The Alpha's forbidden omega mate - Chapter 52: Chapter 52

Rowan's POV:
It was late, and I just left Catrina's room after things got really emotional. My heart hurt seeing her so upset after my crazy dad showed up and started yelling.
I really wanted to figure out what he was talking about, about Catrina's family, but she needed some time alone to think.
I was wandering around the Mondragon packhouse, which was pretty dark at night, when Isabelle stepped out of the shadows.
"Well, good riddance to crazy Marcus," Isabelle said in a sharp voice. She was talking about my dad leaving on his own earlier.
I just nodded quietly, still thinking about Catrina.
"Someone's definitely getting in trouble for letting him in," Isabelle grumbled, her eyes getting all narrow.
There was a weird silence for a while, then she finally asked the question we were both thinking.
"Do you think what your crazy dad said is true? About you and Catrina being...cousins?"
She practically spat out the word "cousins" like it was a bad smell.
I sighed really hard and ran my hand through my messy hair.
"Honestly, I don't even know what to believe anymore. My dad never talked about my mom or her family. This whole 'weird family connection' thing is totally new to me."
Isabelle stared at me with her usual icy look. "The Mondragon pack has ways to find out if what Marcus said is true. All you gotta do is ask."
I shook my head quickly. "No way. I gotta handle this myself, for good. I don't want to drag your pack into my messed-up family drama."
We didn't talk for a while after that. I could practically feel Isabelle judging me.
Suddenly, a gasp broke the silence and we both whipped around. Standing in the dark hallway was a young omega girl from Isabelle's pack.
The girl jumped back, her eyes wide like dinner plates.
"I... I won't tell anyone what I heard, I promise!" she squeaked, clearly scared of us both.
Isabelle narrowed her eyes. "You better not, kid. Unless you want to spend next full moon chained up"
The poor girl, Dakota I think her name was, nodded so hard her head looked like it might fall off.
Then she scurried away down the hall, practically running, without even daring to look back.
Once she was gone, Isabelle turned back to me with that same cold stare.
"Are you absolutely sure you don't want the pack's help? The Mondragons are pretty powerful, and they could figure things out for you real quick," she said, trying to sound helpful.
I waved my hand dismissively. "Thanks for the offer, Isabelle, but I gotta do this myself. It's personal."
Isabelle huffed, puffing out her chest.
"Fine, be that way. But don't come crying to me when you hit a dead end, like you always do."
With that nasty remark, she turned and disappeared back into the shadows, leaving me alone with my worries.
I let out a big sigh, feeling completely drained.
My dad's crazy talk about Catrina being somehow related to me seemed completely impossible. But then again...
A tiny voice in my head wouldn't shut up. It kept saying that even though my dad, Marcus, was totally nuts, he might not be lying completely.
Sure, he was messed up and loved causing trouble with his crazy stories, but what if, just this once, there was a tiny bit of truth hidden way down deep in all his nonsense?
“No way” I thought, shaking my head.
This couldn't be true! What would it mean for Catrina and me? For our pup?
Ugh, this was a mess. I needed some sleep to clear my head.
Once I was rested, I could start digging into my family's past. Maybe there were some hidden secrets my father had kept from me all these years. I had to find out the truth, no matter how ugly it might be.
My jaw clenched shut. I was done messing around. Striding towards my room, a plan already started forming in my head.
No more hiding from the past, no matter how painful. It was time to dig up the whole truth, even if it was buried deep and dragged up dirt on everyone involved.
Catrina and the pup deserved to know everything. We'd face the mess together, like true mates, and finally move forward with our lives
With that thought giving me a boost, I reached my door, ready to catch some sleep, before diving headfirst into this whole mess.
But the second I pushed the door open, my peaceful thoughts got blown to bits.
There, in the darkness, was someone I wasn't expecting.
A cold, familiar voice sneered out of the shadows, "Well, well, well. Look who finally decided to show his face. My dear, disgraced son."
The harsh light from the window barely reached the figure, making his face look even scarier.
"Get out of here, Dad," I said firmly. "You've caused enough trouble for one day."
He gave a short, nasty laugh. "Oh, son, I'm just getting started. Just wait until everyone knows the truth about that omega's pup..."
Fury burned inside me, giving me a burst of strength. I lunged forward and grabbed him by the throat, slamming him against the wall with a growl.
"Don't you ever talk about Catrina like that again!" I yelled in his face. "Or you'll really regret opening your mouth."
My grip tightened on his throat, and his eyes widened in fear. For a moment, I actually thought about ending it right there, snapping his neck with one twist. It would be so easy…
But then I smelled it - Catrina's scent, faint but calming, clinging to my shirt from our hug earlier.
The red-hot anger in me fizzled out as fast as it came on. I wouldn't be like Marcus, a bully who hurt his own family and mate.
With a disgusted grunt, I shoved him away. He landed on the floor in a heap, wheezing for air.
"You're not worth even a little bit of my anger," I growled.
"I'm going to find out all your lies, everything you've been hiding. And when everyone knows the truth, they'll see you for the pathetic coward you really are."
Marcus glared at me with pure hate.
"The truth?" he croaked in a raspy voice. "You have no idea what you're getting yourself into, pup. You're messing with secrets that could unleash a whole bunch of trouble."
I folded my arms, feeling my anger calm a little. "Then talk," I said sternly.
"Tell me everything for once. This time, I won't stop until I drag out all your dirty secrets, every single one."
My dad stared at me for a long moment, his eyes watery and mean. Then, something changed. He looked tired, all fight gone. Almost...sad?
"Alright, son," he mumbled in a low voice, different from his usual loud way of talking.
"You seem pretty serious about digging up the past. Maybe it's time I finally tell you..."
His voice trailed off, and everything went weird. Like I was underwater, his words slurred and the room started shimmering.
I blinked hard, trying to see straight, but nothing made sense. Where was I? What was happening?
When I finally opened my eyes again, my dad was gone. The room was empty, just me standing alone and confused in the middle of the floor.
A cold shiver ran down my spine. Was that all just a dream? A weird vision? Did I just imagine the whole fight, even my dad kinda admitting to having secrets?
It felt so real, but now...now I didn't know what to believe.
Wiping the sweat off my face with my hand, I slumped down on my messy bed.
My head was spinning. Maybe all the crazy stuff happening lately was getting to me, making me see things that weren't there.
Or maybe I was even getting sick, and that's why I was having these weird hallucinations?