Alpha’s Regret After His Pregnant Luna Left novel Chapter 37

(Audrey’s POV)

The corridor outside the emergency room was silent, save for the faint hum of fluorescent lights. My stomach churned, and I clenched the pregnancy report tighter in my hand. The air here felt cold against my already frail nerves, a stark contrast to the heat radiating off my turmoil.

I was waiting-though I didn’t fully know why. Maybe it was some deep-rooted hope to see Arthur, to understand this façade we seemed to play. To know if he cared, even a little.

The door to the emergency room creaked open, and a nurse stepped out, adjusting her scrub top. She was brisk and businesslike, her presence drawing immediate attention to the name clipboard in her hands.

She looked up at the huddled group of medical staff. “Victoria Moonstone’s family?”

Every nerve in my body froze. My lungs stopped mid-breath.

Arthur’s tall frame shot up from the nearby chair like a spring, his movements filled with a tension I could see even from a distance.

His hand rose slightly as he stepped toward the nurse. “I’m here,” he said, his voice carrying that familiar commanding tone.

In that instant, I felt as though the world buckled beneath me. My legs turned weak, and I braced myself against the corridor wall. My earlier thoughts, those naïve hopes that maybe there was something still left between us, now felt like a cruel joke.

The nurse spoke softly, enough that I couldn’t entirely make out the words. But Arthur’s immediate response-visible relief flooding his features-spoke volumes.

Something about “stable condition,” and then…

An unborn baby.

Victoria was pregnant?

The words rang in my ears like the harsh snap of silver chains. My entire body went cold. Each thought piled on top of another until I didn’t know how to cope with the reality staring me in the face.

Arthur turned unconsciously, likely sensing another presence nearby. His eyes were distant but vaguely searching, as though his Alpha intuition detected something. Was he looking for me?

I didn’t wait to find out. My feet moved before my mind fully registered the action. The stairwell at the far end of the hall became my refuge as I shoved the heavy door open and stumbled against its metallic chill.

—

(Arthur’s POV)

As the nurse finished relaying her updates, my tense shoulders finally eased. Victoria and the unborn pup were safe.

Thank the Moon above.

The poisoning had been severe, but the swift intervention had worked. Yet, a quiet unease settled beneath my relief. This faint, inexplicable whisper in the back of my mind gnawed at me.

And then, amidst the muted chaos of hospital staff, I couldn’t help but feel like someone had been watching-from afar. I couldn’t shake the prickling sensation of a familiar presence nearby. Audrey’s presence.

My first thought was absurd. There was no reason she would be here. She should be at the house, away from all of this. I’d made sure her life wouldn’t intersect with… this.

But that unease didn’t fade. It lingered, demanding answers.

Grabbing my phone, I dialed her number impulsively. It rang only twice before her voice sounded on the other end.

“Arthur?” Her voice was normal, calm. “Why are you calling so late?”

I exhaled quietly as tension I hadn’t noticed began to unravel. At least she was safe. Still, her steady tone made me question if I’d imagined this incessant unease.

“Pack business,” I said curtly, keeping the details minimal. “I’ll be late getting back tonight.”

A pause. Then, “Are you okay?”

It was a simple question, yet it caught me off guard. Guilt stirred uncomfortably within me, as I thought of Victoria in that emergency room. Yet I couldn’t bring myself to tell Audrey, not now. It would only complicate things unnecessarily.

“I’m fine,” I replied, keeping my voice steady. “Nothing you need to worry about.”

I could hear her sigh faintly on the other end. Any hope of fully easing her concern was unlikely. Her perceptiveness was impossible to mask things from.

“Will you still attend the Full Moon Concert?” she asked suddenly, her tone shifting slightly.

“Yes,” I confirmed quickly, grateful for the subject change. “I’ll be there.”

She murmured her acknowledgment and bid me goodnight, her tone polite yet distant. As the call disconnected, I stood there for a long second, staring down at the phone in my hand.

I pulled myself together, quickly wiping any lingering tears. “I’m fine,” I said, though the crack in my voice betrayed me. “I was just… picking up some reports. What about you?”

Nathan didn’t pry, instead offering a faint nod of understanding. “Work meetings. I just finished.” He hesitated briefly before adding, “You look like you could use some company. Have you eaten tonight?”

I hesitated but shook my head, the turmoil inside me leaving little room for food. “No.”

His smile was gentle but knowing. “Join me? Lucas and Sarah are grabbing a late dinner at Silver Moon. It might help.” His offer was warm yet nonintrusive-a simple gesture.

I hesitated only for a moment before nodding. “That… sounds nice.”

—

At the Silver Moon restaurant, Sarah’s face immediately lit up when she spotted me entering with Nathan. But as I sat down beside her, her grin faded. She studied me with concern, her sharp intuition undoubtedly picking up on my emotional state.

“What happened?” she asked quietly once Nathan and Lucas focused briefly on the menu.

I hesitated but eventually leaned close to confide. “Victoria’s pregnant.”

Sarah nearly choked on her water, her scandalized exclamation catching the attention of Lucas.

“What’s going on?” Lucas asked, his tone unassuming but his expression thoughtful.

“Victoria,” Sarah spat bitterly, her wolf bristling under her tone. “Manipulative as ever.”

Lucas frowned. Then, with a sigh that spoke of discomfort, he revealed what little details he knew. His words cut through the air: rumors of Victoria poisoning herself, playing on Arthur’s familial loyalty.

Sarah hissed in irritation. “I knew it. Just manipulating every chance she gets.”

They argued briefly, Lucas urging Sarah to recognize Arthur’s sense of duty, while Sarah condemned Victoria’s manipulative nature. The undercurrent of frustration echoed through their heated exchange.

I sat silently, their words swirling around my mind as I processed everything. Arthur’s loyalty, Victoria’s real intentions… and the weight of my own unborn pups beneath it all.