The Alpha's forbidden omega mate - Chapter 99: Chapter 99

Rowan’s POV
I ran as fast as my wolf legs would carry me. Catrina didn’t need to know how scared I was, but something deep inside me screamed that things were going very wrong at the Magnus hotel.
I’d given Derek the Luna’s Elixir, the cure for the Kezrach Larva, but what if it wasn’t enough?
What if my father was too far gone? And now, even Isabelle was in danger, too.
When I reached the hotel, it looked deserted. Like everyone had vanished.
The front doors were wide open, so I slipped inside, my senses on high alert.
The air was thick with the metallic scent of blood and the sour tang of fear.
“Something terrible has happened here,” my wolf whimpered, pressing against my mind, urging me to hurry.
I raced through the empty hallways, following the trail of destruction.
Shattered furniture, ripped curtains, claw marks gouged deep into the walls – the evidence of a brutal fight was everywhere.
Derek’s words echoed in my mind: “The Larva’s got him, Rowan. It’s got him bad.”
My father, consumed by the curse, had become a danger to everyone, even his own pack.
The sound of fighting, of snarls and growls, drew me toward the dungeon. I burst through the doors, my heart pounding in my chest, ready for anything.
But what I saw made my blood run cold.
The dungeon was a whirlwind of chaos.
Isabelle and her Mondragon warriors were battling the Magnus pack, but their movements were jerky and unnatural, their eyes blank and empty.
They were under the Larva’s control, puppets dancing to its twisted tune.
And in the center of it all stood my father.
Marcus Magnus, Alpha of the Magnus pack, the man who had taught me everything I knew about strength, about leadership, about being a wolf. But the man who stood before me now was a stranger. His eyes burned with a sickly yellow light, a cruel smile twisted his lips. The Kezrach Larva had consumed him, leaving behind a shell filled with darkness and rage.
"Stop this madness!" I roared, my voice echoing off the stone walls.
Derek, his face bruised and bloodied, but his eyes clear and determined, stepped forward.
"Father!” he shouted, his voice laced with anguish. “It’s me, Derek! Don’t you recognize me?”
But Marcus only laughed, a harsh, hollow sound that sent chills down my spine.
“Derek? You’re no son of mine. You’re weak, a traitor. Just like the rest of them.”
In that moment, a memory, sharp and painful, flashed through my mind.
We were pups then, Derek and I, barely old enough to shift.
We’d been playing in the woods behind the Packhouse, roughhousing like the brothers we were, when Derek tripped and fell, scraping his knee on a sharp rock.
He’d cried, big, noisy tears, and I’d tried to comfort him, clumsy but earnest in my affection.
Father had appeared then, scooping Derek into his arms, his gaze softening as he brushed away the tears.
“There, there, son,” he’d murmured, his voice rough with love.
“A little scrape won’t stop a strong wolf like you. Remember, a Magnus never shows weakness. We face our pain with courage, with dignity.”
He’d cleaned Derek’s wound, bandaged it, then ruffled his hair with a smile.
“Now go on, you two. Play. But be careful.” He’d watched us for a moment, pride shining in his eyes, before turning back towards the Packhouse.
That memory, so vivid, so full of warmth and love, contrasted sharply with the monster that stood before me now.
The Larva had stolen my father, leaving behind a hollow shell of rage and paranoia.
With a roar, I surged forward, shifting into my wolf form as I charged towards Marcus.
"Father!" I bellowed, my voice echoing off the stone walls. "This ends now!"
He turned, surprise flashing across his face before it was replaced by fury. "Rowan?” he snarled, his claws extending.
I didn't give him a chance to react. I slammed into him with all my force, knocking him off his feet. We crashed to the ground, a tangle of fur and fangs, fighting for dominance.
“You’ve gone too far, Father!” I snarled, my jaws snapping inches from his throat. “The Larva has twisted you! You’re destroying our pack!”
He screamed, his eyes wild and crazy. “It’s my pack! And I’ll do whatever it takes to protect it!”
But his words were empty. The Larva was speaking, not my father.
I pinned him to the ground, my claws hovering above his throat. “It’s over, Father,” I growled, my voice low and dangerous. “The Larva ends now.”
He struggled and snarled, trying to break free, but I was stronger.
“Derek!” I shouted, my gaze fixed on my father. “Where’s the cure? Where’s the Luna’s Breath?”
Derek’s voice was a mix of hope and fear. “It’s… it’s gone, Rowan. Father, he… he destroyed it.”
My heart sank. Without the elixir, how could I save him? The Larva’s grip was too strong.
I stared into my father’s eyes, seeing only madness and rage. I couldn’t let him go on like this, hurting everyone, destroying everything we loved.
There was only one way.
“I’m sorry, Father,” I whispered, my heart breaking.
With a swift, clean movement, I raised my claws, aiming for the one spot that would end his suffering, end the Larva’s hold on him forever.
His eyes widened in shock, the fire of the Larva flickering, then dying. His body went limp, his struggles ceasing as the light faded from his gaze.
A wave of grief, so profound it threatened to drown me, washed over me.
I had just killed my own father.
But as I stared down at his lifeless form, something strange began to happen.
A darkness, blacker than any night I’d ever seen, began to swirl around him, coiling around his body like a living shroud.
“Rowan, get back!” Isabelle’s voice, sharp and urgent, cut through my grief. “That’s not natural! It’s… it’s dark magic!”
I hesitated, my wolf instincts warring with the horror of what I was seeing. But the shadows were reaching for me, their touch cold and menacing.
With a strangled cry, I released my father and scrambled back as the darkness swallowed him whole, dragging him down, down, down into the depths of the earth.
His last sound, a tortured howl that ripped through my soul, echoed in the silence that descended upon the dungeon.
I stood there, numb and shaking, as the horror of what I’d done sank in.
Isabelle and her pack stared at the spot where Marcus had vanished, their faces pale with shock.
Derek was at my side in an instant, his hand gripping my shoulder.
“Rowan,” he whispered, his voice thick with emotion. “What… what happened?”
I shook my head, unable to speak, the weight of my grief crushing me. My father was gone, consumed by the Larva, dragged into the abyss by a force I couldn’t even begin to understand.
And somewhere, deep inside me, a voice whispered a terrifying truth: This wasn't over.