The Alpha's forbidden omega mate - Chapter 28: Chapter 28

Rowan POV:
The next few days were a blur. After the awful wedding night, I tried my best to avoid Isabelle.
Luckily, she seemed happy to do the same, disappearing for hours on end. Perfect!
The less I had to see her smug face or smell her strong perfume, the better.
When I wasn't stuck in the fancy room Isabelle picked for me, I spent every free minute looking for Catrina around the hotel.
Being away from her for so long was awful.
The problem was, Catrina seemed to be hiding from me too, while she did her chores.
Maybe she was still mad with me, or maybe she was scared of Isabelle watching her. I didn't know for sure. But every time I smelled her familiar scent, it would vanish around a corner like smoke.
Finally, after a whole week of this cat-and-mouse chase, I managed to catch Catrina as she left a storage room. Her eyes got huge when she saw me blocking her way.
"Rowan! Wh-What are you doing here?" Catrina squeaked, hugging a pile of cleaning supplies to her chest.
I looked at her closely, really wanting to touch her belly but knowing I shouldn't. We were in the hallway, in the open.
"Catrina, we need to talk," I said in a serious but quiet voice.
"Just you and me, no more waiting around or pretending we don't see each other."
Catrina opened her mouth to say something back, but I looked at her seriously to show her I meant business. Slowly, she closed her mouth and nodded a little bit, like she agreed.
Catrina and I were finally alone in my room, away from everyone else. It felt good to be with just my mate, but Catrina looked scared, hugging herself real tight.
"What's happening, Rowan?" she asked in a tiny voice. "Why are you acting so secretive?"
I took a deep breath, trying not to freak out. "I need to explain everything, Catrina. All the crazy stuff that's been happening."
Catrina stared at me, waiting for me to tell her more. I squeezed my hands together a few times before I started talking.
"After the whole mess at the wedding," I said carefully, "I talked to Isabelle about how mean she was to you."
I saw a sad look cross Catrina's face when I mentioned the wedding. My heart hurt knowing I made her feel bad. But I had to keep talking.
"In her rage, Isabelle revealed she had changed the pack laws,"I said seriously.
"She said there can be no concubines or unmated companions allowed."
Catrina's eyes got big as she tried to understand what I meant. "W-Wait, that means..."
"It means you can never have an official place here, beside me, while I'm mated to Isabelle," I finished heavily.
"Unless you took your place as my Luna, replacing her entirely."
Saying that out loud, I realized how terrible that idea was. Catrina wouldn't want to hurt another woman, even if Isabelle was mean to her.
Catrina was too nice for that, and that's one of the things I love most about her.
Looking at Catrina's sad face, I got so mad at Isabelle for trying to keep Catrina away.
"How could she do this?" I thought.
Catrina whispered my name softly and touched my cheek with her hand.
"Rowan," she said worriedly, "what are we gonna do now?"
When Catrina touched my cheek, I calmed down a bit and started thinking clearly again.
I took her smaller hand in mine and looked at her seriously.
"We're getting out of here, Catrina," I said firmly.
"We're leaving this awful place, away from my dad's meanness and Isabelle's tricks. It will just be you, me, and the baby."
I would find us a safe place, a place where Catrina would never be treated badly again, but loved and respected as the amazing mate and future mom she was.
My life might be going a different way than I planned, but with Catrina by my side, I felt ready for anything…
This was weird. Ever since our big fight after the wedding, Isabelle had been avoiding me. I was nervous, but I decided to go anyway. My wolf inside me was feeling restless and on edge.
The meeting room I entered was fancy, like something for important visitors. Isabelle was sitting on a comfy chair in the middle of all the flowers, looking fancy even though she wasn't dressed up super nice.
Her long red hair was loose over one shoulder, and she was sipping tea delicately.
Across from her sat Derek, in another comfy chair that looked too fancy for him. He seemed nervous, but relaxed a little when he saw me come in.
"Hey little brother! Glad you could make it," he said, but his voice sounded a bit forced.
Isabelle kept staring at me over her teacup, not even getting up to say hi properly.
"Indeed," she purred. "Do come in and make yourself comfortable, husband. We have much to discuss."
Isabelle's sweet voice made me mad. I gave a short nod before walking towards them.
"Can I get you some tea?" a nearby servant asked politely.
I shook my head quickly. I wanted to think clearly for whatever trick Isabelle had planned.
Instead of sitting down in the empty chair, I stood with my arms crossed. Isabelle raised one eyebrow, surprised at how rude I was being.
"Oh come on, don't be so grumpy," she teased. "Sit down, Rowan. We're family, no need to be all stiff."
The way she said "family" sounded fake, and it made me nervous. I almost growled, but stopped myself and stood my ground.
"Actually, I'd rather stand," I said calmly. "We both know this isn't just a friendly visit, right?"
Derek felt awkward in his fancy chair, noticing the tension between me and Isabelle. He messed up his hair a bit and coughed.
"Alright, now that everyone's here..." he started, looking at me strangely.
"What do you want, Isabelle?" I interrupted, not wanting to waste time.
"Skip the small talk and just tell me why I'm really here."
Isabelle stopped showing any emotions on her face for a moment.
Then, she shrugged one shoulder in a fancy way and put her teacup down softly.
"Alright, fine, my impatient husband," she said in a fake-sweet voice. "Let's talk about some important family stuff, shall we?"
She leaned back in her chair, crossed her fingers, and stared at me with those cold eyes that didn't show anything.
"It's come to my notice that our dear Catrina has agreed to take up permanent residence among my pack servants," she announced calmly.
"As an unmated omega under the protection of the Mondragon pack."
She stopped for a moment, letting her words hang in the air.
"Normally, unmated omegas live away from the main pack, at our old pack mansion. But because Catrina is, well, expecting a baby, I've let her stay here for now."
She smirked at me. "That way she can keep working, and you can keep an eye on your...little mistake, as the father."
The way she talked about Catrina, like she was something to be ashamed of, made me furious. I clenched my fists so hard they turned white, trying not to yell.
"Just tell me what you really want, Isabelle," I growled, grinding my teeth together.
"What's the real reason you called me here?"
Isabelle's smile got a little bigger.
"Always so impatient," she teased in a mean way.
"Alright, listen up. I called you here to talk about what happens to your omega… side chick after the baby comes."
Derek shifted uncomfortably in his seat and looked at me worriedly. I didn't say anything because I knew she wasn't done talking.
"You see, while I've agreed to take Catrina in as an unmated omega under my pack's protection, that status will change once the child is born,” Isabelle said smoothly.
"At that point, she will officially become a breeder."
Breeder? It was a terrible word used for omegas who were forced to have babies without being mates. My wolf inside me growled angrily at the thought of someone treating Catrina like that.
"You can't be serious," I shouted "Catrina is my true mate - the mother of the future heir of this pack! I won't allow you to-"
"Allow me?" Isabelle cut me off with a harsh laugh. "Need I remind you who is truly in charge here, dear mate?"
She stood up real fast, her eyes looking like they could shoot lasers.
"The rules are clear," she said firmly.
"Omegas who have babies without a mate are just called breeders, with no special treatment. And since you clearly don't want Catrina as your Luna..."
She shrugged again, this time with both shoulders.
"Well, after the baby comes, she'll be an exception to the pack since I will put her somewhere else until I need more pups from her. Probably a special building for breeders, where she'll wait to have another litter."
The idea of Catrina being locked up in a place where they just forced her to have babies made me furious. It was awful! Catrina deserved so much better than being treated like an object.
"That's never going to happen,"I growled, my anger boiling over.
I couldn't control myself any longer. A searing pain ripped through me as my body twisted and changed, bones cracking and muscles contorting.
When it finally stopped, I stood on all fours as a giant wolf, teeth bared and fur bristling. "I'll kill anyone who tries to take her away like some disposable thing!"
Isabelle didn't even flinch when I roared, even though the whole room shook. She just looked a little bummed.
"Ugh, so rude," she said, wrinkling her nose. "I thought you finally understood your place after the wedding."
She walked right up to me, even though I was a giant wolf now, with all my teeth showing and fur standing on end. She wasn't scared one bit.
"Listen carefully, Rowan," she said in a low voice that sent shivers down my spine.
"If you want Catrina, you'll do exactly what I tell you from now on."
Standing over me like a big boss, she looked really strong and powerful. My wolf wanted me to roll over and obey her, but I wouldn't let it.
"If you don't," she whispered real scary, "I'm kicking Catrina out of here for good. You'll never see her or your bastard ever again."
Even as a wolf, I felt a big wave of fear hit me. Isabelle wasn't kidding - she would really take Catrina away and something bad would happen to her. All because of the mistakes I made.
I looked at Isabelle with my wolf eyes, and we stared at each other for a long time, neither of us moving.
Then, even though I hated it, I slowly lowered my head like I was giving up. I even growled a little bit, but it wasn't really angry, more like accepting defeat.
Only then did Isabelle seem a little less tense. She flipped her hair and walked away.
"Good choice," she said in a boring voice. "Just remember what I said, Rowan. You gotta follow the rules now, okay?"