The Alpha's forbidden omega mate - Chapter 295: Chapter 295

Rowan POV:
"He needs you, Rowan."
Vivian’s voice, gentle yet firm, cut through the swirling mists of the spirit realm. I stood at the edge of the shimmering portal, the gateway back to my world, to my son, to a future hanging precariously in the balance.
King Korvash’s ultimatum echoed in my mind: stay in this spectral echo of a life with Catrina, or return to the son who needed a father, a pack that needed an Alpha.
I couldn't leave her, not again.
"I can’t lose her again, Mother," I whispered, my gaze fixed on the swirling mists where Catrina’s essence lingered, a phantom scent of lavender and vanilla.
Vivian’s spectral form shimmered beside me.
"You haven't lost her, Rowan. Her spirit remains, waiting for you to fulfill your destiny, to save your world." Her words, a call to embrace my power, sparked a flicker of hope.
"What about Lucas?" The question was a ragged breath, the fear for my son a cold knot in my chest. "If I stay, what happens to him?"
“Time has shifted,” Korvash’s voice echoed in my memory, chilling me. “The future you knew is uncertain.”
“He exists, but his destiny is fragile. He needs his father.” Vivian’s words resonated with Korvash’s, confirming my fears, solidifying my duty.
Torn, I closed my eyes. The spirit realm whispered promises of a love that defied death, while the human world cried out for a father's return.
“Show me, Catrina,” I pleaded, my voice barely a whisper. “Show me what to do.”
The mists parted, revealing not the desolate landscape I expected, but a vibrant meadow bathed in sunlight.
Lucas, his dark hair tousled, chased butterflies, his laughter echoing like music.
Maggie and Henri watched, their faces etched with love, their arms outstretched. He was whole, complete, loved. He had a family, a future. He didn’t need me.
The realization was a punch to the gut, a painful truth.
“Is this… real?” I asked Vivian, my voice thick with confusion.
“It’s a possible future, Rowan. One where your sacrifice allows them to thrive, protected by the Mondragon pack, free from the Magnus curse.” Her voice was gentle, but her eyes held a deeper meaning.
“But Damien still exists, Mother. He’s not gone. He’s waiting.”
“And he will find a new anchor, a new source of power. He will not rest until he merges with this realm.” Her voice hardened, her gaze turning distant, as if watching a future unfold before her eyes.
“Your return offers a chance to stop him, before his darkness consumes everything.”
The meadow shimmered, then faded, leaving me with the echo of Lucas’s laughter, a bittersweet ache in my heart. I understood.
Staying here, a spectral guardian, wouldn't save Catrina. It would only condemn her to a half-life, a ghostly echo of the vibrant she-wolf she was meant to be.
And Lucas… he deserved a father, a protector, an Alpha who would fight for him, who would guide him, who would love him unconditionally. He deserved… me.
But returning meant leaving her behind, again. It meant facing an uncertain future, a destiny I'd already altered, a world where Damien's darkness lurked, waiting to strike.
“There's something else, isn't there?” I asked Vivian, sensing an unspoken truth, a weight in her gaze.
She sighed, her spectral form flickering. “The ritual… it had unforeseen consequences. It amplified Catrina’s connection to Lyra, to the spirit realm. She’s… different now, Rowan. Stronger. More powerful. But also… more vulnerable.”
“Vulnerable? To Damien?” My wolf snarled, a primal urge to protect surging through me.
“To something… more ancient, Rowan. Something that slumbers within the spirit realm, something that even Damien fears.” Her voice was hushed, filled with a chilling premonition.
“Her power, it’s… it’s a beacon, Rowan. And it’s drawing attention.”
A cold dread washed over me, a premonition of a danger greater than Damien, a threat that could shatter the fragile balance between worlds.
“She needs you, Rowan,” Vivian repeated, her voice firm, her gaze holding mine, a mother’s love, a she-wolf’s command. “Not as a lover, not as a mate, but as… a guardian. A protector. An… Alpha.”
Her words sparked a flicker of understanding, a new purpose, a destiny I hadn’t anticipated. I wasn’t just returning for Lucas, for the pack. I was returning… for her.
“I understand, Mother,” I said, my voice stronger now, the echoes of my past, the fear of my future, replaced by a fierce determination, a love that defied even death itself.
“I’ll go back. I’ll protect her. I’ll save them all. I promise.”
“But you’ll need help, Rowan,” Vivian warned, her gaze distant, as if seeing a future unfold before her eyes, a battle that was yet to be fought.
“Damien won’t be alone. He’s gathering his forces, forging alliances. You’ll need to do the same.”
She paused, her words hanging heavy in the air, a challenge, a prophecy.
“The Bloodmoon Pack. The rogue factions. They’re all… pawns in his game. You’ll need to… choose your allies carefully, Rowan. Some… some might surprise you.”
“And Catrina?” I asked, my voice a shaky whisper, the longing for her a constant ache in my heart. “Will… will I… see her again?”
Vivian smiled, a gentle warmth that radiated through the spirit realm’s coldness, a reminder of the love that had endured, the bond that couldn’t be broken.
“She’s waiting for you, Rowan,” she whispered, her voice a soft caress, a promise of a reunion, a destiny that was yet to be fulfilled.
“But… the path… it’s a dangerous one. And you’ll… you’ll both have to face… the consequences… of your choices. Of your… love.”
And as the portal shimmered, the gateway to my world, to my son, to an uncertain future, beckoning me, calling me home, I knew our love, a bond that transcended even death itself, would guide me.
That Catrina, the Silver Wolf, the guardian of the balance, would be waiting.
The world exploded in a blinding white light, a kaleidoscope of colors and sensations, a symphony of sounds and smells, a rush of memories and emotions that overwhelmed me, a reminder of the life I’d almost lost, the world I’d almost abandoned, the love I was fighting to reclaim.
I gasped, my lungs filling with the familiar scent of pine and damp earth, my body no longer a spectral echo, but solid, real, aching with a weariness I hadn’t felt in… in… a lifetime?
I looked down at my hands, the silver light flickering beneath my skin, a reminder of the power I now carried, the destiny I was embracing.
And I knew that I was ready.
Ready to… reclaim my destiny.
“I’m coming… home.”