The Alpha's forbidden omega mate - Chapter 188: Chapter 188

Isabelle POV:
“So, are you bringing your… girlfriend to the summit?”
I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose.
Talking to Rowan on the phone was exhausting.
He was stubborn, easily distracted, and I could practically hear his wolf pacing in the background, making the air crackle with nervous energy.
It set my own wolf on edge.
“Rowan, are you even listening to me?” My voice was sharper than I intended, a touch of Alpha command slipping through.
I needed him to focus.
This arranged marriage, this bond between our packs, it was important.
But lately, it felt like it was falling apart.
“Yes, Isabelle, I’m listening,” he sighed, his voice bored.
I could picture him sprawled on his bed in his dorm room, his mind a million miles away.
“Good. Because this is important, Rowan.” I kept my voice steady, professional, but underneath, I felt a storm of emotions brewing – frustration, resentment, disappointment.
“The Alpha Summit is in two weeks. We need to present a united front. And that means… you need to bring your girlfriend. Emma, is it?”
“Girlfriend?” He laughed, a harsh, humorless sound.
“What girlfriend? Emma and I… we’re over. History.”
“Over?” I asked, surprised.
I couldn’t help but feel a flicker of relief, but I quickly pushed it down. I had no right to feel relieved. “Since when?”
“Since… quite a while” His voice was flat, emotionless, but I could hear the pain behind it, the regret. He was hiding something that I could not decipher.
“We… weren't a good fit. She wanted more than I could give her. And I… well, I wasn’t interested in pretending anymore.”
“He’s lying, Isabelle.” My wolf growled, her claws wanting to extend. “He’s still drawn to that omega we met at the grad ceremony. The one he denied.”
“That’s… for the best, Rowan,” I said, my voice carefully neutral.
I was trying to hide the jealousy that gnawed at me, the knowledge that the man who was supposed to be my mate was still hung up on another.
“It’s… unwise to… complicate things, especially with the summit coming up, with Alaric watching our every move.”
“Then what about you, Isabelle?” he asked, his voice sharp, challenging.
It was like he was throwing my own hypocrisy back in my face.
“What about me, Rowan?” I countered, my voice cool and controlled, a mask to hide the turmoil inside me.
His words had hit a nerve, exposing the vulnerability I tried so hard to hide.
“Are you… ready to break my brother’s heart? To cast him aside for the sake of duty and power?”
“What are you talking about, Rowan?” I snapped, my voice a little too defensive.
He’d seen through my facade. He knew about the attraction between Derek and me, the dangerous flame I was trying desperately to extinguish.
“Derek is… My friend. Nothing more.”
Liar. My wolf snarled, her claws digging into the carpet. She wanted to claim him, to defy the rules, the destiny that had been laid out for us.
“He’s more than that, Isabelle,” Rowan said, his voice a low growl, a warning.
He understood the bond between brothers, a connection that went deeper than I could ever comprehend.
“He wants you. And you… you feel it, too. Don’t deny it.”
His words were a truth I couldn’t escape. They shattered the fragile peace I’d been clinging to, the illusion of control.
“We… we’ve talked about this, Rowan,” I said, my voice shaky, my gaze fixed on the papers on my desk.
The weight of his judgment was too much to bear. “Derek understands. He’s a Magnus. He knows his place. He’ll… he’ll be fine.”
But even as I said the words, I knew they were a lie. Derek wasn’t fine.
He was hurting, just like me, trapped in a web of duty and forbidden love.
And the guilt, the knowledge that I was the cause of his pain, twisted my gut.
“He’s my brother, Isabelle,” Rowan said, his voice a low rumble, a plea for understanding.
“Don’t let him be unaware of what is happening like that, you should have a serious talk with him first.”
“I won’t, Rowan,” I whispered, but my voice sounded like a broken promise, a lie.
I couldn’t promise that. I couldn’t control my feelings, not completely.
While I was ending the phone call, Carson’s voice startled me. “Alpha? You wanted to see me?”
I glanced up, my eyes hardening, my icy Alpha mask snapping back into place.
Rowan's call had exposed my vulnerability, and I needed to regain control.
“Yes, Carson, come in,”
I said briskly, dismissing the personal turmoil, pushing it down. “Pack business.”
He entered the office, his golden eyes wary, his scent a mix of pine and loyalty and a hint of… sadness?
He’d heard the conversation. He knew.
“Alpha, I… I couldn’t help but overhear,” he said, his voice low, his gaze avoiding mine.
He looked like he was carrying the weight of my secret.
“So, I guess you heard everything, then?” I said flatly, my voice emotionless.
I was the Alpha. I had to maintain a distance, a barrier between us.
“I… I apologize for intruding, Alpha,” Carson said, his gaze fixed on the floor.
His golden eyes, usually so bright, were shadowed with a pain that mirrored my own. It was a reflection of the love he’d offered, the loyalty I’d rejected.
“I… I didn’t mean to eavesdrop. I was just… passing by…”
“It’s not your concern, Carson,” I interrupted, my voice sharp.
I needed to shut this down, to push him away, to protect us both from the truth.
“My personal life, my relationships… they’re irrelevant. As long as I fulfill my duty to the pack, to the alliance… my private life is my own business.”
But even as I said the words, I knew they were a lie.
A lie I told myself, to him, to the world.
I couldn’t completely separate my feelings.
I couldn’t separate duty from desire. My heart, like my wolf, had already made its choice.
And the consequences… the consequences were terrifying.