The Alpha's forbidden omega mate - Chapter 236: Chapter 236

Isabelle POV:
The air crackled with a strange energy. The familiar scent of pine and damp earth was replaced by a cloying sweetness that made my stomach churn.
The world shimmered, the forest blurring, then reforming into a landscape of twisted trees and swirling mist.
We were in the spirit realm.
We'd followed the rogue Bloodmoon, Rourke, through the woods until we reached a hidden grove, a place where the veil between worlds was thin.
“This is it,” Rourke growled, his red eyes gleaming in the twilight.
He looked uneasy as he glanced at Derek and me. “The gateway. Are you ready for this?”
“They’ll be fine,” Carson assured him, his gaze meeting mine.
It was a silent plea for trust, a reminder of the bond we shared, a bond that felt strained, broken, by my confession, my choice.
“They’re with us.”
Rourke, a massive wolf with a powerful presence that made my wolf bristle, performed a ritual.
He chanted in a guttural voice, his hands making strange gestures.
And then, the world dissolved around us, the familiar forest replaced by a strange, unsettling landscape.
“Stay close,” I told Derek, my voice a low command.
My eyes scanned the twisted trees and swirling mists.
It was a place of shadows and whispers, of a chilling silence that made every sound feel amplified.
"This place… it's unsettling."
“It’s more than unsettling, Isabelle.” My wolf snarled, her fur bristling, her senses on high alert.
“It’s dangerous. Unnatural.”
The air was thick with magic, the veil between life and death feeling thin, a constant reminder of the power Rowan had tampered with, the destiny he’d tried to change.
And now, we were all paying the price.
“We’ll be fine, Alpha,” Derek said, his voice a reassuring rumble.
I could feel the warmth of his presence beside me, his scent, pine and leather, a comfort in the swirling chaos.
But there was also a tension, a heat, a reminder of the feelings between us, a dangerous spark that I tried to ignore.
I couldn’t meet his gaze.
I couldn’t acknowledge the love I saw in his golden eyes, the love I’d awakened in him, a love that was forbidden, impossible.
“He’s not your mate, Isabelle ” My wolf growled, a reminder of my duty, my loyalty to Rowan, the path I’d chosen, a path that led away from temptation, away from Derek.
We followed Carson and Rourke.
Their scents – pine and leather – were a strange mix, pack and rogue, a blend that made my wolf uneasy.
“Where are we going?” I asked, my voice sharp, masking the unease that churned within me.
“Do you even know, Carson?”
“Rourke knows this realm,” Carson said. “He’s been here before. He’ll guide us.”
“He trusts this rogue, Isabelle. He’s relying on him.” My wolf snarled, her disapproval echoing my own.
How could Carson be so reckless? To trust a Bloodmoon, to bring us into this strange, dangerous place?
“And where exactly is he taking us?” I pressed, my gaze on Carson’s back.
The tension in his shoulders, the guarded uncertainty in the way he held himself… it was a reminder of the secrets he’d kept, the path he’d almost chosen, the betrayal that still stung.
“To a place where the veil is thin,” he replied, his voice low.
He glanced at me, his golden eyes shadowed. I saw a sadness there, a longing that mirrored my own.
“A place where Damien’s magic is strong. Where he’s holding Catrina.”
“He’s risking everything, Isabelle.” My wolf growled, her claws digging into my palms. “He’s risking everything… for you.”
I pushed the thought away, burying it beneath my duty, my logic, the icy wall around my heart.
I couldn’t afford to think about my feelings for Derek now. Not when so much was at stake.
The spirit realm was a maze. The air grew colder, the scent of decay and magic stronger.
It was a reminder of the darkness that Damien had embraced, the danger we were walking into.
I stayed close to Derek, his warmth a comfort against the chill, but his presence also a reminder of the forbidden love I’d awakened in him.
“Stay close, Isabelle,” he said, his voice a low rumble, his hand reaching out, his fingers brushing against mine.
It sent a jolt of electricity through me.
“This place isn’t safe.”
I nodded, unable to speak, his touch both a comfort and a torment.
It was a reminder of the choice I’d made, a love that was forbidden, a path I couldn’t follow.
We walked in silence, the spirit realm’s landscape shifting around us.
Twisted trees gave way to a barren wasteland, the ground cracked and scorched.
“Something’s wrong,” Rourke growled, his voice echoing in the eerie silence.
His red eyes scanned the shadows, his wolf on high alert, his scent a mix of pine and wildness that made my wolf snarl.
“This… this isn't right. Damien’s magic… it’s different.”
He stopped, his massive frame tense, his gaze fixed on something in the distance.
I could see fear in his eyes, a recognition of a power that even he, a seasoned Bloodmoon warrior, couldn’t ignore.
“What is it, Rourke?” Carson asked, his voice sharp.
He sounded worried, his gaze fixed on Rourke, a question in his eyes.
Rourke didn’t answer. He just stood there, frozen, staring at the empty wasteland that stretched before us.
“Rourke?” I used my Alpha voice, trying to take control, demanding an answer, even though I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear it.
“Answer me. What is it?”
He turned, his face pale, his red eyes wide with terror.
His voice was a broken whisper, a prophecy of doom, and my heart sank.
“It’s… gone. It’s all… gone.” His voice cracked, the weight of what he knew, the truth he couldn’t deny, a heavy burden.
“The… the spirit realm… it’s… it’s dying.”
“Dying?” Derek’s voice was a gasp of disbelief.
“But… how? Why?”
“Damien…” Rourke whispered, his voice full of despair, like he was mourning the loss of a loved one.
“He’s… consuming it. Draining its power. Twisting it to his will. He’s… becoming… something… more.”
“More?” I echoed, my mind reeling.
“More than… a sorcerer? More than an Alpha? ”
Rourke nodded, his eyes meeting mine, his red eyes reflecting the darkness that was consuming him, the power we were facing, a power that seemed unstoppable.
“He’s becoming… a monster, Alpha.”
His words crashed down on me, a weight of despair crushing me.
I felt my own wolf whimper, her claws digging into the dry earth.
“We’re doomed, Isabelle. We’re all doomed.”
“We have to… we have to stop him, Carson,” I whispered, desperate for a solution, a way out of this nightmare. “We have to… find a way.”
“There… there has to be something, Alpha.” Carson’s voice was a low rumble, but I could hear the fear in it, the doubt.
He doesn’t believe it either. My wolf whimpered. He knows we’re doomed.
“We have to… think. We have to find his weakness. There has to be… a way…”
But his words felt empty, a hollow echo in the silence of this dying realm.
The darkness was closing in, the shadows lengthening, and the monster… the monster was already here.
I felt a rage, a fury, a desperation, unlike anything I’d ever known, surging inside me.
It was a primal scream, shattering the icy control I’d held for so long.
“It’s your fault, Carson!” I roared, my wolf’s fury unleashed, my claws extending, my amber eyes blazing.
“You and your secrets! Your lies! You brought this darkness upon us! You’ve doomed us all!”
Derek stepped forward, his golden eyes wide with alarm, his scent a mix of pine and fear.
“Isabelle, stop it!” he said, his voice a command, reaching for me, his touch a spark of warmth.
“He’s not the enemy. He’s trying to help.”
But I couldn't listen.
I was lost in my anger, my despair, the weight of my own betrayal, the knowledge that I’d chosen love over duty, that I’d broken the alliance, that I'd condemned us all.
“He’s a traitor, Derek!” I snarled, my wolf pacing restlessly, her claws digging into the cracked earth.
“He’s been meeting with the enemy! He’s been lying to us! He’s…”
My voice cracked, the realization hitting me like a physical blow.
“He’s… been ruining everything just because he is in love with me”