Alpha’s Regret After His Pregnant Luna Left novel Chapter 71

(Audrey’s POV)

The room felt like it had shrunk to half its size. The suffocating tension hung so heavily in the air that it was hard to draw a full breath. Howard, his arm still frozen mid-strike under Arthur’s unrelenting Alpha presence, looked utterly trapped. His face was turning a mix of red and pale, and his eyes darted nervously between Arthur and me, searching for an escape.

Arthur’s wolf energy was thick, pressing down on everyone in the room. Even I, despite the countless times I’d felt his command, felt the full weight of his dominance now. A bead of sweat rolled down Howard’s temple.

“Arthur,” I said softly, but my voice came out sharper than I meant. “Let him go.”

Arthur’s dark gaze snapped to me, so intense it felt like it would pierce straight through my resolve. His jaw was locked, his nostrils flaring. The raw fury emanating from him scared even my wolf, but I held my ground.

“Let him go,” I repeated, trying to keep my voice steady. “He’s not worth it.”

It took a moment-a heartbeat that felt like forever-before Arthur’s grip on his Alpha presence loosened. Slowly, the suffocating tension in the room eased just enough for Howard to stumble backward. He clutched at his arm like an injured pup, his outrage quickly overtaken by fear.

“You-” Howard snapped, his voice trembling, but he stopped himself when Arthur’s glare bore down on him.

“Do not,” Arthur growled, his voice low and dangerous, “speak unless you’re ready to face the consequences.”

His tone sent shivers down my spine. Even Howard, as cowardly as he was, looked like he wanted to sink into the ground and disappear.

I stepped between them, though my heart was pounding so hard it felt like it might burst from my chest. “This is over,” I said firmly. I glanced back at Arthur, meeting his stormy eyes. “It’s not worth this.”

He didn’t answer, but I saw his jaw twitch. Reluctantly, he took a small step back, not breaking eye contact with Howard.

Howard, clearly emboldened by the slight retreat, straightened enough to puff his chest out. “We’ve done nothing wrong-“

“Enough!” I snapped, making Howard flinch. “You’ve done more than enough already.”

His stunned silence gave me an opening. “I’ve fulfilled every obligation I owed this pack and this family,” I said, my voice slicing through the thick atmosphere. “I’m paying for Aunt Juliette’s treatment-more than she could ever hope for. I owe you nothing more.”

“You think you can just wash your hands of this?” Howard shot back, but there was no conviction in his words. He was scrambling now, trying to regain control of something that had already slipped through his fingers.

“Yes,” I said without hesitation. “I’m done, Howard. Done with your greed. Done with your lies. You are not my problem anymore.”

Juliette stood by the doorway, her frail form trembling as she looked at me. Her lips parted as if she wanted to speak, but no words came out. She shook her head, her expression one of quiet pain.

Howard glared at her, his hands shaking slightly. “Say something!” he hissed at her, his voice wild. “Back me up!”

Juliette flinched the moment his voice rose, but before she could even try to muster a response, Arthur’s voice cut through like a blade.

“Touch her,” Arthur said coldly, his voice carrying the full weight of his Alpha command, “and I’ll make sure you regret it.”

The venom in his tone made everyone freeze-made even Juliette lift her head in wide-eyed shock.

“Arthur,” I began carefully, but his eyes shifted back to me, and I knew better than to say more right then.

“Are you finished here?” he asked me, his voice calm now but layered with something heavy.

I nodded slightly, the anger that had carried me until now settling into weariness. “Yes.”

But Howard wasn’t done.

His voice dropped, low and pleading this time. “Wait-Audrey-we can fix this. Just… talk to him. Convince him not to cut us off. I’ll stop pushing, I swear. Just think of Timothy. He needs his position.”

My lip curled in disgust. “Unbelievable,” I muttered.

Timothy stepped forward, looking desperate now. “Please, Audrey. I didn’t mean for this to go this far-I’m just trying to have a future.”

“What future?” I bit out. “One built on taking advantage of others? On lies?” I shook my head. “Figure it out yourselves. I won’t be a part of this anymore.”

I pushed past them both without waiting for a response and stepped out into the quiet hallway. The sound of my own breathing filled my ears as I leaned against the wall. The chill of the hospital corridor felt jarring against the burn of my anger.

But of course, Arthur was waiting.

His tall frame blocked most of the narrow hallway, and his arms were crossed. His dark eyes studied me carefully, though his expression was unreadable.

“I’ll drive you home,” he offered, though his tone made it clear that he wasn’t really asking.

His serious tone left no room for argument, and I nodded even though he couldn’t see me. “On my way.”

—

Walking into Nathan’s office at the North American Alliance of Werewolf Therapists felt surreal. The hot cup of herbal tea he’d carefully prepared waited on his desk, its familiar scent filling the room.

Nathan rose from his chair as soon as he saw me. His brows were furrowed, the tension in his expression only adding to my growing sense of dread.

“What’s going on?” I asked, though my voice came out quieter than I meant.

He gestured to the chair across from him. “Sit down first.”

I obeyed, clutching the warm cup of tea between my hands. “Nathan,” I urged, “tell me.”

He sighed heavily, leaning forward with his elbows on his desk. “Your research,” he began carefully, “was plagiarized.”

My entire body went cold. “What?”

He didn’t rush his words, speaking each one deliberately. “Someone submitted an identical proposal earlier today.”

“Who?” My voice was shaking despite my effort to stay calm.

“Victoria Moonstone.”

The cup slipped from my grasp, shattering against the floor. But it wasn’t the broken porcelain pieces scattered across the ground that broke me. It was the betrayal. My wolf growled low in my chest, filled with rage.

Not again.