The Alpha's forbidden omega mate - Chapter 190: Chapter 190

Rowan POV:
“Magnus! Get your head in the game!”
Coach Miller’s voice boomed across the field. I flinched.
I’d missed the pass, my throw going wide, the receiver shaking his head.
“Sorry, Coach,” I muttered, wiping the sweat off my forehead.
Practice had been brutal, two hours under the hot sun.
But the physical pain did little to distract me from the unease gnawing at me. The memory of Catrina’s terrified face in my dream, her scent… it haunted me.
“She’s in danger, Rowan. We have to find her.” My wolf’s voice echoed in my head.
It was a constant reminder of the dream, the vision, the chilling feeling that something was terribly wrong.
“You alright, Magnus?” Mark, the team captain, clapped me on the shoulder.
He was a good guy, a solid Teammate. But he was human. He didn't understand the world of werewolves, the ancient magic, the bond that tied me to Catrina.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” I lied, forcing a smile.
I was tired of pretending to be the carefree jock, the guy who had it all. It was a lie.
“Just… thinking about that literature project. Shakespeare is a pain, you know?”
Mark laughed. “Tell me about it,” he said.
“Professor Davis is stuck in the 16th century. Who even talks like that anymore?”
I nodded, my gaze drifting to my truck in the parking lot.
It promised escape, a chance to… to what? Run? Hide? Pretend everything was okay?
“She needs you, Rowan.” My wolf growled. “Now, more than ever.”
He was a constant reminder of the bond I’d tried to break, the destiny I was trying to outrun.
But I couldn’t escape it. Not really.
“I’m gonna hit the showers, Mark,” I said, my voice rough.
The need to find Catrina, to make sure she was safe, was a primal urge, a current of energy buzzing under my skin.
“Catch you later.”
The cold shower didn’t help. The anxiety gnawing at my gut, the fear whispering in my mind… it wouldn’t go away.
I had a bad feeling about this.
“We have to find her, Rowan. We have to make sure she’s safe.”
I dressed quickly, my thoughts a jumbled mess of worry. I needed to see her, to smell her, to feel her warmth.
It was a need that defied logic, that mocked my attempts to deny it.
I drove to the coffee shop where Catrina worked, my foot heavy on the gas pedal.
I didn’t know what I would say, what I would do, but I had to see her.
The coffee shop was quiet, the aroma of coffee and cinnamon rolls a faint comfort. But Catrina wasn’t there.
Behind the counter was a tall, lean guy with piercing red eyes. My wolf snarled at the sight of him.
“Where’s Catrina?” I asked, my voice a growl.
My wolf’s presence was strong, a challenge to this stranger who was in her space, breathing in her scent.
“I believe I should be the one asking that question,” the man replied smoothly, his red eyes narrowed, a flicker of amusement in them.
“She’s… late.”
“What do you mean, ‘she’s late’?” I demanded, my anger rising.
My wolf paced inside me, his claws itching to come out. “Where is she?”
“She didn’t show up for her shift,” the man said, a slow, predatory smile spreading across his face.
“And she didn’t call. Very unprofessional, don’t you think?”
“Catrina wouldn’t just… skip work,” I said, my voice a low growl.
My wolf’s instincts were screaming. Something was wrong. I could feel it.
“Oh? And what makes you the expert on Catrina’s behavior?” the man asked, a mocking amusement in his voice.
“Are you… more than just a concerned classmate?”
“What’s it to you?” I snarled, stepping closer.
I let my wolf’s presence radiate, a challenge he couldn’t ignore.
“Where is she? What do you know?”
“I don’t know anything,” the man said, his red eyes gleaming.
“But… if I had to guess… I’d say she’s probably… busy. With her… human boyfriend. What was his name? Brock? Yes, that’s it. Such a pathetic creature.”
He chuckled, a nasty sound that made my wolf lunge.
I grabbed the man by the shirt, my claws digging into his flesh.
“Don’t mess with me,” I growled. “Tell me where she is. Now.”
“You’re overstepping, Alpha,” the man said, his voice surprisingly calm, considering I was practically snarling in his face.
“Catrina is a grown woman. She can make her own choices. And if she chooses to spend her time with her… human lover… well, that’s none of your business, is it?”
“But she is my…!” I snarled, my grip tightening.
The scent of Catrina clung to this man, a mix of lavender and vanilla and something… darker… that made my blood run cold.
“My girlfriend? My omega? My mate?” The man laughed, a cold, cruel sound.
“If I recall correctly, Catrina isn’t any of those things to you, Alpha. You made sure of that, didn’t you?”
He was right. I had. I’d given her back her freedom.
I'd convinced myself it was for the best, that she’d be happier, safer, in the human world, away from the darkness that clung to me.
But now… now I knew it was a lie. She wasn’t safe.
She was in danger.
And I was the only one who could protect her.
“She’s ours, Rowan. We have to find her.” My wolf howled, a primal urgency in his voice.
I shoved the man away, his red eyes a reminder of the danger I couldn’t see, the darkness that threatened us all.
I raced out of the coffee shop, the faint scent of Catrina’s lavender and vanilla a beacon in the night.
It was a trail, a thread of hope, and I followed it blindly, desperately.
“We’ll find her, Catrina. I promise.” My wolf’s voice was a low growl, full of fierce determination.
I didn’t know what I was up against, what danger she was in.
But I would find her. I had to.
She was my mate, and I would move heaven and earth to bring her back.