.
“What?” I stared at him, surprised.
“Yeah, I broke up with her. It wasn’t… working out.”
“Right.” I looked away, trying to hide my flushed cheeks.
I shouldn’t be happy about this, but… a tiny part of me was.
“But promise me something, Catrina.” His voice was serious now.
“What is it?” I asked, my heart starting to pound. Why was he suddenly so intense?
“Promise me… that you’ll come back to the pack. After I become Alpha.”
He was talking about the Magnus pack, the pack that had banished my parents, the pack that had made them rogues. The thought of going back there, of facing the wolves who’d hurt my family… it filled me with fear.
“I… I don’t know, Rowan,” I said. “I’m in college now. I’m trying to build a new life. Pack life isn’t… it’s not for me.”
It was a lie.
The truth was, I couldn’t bear the thought of him finding another mate, a “proper” Luna, a she-wolf who was worthy of an Alpha.
The thought of it sparked a jealousy so fierce it scared me.
Rowan’s face fell. “I understand,” he said quietly, his voice full of disappointment.
He turned and walked away, leaving me standing there, alone, the weight of my lie, the pain of his rejection, a heavy ache in my heart.