The Alpha's forbidden omega mate - Chapter 87: Chapter 87

Catrina's POV:
Darkness pressed in from all sides, suffocating and cold.
I drifted through a thick fog, fear a knot in my stomach. Was this it? Was this what death felt like?
Then, a light, faint and warm, appeared in the distance. Like a moth to a flame, I was drawn to it.
As I got closer, a figure began to form within the glow. A woman, beautiful and serene, with eyes that held the wisdom of a thousand moons.
"Catrina," she spoke, her voice a soothing melody. "I've been waiting for you."
I blinked, confused. "Who are you? Where am I?" This wasn't the hospital room…
The woman smiled, and a sense of peace washed over me. "My name is Vivian, and this is a place between worlds."
A place between worlds… what did that even mean? Fear pricked at me again.
"Am I… am I…" I couldn’t even say the word.
Vivian raised a delicate hand.
"No, child. You are not dead. Not yet. But you’re walking a thin line between this life and the next.”
Panic welled up, my hand flying protectively to my swollen stomach.
"My pup," I choked out, terror clutching at my throat. "What about my pup?"
Her gaze softened, filled with an empathy that calmed the frantic beating of my heart.
“Your child is safe, Catrina," she assured me. "But you must find the strength to return. To fight for your family."
Fight? What could I possibly fight against? I could barely remember my own life, let alone how I’d ended up in this strange in-between place.
“Why are you here?" I asked, my voice trembling. "Who are you?”
Vivian's eyes, a deep, endless blue, locked onto mine. In that gaze, I felt a strange sense of recognition, a pull towards her that I couldn’t explain.
"I am Rowan’s mother,” she revealed, her voice barely a whisper. “And I’ve been watching over you, Catrina, for a very long time.”
Rowan’s… mother? My mind stuttered, trying to process this impossible truth. It felt like my brain was trying to grab onto smoke.
“But how?” I stammered, bewildered. “I don’t… I’m not part of your family. Why are you in my dreams?”
A deep sadness filled her features, a sorrow that seemed to emanate from her very core.
"That's not true, dear one. You've always been a part of my family. Even if the darkness tried to keep us apart.”
Darkness… what darkness? My head spun. “What are you talking about?”
Vivian reached out, her fingers brushing my cheek with a feather-light touch. "The Kezrach Larva, Catrina. You’ve learned about it, haven’t you?”
A shiver ran down my spine, the puzzle pieces clicking into place, even though the picture they formed was terrifying. “Rowan… his father… you knew, didn’t you?”
She nodded sadly. "Yes. It’s been eating away at him, corrupting his soul. It’s why I had to leave. To protect Rowan from the sickness that had gripped his pack.”
“But why not take him with you?” I pleaded, my voice thick with emotion.
“Why leave him behind?”
Vivian's eyes shimmered with unshed tears. "I had no choice. Marcus… he would have hunted us down. I had to keep Rowan safe, even if it meant leaving him behind.”
Reaching out, I clasped her hand, needing that connection, that anchor in the storm of confusion.
“Then how are we connected? Why do I feel like I know you?”
She squeezed my hand gently, a bittersweet smile touching her lips.
"Your father, Henri Blanc… he was my adoptive brother. We were both omegas, outcasts in the Magnus pack."
I gasped, my head reeling. “Henri… my dad… he was your adoptive brother? Not your twin?”
A flicker of amusement crossed her face. "Brothers by choice, Catrina. Though we were inseparable, closer than any real siblings." She chuckled softly.
"Henri and I, we always had a flair for the dramatic, even back then. Twins was a good story. We used it to mess with people.”
Understanding dawned, sending chills down my spine.
"That's why… that's why I feel this connection to Rowan… to you. It’s not just the mating bond…"
“It’s in your blood, Catrina,” Vivian confirmed, her voice filled with a warmth that chased away some of the fear.
"You and Rowan, you’re destined to be. And your father, he made me a promise all those years ago. He promised to protect my son. And now you’re with him.”
The weight of her words, of this legacy I never knew existed, settled heavily on my shoulders. But instead of crushing me, it gave me strength.
“But why are you telling me this now?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper.
Vivian's gaze turned serious, her eyes filled with a sense of urgency. “The Kezrach Larva, it’s not just affecting Marcus anymore. It’s spreading, twisting everything it touches.”
My heart clenched, remembering Rowan’s father, the shell of a man he’d become. “And Rowan? It’s affecting him, isn’t it?”
She nodded, her expression grim. "He fights it, Catrina. He fights it with everything he has, but the darkness… it’s insidious. It whispers promises of power, of vengeance. He needs you, Catrina. Your love is the only thing that can truly break the curse’s hold.”
Fear, cold and sharp, pierced through me. “But I can’t even remember him well! How can I help him if I can't even remember our bond?”
Vivian’s hand tightened around mine. "You will remember everything, Catrina," she said fiercely.
"When the time is right, it will all come flooding back. The bond between mates… it’s not easily broken. But you have to fight, Catrina. Fight for your life, for your pup, for your mate. Can you do that?”
Looking into her eyes, seeing the echoes of Rowan in their depths, I knew I had no other choice.
“I’ll fight,” I whispered, the words gaining strength as I spoke them. “For Rowan. For our pup. For my family.”
Vivian smiled, a radiant, beautiful thing.
“That’s my girl,” she said, her voice filled with pride. "Now go. Go back to him, Catrina. He needs you.”
The light around her began to intensify, and I felt myself being pulled back, away from that peaceful space and towards… something else.
I reached out one last time, desperate to hold onto her, to this connection. "Vivian, wait!"
But she was already fading, her voice a distant echo.
“Go, Catrina. Find your destiny.”