Alpha’s Regret After His Pregnant Luna Left novel Chapter 193

(Audrey’s POV)

I watched Aunt Juliette’s face carefully, searching for any hint of recognition or confirmation. The gravity of my words hung in the air between us.

“Aunt’s expression froze. “Who did you hear this from?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Aunt, please don’t hide it from me,” I pleaded, reaching for her fragile hand.

I pressed my lips together, gathering my courage. “This time… I’m certain before asking you. I’ve learned I’m from the Shadowcrest family in Northern Territory.”

Aunt Juliette’s hands trembled violently in mine. Her eyes widened with a mixture of fear and shock that I hadn’t expected.

“Shadowcrest? The Shadowcrest pack?” she gasped, her voice weak but urgent. “Your biological father’s pack is Shadowcrest?

Her reaction confirmed what I already suspected, but seeing the truth written so plainly across her features still stole my breath away.

“Did they come looking for you?” she demanded, her frail body suddenly tense with anxiety. “Have they mistreated you?”

A fierce mix of relief and unease fluttered in my chest. My aunt clearly knew more than she’d ever admitted to me. She wasn’t surprised by my true identity-she was frightened by it.

I leaned forward, my heart hammering against my ribs. “Aunt, how did I end up with the Winter family?”

She looked away, guilt etching deep lines into her already weathered face. Silence stretched between us as she seemed to debate how much to reveal.

“Your parents-the Winters-” she began, her voice breaking slightly, “they were good wolves. The best I’ve ever known.” I nodded encouragingly, squeezing her hand.

“They had lost their beloved pup,” she continued after taking a shuddering breath. “Their little pup Audrey died just after her second moon cycle. Your mother… she could never carry another. The healers said her womb was damaged beyond repair.”

I felt a sharp pang of sorrow for the mother I’d always believed was mine. How devastating that loss must have been.

“They were on a hunting trip in Northern Territory,” Aunt Juliette continued, her eyes distant with memories. “And they… they found you. You were bruised by silver and bleeding, hiding under fallen leaves near a stream.”

My breath caught. “They took me?”

She nodded slowly, regret and compassion warring in her expression. “The Shadowcrest pack was in chaos. There were public announcements that the pack daughter had been kidnapped. A frantic search was underway.”

I tried to imagine it-the panic, the confusion. Had my birth parents truly been desperate to find me, or had they orchestrated my disappearance?

“Your parents-the Winters-they were terrified,” Aunt Juliette continued. “They locked you in their territory car, pretending nothing was amiss. They returned to the pack gathering to avoid suspicion.”

Her voice faltered as she painted the scene in painful detail. “You were so clever, even then. You hid yourself beneath the rear seat, covered by a fur blanket. No one found you during the inspections.”

A chill ran down my spine. How many times had that scenario played out in my nightmares? The dark, confined space, the fear of discovery?

“At the gathering, wolves were talking. Searchers mentioned ‘Luna Shadowcrest’ repeatedly. Your parents became convinced the Shadowcrest matriarch had orchestrated your abduction.”

“Elder Shadowcrest?” I whispered in disbelief. The kind elderly she-wolf who had welcomed me so warmly couldn’t possibly have wished me harm.

Aunt Juliette nodded weakly. “Paralyzed by doubt and desperation, your parents smuggled you back to Central Territory before dawn. Originally they planned to place you in a neutral territory orphanage.”

“But they didn’t,” I guessed.

“No,” she smiled faintly. “Love chained them to you. You were such a bright, brave little she-wolf. When you smiled at them… “She trailed off, tears gathering in her eyes.

“They erased all traces of Serena’s existence,” she continued after composing herself. “Moved dens three times. Let you assume their late pup’s identity. Audrey Winter.”

My throat tightened with emotion. The wolves I had called parents had kidnapped me-yet done so out of a misguided belief they were saving me. They had loved me, raised me as their own.

Aunt Juliette’s gaze drifted to my neck, where my necklace peeked out from beneath my collar. “That golden wolf pendant… may I see it?”

I pulled it out, letting the small golden wolf catch the light.

With trembling fingers, she turned it over, revealing the underside I rarely examined. “There,” she whispered, tracing a faint marking I had never noticed. “Your father only saw it under moonlight. Grace.”

“If you keep using our mate bond severance as a shield, I won’t hesitate to tell you—”

A second, urgent ring interrupted him. This time the caller ID showed the Wolf Medical Center. Arthur snatched the phone before I could reach it and answered, his tone curt.

His expression shifted subtly as he listened. Then he turned to me, his face carefully composed. “Luna Winter, your aunt Juliette… has passed away.”

The world lurched beneath me. Although I had braced myself for this outcome, the finality of his words robbed me of breath. Grief slammed into me like a tidal wave, threatening to pull me under.

Arthur ended the call and immediately instructed the Beta driver, “Head straight back to the Wolf Medical Center.”

The next few days passed in a blur of ritual and mourning. With Arthur and Sarah Mitchell’s help, we arranged funeral rites for Aunt Juliette that mirrored those held for Elder William Moonstone just six full moons ago.

Each moonstone I placed on her ceremonial wrap felt like a final apology. For not visiting more often. For not appreciating her while she was alive. For being so caught up in my own dramas that I hadn’t noticed how ill she truly was.

I felt the weight of endless farewells—first Elder William, now my only other family. The loneliness was crushing. Work at my healing practice, Winter’s Remedy, offered no solace. The spring formulations had sold out within hours after a pack hierarchy appearance. Our finances had never been better. Yet my triumph felt hollow without anyone to share it with. Racing against my mounting sorrow, I prepared to travel to Northern Territory. I didn’t even tell Florian Stormhowl of my aunt’s death. I couldn’t bear any more sympathy, any more soft words of comfort.

On the eve of my departure, I packed mechanically, moving through my territory den like a ghost. A sharp knock at the door startled me from my daze.

I crossed the room slowly, expecting Sarah with some last-minute healing herbs consignment.

The moment I opened the door, I saw a tall wolf in a loose hoodie and casual pants. My heart leaped traitorously in my chest. “How come you—” I started, automatically assuming it was Florian Stormhowl.

Then I looked up and met Arthur Moonstone’s sharply chiseled face. My hand clenched around the doorknob, emotions too tangled for words.

“Arthur, you didn’t have to do this.”