The Alpha's forbidden omega mate - Chapter 268: Chapter 268
You are reading The Alpha's forbidden omega mate, Chapter 268: Chapter 268. Read more chapters of The Alpha's forbidden omega mate.
Henri POV:
“I don’t like this, Maggie. Not one bit.”
I paced the length of our small cabin, the familiar scent of pine and woodsmoke doing little to soothe the unease churning in my gut.
My wolf, restless and agitated, paced with me, his shadow a constant reminder of the fear that gnawed at me.
Catrina, my daughter, my little pup, was in the spirit realm, facing trials, facing… him.
King Korvash.
The thought of that ancient, powerful Alpha, his icy blue eyes, his chilling presence, made my wolf whimper.
It was a primal fear, an instinct to submit, to obey.
“She’ll be alright, Henri,” Maggie said softly, her voice a gentle murmur, a comforting presence in the midst of my anxiety.
She sat by the fire, her knitting needles clicking rhythmically, a soothing sound that did little to calm the storm raging inside me.
“She’s strong, Catrina is. And she has Lyra’s power now. She’ll… she’ll pass these trials. I know she will.”
But her words lacked conviction, her lavender scent tinged with a worry that mirrored my own.
We’d both seen too much, lost too much. Damien’s darkness had touched our lives, leaving scars that might never heal.
“You’re not fooling anyone, Maggie,” I growled, my voice sharper than I intended.
“We both know the spirit realm is dangerous. Treacherous. And King Korvash… he’s not exactly… merciful. He’s not like…”
I hesitated, the memory of Rowan, his warmth, his laughter, his love for Catrina, a bittersweet ache in my heart.
He was supposed to be her Alpha, her protector, her mate. But he was gone, his life force extinguished by Damien’s magic, a sacrifice that haunted me.
“He’s not like Rowan.”
“No, he’s not,” Maggie agreed, her voice soft, her gaze distant, lost in her own memories of the Alpha who had stolen her daughter's heart, the mate who had been denied.
“But Catrina… she has to do this, Henri. For Rowan. He’s… he's the reason she's risking everything.”
“I know, Maggie. I know.” I sighed, running a hand through my silver-grey fur, the white streaks a stark reminder of the years that had passed, the losses we’d endured.
“But I can’t help but worry. What if… what if she’s not strong enough? What if… what if Korvash…”
My words trailed off, the unspoken fear hanging heavy in the air.
What if he refuses to help her? What if… he hurts her?
“He wouldn’t,” Emma’s voice, a quiet but firm reassurance, came from the doorway.
She stood there, her human scent a welcome contrast to the heavy musk of werewolf worry, her blue eyes filled with a concern that mirrored our own.
“King Korvash, I mean. He… he wouldn’t hurt Catrina. Not intentionally.”
“And how do you know that, Emma?” I asked, turning to her, my gaze sharp.
I appreciated her attempt to comfort us, but her human understanding of our world, of the spirit realm, of the ancient laws that governed werewolves, was limited.
“You’re… you’re just a human, Emma. You don’t… you don’t understand how these things… work.”
“Maybe not,” she admitted, her gaze dropping to the floor, a flicker of sadness in her blue eyes.
“But… I’ve… I’ve been studying, Henri. Learning. Trying to… to understand… the magic. The spirit realm. The… the prophecies.”
She looked up at me, her gaze steady, her voice gaining strength.
“And… and I know… King Korvash isn’t… evil, Henri. He’s… he’s just… different. He… he operates on a different… level. He… he has his own… agenda. His own… reasons… for doing things.”
“And what… what do you think his reasons are, Emma?” I asked, my gaze intense, my wolf’s instincts on high alert.
I didn’t fully trust her human understanding of our world, but there was a wisdom in her eyes, a knowledge that came from her connection to the spirit realm, a connection she’d forged through her love for Brock, for Rowan, for… Catrina.
“I… I think he’s… testing Catrina, Henri,” she said, her voice a soft murmur.
“Testing her… strength. Her… courage. Her… resolve. He… he wants to see… if she’s… worthy. Of… of the power… she seeks.”
“Worthy?” I scoffed, my wolf snarling.
“Worthy of what? Of bringing back the dead? Of defying the very laws of nature?”
“It’s not about defying the laws, Henri,” Maggie said quietly, her voice a gentle reprimand.
She looked at me, her gaze steady, her lavender eyes filled with a wisdom that came from years of living in our world, of understanding the ancient ways, the balance between life and death, the power of the spirit realm.
“It’s about… respecting them. About… understanding… the consequences. And King Korvash… he… he needs to know… that Catrina… that she… understands those consequences. That she’s… willing to… to pay the price.”
“But what if… what if she’s not, Maggie?” I asked, the fear that gnawed at me finally escaping, the words a whisper of a father’s terror.
“What if… what if the price… is too high? What if… what if she… she loses herself… in the process?”
“She won’t, Henri,” Emma said firmly, her hand squeezing Maggie’s, a silent reassurance, a human bond of friendship and shared grief, a love that defied the boundaries of our worlds.
“She’s… she’s stronger than you think. And she has… something… that Damien didn’t. Something that… even King Korvash… might not… fully understand.”
“And what’s that, Emma?” I asked, my gaze searching hers.
“Love, Henri,” she said softly, her blue eyes shining with a warmth that reminded me of Catrina, of Rowan, of a love that had been tested, twisted, but hadn't been broken.
“She has love. For Rowan. For her pup. For… for all of us. And… and that love… it’s… it’s the most powerful magic there is.”
Her words, a simple truth, a human understanding of a power that transcended our world, brought a flicker of hope, a warmth that chased away the shadows.
But the fear still lingered.
“There’s… something… you should know, Henri,” I said, my voice a low rumble.
I hesitated, the secret I’d been keeping, a truth about Catrina’s lineage, a connection to a power that could either save her… or destroy her… weighing heavily on me.
I looked at Maggie, and she nodded, her gaze steady, a silent understanding passing between us. We’d both been keeping this secret for too long, protecting Catrina from a destiny she was now embracing.
“Catrina… she’s… she’s not just… our daughter,” I said, the words a revelation, a truth that I’d kept hidden, a secret that I’d hoped would protect her, would keep her safe.
“She’s… she’s also…”
I paused, my gaze meeting Emma’s, her blue eyes wide with anticipation, her scent a mix of human curiosity and a primal instinct that she was about to learn something… important. Something dangerous.
“She’s also… a descendant… of the first… Spirit Walker.”
Maggie gasped, her hand flying to her mouth, her eyes wide with a mix of shock and… fear?
“The… the first Spirit Walker?” Emma echoed, her voice a whisper, her gaze darting between Maggie and me, a question in her eyes.
“But… but what does that… mean?”
“It means… Catrina’s connection to the spirit realm… it’s… it’s stronger than we thought, Emma,” I said, my voice a low rumble, the weight of this secret, the implications, settling on me like a heavy cloak.
“It means… she has a… a… birthright. A… a… destiny. A… a power… that… that even she… doesn’t fully… understand.”
“But… it also means… she’s… she’s a target, Emma,” Maggie added, her voice trembling.
“Damien… he… he knew about this. He… he wanted Catrina’s power. He wanted to… to use her… to… to merge with the spirit realm. To become a… a god.”
“And… and if King Korvash… if he… if he finds out… about Catrina’s lineage…” My voice trailed off, the unspoken fear, the chilling possibility, hanging heavy in the air.
“He might… he might…”
“He might what, Henri?” Emma’s voice, though filled with worry, also held a strength, a determination that surprised me.
She was a human, yes, but she'd faced darkness, she'd endured loss, and she'd emerged stronger, wiser. She was a survivor.
“What’s the worst that could happen?”
I looked at her, her blue eyes meeting mine, a human courage, a love for my daughter, reflecting my own fear, my own protectiveness. And the truth, a chilling prophecy, a destiny I'd hoped to avoid, escaped my lips.
“He might… claim her, Emma,” I said, my voice a whisper, my wolf howling in protest, his claws digging into the wooden floor, desperate to protect his pup, his family, his world.
“He might… take her… as his own.”
Maggie gasped, her hand clutching mine, her lavender scent sharp with fear.
We both knew what that meant, the ancient laws, the Alpha King’s right to claim any omega, any she-wolf, as his own.
“But… but he wouldn’t,” Emma stammered, her voice a mix of disbelief and a desperate hope that I couldn’t share.
“He… he wouldn’t do that. Not… not to Catrina. Not… not when she’s…”
“She’s Rowan’s mate, Emma,” Maggie said softly, her voice laced with sadness, a reminder of the bond that had been broken, the love that had been stolen, a destiny that had been denied.
“But… Rowan… he’s… he’s gone. And… and King Korvash… he doesn’t know… about… about their love. About… their bond.”
“He’s… he's an ancient being, Emma,” I said, my voice weary, the weight of this knowledge, this fear, this chilling possibility, crushing me. “He… he doesn’t… care about… about human emotions. About… love. He only cares about… power. About… control. About… maintaining the… balance.”
“And if he sees Catrina… if he senses her power… her connection to the spirit realm… her lineage…” My words trailed off, the unspoken threat hanging in the air.
“He might… he might decide… that she’s… too valuable… to be… wasted… on a… a love that’s… that’s… gone. He might… decide to… to claim her… as his own. To use her… for his own… purposes.”
The silence in the cabin was heavy, filled with our shared fear, the chilling realization of the danger Catrina faced, the knowledge that the very power she sought, the love she was fighting for, might be her undoing.
"There has to be a way, Henri,” Maggie whispered, her voice breaking, her eyes pleading for a solution, a hope I couldn’t offer.
“There has to be a way to… to protect her. To… to keep her… safe.”
But I didn’t have an answer.
Not yet.
I looked at Emma, her human scent a reminder of the world we were fighting for, her love for Catrina a mirror of my own.
And as our gazes met, a shared determination, a desperate hope, a flicker of defiance in the face of overwhelming odds, a silent promise to protect the she-wolf we both loved, a new path, dangerous and uncertain, began to unfold.
We had to find a way.
We had to save Catrina.
Even if it meant defying a king.
“There might be,” Emma said, her voice barely audible, a whisper of hope that cut through the despair, the fear, the silence.
“There might be… another way.”
“I don’t like this, Maggie. Not one bit.”
I paced the length of our small cabin, the familiar scent of pine and woodsmoke doing little to soothe the unease churning in my gut.
My wolf, restless and agitated, paced with me, his shadow a constant reminder of the fear that gnawed at me.
Catrina, my daughter, my little pup, was in the spirit realm, facing trials, facing… him.
King Korvash.
The thought of that ancient, powerful Alpha, his icy blue eyes, his chilling presence, made my wolf whimper.
It was a primal fear, an instinct to submit, to obey.
“She’ll be alright, Henri,” Maggie said softly, her voice a gentle murmur, a comforting presence in the midst of my anxiety.
She sat by the fire, her knitting needles clicking rhythmically, a soothing sound that did little to calm the storm raging inside me.
“She’s strong, Catrina is. And she has Lyra’s power now. She’ll… she’ll pass these trials. I know she will.”
But her words lacked conviction, her lavender scent tinged with a worry that mirrored my own.
We’d both seen too much, lost too much. Damien’s darkness had touched our lives, leaving scars that might never heal.
“You’re not fooling anyone, Maggie,” I growled, my voice sharper than I intended.
“We both know the spirit realm is dangerous. Treacherous. And King Korvash… he’s not exactly… merciful. He’s not like…”
I hesitated, the memory of Rowan, his warmth, his laughter, his love for Catrina, a bittersweet ache in my heart.
He was supposed to be her Alpha, her protector, her mate. But he was gone, his life force extinguished by Damien’s magic, a sacrifice that haunted me.
“He’s not like Rowan.”
“No, he’s not,” Maggie agreed, her voice soft, her gaze distant, lost in her own memories of the Alpha who had stolen her daughter's heart, the mate who had been denied.
“But Catrina… she has to do this, Henri. For Rowan. He’s… he's the reason she's risking everything.”
“I know, Maggie. I know.” I sighed, running a hand through my silver-grey fur, the white streaks a stark reminder of the years that had passed, the losses we’d endured.
“But I can’t help but worry. What if… what if she’s not strong enough? What if… what if Korvash…”
My words trailed off, the unspoken fear hanging heavy in the air.
What if he refuses to help her? What if… he hurts her?
“He wouldn’t,” Emma’s voice, a quiet but firm reassurance, came from the doorway.
She stood there, her human scent a welcome contrast to the heavy musk of werewolf worry, her blue eyes filled with a concern that mirrored our own.
“King Korvash, I mean. He… he wouldn’t hurt Catrina. Not intentionally.”
“And how do you know that, Emma?” I asked, turning to her, my gaze sharp.
I appreciated her attempt to comfort us, but her human understanding of our world, of the spirit realm, of the ancient laws that governed werewolves, was limited.
“You’re… you’re just a human, Emma. You don’t… you don’t understand how these things… work.”
“Maybe not,” she admitted, her gaze dropping to the floor, a flicker of sadness in her blue eyes.
“But… I’ve… I’ve been studying, Henri. Learning. Trying to… to understand… the magic. The spirit realm. The… the prophecies.”
She looked up at me, her gaze steady, her voice gaining strength.
“And… and I know… King Korvash isn’t… evil, Henri. He’s… he’s just… different. He… he operates on a different… level. He… he has his own… agenda. His own… reasons… for doing things.”
“And what… what do you think his reasons are, Emma?” I asked, my gaze intense, my wolf’s instincts on high alert.
I didn’t fully trust her human understanding of our world, but there was a wisdom in her eyes, a knowledge that came from her connection to the spirit realm, a connection she’d forged through her love for Brock, for Rowan, for… Catrina.
“I… I think he’s… testing Catrina, Henri,” she said, her voice a soft murmur.
“Testing her… strength. Her… courage. Her… resolve. He… he wants to see… if she’s… worthy. Of… of the power… she seeks.”
“Worthy?” I scoffed, my wolf snarling.
“Worthy of what? Of bringing back the dead? Of defying the very laws of nature?”
“It’s not about defying the laws, Henri,” Maggie said quietly, her voice a gentle reprimand.
She looked at me, her gaze steady, her lavender eyes filled with a wisdom that came from years of living in our world, of understanding the ancient ways, the balance between life and death, the power of the spirit realm.
“It’s about… respecting them. About… understanding… the consequences. And King Korvash… he… he needs to know… that Catrina… that she… understands those consequences. That she’s… willing to… to pay the price.”
“But what if… what if she’s not, Maggie?” I asked, the fear that gnawed at me finally escaping, the words a whisper of a father’s terror.
“What if… what if the price… is too high? What if… what if she… she loses herself… in the process?”
“She won’t, Henri,” Emma said firmly, her hand squeezing Maggie’s, a silent reassurance, a human bond of friendship and shared grief, a love that defied the boundaries of our worlds.
“She’s… she’s stronger than you think. And she has… something… that Damien didn’t. Something that… even King Korvash… might not… fully understand.”
“And what’s that, Emma?” I asked, my gaze searching hers.
“Love, Henri,” she said softly, her blue eyes shining with a warmth that reminded me of Catrina, of Rowan, of a love that had been tested, twisted, but hadn't been broken.
“She has love. For Rowan. For her pup. For… for all of us. And… and that love… it’s… it’s the most powerful magic there is.”
Her words, a simple truth, a human understanding of a power that transcended our world, brought a flicker of hope, a warmth that chased away the shadows.
But the fear still lingered.
“There’s… something… you should know, Henri,” I said, my voice a low rumble.
I hesitated, the secret I’d been keeping, a truth about Catrina’s lineage, a connection to a power that could either save her… or destroy her… weighing heavily on me.
I looked at Maggie, and she nodded, her gaze steady, a silent understanding passing between us. We’d both been keeping this secret for too long, protecting Catrina from a destiny she was now embracing.
“Catrina… she’s… she’s not just… our daughter,” I said, the words a revelation, a truth that I’d kept hidden, a secret that I’d hoped would protect her, would keep her safe.
“She’s… she’s also…”
I paused, my gaze meeting Emma’s, her blue eyes wide with anticipation, her scent a mix of human curiosity and a primal instinct that she was about to learn something… important. Something dangerous.
“She’s also… a descendant… of the first… Spirit Walker.”
Maggie gasped, her hand flying to her mouth, her eyes wide with a mix of shock and… fear?
“The… the first Spirit Walker?” Emma echoed, her voice a whisper, her gaze darting between Maggie and me, a question in her eyes.
“But… but what does that… mean?”
“It means… Catrina’s connection to the spirit realm… it’s… it’s stronger than we thought, Emma,” I said, my voice a low rumble, the weight of this secret, the implications, settling on me like a heavy cloak.
“It means… she has a… a… birthright. A… a… destiny. A… a power… that… that even she… doesn’t fully… understand.”
“But… it also means… she’s… she’s a target, Emma,” Maggie added, her voice trembling.
“Damien… he… he knew about this. He… he wanted Catrina’s power. He wanted to… to use her… to… to merge with the spirit realm. To become a… a god.”
“And… and if King Korvash… if he… if he finds out… about Catrina’s lineage…” My voice trailed off, the unspoken fear, the chilling possibility, hanging heavy in the air.
“He might… he might…”
“He might what, Henri?” Emma’s voice, though filled with worry, also held a strength, a determination that surprised me.
She was a human, yes, but she'd faced darkness, she'd endured loss, and she'd emerged stronger, wiser. She was a survivor.
“What’s the worst that could happen?”
I looked at her, her blue eyes meeting mine, a human courage, a love for my daughter, reflecting my own fear, my own protectiveness. And the truth, a chilling prophecy, a destiny I'd hoped to avoid, escaped my lips.
“He might… claim her, Emma,” I said, my voice a whisper, my wolf howling in protest, his claws digging into the wooden floor, desperate to protect his pup, his family, his world.
“He might… take her… as his own.”
Maggie gasped, her hand clutching mine, her lavender scent sharp with fear.
We both knew what that meant, the ancient laws, the Alpha King’s right to claim any omega, any she-wolf, as his own.
“But… but he wouldn’t,” Emma stammered, her voice a mix of disbelief and a desperate hope that I couldn’t share.
“He… he wouldn’t do that. Not… not to Catrina. Not… not when she’s…”
“She’s Rowan’s mate, Emma,” Maggie said softly, her voice laced with sadness, a reminder of the bond that had been broken, the love that had been stolen, a destiny that had been denied.
“But… Rowan… he’s… he’s gone. And… and King Korvash… he doesn’t know… about… about their love. About… their bond.”
“He’s… he's an ancient being, Emma,” I said, my voice weary, the weight of this knowledge, this fear, this chilling possibility, crushing me. “He… he doesn’t… care about… about human emotions. About… love. He only cares about… power. About… control. About… maintaining the… balance.”
“And if he sees Catrina… if he senses her power… her connection to the spirit realm… her lineage…” My words trailed off, the unspoken threat hanging in the air.
“He might… he might decide… that she’s… too valuable… to be… wasted… on a… a love that’s… that’s… gone. He might… decide to… to claim her… as his own. To use her… for his own… purposes.”
The silence in the cabin was heavy, filled with our shared fear, the chilling realization of the danger Catrina faced, the knowledge that the very power she sought, the love she was fighting for, might be her undoing.
"There has to be a way, Henri,” Maggie whispered, her voice breaking, her eyes pleading for a solution, a hope I couldn’t offer.
“There has to be a way to… to protect her. To… to keep her… safe.”
But I didn’t have an answer.
Not yet.
I looked at Emma, her human scent a reminder of the world we were fighting for, her love for Catrina a mirror of my own.
And as our gazes met, a shared determination, a desperate hope, a flicker of defiance in the face of overwhelming odds, a silent promise to protect the she-wolf we both loved, a new path, dangerous and uncertain, began to unfold.
We had to find a way.
We had to save Catrina.
Even if it meant defying a king.
“There might be,” Emma said, her voice barely audible, a whisper of hope that cut through the despair, the fear, the silence.
“There might be… another way.”
End of The Alpha's forbidden omega mate Chapter 268. Continue reading Chapter 269 or return to The Alpha's forbidden omega mate book page.