The Alpha's forbidden omega mate - Chapter 218: Chapter 218

Rowan POV:
“C-Catrina?”
The woman turned slowly, her silver hair shining in the dim light. Her face was pale, and her eyes were shadowed.
There was something about her… something familiar… that made my heart ache.
But her eyes, once amber, were now a chilling amber, flecked with gold. They sent a shiver down my spine.
“Something’s wrong, Rowan.” My wolf growled, uneasy. “She’s… different.”
He could sense the change in her scent, too. The lavender and vanilla was laced with something ancient, something powerful.
“Who… who are you?” she asked, her voice a soft whisper.
It was Catrina's voice, but… older. Wiser. And filled with a power that scared me.
“Catrina, it’s me,” I said, taking a step towards her.
My wolf wanted to rush to her, to pull her close, to protect her. But something held me back, a sense of wrongness.
Something wasn't right.
“It’s… Rowan. Don’t you… remember?”
“Rowan?” She echoed the name, and for a second, I thought I saw a flicker of recognition, maybe even pain.
But then it was gone, replaced by coldness, a distance that made my heart ache.
“I… I don’t know you,” she said flatly, her gaze sliding away from mine.
It was like I was a stranger.
“Stay away from me.”
“Catrina, please,” I pleaded, my voice desperate.
My wolf whimpered, his amber eyes mirroring the longing in my own.
“It’s me… your mate. We belong together. Don’t you remember?”
“Mate?” She laughed, a hollow, empty sound that echoed through the ruined palace.
It was a mockery of the love we’d shared, the memories, the future I’d dreamed of. A future I’d destroyed.
“I don’t have a mate. I… I don’t need a mate. Love is… a weakness. A distraction. A lie.”
Her words, cold and harsh, sent a chill through me. It was like Damien was speaking through her, his darkness poisoning her mind.
My wolf snarled, a primal rage building inside me. I wanted to protect her, to free her, to reclaim what was mine.
“No, Catrina, it’s not,” I said, my voice firm.
I remembered the love we’d shared, the joy, the pain, the sacrifices.
It was a reminder of the truth that Damien had twisted, the memories he’d stolen.
“Love is… everything, Catrina. It’s what makes us who we are. It’s what connects us. It’s what makes life worth living.”
“Silence!” She spun around, her eyes blazing with a cold fire, a reflection of Damien’s power.
Her voice held a chilling echo of the Alpha command.
But it was twisted, corrupted, a mockery of the strength it was supposed to represent.
“You dare to speak of love in this… place? In this… graveyard of broken dreams?”
“Catrina, it’s me, Rowan,” I pleaded, my hands outstretched. “Please, you have to remember.”
“There’s no need to remember, Rowan Magnus,” she said, her voice a low growl.
Her silver hair shimmered in the dim light. Her scent, lavender and vanilla, was laced with a dark magic that made my wolf whimper.
“And you… you mean nothing to me. You are a stranger. An intruder. An… enemy.”
“Catrina, please,” I begged, my heart aching, my wolf snarling, his claws digging into the ground.
I could feel her pain, the love she’d been forced to forget. It was a mirror of my own pain.
“Don’t let him control you. Fight him, Catrina. Remember us.”
“Guards! Seize him!” she shouted, her voice echoing through the ruined palace.
Two figures, their eyes glowing red, emerged from the shadows.
They were shifting, their forms changing, their scents a mix of pine and darkness.
“Shadow warriors.” My wolf snarled, a warning rumble.
He was ready to fight, to protect Catrina, even if it meant dying for her.
“Yes, Lady Lyra,” one of the shadows hissed, his red eyes fixed on me, a challenge in his gaze.
It was a reminder of Damien’s control, the way he pulled the strings, manipulated destinies.
Lyra? My world tilted. The pieces of the puzzle were falling into place. A horrifying truth was dawning.
He’s turned her against us. He’s using her… against me.
“Catrina, please,” I pleaded, my voice broken. “Look at me. It’s me, Rowan. Remember… the prom. The forest. Our first kiss. The night we…”
“Silence!” She cut me off, her eyes blazing with fury.
I could see the struggle in her, the battle between the darkness Damien had woven around her and the light of her own memories, her own love.
But the darkness seemed to be winning.
“You dare to speak of… that night? To remind me of…?” Her voice faltered, a flicker of confusion in her eyes.
“Remember, Catrina,” I urged, my voice desperate. “Remember the cabin. The fire. The way we…”
“Stop it!” she screamed, her hands clutching her head, her silver hair a tangled mess.
“Stop making me remember!”
“Catrina, please, fight him,” I pleaded. I could see the love still burning in her eyes, a flame that even Damien’s darkness couldn't completely extinguish.
“He’s controlling you. He’s using you! He’s trying to steal your soul!”
“She doesn't need your help, Rowan Magnus.”
A voice, cold and smooth, slithered through the air. It was a scent of decay and ancient power, a voice I hoped I'd never hear again.
A voice that sent shivers down my spine.
And then Damien stepped out of the shadows, his crimson eyes blazing. He had his arm around Catrina's waist.
She stood stiffly beside Damien, her silver hair a stark contrast to the dark shadows clinging to him.
Her amber eyes, usually so full of warmth, were vacant, empty.
It was like she was a puppet, her body moving, but her soul… gone.
He pressed his lips against her temple, a possessive gesture that made my wolf snarl, a low growl rumbling in my chest.
It was a violation, a mockery of the love, the bond, we'd shared.
Damien pulled back, a cruel smile twisting his lips.
“Don’t you see the lady is frightened, Rowan?” he scoffed, his crimson eyes gleaming with malicious amusement.
“Your precious mate is terrified of you. Isn’t that right, my love?”
And then, the impossible happened.
Catrina, her voice a hollow whisper, a mere echo of the girl I knew, the she-wolf I loved, spoke.
“I… I’m scared,” she said, her gaze fixed on me, devoid of any recognition, any warmth, any of the love that had once burned so brightly within them.
“No. It can’t be. He’s taken her. He’s stolen her soul.” My wolf howled, a primal scream of anguish echoing in the silence of my heart, a pain that was more unbearable than any physical wound.
“There, there, my love,” Damien purred, his voice a silken caress, a mockery of comfort.
He stroked her silver hair, his touch a violation that made my blood boil, my claws wanting to tear him apart.
“Don't worry. I’ll protect you. I’ll keep you safe… from him.” He glanced at me, his crimson eyes glinting with a triumphant malice.
“He’s the one you should fear, Catrina. He’s the one who hurt you, who abandoned you, who left you… broken.”
His words, laced with dark magic, twisted the truth, playing on her fears, her doubts.
He was trying to poison her mind, to turn her against me, to make her forget the love we’d shared.
“Don’t listen to him, Catrina! Fight him! Remember!” My wolf roared, his voice a desperate plea, but I knew, with a chilling certainty, that it was no use.
Damien’s magic was too powerful, his hold on her too strong.
“Rowan… “ She whispered my name, her voice a broken plea, but her eyes… they were still empty, lost in the darkness that Damien had woven around her.
“I… I don’t… I don’t understand…”
“It’s alright, my love,” Damien said, pulling her closer, his arm tightening around her waist.
“Don't strain yourself. I’ll take care of everything. I’ll… dispose of him. And then… you’ll be free.”