The Alpha's forbidden omega mate - Chapter 251: Chapter 251

Rowan POV:
The shadows moved apart, revealing my father. His grey wolf was a magnificent beast, teeth bared, amber eyes burning with a fury I rarely saw.
He stood beside Derek, who was battling a huge shadow warrior, struggling to move with his injured leg.
“Dad?” I said, my voice hoarse with surprise.
I couldn't believe it. My father, here in the spirit realm, fighting alongside us, defying the magic he always spoke against.
“I thought you… you didn’t believe.”
He didn’t answer with words.
He just snarled, a deep growl that echoed my own wolf’s anger, and attacked the shadow warrior, his claws slashing, his fangs tearing. He fought with a wild ferocity that surprised me.
“He’s fighting for you, Rowan. For your mate. For the pack, “my wolf rumbled, a hint of respect in his voice.
I could smell it in my father’s scent – the pine and leather, the Alpha command – but there was something else, too.
A fierceness, a protectiveness that went beyond duty, beyond pack. It was the scent of a father fighting for his son, a father facing his own fears to protect what he loved.
He’s not the same Alpha we knew, Rowan, my wolf’s voice softened, almost sad. He’s… changed.
I didn’t have time to think about it. Damien, his black robes swirling around him, his red eyes blazing, stood in the center of the room, a vortex of dark energy at his fingertips.
He laughed coldly, a sound that made my blood run cold, as he watched his shadow warriors fall one by one.
“You think you can defeat me with brute force alone?” Damien sneered.
“You’re fools! Pawns in a game you don't even understand!”
He raised his hand, and a wave of dark energy pulsed outward, knocking us back. The air crackled with power, and the stench of magic and decay filled my lungs.
I struggled to my feet, my vision blurry, my body aching.
But I couldn’t give up, not while Catrina was trapped, her soul imprisoned by Damien’s magic.
"Where is she, Damien?!" I roared, my wolf’s fury burning inside me. “What have you done with her?!”
“She’s safe, Rowan,” Damien said, his voice a mocking purr. “She’s with me. Where she belongs.”
“She doesn’t belong to you, Damien!” Isabelle’s voice rang out, sharp and strong.
She stood beside me, her fur gleaming, her amber eyes burning with my own anger.
“She’s Rowan’s mate! And you’ll never break that bond, no matter what you do!”
“Foolish girl.” Damien laughed, shaking his head.
“You think love can conquer my magic? Your mate bond is nothing but a fragile thread. I can sever it with a snap of my fingers.”
He snapped his fingers, and a sharp, searing pain ripped through me. My vision blurred, and I stumbled, feeling sick to my stomach.
It was a pain that echoed in my soul, a connection to Catrina, a bond that still existed.
He can’t break it, Rowan. He can’t, my wolf growled, defiant but afraid. Our bond is too strong. Our love… it’s too powerful.
“You see, Rowan?” Damien’s voice mocked.
“Even now, when she’s mine, when she’s forgotten you, you still feel it, don’t you? The pull. The connection. The pain.”
“You can’t keep her prisoner forever, Damien,” I growled, forcing myself to stand tall, to face him even though every instinct screamed at me to run.
“She’ll remember. She’ll break free. And then… you’ll be the one begging for mercy.”
"We’ll see about that, Alpha," Damien sneered, his red eyes glowing. He gestured towards the shadow warriors
“Kill them. All of them. Leave only the omega… for me.”
The shadow warriors attacked, a wave of darkness and fury.
“We have to fight, Rowan!” Derek yelled, his golden eyes blazing. He was a warrior, my brother, a Beta who had faced his own demons and emerged stronger.
“We have to protect each other!”
We were fighting again, a whirlwind of fur, fangs, claws, and magic.
The air crackled with energy, and the smell of blood filled the air. I was a blur of motion, my wolf’s strength driven by the need to protect, to avenge, to reclaim Catrina.
I saw Mom fighting beside me, her eyes burning with fury. She was a powerful warrior, every move precise and deadly.
Next to her, Maggie, her lavender scent sharp with a mother’s rage, tore through the shadows.
Together, we were a force. But even with our combined strength, the shadow warriors were relentless.
And Damien was toying with us, a cruel smile on his lips as he watched us struggle, his magic weakening us, draining our energy.
“This is pointless, Rowan,” he mocked. “You can’t win. Give up. Let her go. It’s the only way to save yourselves.”
“Never!” I roared, my wolf’s fury echoing in the palace.
I wouldn't give up. I wouldn't abandon Catrina. Not ever again.
But I could feel the darkness closing in. Damien's power was growing, ours fading.
He’s too strong, Rowan, my wolf whimpered. We can’t beat him.
And then it happened. In a flash of movement, my father’s silver-grey wolf slammed into Damien, knocking him off his feet.
“Leave her alone, Damien!” he roared, his voice shaking the palace. “She’s not yours to control!”
“Father!” I gasped, my heart pounding with shock and pride.
Damien snarled, scrambling to his feet, his red eyes burning with hatred.
"You dare interfere, Marcus Magnus?” he hissed.
“You pathetic, broken Alpha. You think you can defy me? Protect her from my power?”
“I’ll do whatever it takes, Damien!” my father roared, his silver-grey fur bristling, his claws out. “I won’t let you hurt her! I won’t let you hurt my son!”
“Your son?” Damien laughed coldly.
“He’s a fool, Marcus. A weakling, just like his mother. He’s unworthy of the Magnus name. Unworthy of… her.” He pointed to Catrina, her eyes blank, her body lifeless.
“She’s mine now, Marcus. And soon… her power will be mine, too.”
“Never!” My father roared and lunged at Damien, his wolf a blur of motion, fangs bared, claws sharp as razors.
“You’ll never have her, Damien! I won’t let you!”
I watched in horror as they clashed, their wolves a tangle, their magic and fury colliding. It was a battle between two powerful Alphas, two wolves driven by love and loss.
But it was a battle my father couldn’t win. Damien was too strong, his magic fueled by centuries of hatred and ambition.
It happened in slow motion. Damien’s hand shot out, his bony fingers closing around my father’s throat.
His red eyes blazed with triumph.
“You… were always… a fool, Marcus,” Damien hissed. “A weak, pathetic Alpha… blinded by love… consumed by your own… insecurities.”
He tightened his grip, and I saw pain in my father’s amber eyes.
“And now… you will pay… the price.”
Dark energy pulsed from Damien’s hand, and my father’s body went limp, his silver-grey fur dimming, his life force fading away.
“Dad!” I screamed, my heart shattering. I lunged forward, desperate to reach him, but Derek grabbed my arm, holding me back. His golden eyes were filled with grief.
“It’s too late, Rowan,” he choked out. “He’s… he’s gone.”
Damien dropped my father’s lifeless body to the ground. The thud echoed the shattering of my own heart.
My father’s voice, a faint whisper, a final breath of love, reached my ears, a bittersweet memory, a broken promise.
“I’m… I’m sorry, son…”