Alpha’s Regret After His Pregnant Luna Left novel Chapter 191

(Audrey’s POV)

Florian Stormhowl stared at me with those mesmerizing golden eyes. The moment hung between us like a fragile thread connecting our pasts and futures.

“Yes, you are Serena, my intended mate,” he declared with unwavering certainty. His voice lacked its usual teasing tone, replaced by something deeper, more sincere.

A storm of emotions washed over me. Relief, confusion, fear, and strangely, a sense of homecoming all battled within my chest. Who was I really? Audrey Winter or Serena Shadowcrest? Could I be both? The ground beneath my feet felt unsteady, as if my very identity was sand slipping through my fingers.

“Thank you,” I whispered, fighting back tears. “For never giving up on me.”

His mouth curved into a small smile. “I promised I would find you.”

“You were always there,” I said, the realization dawning on me. “Every time I needed someone most-when I was kidnapped, when someone stole my identity-you appeared.”

I thought of Arthur Moonstone, of Nathan Snowfang, of all the wolves who had come in and out of my life. None had shown the unwavering loyalty that Florian had demonstrated.

“Everyone else abandoned me or believed the lies,” I continued. “But you trusted your instincts, even when all evidence contradicted them.”

“My wolf knew,” he replied simply. “It always knew.”

We reached the street level, and Florian guided me toward his car. Instead of heading back to my territory hotel as I expected, he drove us to a small, private restaurant near the Shadowcrest family home.

“Where are we going?” I asked.

“Someone’s waiting for us,” he replied cryptically.

The restaurant was upscale but discreet, the kind of place pack Alphas would use for private meetings. When we entered, I was surprised to see Beta Thornwood sitting alone at a corner table. The nearly sixty-year-old wolf had been a fixture in my childhood memories or were they Serena’s memories? The lines were blurring more by the minute.

Upon seeing me, Beta Thornwood stood up abruptly. His eyes, weathered by age and service, filled with tears. In his hands, he clutched what appeared to be the bloodline verification report from the Northern Wolf Council.

“Miss Shadowcrest,” he said, his voice cracking with emotion. “It’s really you.”

Something about the way he addressed me felt achingly familiar, like a melody I’d forgotten but instantly recognized upon hearing again.

Tears sprang to my eyes unbidden. “Beta Thornwood,” I whispered, the name falling from my lips naturally though I had no conscious memory of ever speaking it before.

The elderly Beta rushed forward, stopping just short of embracing me-pack protocol still in place despite his emotion.

“Thank the Moon Goddess,” he breathed. “All these years… but you’ve grown up safely. That’s what matters most, despite everything that happened.”

We sat down, and Florian ordered fresh venison for all of us. Beta Thornwood couldn’t stop staring at me, as though afraid I might disappear if he looked away.

Once the server left, Beta Thornwood’s demeanor shifted. He reached into his jacket and pulled out two sealed silver powder packets, placing them carefully on the table between us.

“Is that…?” I began, eyeing the packets suspiciously.

“Poison,” Beta Thornwood confirmed grimly. “Most likely the same substance used on Elder Shadowcrest.”

Florian nodded. “Where did you find it?”

“In a locked drawer in Mrs. Shadowcrest’s private study,” Beta Thornwood explained. “Alpha Stormhowl asked me to search the house while you were at the Wolf Medical Center. I managed to retrieve these before they could be destroyed.”

I stared at the innocent-looking packets, sickened by the thought that Mrs. Shadowcrest-possibly my own mother-had used them to harm Elder Shadowcrest.

“Did you catch who did it?” Florian asked, his golden eyes hard.

Beta Thornwood’s expression darkened. “Yes. We have the wolf in custody at the territory den you provided. No one from the Shadowcrest pack knows yet.”

Our food arrived, momentarily pausing the conversation. I picked at my venison, my appetite diminished by the revelations of the day.

“Beta Thornwood,” I began hesitantly, “am I truly Mrs. Shadowcrest’s biological daughter?”

Part of me desperately hoped the answer was no. How could I reconcile being born to a she-wolf who would rather see me dead than acknowledge me?

“I need to interrogate the wolf Beta Thornwood captured,” Florian said, glancing at his pack device. “I can arrange for a pack Beta to drive you back to Central Territory.”

“No need,” I replied. “Sarah Mitchell can drive me. She’s still at the territory hotel.”

When I returned to the hotel, Sarah rushed forward as soon as she saw me enter the room.

“What happened?” she demanded, her eyes wide. “Tell me everything!”

I sank onto the sofa, suddenly exhausted by the day’s events. As I recounted everything-the poisoning, the confirmation of my identity, Beta Thornwood’s reaction-Sarah listened with rapt attention.

“So you’re really Serena Shadowcrest,” she breathed, awe in her voice. “An heir to one of the Northern Territory’s most powerful packs.”

I nodded, still trying to reconcile this new reality with the life I had known.

“Oh, I almost forgot,” Sarah said suddenly. “Arthur Moonstone has been looking for you. He even came to the hotel earlier.” I reached for my phone, only to find it completely dead. After plugging it in to charge, I called Arthur back immediately.

He answered on the first ring. “Audrey.” His voice was cold, authoritative—the voice of an Alpha used to commanding respect. “Arthur, I’m sorry I missed your calls. My phone died and-“

“Have you finished with the Shadowcrest pack business and returned to the hotel?” he interrupted, cutting straight to the point.

“Yes, but there’s something important I need to tell you-“

“Your aunt Juliette has been given a critical condition notice by the pack healer,” he stated, his tone leaving no room for discussion.

My blood ran cold. Aunt Juliette-the woman who had occasionally taken me in when I had nowhere else to go. The only family I had left. Or at least, the only family I thought I had.

“Come downstairs in five minutes,” Arthur commanded. “We’re returning to Central Territory immediately.”