Alpha’s Regret After His Pregnant Luna Left novel Chapter 9

(Audrey’s POV)

When I entered the room, there she was, comfortably perched at the kitchen table like she owned the place.

She smiled sweetly at me, an expression that sent a shiver of resentment down my spine.

“Hi, Audrey!” Her tone was sugary and fake, the kind that grated on me instantly. “Arthur made us dinner.

You should join us.”

Us? The bleakness I felt only deepened. I turned my eyes to Arthur for an explanation. He stood by the stove, flipping something in the pan. His jaw was tight, and his movements a little too controlled.

“Victoria was just leaving after dinner,” he said, his tone curt but directed more at her than me. Even so, he didn’t look at me, which only added to the growing ache in my chest.

I felt Grace stir, pacing angrily inside me, but I swallowed the sting and forced my hands to remain calm at my sides. I had to stay composed, for my pups. They needed nourishment even if the rest of me was being torn apart.

“Fine,” I muttered and moved to sit at the far end of the table, away from Victoria’s smug presence.

The delicious smell of venison filled the air, my favorite. I realized Arthur must have prepared it especially-it was the usual thoughtful touch I had once admired. But under the circumstances, it only felt hollow.

Victoria was quick to fill the silence as Arthur served the food. She picked up her fork delicately, flashing another one of her overly bright smiles.

“Arthur’s venison is amazing, isn’t it, Audrey?” she began, her voice overly sweet. “You know, I taught him how to cook it this way.”

My fork paused mid-air. I stared at her, unsure if I heard her correctly.

“Remember that, Arthur?” she continued, her gaze flicking to him like he was something precious. “You used to make these special, wolf-friendly meals for me nearly every day, until I got sick of them!” She laughed lightly, as if fondly reminiscing about some distant, golden age.

My claws pressed against my palm as I clenched my fists tight under the table. Her words dripped into my mind like acid.

“Is that true?” The question left my lips before I could stop myself. I turned my eyes to Arthur.

He hesitated. Just a flicker, a beat too long. Then finally, he answered, his voice casual as if it meant nothing at all. “Yes. It was a long time ago.”

A long time ago… The words echoed in my mind, making Grace’s growls grow louder in the back of my head. Our shared moments, my cherished memories, erased in an instant.

“You should really be thanking me, Audrey.” Victoria’s voice brushed through the tense silence like shattered glass. Her lips curled into a small, smug smile. “I trained him well, didn’t I?”

I lowered my fork and met her gaze head-on. My voice was sharp, cold as steel. “And how exactly should I thank you, Victoria? For teaching him? For grooming him to be your backup? Or is it for making him such a perfect lover for someone else?”

Her face flushed, and for a moment, her confidence faltered. She gasped dramatically, a hand flying to her chest. “Arthur! Do you see how she’s treating me?

After everything I’ve given up-”

Arthur’s palm slammed onto the table, silencing her mid-sentence. His dark eyes fixed on her, his voice sharp and final. “Enough, Victoria!”

The growl in his tone made even me flinch. Victoria, though, let out a soft sob, casting herself as the victim as always.

“I thought we were friends!” she whimpered, her tears falling now. “I thought you cared about me!”

“What we had ended the moment you married someone else,” Arthur said firmly, his tone unyielding.

“Whatever friendship we did have is long gone. From now on, if there is anything you need from me, contact Daniel Hayes. I don’t want you coming to the house again.”

Victoria’s face crumbled into a mix of heartbreak and fury. She stood abruptly, grabbing her coat with shaking hands. “Fine! I won’t bother you again. You can go ahead and forget everything we ever had!”

Arthur didn’t flinch. He watched her go, his expression unreadable. As her perfume-laced scent faded from the room, a heavy silence filled the space.

I didn’t speak. I was afraid of what I might say-or scream-if I did.

The rest of the day felt surreal. Arthur didn’t leave my side once.

He accompanied me to the pack garden, walking silently beside me as I checked the health of the plants. He helped me feed the wolves in the sanctuary, even taking the time to gently play with the younger ones. He stayed near me as I completed my duties, never rushing me or acting distracted.

It was as though he understood, without a single word spoken, how close we had come to the breaking point.

That evening, as I prepared to take my supplements,

Arthur’s sharp eyes caught the movement.

She rolled her eyes but waved a hand over her offerings. “Special herbal tea for werewolf mothers.

No excuses!”

I blinked. “Mother? Since when are you the pack’s mother hen?”

Her lips twitched into a half-smile. “Don’t test me, Audrey. You know you’re bad at taking care of yourself, so someone has to do it.”

I laughed, shaking my head at her predictably stubborn concern.

Her expression softened, however, as she set a steaming cup of tea in front of me. “Speaking of mothers… your parents’ death anniversary is coming up, isn’t it?”

The laughter faded from my lips. My fingers ran over the rim of the mug, lost in thought.

“Yes,” I said quietly.

Sarah hesitated before speaking again. “You know… maybe you should take Arthur with you this year. To their memorial.”

She didn’t need to say more. I knew what she meant.

Though the sacred wolf grounds were deeply personal to me, perhaps sharing that part of myself with Arthur would begin to close the gap that had always existed between us.

“I will,” I said finally, my voice steadier this time.

Sarah smiled softly, satisfied with my answer. She gave my hand a supportive squeeze before busying herself with organizing the long list of teas and remedies she had brought for me.

As she worked, I couldn’t help thinking about Saturday’s visit to the healer and the sacred grounds.

Perhaps it was time to stop holding pieces of myself back and reveal the truth-about my parents, my pain, and the life growing inside me.

I only prayed Arthur was ready to hear it.