The Alpha's forbidden omega mate - Chapter 252: Chapter 252

Derek POV:
"Dad! No!"
I lunged forward, a scream ripping from my throat, as my father's body fell, a lifeless heap of silver-grey fur.
His amber eyes, once full of fire, were now dull and empty.
"Dad!" I roared, my voice filled with anguish and disbelief.
It felt like a nightmare I couldn’t wake up from.
Damien, his black robes swirling around him, laughed cruelly.
His red eyes gleamed with a triumphant malice that echoed through the ruined palace, a reminder of his power and the darkness he’d unleashed.
“He should have listened to you, Derek,” Damien purred, his voice laced with mockery. It was a cruel reminder of my own powerlessness, my inability to protect anyone.
Isabelle, my wolf whimpered, longing for her comfort, her touch, her warmth.
It was a reminder of the love I had confessed, the bond I craved, a connection that felt both forbidden and inevitable.
I pushed past Isabelle, ignoring her gasp of surprise and her outstretched hand.
I had to get to my father. I had to…
“To say goodbye, Derek. To say… I’m sorry, “my wolf whispered, his voice broken with guilt. “I had failed him, betrayed him.”
“Dad!” I knelt beside his body, my hands trembling as I reached out to touch his cold, still fur. I recoiled in shock, unable to accept the truth.
“Dad, wake up! Please… wake up!”
But he didn't move. His scent – pine, leather, and… blood… filled my nostrils.
It was a painful reminder of the Alpha he had been, the father he had tried to be, the man who, despite his flaws, had loved me in his own way, a love I had rejected.
“It’s… it’s my fault, Rowan,” I whispered, my voice choked with grief, meeting my brother’s amber eyes.
They reflected our father’s, but were filled with a pain and desperation I had never seen before.
“I… I should have… listened to you. I should have… stopped you. I should have…”
My words faded, the weight of my guilt crushing me. I had failed my father, failed the pack.
“This is enough, Rowan!” I shouted, my voice breaking, tears finally spilling over. I felt a desperate need to make it stop.
“This… this madness… this obsession… it has to end! How many… how many people have to die… before you realize… that this… this is… wrong?”
“He’s right, you know, Alpha,” Damien purred, his voice smooth but laced with a cruel amusement at our pain.
“Your brother… he’s finally seeing… the truth. Your love… your bond… it’s a curse, Rowan. A poison that’s destroying… everything you touch.”
“Shut up, Damien!” Rowan roared, his wolf snarling, claws extended, ready to fight, to avenge, to die for the she-wolf who was gone, for a love that was lost.
“You… you took her from me! You… you twisted her mind! You… you’re going to pay for this, Damien! I swear… I’ll…”
“You’ll… what, Alpha?” Damien chuckled coldly.
“You’ll… kill me? Destroy me? You’re… weak, Rowan. Broken. Just like… your father.”
He gestured towards my father’s lifeless body, a cruel reminder of our loss, of the sacrifice he had made.
“He died… because of you, Alpha,” Damien hissed, his words like poison aimed at Rowan’s heart.
“He died… for your… weakness. For your… foolish love.”
I held my father's body, his fur cold against my skin, his scent fading. It was a painful reminder of the bond we had shared, the father I never understood, the Alpha I never wanted to be.
As the weight of his death, the knowledge that he’d sacrificed himself for me, for Rowan, for a love that defied all boundaries, settled on me, I felt a rage unlike anything I’d ever known. I wanted vengeance. I wanted Damien to pay.
“I could give you a chance, Derek,” Damien said softly, his voice a tempting whisper, a sliver of hope in the overwhelming darkness.
A chance to undo this, to bring my father back…
“No, Derek! Don’t listen to him! He’s lying! He’s trying to… to trick you!” Rowan’s voice was a desperate plea, a brotherly warning, cutting through my grief and rage.
“Don’t listen to him, Derek!” Rowan repeated, his voice hoarse, his body trembling with pain and fear.
His eyes, so like our father's, were filled with a love and determination I’d never seen before, a reminder of the she-wolf he loved.
“He’s a monster, Derek! He’ll… he’ll destroy you! He’ll…”
“Silence, Alpha!” Damien roared, his voice thunderous, his magic pressing down on us like a crushing weight.
“Your brother’s words… they’re… poison, Derek. Lies. Deceptions. He’s trying to… to… weaken you. To… to turn you… against me. But… I can offer you… something… that he… can’t.”
He looked at me, his red eyes burning into mine, seeing my vulnerability, the love I’d confessed, the bond I craved. He knew he could exploit my pain.
“I can… give you… a chance… to save your… father, Derek.”
His words were a promise, a temptation, a glimmer of hope in the darkness, a lie I desperately wanted to believe.
“No, Derek! It’s a trick! Don’t listen to him! He’s… he’s going to use you! He’s going to…”
Rowan’s warnings were drowned out by my grief, my pain, my guilt, and the desperate longing in my heart. I wanted to fix this, to bring my father back.
“Tell me… tell me what to do, Damien,” I whispered, surrendering to a power I didn’t understand, a darkness I was embracing.
“Tell me… how to… bring him back.”
Damien smiled, a cruel, triumphant smirk, and I knew, with chilling certainty, that I had made a choice that would change everything, a choice that led me away from the light and into the shadows.
“It’s… a simple bargain, Derek,” Damien purred, his words weaving a spell, promising a power I craved, a love I had been denied.
“All I ask… is your… loyalty. Your… obedience. Your… soul.”