The Alpha's forbidden omega mate - Chapter 88: Chapter 88

Isabelle’s POV
The phone practically vibrated off the nightstand, jolting me awake.
"Alpha Isabelle?" A frantic voice, one of the pack’s younger omegas, filled my ear.
“It’s Catrina, she’s… she’s in the hospital! They said it was bad!”
The phone slipped from my numb fingers, clattering onto the floor. Catrina… in the hospital? Attacked? My mind, still foggy with sleep, struggled to catch up.
I shrugged on the first clothes I could find, ignoring the voice in the back of my head that whispered
“This is her fault. She brought this chaos into our lives.”
No. This wasn’t the time for old grudges, for the bitter sting of jealousy that had plagued me for months.
There would be time for those thoughts later.
“Right now, I had to get to the hospital.”
The city lights blurred past as I sped through the empty streets, my wolf pacing beside me, every instinct screaming for me to be faster, to bridge the distance separating me from those in need.
The scent of the hospital – antiseptic and sterile – hit me like a physical blow as I entered to a stop in the emergency room parking lot.
My eyes scanned the waiting area, searching.
Relief, sharp and unexpected, flooded me when I spotted Rowan, his broad shoulders slumped, his usual air of command replaced by exhaustion.
"Rowan!" I called out, hurrying towards him.
Seeing him like this, so broken, awaken something deep within me, something I thought I’d buried long ago.
He looked up, his eyes bloodshot, his face full of saddness I’d never see in him in all the years I’d known him.
“Isabelle,” he breathed, the single word heavy. “I found Catrina but she… She was attacked. She’s in surgery, and I…”
He trailed off, unable to force the words past the grief that choked him.
He looked like this whole situation was threatening to crack the carefully constructed facade of Alpha command.
And for a moment, I forgot about the awkward tension between us.
All I saw was a mate terrified of losing his beloved, a future Alpha on the verge of shattering.
Without thinking, I closed the distance between us, pulling him into a tight embrace.
He stiffened for a moment, surprised by the gesture, then sagged against me, his body racked with tremors.
"Shh, it’s okay," I murmured, smoothing a hand over his hair, surprised by how comforting the gesture felt.
It felt right, somehow, to be offering comfort instead of the sharp barbs I usually reserved for him.
"Catrina’s strong. She’s a fighter. She’ll pull through. She and the pup, they'll be alright."
His arms tightened around me, holding on as if I were the only solid thing in a world gone mad.
"I should’ve been there,” he whispered, his voice raw with guilt.
“I should’ve protected her. It’s my job, to protect my mate, my pack… What if I lose them both, Isabelle? What if…”
He couldn’t even finish the sentence, the thought too horrible to voice.
Gently, I pulled back, placing my hands on his shoulders, forcing him to meet my eyes.
"Listen to me, Rowan Magnus," I said, my voice firm, channeling every ounce of Alpha command I possessed.
"Catrina is not alone. She has you. She has the Mondragon pack. And I, for one, will not let her down. We'll bring her and your pup home safe and sound. I promise.”
He stared at me, his eyes, still clouded with pain, held a flicker of hope that hadn’t been there before.
"Isabelle, I… why?" He frowned, his brow furrowing with confusion. "After everything… why are you doing this?”
I couldn't blame him for the question. We hadn’t exactly been the best of friends, not since… Well, not since Catrina.
“Because,” I said, offering him a small smile.
"Catrina is pack. And family…" The word felt strange, foreign, yet not entirely unpleasant on my tongue.
"Family is important, Rowan. More important than… anything.”
A flicker of something crossed his face. Gratitude? Disbelief? I couldn’t quite tell.
"I thought… you hated her,” he said, voicing what we’d both been dancing around for months.
“That you saw her as a threat.”
I didn’t bother denying it. He wasn't wrong. "I did,”
I admitted, meeting his eyes head-on. “I let my own insecurities get in the way. I made mistakes, Rowan. Hurt you both.” I took a deep breath, squaring my shoulders.
“But that changes now. Catrina is family, and I will protect my own.”
Before he could respond, the operating room doors swung open.
A young doctor, her face etched with weariness, emerged.
“Mr. Magnus?” Her eyes landed on Rowan, and he was instantly at her side.
“How is she? How’s Catrina?”
The doctor’s expression softened. “The surgery went well, Mr. Magnus. But your mate lost a lot of blood. She’s resting now."
Rowan’s shoulders slumped with relief.
“And the baby?” he whispered, his voice choking with emotion.
“The baby is fine,” the doctor assured him. “A healthy baby boy. You can see him, if you'd like.”
He turned to me, his expression a mixture of gratitude and something else… hope. “Isabelle, I…”
I smiled, placing a reassuring hand on his arm.
"Go, Rowan," I urged, my voice softer than I’d ever spoken to him.
“Be with your mate, with your son. I’ll be here if you need anything.”
He nodded, a silent understanding passing between us.
"Thank you, Isabelle,” he said, his voice thick with emotion. “For everything.”
And with that, he was gone, rushing down the hallway towards the room where his mate and his newborn son awaited.
As I watched him go, a strange feeling settled in my chest.
It wasn’t quite victory, not the way it would’ve felt a few months ago, back when I’d seen Catrina as a threat to my place in the pack.
No, this felt different. This felt… right. Like maybe, just maybe, I was finally starting to understand what it meant to be the Mondragon’s Alpha.
To be part of something bigger than myself. To protect and care for those entrusted to me, even the ones I hadn’t always welcomed with open arms…