The Alpha's forbidden omega mate - Chapter 280: Chapter 280
You are reading The Alpha's forbidden omega mate, Chapter 280: Chapter 280. Read more chapters of The Alpha's forbidden omega mate.
Catrina POV:
“He’s burning up, Catrina. We need to cool him down, quickly.”
Isabelle’s voice was strained, laced with a panic that mirrored my own, amplified by the frantic beating of my heart.
Derek, his body convulsing, his amber eyes vacant, empty, lay on the floor, his scent, usually a comforting mix of pine and leather, now sharp, acrid, tainted with the metallic tang of blood and the sickly sweet odor of the larva.
The memory of Rowan, of Marcus, of the darkness that had consumed them, of the sacrifices they’d made, the love they’d lost, clawed at me, a reminder of the destiny we were all fighting to escape.
“I'm getting the ice packs, Isabelle,” Jarrett said, his voice a low rumble, his movements quick, efficient, his amber eyes, though shadowed with worry, holding a calmness, a strength, that I desperately clung to.
He’d been a rock, Jarrett, in the tumultuous years since Damien’s defeat, since Rowan’s death.
A steady presence, a source of wisdom and guidance for Derek, for the pack, for me.
“Here,” I said, my voice a shaky whisper.
My hands trembling as I placed a cool, damp cloth on Derek’s forehead, my touch a gentle caress, a silent plea for him to fight, to hold on, to come back to us, to Isabelle, to the pup growing within her womb, a life that was now tethered to his, a destiny intertwined.
“We need to keep his fever down, Isabelle. Until we can figure out what to do.”
But even as I spoke the words, a cold dread settled in my gut, a whisper of a fear I’d been trying to deny, a truth I couldn’t escape.
We’d faced Damien’s darkness, we’d defeated him, we’d saved the world. But his magic had left its mark. A scar on our souls, a darkness that lingered in the shadows, waiting watching
And now it had found a new host, a new vessel, a new victim.
Derek.
The larva wasn't gone. It had just been dormant. Waiting biding its time until it could resurface. Until it could claim another Magnus Alpha.
“It's my fault, Isabelle,” I whispered, my voice breaking, the guilt, the weight of my choices, crushing me. “I brought it back. From the spirit realm. I I’m the reason why”
My words trailed off, choked by the tears that welled up, a silent testament to my grief, my despair, my failure.
I’d faced King Korvash’s trials, I’d made the sacrifice, I’d broken the bond with Rowan, I’d extinguished the beacon that had drawn Damien’s darkness, I’d become the Silver Wolf, the protector of the spirit realm.
But it hadn’t been enough.
Damien’s magic, like a venomous poison, had found a way to cling to me, to follow me back to our world, to latch onto Derek, to twist his love, his loyalty, his very soul.
“It’s not your fault, Catrina.” Isabelle’s voice, though strained, held a strength that surprised me, a fierce protectiveness that mirrored my own.
She sat beside Derek, her hand gently stroking his fur, her lavender scent, usually so calming, now sharp with worry, with a mother’s fear for the pup growing within her, a life that was now intertwined with Derek’s, a destiny shared.
“It's Damien’s curse, Catrina. His darkness. It found a way to survive. To take what it wants.”
“But Derek he's not an Alpha, Isabelle,” I whispered, my gaze fixed on his convulsing body, the darkness that clung to him, the fear that he was losing himself, that he was becoming something else.
“He wasn’t supposed to inherit the larva. It was meant for Rowan. He was the Magnus Alpha.”
And as I spoke the words, the memory of Rowan, of his sacrifice, his love, his willingness to give up everything to protect me,twisted a knife in my gut, a pain that was both physical and emotional, a grief that threatened to consume me.
“It should have been me, Isabelle,” I whispered, my voice breaking.
“I should have been the one to face the darkness. To pay the price. Not Derek. Not Rowan. It it should have been me.”
“Catrina, stop it!” Isabelle’s voice, sharp and commanding, her Alpha’s instinct to protect, to lead, pushing back her own grief, her own fear, was a lifeline in the darkness, a reminder of the strength we still possessed, the love that still remained.
“It’s not your fault. It’s not anyone’s fault. It's just the way things are. The darkness finds a way. Always.”
She paused, her gaze meeting mine, her amber eyes filled with a sadness that mirrored my own, a shared understanding of the burden we carried, the losses we’d endured, the future we were fighting for.
“But we’ll find a way, Catrina,” she said, her voice gaining strength, a fierce determination replacing the despair.
“We always do. Together.”
Jarrett returned, his arms laden with ice packs, his scent, pine and woodsmoke, a familiar comfort.
“Here, let me,” he said, his voice gentle, as he carefully placed the ice packs on Derek’s forehead, his chest, his limbs, his touch a soothing presence, a reminder of the pack bond, the family we had become, the love that had endured.
“This should help bring his fever down. At least for a while.”
He looked at me, his amber eyes filled with a mix of concern and a quiet understanding, a recognition of the grief I carried, the guilt that gnawed at me.
“It’s not your fault, Catrina,” he said softly, his words echoing Isabelle’s, a reassurance I desperately needed, a truth I was struggling to accept.
“You didn’t bring the larva back. It was always there. Dormant. Waiting biding its time until it could find a new host. A new Alpha.”
“But Derek he was not an Alpha, Jarrett,” I whispered, my voice breaking, my gaze fixed on Derek’s still form, the darkness that clung to him, the fear that he was losing himself, that he was becoming something else.
“He wasn’t meant to inherit the curse.”
“Destiny is a fickle mistress, Catrina,” Jarrett said, his voice a low rumble, his gaze distant, as if seeing into the past, into the future, into the very heart of our world, the ancient laws that governed us, the destinies we couldn’t escape.
“Sometimes sometimes it takes us down paths we never expected. Paths we never wanted.”
He paused, his gaze meeting mine, his words a warning, a prophecy, a truth I was beginning to understand.
“But it's also up to us, Catrina. To forge our own path. To choose our own destiny. To to fight for the future we want.”
His words, a spark of hope in the darkness, a reminder of the strength we still possessed, the love that still burned, brought a flicker of determination, a surge of Lyra’s power, a renewed resolve to fight, to protect, to save the ones I loved.
“We’ll find a way, Jarrett,” I said, my voice stronger now, my gaze steady, my wolf standing tall beside me, her silver fur gleaming, her amber eyes blazing with a fierce protectiveness, a love that defied everything.
“We'll find a way to save him. Together.”
And as Isabelle, her hand resting on Derek’s, her lavender scent mingling with his pine, her love a beacon in the darkness, nodded in agreement.
A new path, a dangerous path, a path that led into the heart of the larva’s darkness, a path that held the promise of healing, of redemption, of a love that could conquer even death itself, began to unfold.
We were a pack, a family, bound by a love that had been tested, twisted, but not broken, a destiny we were determined to reclaim.
And we would not be denied.
“He’s burning up, Catrina. We need to cool him down, quickly.”
Isabelle’s voice was strained, laced with a panic that mirrored my own, amplified by the frantic beating of my heart.
Derek, his body convulsing, his amber eyes vacant, empty, lay on the floor, his scent, usually a comforting mix of pine and leather, now sharp, acrid, tainted with the metallic tang of blood and the sickly sweet odor of the larva.
The memory of Rowan, of Marcus, of the darkness that had consumed them, of the sacrifices they’d made, the love they’d lost, clawed at me, a reminder of the destiny we were all fighting to escape.
“I'm getting the ice packs, Isabelle,” Jarrett said, his voice a low rumble, his movements quick, efficient, his amber eyes, though shadowed with worry, holding a calmness, a strength, that I desperately clung to.
He’d been a rock, Jarrett, in the tumultuous years since Damien’s defeat, since Rowan’s death.
A steady presence, a source of wisdom and guidance for Derek, for the pack, for me.
“Here,” I said, my voice a shaky whisper.
My hands trembling as I placed a cool, damp cloth on Derek’s forehead, my touch a gentle caress, a silent plea for him to fight, to hold on, to come back to us, to Isabelle, to the pup growing within her womb, a life that was now tethered to his, a destiny intertwined.
“We need to keep his fever down, Isabelle. Until we can figure out what to do.”
But even as I spoke the words, a cold dread settled in my gut, a whisper of a fear I’d been trying to deny, a truth I couldn’t escape.
We’d faced Damien’s darkness, we’d defeated him, we’d saved the world. But his magic had left its mark. A scar on our souls, a darkness that lingered in the shadows, waiting watching
And now it had found a new host, a new vessel, a new victim.
Derek.
The larva wasn't gone. It had just been dormant. Waiting biding its time until it could resurface. Until it could claim another Magnus Alpha.
“It's my fault, Isabelle,” I whispered, my voice breaking, the guilt, the weight of my choices, crushing me. “I brought it back. From the spirit realm. I I’m the reason why”
My words trailed off, choked by the tears that welled up, a silent testament to my grief, my despair, my failure.
I’d faced King Korvash’s trials, I’d made the sacrifice, I’d broken the bond with Rowan, I’d extinguished the beacon that had drawn Damien’s darkness, I’d become the Silver Wolf, the protector of the spirit realm.
But it hadn’t been enough.
Damien’s magic, like a venomous poison, had found a way to cling to me, to follow me back to our world, to latch onto Derek, to twist his love, his loyalty, his very soul.
“It’s not your fault, Catrina.” Isabelle’s voice, though strained, held a strength that surprised me, a fierce protectiveness that mirrored my own.
She sat beside Derek, her hand gently stroking his fur, her lavender scent, usually so calming, now sharp with worry, with a mother’s fear for the pup growing within her, a life that was now intertwined with Derek’s, a destiny shared.
“It's Damien’s curse, Catrina. His darkness. It found a way to survive. To take what it wants.”
“But Derek he's not an Alpha, Isabelle,” I whispered, my gaze fixed on his convulsing body, the darkness that clung to him, the fear that he was losing himself, that he was becoming something else.
“He wasn’t supposed to inherit the larva. It was meant for Rowan. He was the Magnus Alpha.”
And as I spoke the words, the memory of Rowan, of his sacrifice, his love, his willingness to give up everything to protect me,twisted a knife in my gut, a pain that was both physical and emotional, a grief that threatened to consume me.
“It should have been me, Isabelle,” I whispered, my voice breaking.
“I should have been the one to face the darkness. To pay the price. Not Derek. Not Rowan. It it should have been me.”
“Catrina, stop it!” Isabelle’s voice, sharp and commanding, her Alpha’s instinct to protect, to lead, pushing back her own grief, her own fear, was a lifeline in the darkness, a reminder of the strength we still possessed, the love that still remained.
“It’s not your fault. It’s not anyone’s fault. It's just the way things are. The darkness finds a way. Always.”
She paused, her gaze meeting mine, her amber eyes filled with a sadness that mirrored my own, a shared understanding of the burden we carried, the losses we’d endured, the future we were fighting for.
“But we’ll find a way, Catrina,” she said, her voice gaining strength, a fierce determination replacing the despair.
“We always do. Together.”
Jarrett returned, his arms laden with ice packs, his scent, pine and woodsmoke, a familiar comfort.
“Here, let me,” he said, his voice gentle, as he carefully placed the ice packs on Derek’s forehead, his chest, his limbs, his touch a soothing presence, a reminder of the pack bond, the family we had become, the love that had endured.
“This should help bring his fever down. At least for a while.”
He looked at me, his amber eyes filled with a mix of concern and a quiet understanding, a recognition of the grief I carried, the guilt that gnawed at me.
“It’s not your fault, Catrina,” he said softly, his words echoing Isabelle’s, a reassurance I desperately needed, a truth I was struggling to accept.
“You didn’t bring the larva back. It was always there. Dormant. Waiting biding its time until it could find a new host. A new Alpha.”
“But Derek he was not an Alpha, Jarrett,” I whispered, my voice breaking, my gaze fixed on Derek’s still form, the darkness that clung to him, the fear that he was losing himself, that he was becoming something else.
“He wasn’t meant to inherit the curse.”
“Destiny is a fickle mistress, Catrina,” Jarrett said, his voice a low rumble, his gaze distant, as if seeing into the past, into the future, into the very heart of our world, the ancient laws that governed us, the destinies we couldn’t escape.
“Sometimes sometimes it takes us down paths we never expected. Paths we never wanted.”
He paused, his gaze meeting mine, his words a warning, a prophecy, a truth I was beginning to understand.
“But it's also up to us, Catrina. To forge our own path. To choose our own destiny. To to fight for the future we want.”
His words, a spark of hope in the darkness, a reminder of the strength we still possessed, the love that still burned, brought a flicker of determination, a surge of Lyra’s power, a renewed resolve to fight, to protect, to save the ones I loved.
“We’ll find a way, Jarrett,” I said, my voice stronger now, my gaze steady, my wolf standing tall beside me, her silver fur gleaming, her amber eyes blazing with a fierce protectiveness, a love that defied everything.
“We'll find a way to save him. Together.”
And as Isabelle, her hand resting on Derek’s, her lavender scent mingling with his pine, her love a beacon in the darkness, nodded in agreement.
A new path, a dangerous path, a path that led into the heart of the larva’s darkness, a path that held the promise of healing, of redemption, of a love that could conquer even death itself, began to unfold.
We were a pack, a family, bound by a love that had been tested, twisted, but not broken, a destiny we were determined to reclaim.
And we would not be denied.
End of The Alpha's forbidden omega mate Chapter 280. Continue reading Chapter 281 or return to The Alpha's forbidden omega mate book page.