The Alpha's forbidden omega mate - Chapter 289: Chapter 289

Isabelle POV:
“Derek?”
My voice, a soft whisper, a mix of love and a fear I couldn’t hide, echoed in the silent darkness of our bedroom.
The familiar scent of pine and leather, a reminder of the bond we shared, now tainted with a metallic tang, a coldness that made my wolf whimper.
I’d been watching him sleep, his fur gleaming in the moonlight, his features relaxed, peaceful, a mask that hid the storm raging within him, the larva’s insidious whispers, Damien’s dark magic, a reminder of the battle we’d fought, the sacrifices we’d made, the love we’d almost lost.
“He’s not Derek anymore, Isabelle.”
My wolf’s voice, a mournful howl, echoed the fear in my own heart, the certainty that the darkness had won, that the mate I’d found, the Alpha I’d chosen, the father of my pup, was… gone.
Replaced by a monster, a puppet, a vessel for Damien’s twisted will, a weapon against us, against the very world we were fighting to protect.
“Derek, please,” I whispered again, my voice a desperate plea, my hand reaching out to touch his fur, his warmth, a phantom sensation, a ghostly echo of the love we’d shared, the future we’d dreamed of.
“Wake up. Come back to me. I… I need you. We… we need you. The pup… he… he needs you.”
But my words, like my touch, couldn’t reach him, couldn’t penetrate the barrier that separated us, the darkness that held him captive.
He stirred, his body convulsing, his fur bristling, his amber eyes snapping open, but they were different now, colder, harder, filled with a wildness, a hunger, that made my blood run cold.
“Who… who are you?” he growled, his voice a distorted echo of the warmth, the gentleness, I’d once known, his scent, a mix of pine and a metallic tang, a reminder of the larva’s power, the darkness it had unleashed.
“What… what do you want?”
“Derek, it’s me,” I whispered, my voice trembling, my heart breaking, my wolf cowering, sensing the change in him, the darkness that was rising, consuming him.
“It’s… Isabelle. Your… your mate. Your… Luna. Don’t you… don’t you… recognize me?”
He stared at me, his eyes narrowed, his gaze intense, predatory, a mockery of the love he’d once held, the bond we’d shared.
“Isabelle,” he echoed my name, his voice a low growl, a distorted version of the warmth, the tenderness, I’d come to cherish, a sound that made my wolf whimper, her claws digging into the plush carpet, a primal instinct to flee, to protect, to escape the darkness that had consumed him.
“You’re… you’re… weak, Isabelle. Vulnerable. A… a liability.”
His words, a cruel twist of the truth, a reminder of my pregnancy, the life growing within me, a vulnerability I couldn’t hide, a weakness he could exploit, made my heart ache, my breath catch in my throat, the fear rising, a cold tide threatening to drown me.
“Derek, please,” I begged, my voice breaking, tears welling up in my eyes, a mix of grief and a desperate hope that he would hear me, that he would recognize me, that he would… come back.
“It’s… it’s not too late. You can… you can fight this. You can… you can… beat the larva. I… I know you can.”
But even as I spoke the words, a certainty, a cold dread, settled in my gut, a whisper of a fear I’d been trying to deny, a truth I couldn’t escape.
The larva… it was too strong. It had already taken root, twisting his thoughts, corrupting his emotions, turning him into… something else.
“There’s… nothing to fight, Isabelle,” he said, his voice a echo of Damien’s words, his gaze fixed on me, his eyes burning with a fire that wasn’t love, a darkness that made my blood run cold.
“It’s… it’s who I am now. It’s… our destiny.”
He took a step closer, his scent, a mix of pine and the larva’s sickly sweet odor, filling my senses, overwhelming me, making me gag.
“You… and the pup… you’re… both… mine now, Isabelle,” he growled, his voice a distorted echo of the love he’d once professed, his words a claim, a possessive hunger that made my skin crawl.
“And I will… protect you. I will… keep you… safe. I will… control you.”
He reached out, his hand, once warm and comforting, now cold and menacing, his claws extended, tracing the curve of my jaw, his touch sending shivers down my spine, a primal fear, a desperate need to escape.
“No,” I whispered, my voice a tremor of defiance, my wolf snarling, her amber eyes blazing, ready to fight, to protect, to defend, even against the mate she’d chosen, the Alpha she’d loved.
“I… I won’t… let you.”
But even as I spoke the words, a wave of dizziness washed over me, a reminder of my own vulnerability, the life growing within me, the pup that was tethered to his, a destiny intertwined, a darkness we couldn’t escape.
And as Derek’s laughter, a echo of Damien’s cruelty, filled the room, a terrifying premonition of the nightmare that was about to unfold, the world that was about to be consumed by the larva’s darkness, settled over me, cold and heavy, a despair so profound it threatened to drown me.
“It’s… too late, Isabelle,” he whispered, his voice a venomous caress, his words a prophecy.
“Your soul… is already… mine.”