Alpha’s Regret After His Pregnant Luna Left novel Chapter 139

(Audrey’s POV)

I was suffocating. The silver-laced rope burned against my skin, making it impossible to access my wolf strength. My consciousness blurred at the edges, fading in and out like a bad dream.

All I felt was pain, a pain so intense I wanted to howl in agony. The silver poisoning crept through my veins, weakening me with every passing second.

And though I swore I’d never want anything to do with Arthur Moonstone again, in this moment, he was all I could think of.

“Arthur… Are you coming soon?… Save me…” My wolf whimpered inside me, desperate for its mate despite everything we’d been through.

The rope tightened further, cutting off what little air I could still draw into my lungs. Black spots danced across my vision. I couldn’t tell how much time had passed-minutes or hours-as I hung there, suspended between consciousness and oblivion.

Just as I was about to lose consciousness completely, a bucket of cold water was dumped over me. The shock jolted me back to awareness with brutal efficiency.

I gasped, choking and sputtering as water ran into my nose and mouth. The basement was already freezing, and the icy water sent violent shivers down my spine. It trickled down my face, into my collar, bone-chillingly cold against my burning skin.

Through water-blurred eyes, I saw Emma Shadowcrest tied to a pillar beside me. The sight was so unexpected that for a moment, I wondered if I was hallucinating.

Her face was marked with two handprints, her expensive clothes dirty and disheveled. She looked just as wretched as I felt, yet with a chair beneath her feet, she appeared oddly composed-almost as if she were posing for a dramatic pack portrait rather than being held captive.

I let out a hollow laugh, wincing as the movement pulled at the ropes around my chest.

“It seems you’re quite the actress,” I croaked, my throat raw from the rope and the cold.

She replied confidently, her eyes flashing with arrogance despite her apparent predicament. “Does it matter? All that matters is who he chooses!”

At that moment, the sound of an engine echoed from outside-a powerful car approaching the abandoned den. Emma’s eyes lit up with anticipation.

With a quick movement, she kicked the chair away from beneath her feet, letting herself hang from the ropes in a perfect mirror of my position. She looked down at me, her expression cold and calculating.

“Audrey Winter, don’t blame me,” she said softly. “Blame your lack of pack status, which allows me to manipulate you at will.”

Heavy footsteps pounded on the stairs, and the basement door flew open, flooding the dim space with harsh light. A familiar figure emerged from the light, tall and elegant in the same tailored pack council suit he had worn when he visited me that morning.

Arthur’s eyes landed on me first, his pupils contracting to pinpoints before Marcus Blackclaw stepped into his path, blocking his view.

“Alpha Moonstone,” Marcus greeted with false cordiality, “it’s been difficult to get a meeting with you.”

Arthur’s face darkened, his Alpha presence filling the room like a physical force. The air grew heavy with his power, making it even harder for me to breathe.

“Release her,” he demanded, his voice dangerously low.

Marcus chuckled, casually lighting a cigar as if this were a friendly business meeting rather than a kidnapping. “I intended to discuss territory matters with your Luna, but my wolves informed me of your… involvement with Miss Shadowcrest.” He waved his hand between Emma and me. “Unable to decide who to kidnap, I brought both.”

“State your conditions,” Arthur said impatiently, the anger on his face barely controlled. His fists were clenched at his sides, knuckles white with tension.

Marcus laughed, a sound that echoed unnervingly through the basement. “I’ve changed my mind about conditions. I simply want to see… who the mighty Alpha Moonstone will save.”

He snapped his fingers, and one of his Beta wolves approached, presenting a silver gun to Arthur on an ornate tray as if offering a precious gift.

“One bullet,” Marcus explained, his eyes glittering with cruel amusement. “Choose someone, Alpha. Use this bullet. The other…” he smiled, revealing sharp canines, “is yours to do with as you please.”

The meaning was clear. The gun was meant for either me or Emma. Arthur would have to choose which one of us to save-and which to leave to Marcus’s mercy.

Arthur’s jaw tightened as he stared at the weapon. He was too far away for me to read his expression clearly, but I could feel the tension radiating from him in waves.

My breath hitched in my throat. This couldn’t be happening.

“Are you sure?” Arthur asked, his voice dripping with ice.

The words he’d spoken over the past weeks echoed in my mind like a cruel joke:

“I did it willingly…” “I’m trying to win you back…” “I’ll take the next ninety-nine steps; you just stay here and wait for me, don’t back out of this last step.” “Audrey, I’m serious and I’ll make it up to you. I don’t want to lose you.” “I have ulterior motives. I’m a rogue wolf…” “No matter what happens, trust me.”

It was all a lie. His deep affection was worthless. I was the fool, believing he’d choose me. He never would. Never. How could I be so stupid?

Marcus burst into laughter again, the sound grating on my frayed nerves. “Haha Alpha Moonstone, don’t be angry, it was just a joke. One is Miss Shadowcrest, the other is still your Luna, how could I dare touch them? But I didn’t expect even the Alpha King to be bound by the timeless law of trading old for new!”

Arthur’s eyes were cold as ice now, his entire body radiating danger. “Can I take them now?”

“Since you’ve chosen Miss Shadowcrest, of course, be my guest!” Marcus said, gesturing grandly toward the two of us.

Arthur walked over, and I could see an almost imperceptible struggle on his face. If you didn’t know him as well as I did, you’d miss it entirely. But I saw it-the slight tightening around his eyes, the barely visible twitch at the corner of his mouth.

Yet the wolf who’d told me to trust him this morning didn’t even glance my way as he passed. He went straight to Emma, untied her ropes with careful efficiency, and lifted her into his arms.

“Whimper, whimper… Arthur, I was so scared…” Emma clutched at his shirt, burying her face against his chest. “You’re so good. I wouldn’t have known what to do if you hadn’t come!”

She acted as if utterly terrified, her eyes wide with fear as she clung to him. It was a masterful performance-one that made me want to vomit.

Marcus ventured closer, his cigar still burning between his fingers. “Alpha Moonstone, what about Luna Winter? It’s not impossible for you to take both.” His voice took on a businesslike tone. “For the western hunting grounds, we can each compromise. Just concede another 2% of the territory.”

Arthur scoffed, as if amused by the very suggestion. “Marcus Blackclaw, why would you assume I, Arthur Moonstone, would concede that much territory for an ex-Luna? Hasn’t she been enough of a burden to the Moonstone Pack already?”

The last sentence, clear and low, pierced my heart like silver. I looked up, unable to believe what I was hearing. His faint smile made it seem like casual conversation, as if my life meant nothing to him.

A wave of bitterness welled up inside me, my wolf howling in anguish within. Once again, Arthur Moonstone had proven exactly where I stood in his priorities-nowhere at all.