The Alpha's forbidden omega mate - Chapter 239: Chapter 239

Henri POV:
"Get behind me! Stay close!"
I roared, shoving Brock and Emma behind Maggie. My claws were out, and my fur stood on end.
Two shadow warriors, their eyes glowing an eerie red, jumped out of the swirling mist. They were fast, silent, and deadly.
"Henri, be careful!" Maggie yelled, her lavender scent strong with worry.
She stood protectively in front of the humans, her own claws shining in the dim light.
We were outnumbered, but I wouldn't let anything happen to them.
Not to my mate, not to these humans who risked their lives to help my daughter.
"What are those things?" Brock whispered, his voice shaky and scared.
He was just a human, stuck in a world he didn't understand. But he was here for Catrina, and that made him brave.
"They're Damien's puppets," I growled, my eyes fixed on the shadows.
"Creatures of darkness, powered by his magic. They’re mindless, dangerous… and they want our blood."
"Stay close to me, kids," Maggie said firmly. "We'll protect you."
The first shadow warrior attacked, aiming for my throat. I dodged, thanks to my wolf's quick reflexes, and slashed back with my claws.
The creature howled in pain, its shadowy form flickering, but it didn't retreat.
"They don't feel pain, Henri," Vivian warned. She was fighting two more shadow warriors, her silver fur a blur.
"They're just puppets controlled by Damien. We have to destroy them completely."
"Easier said than done," I muttered, feeling frustrated. We were surrounded, and these creatures were relentless.
“We’re losing ground, Henri,” my wolf growled, scared and angry.
“We have to get out of here. We have to find Rowan.”
"We have to reach the palace, Henri," Vivian shouted over the fighting. "It's our only chance. Catrina's there. And Rowan… he's there too."
"But how do we get past these things?" Brock asked, his voice trembling with fear.
"We fight our way through, kid," I said grimly. There was no other option.
We have to protect them, Henri. We have to get them to safety, my wolf growled.
The battle raged on. Claws, fangs, and shadows clashed, and the air filled with the smell of magic and blood.
I fought alongside Vivian and Maggie, our combined strength barely holding back the darkness.
"They're getting stronger, Henri!" Maggie cried, her voice strained. "Damien's magic… it's fueling them."
She was right. The shadow warriors were becoming more vicious and faster.
We were getting tired, our strength fading.
“We can’t hold them off much longer, Henri,” my wolf whimpered, exhausted.
And then, I saw it. The palace.
It loomed in the distance, a dark and twisted structure of black stone and metal. A pulse of dark energy radiated from it, making the air vibrate and the ground shake.
"There!" I shouted, pointing. "That's where Damien's holding her! That's where we'll find Rowan!"
"But… it's so far," Emma said weakly. She was struggling to keep up. "And there are so many of them…"
"We have to try, Emma," I said firmly. "We have to reach Catrina. We have to save her. For Rowan. For all of us."
We pushed forward, desperation giving us a burst of energy. The shadow warriors, sensing our goal, attacked with even more frenzy.
They’re trying to stop us, Henri, my wolf growled. They know what’s at stake.
“Vivian, can’t you… do something? Use your magic? Blast them away?” Brock pleaded.
Vivian, who was fighting three shadow warriors at once, shook her head. "It wouldn't work, Brock," she growled. "Not here. Damien’s magic is too strong. We have to reach the palace. That’s where his power comes from. That’s where we can fight back.”
We finally reached the palace gates, a terrifying archway of twisted metal and bone covered in dark symbols. The smell of decay was sickening.
"It’s… horrible," Emma whispered, disgusted. “This place… it’s evil.”
“It’s Damien’s lair, child,” Agnes said, her voice low.
She stood beside us, her silver hair shining, her eyes filled with sadness. “A place of darkness and despair. But we have to go in. We have to face the darkness to save the light.”
More shadow warriors surged towards us, their red eyes burning.
“I’ll hold them off,” I snarled, stepping forward, ready to fight. “You get inside! Find Catrina! Find Rowan!”
“Be careful, Henri!” Maggie shouted, worried. She grabbed my arm for a moment, her lavender scent comforting.
“We’ll be right behind you.”
I nodded and charged into the fight, my wolf's fury unleashed. I fought with the desperation of a father, a protector, a warrior.
But the shadow warriors were relentless, and I was getting tired and wounded.
I can’t… I can’t hold them off much longer, my wolf whimpered, his strength failing.
Suddenly, a voice, a cry, a plea, made my heart stop.
“Dad!”
I spun around, searching for the source of the voice. And then I saw her.
Standing in the palace doorway, her silver hair shining, her amber eyes blazing with power, was a she-wolf. Her presence radiated an ancient magic I’d only seen in dreams.
But it wasn’t Catrina.
This was… something else. Something… more.
Who is that? my wolf growled, awestruck and afraid.
“Catrina?” I whispered, my voice filled with hope and confusion.
But even as I said her name, I knew it wasn’t my daughter. It was… something else. Something ancient. Something powerful.
“Maggie! We have to get inside!” I shouted urgently, my eyes fixed on the she-wolf. Her amber eyes narrowed at me, a challenge, a warning, a recognition that sent chills down my spine.
“There’s no time, Henri! We have to get to Catrina!” Maggie’s voice was sharp, filled with fear and determination.
She pulled me away from the battle, towards the palace doors, towards the she-wolf, towards the darkness that awaited us.
“I have to save my daughter,” I thought, my heart pounding. My wolf’s instincts screamed a warning – a danger greater than Damien, a threat beyond our world, a power that could destroy us all.
We’re walking into a trap, Henri, my wolf’s voice echoed my fear. A coldness settled over me, a darkness that whispered of a battle we couldn’t win, a love we couldn’t save.