Alpha’s Regret After His Pregnant Luna Left novel Chapter 44

(Audrey’s POV)

Victoria’s voice rang through the phone like nails scraping over steel.

“You’ll see, Audrey. Arthur is wasting his time protecting you. Your precious mate bond is hanging by a thread, and when it snaps, the only thing left will be me standing by his side!”

I clenched my jaw, my grip on the phone tightening to the point of pain. Though her words cut deep, I forced myself not to react. I couldn’t let her see how much her taunts got to me.

Just then, Sarah came down the stairs, moving slower than usual after her ordeal of the past few days. Her sharp ears caught the tail-end of Victoria’s tirade. The transformation in Sarah was immediate. Her usual laid-back demeanor ignited into a fiery rage. Before I had the chance to stop her, she snatched the phone out of my hand.

“Listen here, you shameless robber!” Sarah’s voice was practically a snarl. “Do you ever stop? First, you take her title, then you’re after her mate. What’s next? Her car? Her home?!”

“Who is this?” Victoria’s icy tone cracked slightly, but Sarah barrelled on without giving her a chance to reply.

“You don’t deserve anything you’ve schemed your way into. And Arthur-oh, don’t get me started on that spineless excuse for an Alpha!”

“How dare-” Victoria tried, but Sarah steamrolled her.

“He’s following in his father’s pathetic footsteps! Arthur thinks he’s strong because he’s Alpha King, but a real wolf doesn’t let their mate get trampled under his paw prints while he panders to every overly dramatic tantrum from his so-called ‘stepsister.’ You both make me sick!”

I tried to intervene, reaching for the phone. “Sarah, stop! Give it to me.”

But she swatted my hand away, her focus locked firmly on torching Victoria.

“And for the record, neither of you deserves the respect of the pack. If Arthur keeps this up, he’ll lose more than just the Luna bond-he’ll lose every ounce of loyalty the pack has left. Like father, like son, I suppose.”

Victoria’s stunned silence on the other end didn’t last long. Her hissed reply was inaudible before I finally grabbed the phone back and hung up. My hands shook as I stared at the device, the air between us still buzzing with tension.

“Sarah…” I began, but she wasn’t having it.

Her tone softened as she looked at me, though the fire in her eyes hadn’t dimmed. “Audrey, someone needed to say it. You’ve been through enough, and she acts like she’s untouchable.”

I shook my head and placed the phone on the counter, willing the brewing storm inside me to settle.

“I shouldn’t have let her get to me. It’s exhausting, Sarah.” My voice cracked slightly. “I just want to get through all of this in one piece. I want my pups safe and my life away from all of this chaos. Severing the mate bond with Arthur might be painful, but at this point… maybe it’s the only escape I’ll ever have.”

Sarah’s brows furrowed, her lips set in a firm line before she spoke again. “You know I’ll support whatever decision you make. But what blows my fur the wrong way is why Arthur can’t see through Victoria’s act. Is it about love? Or guilt because of her mother’s life-saving stunt during that silver dagger attack?”

I let out a long breath, closing my eyes to gather myself. “It doesn’t matter why. The result’s the same: he always chooses her.”

Sarah opened her mouth to reply, but a knock at the door interrupted our conversation.

—

A faint blush spread across Lucas Reed’s cheeks when I opened the door. He swayed nervously, his posture stiff as he carefully avoided meeting my gaze.

“Audrey,” he greeted me awkwardly before his eyes flicked over my shoulder, softening slightly. “Is Sarah here?”

“Yes,” I answered, stepping aside to let him in.

He entered tentatively, his hands stuffed deep into his jacket pockets. “I heard about what happened. The alcohol poisoning.” His voice carried a note of guilt as he glanced at Sarah, who was sitting on the couch, now eyeing him with a teasing grin. “I wanted to check if you’re okay.”

“How sweet,” Sarah drawled. “But you’re empty-handed, Lucas. What kind of check-up is that? Where’s the ‘get well soon’ package?”

His blush worsened, and he fumbled for his phone. “I-I’ll order something now! Healing herbs.” He quickly started typing into his device, visibly flustered.

I shook my head with a faint smile and excused myself to give them space. Retreating to my home office, I sat at my desk, flipping through therapy notes and session plans.

During the drive, I couldn’t resist bringing up Nathan Snowfang.

“The Winter Solstice Party,” I said slyly. “We should make sure you’re in good standing with him after you win the Rare Healing Herbs Research Contest.”

Audrey shot me a look. “Sarah…”

“Oh, come on! Nathan’s charming, supportive, and actually acts like you’re worth more than a spare Luna title. Can you blame me for rooting for the guy?”

Lucas’s voice piped up cautiously from the driver’s seat. “Uh… Nathan and Arthur are both going to the club tonight.”

Audrey stiffened noticeably at the announcement.

“Wait,” I said, narrowing my eyes. “Arthur is joining us? Are you serious?”

Lucas shrugged. “Nathan agreed first. Then when I mentioned it to Arthur, he decided to come too. Might be coincidence…”

I groaned, sinking back into my seat. “As if! Arthur’s only showing up because Nathan is there. His Alpha jealousy is rearing its ugly head again.”

Audrey stared out the window, her expression unreadable.

I crossed my arms, my frustration bubbling over. “Arthur needs to stop playing these ridiculous games. Possessiveness doesn’t equal love, Audrey. It’s just macho nonsense.”

She nodded faintly, her gaze distant. Whatever thoughts churned in her mind, she didn’t voice them.

But if Arthur thought he could keep her chained down with fleeting bouts of claimed jealousy, he had another thing coming. I wouldn’t let him toy with her heart any longer.