The Alpha's forbidden omega mate - Chapter 97: Chapter 97

Isabelle's POV
The drive to the Magnus hotel was scary. Even though we were going fast, it felt like forever.
Everyone in the car was tense and quiet. We could all feel that something bad was about to happen.
“We're walking into a trap,” my wolf whimpered inside me, pacing back and forth.
The Magnus pack, under Marcus's control, were not our friends anymore. The Kezrach Larva had turned them into his puppets, and that was a terrifying thought.
When our cars stopped in front of the hotel, a wave of fear washed over me.
The building looked huge and scary, like a monster waiting to swallow us whole. The smell of fear hit me as soon as I opened the car door.
“Stay close and be careful,” I told my pack, my voice firm even though my heart was pounding.
Carson nodded, his face serious. Even he, my strongest warrior, looked worried.
The lobby was a mess. Magnus pack members were running around, their faces full of fear and confusion.
It felt like a beehive that someone had kicked. I walked through the crowd, my best fighters right beside me, and I could feel eyes watching us, whispers following us.
"They know something’s wrong," my wolf said, her ears pricked up. "They can sense the fight coming."
She was right. Even under the Larva's control, they were still wolves. They could feel the tension, the danger.
“Zara!” I shouted, my Alpha voice cutting through the noise. A young girl, her eyes wide with fear, pushed through the crowd.
"Alpha Isabelle, you're here!" she cried, her voice shaking with relief. "They're locked up in the dungeon! Alpha Marcus has gone crazy! He’s talking about traitors and enemies everywhere! He's not himself!"
The dungeon. That was the worst place they could be.
It was where they punished pack members, kept them isolated and alone. The fact that Marcus had put Jarrett and Derek there meant he was really losing it.
"Take us to them," I ordered, my voice strong and clear.
Zara nodded, her eyes still full of fear, and led us through the hotel.
The hallways were dark and twisty, and the air got colder the deeper we went. It felt like we were walking into the belly of a beast.
"This is a trap," my wolf growled, pacing faster and faster inside me. "He’s waiting for us."
I gripped my claws, ready to fight. “Be careful,” I warned my pack, my voice low. “We don’t know what to expect.”
Finally, we reached a huge iron door. It looked more like the entrance to a castle than a door. The smell of fear and blood was strong now, making my stomach churn.
"They've been hurt," my wolf snarled, ready to attack.
“Break it down,” I ordered Carson, my voice filled with Alpha command.
He roared and slammed his shoulder against the door. The metal screeched and splintered, and we rushed inside.
Jarrett and Derek were huddled in the corner, beaten and bruised. Relief washed over me like a tidal wave. They were alive!
“Jarrett! Derek!” I shouted, running towards them.
“Isabelle!” Jarrett gasped, his voice weak. “Get out of here! Marcus, he’s…”
A low, scary growl cut him off. We turned to face the doorway, and there he was. Marcus, the Magnus Alpha. But his eyes… they were glowing with a strange light, filled with a rage I’d never seen before.
The Kezrach Larva had taken over. Completely.
“So,” he sneered, a cruel smile on his lips. “The traitors come to me. And you, Isabelle, dare to interfere with "my" pack?”
Fear, cold and sharp, stabbed at my heart. But I had to be brave, for Jarrett, for Derek, for Rowan.
“This isn’t just "your" pack, Marcus,” I growled, looking him straight in the eye. “It’s ours. And we won’t let you destroy it because you're power-hungry.”
He laughed, a harsh, empty sound. “Power-hungry? No, Isabelle. This is about survival. About protecting our kind.”
But his words didn't match his eyes. The Larva had twisted his mind, making him believe his own lies.
“You call this protection?” I spat, feeling sick to my stomach. “You’re hurting your own people, your own family!”
He snarled, his eyes blazing with fury. “You don’t understand anything! This is about our future, our legacy! And I’ll do whatever it takes to protect it!”
I felt a chill run down my spine. He really believed it. He was lost to the Larva, beyond reason.
“Then we have no choice, Marcus,” I said, my voice shaking, but strong. “We have to stop you.”
He laughed again, a terrible sound that made the dungeon feel even colder. “Stop me?” he scoffed. “You’re dreaming, Isabelle. You have no idea what you’re dealing with.” He turned to his men, their eyes blank and empty, controlled by the Larva. “Get them!” he commanded. “Anyone who defies me will be punished!”
The Magnus pack wolves attacked, their movements jerky and unnatural, like puppets on strings. Fear surged through me, but I wouldn’t back down. My pack was with me, ready to fight.
"Carson! Jamison! Take the left side!" I yelled over the noise of the fight. "The rest of you, with me! We have to get to Jarrett and Derek!"
The dungeon exploded into chaos, a blur of fangs, claws, and growls. I fought my way towards Jarrett and Derek, desperate to get them to safety.
“Isabelle, run!” Derek shouted, his voice strained. “You can’t win! The Larva makes him too strong!”
“We’re not leaving you!” I growled, shoving a Magnus wolf away from me. We were pack. We wouldn’t abandon our own.
A howl, long and chilling, ripped through the air. It was Marcus. He stood above the fight, his eyes burning with an unnatural light.
“Enough!” he roared, his voice shaking the dungeon. “I am Alpha! You will obey! Or you will suffer the consequences!”