Alpha’s Regret After His Pregnant Luna Left novel Chapter 135

(Audrey’s POV)

I stared at Arthur, who had a rare look of such vulnerability on his face, something I had rarely seen before.

“I’m terrified of losing you,” he repeated, his voice low and earnest.

For a moment, I almost wanted to let go of my defenses. To forget Victoria, the lost pups, the years of neglect. But some wounds run too deep to simply forget.

“Arthur, stop saying these things. Let’s both be rational,” I said, pulling my hand away from his.

What was the point of reconciliation when the foundation was so thoroughly cracked? Before all this, I wouldn’t have questioned his absences, his late nights. I would have understood his dedication to the Moonstone Pack. But now? Everything was filtered through suspicion, riddled with anxiety and doubt.

Even if we tried again, we’d just be prolonging the inevitable. Better to cut our losses now.

Arthur’s eyes hardened with determination. “I know you don’t believe me, but I will do it.”

His tone carried the weight of a wolf’s oath to the Moon Goddess. I lowered my gaze, unable to meet the intensity in his. My wolf whimpered inside me, responding to his conviction despite my human reservations.

“You review this first,” I said, handing him another medical document, desperate to change the subject. “I’ll go find a pack healer to check your fever again.”

As I turned to leave, he called out, “Daniel, find a healer to bring over some wolfsbane ointment for bruises.”

Daniel nodded and left quickly. I frowned, confused by the request.

“Didn’t you just have your bandages changed?” I asked. “Besides, bruises don’t match your injuries.”

Arthur reached out, his fingers finding the exact spot on my lower back where I’d hit the table when Katherine pushed me. He pressed gently, making me gasp.

“Doesn’t it hurt where you bumped into the table?” he asked.

“Hiss…” I pulled away sharply. “You know I bumped into it and you’re still pressing?”

Daniel returned moments later with the medicinal ointment. I reached for it, but Arthur’s eyes locked with mine.

“Give it to me,” he said, his voice carrying a hint of his Alpha command.

I bristled at the order. “I can apply it myself.”

“Do you have eyes on the back of your head?” he questioned, taking the ointment from me before I could protest further.

With gentle hands, he lifted the corner of my clothing and carefully applied the ointment to the bruise. His touch was unexpectedly tender, completely at odds with his usual indifference.

“You’ve bruised yourself and you didn’t say anything,” he murmured. “Do you think you don’t have a mate?”

I swallowed hard, the bitter memories rising unbidden. In three years as his marked mate, he had never shown such concern over minor injuries. Even with serious silver burns, he would have been nonchalant at best.

“I’ve been like this for the past three years,” I said quietly.

The sting of the ointment mingled with the pain of remembering all the times I’d needed him and he hadn’t been there.

To my surprise, Arthur was unexpectedly cooperative as I helped care for his wounds throughout the day. He followed my instructions without complaint, even accepted the tasteless healing broth without his usual grimace.

By evening, I realized his unusual compliance had hidden motives. He fixed me with those dark eyes, full of anticipation.

“I want to take a bath,” he announced.

I understood his discomfort. After being unconscious for two nights, he hadn’t been able to properly freshen up. For an Alpha as obsessed with cleanliness as Arthur, this must have been torture.

But I remembered the healer’s strict instructions. “The pack healer said your silver wound can’t be exposed to water.”

The two most serious injuries on his body-the deep gash across his chest and the puncture wound on his arm-couldn’t risk infection.

He pursed his lips, his expression softening into something almost pleading. “But I feel uncomfortable, my dear mate.”

I felt a headache forming behind my eyes. I knew he was calling me that on purpose, trying to invoke the intimacy we once shared. I didn’t bother correcting him.

“Well, how about I ask Daniel to help me rub your body with a little?” I suggested, glancing toward his Beta who was standing nearby.

Daniel’s eyes widened before he began backing toward the door with an awkward smile. “Luna, please don’t joke. The Alpha of Moonstone is very picky. If I rub his body today, I will be exiled to patrol the border territories tomorrow. I can only entrust this kind of thing to you!”

With that, he turned and fled, moving faster than a rabbit, not even bothering to complete his scheduled report.

Arthur looked at me with thinly veiled satisfaction. “I think that’s a good suggestion.”

Of course I understood his game. Daniel had escaped, but I was still here, trapped by my own sense of responsibility.

Arthur raised his eyebrows slightly. “Or do you still have ulterior motives for me, and you don’t even dare to clean my body?”

I frowned, indignant at the suggestion. “Who has ulterior motives for you?”

I slept so deeply that I didn’t even hear Sarah arrive the next day. It wasn’t until noon, when she came into my bedroom to wake me for lunch, that I fumbled to sit up.

“There you are,” I mumbled, still half-asleep.

Sarah examined my face with a disapproving frown. “Look at the dark circles under your eyes. If I didn’t know you were at the medical center taking care of Arthur, I’d think you’d been out thieving lately.”

I yawned, feeling tears well up in the corners of my eyes. “Taking care of an injured Alpha isn’t any easier than going out and becoming a thief.”

Though Arthur had been a remarkably compliant patient, his silver wounds required constant attention. For two or three nights, he’d suffered recurring fevers. I’d find myself waking in the middle of the night to check his temperature, my body acting on instinct before my mind was fully awake.

“Hurry up and brush your teeth, eat, and then continue to rest. Sleep well,” Sarah urged, practically pushing me toward the bathroom.

“That damn Alpha,” she muttered. “Look what he’s done to you.”

On the table waited a takeout meal from the Silver Moon restaurant, all my favorite dishes carefully selected. I couldn’t help but feel touched by her thoughtfulness.

“Sarah, you’re so good to me,” I said.

“Of course,” she replied indignantly. “When will that Arthur be half as good to you as I am before he can talk about winning you back?”

I coughed lightly, not daring to mention Arthur cooking for me that day. Some things were better left unsaid.

Just as we finished eating, Sarah’s phone rang. Her eyes lit up when she saw the caller ID.

“Rylee, why are you suddenly calling me, you busy woman?” she answered with a smile. “There must be good news, right?”

Sarah’s expression brightened even further as she listened. She quickly turned on the speakerphone so I could hear too.

It was about potential investors for our healing practice. Rylee had found contributors of rare healing herbs and had scheduled a dinner for tonight to make introductions.

“What are you saying?” Sarah responded enthusiastically after glancing at me for approval. “You have time to introduce me, and I can’t find time to come? Of course I’ll be there!”

“Okay, then it’s settled!” Rylee laughed, her voice warm and familiar through the speaker. “Actually, it’s not really an introduction. You must know each other. As soon as the other party saw your healing practice’s information, they agreed to contribute without a second thought.”