The Alpha's forbidden omega mate - Chapter 240: Chapter 240

Catrina POV:
“Dad?”
My voice, barely a whisper, was swallowed by the chaos of the ruined palace.
Magic crackled in the air, powerful forces clashed, and the smell of blood, fear, and overwhelming power made me tremble.
I watched him from the shattered window, his fur shining in the moonlight. His amber eyes, so much like my own, were clouded with pain, confusion, and a love that felt like a distant dream.
But the memory, the connection we once shared, felt like a phantom touch now, a shadow of a love that was lost.
Damien's dark magic had wormed its way into my soul, twisting my thoughts, rewriting my memories, erasing the pain, the longing, the love I’d held onto.
It replaced them all with a chilling emptiness.
He’s not yours anymore, Catrina. He’s… forgotten you.
I wanted to scream, to fight back, to break free from Damien’s grasp and run to my father, to the safety of his love.
But I couldn't. Damien’s magic held me prisoner, like a puppet on strings.
My body was stiff, my gaze empty, a hollow shell of the she-wolf I once was, the omega who had defied a king, a sorcerer, destiny itself, for a love that had betrayed her in the end.
Remember, Catrina. Remember… us.
My own wolf’s voice was a distant cry, a flicker of defiance in the growing darkness.
But the memories were fading, slipping away like sand through my fingers.
They were replaced by a coldness, a numbness, a terrifying nothingness.
He’s fighting for you, Catrina. He’s risking everything… to save you.
I watched my dad battle the shadow warriors. Their red eyes glowed, their claws slashed, their movements a blur of darkness.
He fought with a fierceness that surprised me, his silver fur flashing in the dim light, his amber eyes burning with a father’s fury, a protector’s rage.
Beside him, Mom, her lavender scent a comforting reminder of strength and love, of the family I treasured, fought with incredible grace and power.
Every move she made showed the strength of the she-wolf within, the mother who would protect her cub, her mate, her daughter.
They shouldn’t be here. It’s too dangerous, my wolf whimpered, her voice filled with fear and a protectiveness I didn't understand, a longing for a connection I’d lost.
“Damien, we have to… we have to stop them,” I said, my voice hollow with a fear I couldn't hide. “They’re… they’re going to… to…”
My words faded. The memories, the visions, the prophecy – it was all a confusing jumble I couldn't make sense of.
“They’re going to… what, my love?” Damien chuckled, his crimson eyes, like burning coals, fixed on me with a possessive hunger that made my skin crawl.
“They’re going to… interfere with our plans? Disrupt our… destiny?”
“They’re… they’re going to… hurt you, Damien,” I whispered, betraying my own heart.
It was a lie, a desperate attempt to protect the monster who held my soul captive, the sorcerer who claimed me as his own, the only master I knew.
“They… they’re strong, Damien. Powerful. They… they have… magic.”
He’s playing you, Catrina, my wolf’s voice echoed, a distant whisper of defiance in the encroaching darkness. He’s using you to… to get to Rowan. To… destroy him.
But her words, a truth I couldn't face, were drowned out by Damien's magic, by the darkness that had taken root inside me, by the twisted love that held me prisoner.
“Hurt me?” Damien laughed, his voice cold and mocking, echoing through the ruined palace.
It was a reminder of his power, his control over the dark arts, a force that I, a mere omega, a puppet in his grasp, could never hope to defy.
“They’re nothing, Catrina. Pawns. Insects. They’re… beneath me.”
“But… they’re strong, Damien,” I insisted, my voice desperate, a flicker of my old self, a mother's instinct to protect, fighting to be heard.
“They have… magic. They… they have… Rowan.”
“Rowan?” Damien’s gaze, predatory and sharp, snapped to the doorway.
My father stood there, his fur stained with blood, his amber eyes burning with a fury that mirrored my own – but his was pure, untouched by the darkness that had consumed me.
He was a warrior, a protector, a father, ready to fight, to die, for… me?
He’s come for you, Catrina. He’s come to save you, my wolf’s voice sobbed, a spark of hope in the suffocating darkness. He… he never stopped… loving you.
“Silence, Lyra!” Damien roared, his grip on my arm tightening painfully, his crimson eyes blazing with a fury that chilled me to the bone.
His possessiveness made my wolf cower, his jealousy twisted my gut, a harsh reminder of the darkness that held me captive, the magic that controlled me, the love I had lost.
“He’s nothing to you, Lyra. Nothing! He’s a traitor, a fool, a weakness! Forget him! He doesn’t deserve your love! He doesn’t deserve… you!”
He spun me around to face him, his gaze burning into me, his scent, a mix of incense and decay, a reminder of the darkness that had taken root within me, the magic that was twisting my thoughts, my emotions, my very soul.
“Look at me, Lyra! Look at me and see… your true mate! Your true destiny! Your true… king!”
He leaned in, his lips cold and demanding, pressing against mine.
It was a violation that made my wolf snarl, a desperate attempt to break free, to escape the suffocating darkness, the suffocating love that threatened to consume me.
But it was useless.
His magic, powerful, flowed through me, overwhelming me, stripping away the last shreds of my resistance, my will, my very self.
No! Don’t let him win, Catrina! my wolf’s voice cried, a distant echo, a fading whisper, a plea for help lost in the storm, a love that was dying.
And as I felt myself surrendering to the darkness, to Damien's control, to the twisted, corrupted version of love that he offered – a love that was nothing more than possession – a single tear escaped, tracing a path down my cheek.
It was a silent testament to the love I’d betrayed, the bond I’d broken, the mate I’d lost.
“He’s… he’s not worth it, Catrina,” Damien whispered against my lips, his voice a silken purr, a hypnotic suggestion that seeped into my mind, erasing the memories, the pain, the love I’d clung to.
Replacing them with a blank slate, a clean canvas on which he would paint his own desires, his own twisted version of our future.
“Forget him. Forget… everything. I’ll give you… a new life, Catrina. A better life. A life… full of power, of pleasure, of… everything you’ve ever desired.”