The Alpha's forbidden omega mate - Chapter 310: Chapter 310

Rowan POV:
“I’m back.”
My voice, quiet yet resonant with Alpha command, filled the Magnus pack meeting room. I stood at the head of the long oak table, my gaze sweeping over the assembled elders.
Their faces, etched with shock and disbelief, were a mirror of the pack's fractured state.
Five years lost in the spirit realm, a sacrifice to protect Catrina, to grant her a second chance, of watching helplessly as the pack fractured, my son grew up without me.
And now I was back. But the pack I’d returned to was scarred, divided, weakened. They needed a leader.
“Rowan?” Elder Thorne’s voice, a gravelly rasp, broke the tense silence. “But… how? We saw…”
“You saw a ghost, Elder. A memory. A sacrifice.” My gaze met each of theirs, my amber eyes holding the weight of the spirit realm’s secrets, the darkness I’d faced.
“I made a deal with King Korvash. A sacrifice to protect someone I loved.” My words, cryptic, sparked curiosity in some, deeper suspicion in others.
“A deal with Korvash?” Thorne scoffed, his scent sharp with disapproval. “You consorted with the Drakhor Clan? Betrayed our traditions?”
“I did what I had to do, Elder,” I replied, my voice firm, a challenge in my gaze. “To protect what was important. To save what we almost lost.”
“And what exactly did we almost lose, Rowan?” Thorne pressed, his gaze flickering to Isabelle, who stood beside me, a silent pillar of strength. “Your precious omega? Your forbidden mate?”
“Catrina is not forbidden, Elder.” My wolf bristled at his words. “She’s part of this pack. Under my protection.”
“And where is this precious omega?” Thorne sneered. “If she’s so important, why isn’t she here?”
“She’s back as well, Elder.” My gaze dropped, the weight of my absence, the life I'd missed, heavy on my shoulders. “But she made a sacrifice. For me. For the pack.”
“A sacrifice?” Thorne’s voice dripped with venom. “What kind of sacrifice? What did she give up to bring you back?”
How could I explain the ritual, the merging of souls, the price Catrina had paid? How could I make them understand her love, her sacrifice?
“It’s a long story, Elders,” I said, my voice weary.
“A story I’ll share in time. But now, we have more pressing matters.” I met their gazes, a mix of suspicion and hope in their eyes. I had to convince them. I had to reclaim my birthright.
“I’m back, Elders,” I said, my voice gaining strength, my Alpha presence radiating through the room.
“And I’m here to lead. To protect. To guide this pack through the darkness.” My gaze hardened.
“A threat still exists, Elders. Stronger than ever. He will not stop until he destroys everything we hold dear.”
"Who? What threat?" Elder Thorne’s voice challenged, impatient.
“An ancient evil. One that thrives on chaos, on broken bonds, on fear.” I chose my words carefully, avoiding Damien’s name, focusing on the tangible threat. “He seeks to exploit our weaknesses, to divide us, to conquer us.”
“But we’re not going to let him, Elders,” I declared, my voice rising with conviction. “We’re going to fight. We’re going to defeat him. We’re going to reclaim our destiny. Together.”
The elders shifted uneasily, their scents a mix of fear and reluctant loyalty. They were werewolves, warriors at heart, but five years without a strong Alpha had weakened their resolve.
“How, Rowan?” Jarrett’s voice, calm and steady, cut through the tension. “How do we fight an enemy we can’t see, a darkness that hides within?”
“By standing together, Uncle,” I replied, meeting his gaze.
“By trusting each other. By remembering who we are. We are Magnus wolves. We are strong. We are loyal. And we will not be broken.”
“Fine words, Rowan,” Elder Thorne scoffed, his voice a venomous rasp, his amber eyes narrowed, his scent, a mix of pine and a stubborn resistance to change, a chilling reminder of the old ways, the traditions that had almost destroyed us.
“But words alone won’t protect us. We need proof, Alpha. Proof of your strength. Proof of your… commitment.”
A low growl rumbled beside me, and Derek, his amber eyes blazing with a fierce protectiveness, stepped forward.
“He doesn’t need to prove anything to you, Thorne,” Derek snarled, his voice a low, menacing growl that made the other elders flinch, their wolves whimpering, a primal instinct to submit, to obey.
“He’s our Alpha. And he’s back to lead us. Whether you like it… or not.”
His words, a challenge, a declaration of loyalty, a reminder of the bond we shared, the family we were fighting for, sparked a flicker of hope within me, a warmth that chased away the shadows of doubt, the fear of rejection, the weight of my past mistakes.
“Derek’s right,” Isabelle said, her voice a quiet strength, her amber eyes meeting mine, a shared understanding, a silent promise.
“Rowan has proven his commitment to this pack time and time again. He sacrificed everything to protect Catrina, to save us from Damien. He doesn’t need to prove anything to anyone.”
Her words, a defense, a validation, a reminder of the love we'd once almost found, the future we’d almost had, brought a lump to my throat, tears pricking at my eyes, a mix of gratitude and a bittersweet longing.
“He’s changed, Elders,” Derek continued, his voice gaining strength, his gaze sweeping over their faces, a challenge, a plea, a promise.
“He’s… he’s not the same Alpha who left five years ago. He’s… he’s stronger now. Wiser. More… determined. He’s… he’s the Alpha we need. The Alpha… we deserve.”
His words, though laced with the larva’s influence, its chilling undertones, its possessive edge, held a truth I couldn’t deny, a recognition of the darkness I’d faced, the battles I’d fought, the sacrifices I’d made, the love I was fighting for.
I looked at them, at my brother, at Isabelle, at the elders who held the fate of the Magnus pack in their hands, their faces etched with a mix of suspicion and a grudging hope, their scents a blend of fear and a reluctant loyalty, and I knew, with a certainty that settled deep in my soul, that I had to convince them.
I had to earn their trust.
I had to reclaim my birthright.
“I know… I’ve made… mistakes, Elders,” I said, my voice a low rumble, the weight of my choices, the burden of my past, the fear of my future, a heavy weight on my shoulders. “I… I left. I… I abandoned you. And I… I’m… sorry.”
My words, a confession, a plea for forgiveness, a promise of a new beginning, hung heavy in the air, the silence amplifying their impact, the tension in the room crackling like static electricity.
“But… I’ll take care of it now,” I continued, my voice gaining strength, a fierce determination replacing the doubt, the guilt, the uncertainty, my Alpha presence radiating outward, a force that even the whispers of doubt, the shadows of fear, couldn’t extinguish.
“And I’m here to… lead. To protect. To… to guide this pack… through the darkness… towards the… the future… we… we all deserve.”