The Alpha's forbidden omega mate - Chapter 189: Chapter 189

Catrina POV:
“Catrina! Wait up!”
Ashley’s voice made me cringe. I didn’t want to talk to anyone, not now.
Not with this knot of anxiety twisting in my gut, this feeling of being watched, hunted.
I kept walking, my pace getting faster. The sun was setting, and long shadows stretched across the campus.
Even the familiar buildings and walkways seemed strange, menacing.
The air smelled of autumn leaves and something else… something wilder, more primal, that made my wolf whimper, her hackles rising.
Something’s not right, Catrina. We need to get out of here.
“Seriously, Cat! Hold up!” Ashley called, her footsteps getting closer.
I sighed. I couldn’t ignore her forever.
I stopped and forced a smile as she caught up, her blonde hair bouncing, her blue eyes full of a cheerfulness that I didn’t feel.
“Hey, Ash,” I said, trying to sound normal, but my voice came out shaky.
My heart was pounding, and my senses were on high alert.
“What’s the rush?” Ashley grinned, clueless to the fear gnawing at me, the darkness closing in.
“Just… heading back to the dorm. Tons of reading for Professor Davis’s class.” I lied, my eyes scanning the emptying quad, searching for anything, anyone, that might be watching me.
“Ugh, tell me about it,” Ashley groaned.
“He thinks literature is the only thing that matters.” She paused, her smile fading.
“You okay, Cat? You seem… on edge.”
She can sense it. The fear. The wolf.
“I’m fine,” I said too quickly.
“Just… stressed about that stupid project. Working with Rowan and…” I didn’t need to say more.
Ashley knew about the whole messy situation with Rowan and Emma, the unspoken feelings, the awkward tension.
“Yeah, that’s a recipe for disaster,” Ashley agreed, shaking her head.
“Emma’s been giving you the evil eye all week. And Brock… well, he’s still acting like a lost puppy. It’s kind of sad.”
“Tell me about it,” I sighed. My gaze drifted to the treeline, the shadows getting longer.
“Maybe… maybe I should walk back with you,” Ashley offered.
She sounded hesitant, like she sensed my fear, even though I was trying to hide it. “It’s getting dark, and…”
“No, I’m good, Ash,” I interrupted, forcing a smile.
I couldn't let her see how scared I was. And I definitely couldn't let her know about… the wolf.
“I’ll be fine. Seriously.”
“Okay, if you’re sure,” Ashley said, her forehead creased with worry.
“But text me when you get back, okay? Promise?”
“Promise,” I said, turning away, my heart pounding.
My wolf was urging me to run, to escape the growing dread, the feeling of eyes on my back.
I hurried down the path, my footsteps echoing on the pavement. The campus was emptying, the last students disappearing into buildings.
The silence was broken only by my own breathing, the frantic beat of my heart.
Faster, Catrina. We need to get back to the dorm.
But as I rounded a bend, the trees closed in overhead, blocking out the last of the sunlight. A cold breeze sent shivers down my spine.
It carried a scent that made my wolf growl, a low, guttural warning.
It wasn’t the familiar scent of pine and woodsmoke, the scent of Rowan.
This is different…
They’re here, Catrina. The Bloodmoons.
I stopped, my breath catching in my throat.
My eyes darted around, searching for the source of the scent, the danger that lurked in the shadows.
And then I saw them.
Three figures stepped out from behind the trees. Their eyes glowed red in the twilight. They were tall and muscular, their faces hard, their scent a mix of wild musk and bloodlust.
They were werewolves, but… different. Their wolves were untamed, predatory, radiating a menace that made my blood run cold.
“Well, well, well… look what we have here,” one of the wolves growled, his voice a low rumble.
He grinned, a cruel, predatory smile. “A little lost lamb, all alone.”
I backed away, my heart pounding, my wolf whimpering.
My claws extended instinctively, but I knew it was useless. I was no match for these wolves.
“Don’t fight them, Catrina. Submit. It’s our only chance.” My wolf’s voice was full of fear.
But even as my wolf urged me to surrender, a spark of defiance flickered inside me.
It was the silver she-wolf from my dreams, the warrior princess, the one who defied everyone, who refused to be controlled.
Maybe… maybe I can escape.
“Who are you?” I asked, my voice trembling.
My eyes darted between them, their red eyes burning into me, their scents overwhelming me.
“What do you want?”
“We’re the Bloodmoon pack,” the wolf snarled. His voice was full of arrogant pride.
“And you, little omega… you belong to us now.”
“Belong to you?” I echoed, the words a whisper of disbelief. My mind was spinning.
Fragmented memories, whispers of a prophecy, a destiny I didn’t understand… it was all too much.
“But… I’m not… I don’t…”
“You’re an omega, aren’t you?” another wolf growled, his red eyes burning into me. His scent was a mix of pine and something… rotten.
“And an omega belongs to a Pack. That’s the law.”
“But… my Alpha… he’s…” My voice trailed off.
I remembered Rowan, his coldness, his rejection, his words: “You’re better off… without me.”
“He’s not coming for you, Catrina. He’s not going to save you.” My wolf howled, her voice heartbroken.
“Your Alpha doesn’t want you, little omega,” the third wolf chuckled, a cruel amusement in his red eyes.
“He made his choice. And now… you belong to us.”
He stepped closer, his scent overwhelming me, his gaze predatory, hungry.
My wolf whimpered, her claws retracting, fear coursing through me.
“You’ve been here before, Catrina.” A voice, cold and sharp, whispered in my mind. A memory, a nightmare, a shadowy figure with red eyes. “You remember…”
“No,” I whispered, a desperate plea, a denial of the truth I couldn’t face.
“I don’t… I don’t remember.”
“It doesn’t matter, little omega,” the first wolf growled, his voice a low rumble.
His words were final, a sentence I couldn’t escape. “You’re ours now. And there’s nothing you can do about it.”
He grabbed my arm, his grip like a vise. His hand was human, but his claws, long and sharp, glinted in the fading light.
I cried out in pain, but my cry was lost in the night.
They dragged me towards a waiting van, the shadows swallowing me, the scent of their musk, their power, their hunger, overwhelming.
It was over.
The hunt was over. And I was caught.
“We’re trapped, Catrina.” My wolf’s voice was a mournful howl. “Trapped in a world we don’t understand.”
They shoved me into the van, the door slamming shut, plunging me into darkness.
I was at their mercy now. My life, the human life I’d so carefully built, was gone.
I was back in the world of wolves, a world of ancient magic and primal instincts.
A world of darkness that I couldn’t escape…