Alpha’s Regret After His Pregnant Luna Left novel Chapter 90

(Audrey’s POV)

At night, I drifted into a deep sleep on my hospital cot, and something brushed my cheek in my sleep-so soft it might have been imagination.

“Little wolf, how could you be so foolish as to believe everything you were told.”

The whispered words drifted through my semiconscious mind. I tried to open my eyes, but exhaustion pulled me back under. My wolf stirred uneasily within me, recognizing something familiar in that touch, that voice. But sleep reclaimed me before I could fully process what I’d heard.

When morning light finally penetrated the hospital room window, I blinked awake, disoriented. The dream-if it was a dream-lingered like a ghost at the edges of my memory.

The door swung open, and Daniel Hayes entered carrying a tray laden with food and a mountain of paperwork.

“Good morning, Luna,” he greeted me, setting the breakfast on the small table. “Alpha’s meal, as requested by the healers.”

Arthur was already awake, sitting up in bed with that irritating Alpha composure, as if he hadn’t been severely injured by silver just yesterday. Despite everything, I couldn’t deny he looked good-his dark hair slightly disheveled, jawline sharp as ever.

“Still manipulative as always,” I muttered under my breath, reaching for a piece of toast.

Arthur’s lips quirked. “I heard that.”

“You were meant to,” I replied, biting into the toast with more force than necessary.

Daniel cleared his throat uncomfortably. “I’ve brought the documents requiring your immediate attention, Alpha. The territory negotiations with Marcus Blackclaw, the exile papers for Victoria, and several pack matters that can’t wait.”

Arthur nodded, his expression turning serious as he accepted the stack of papers. The mention of Victoria’s exile sent a small thrill through me. Was he actually following through?

I watched him sign the documents with steady strokes, his face unreadable. After a moment, I pulled out my phone, messaging George Thompson about bringing the scent analysis results to my territory house later.

“I’m leaving,” I announced, standing up and gathering my things.

Arthur looked up sharply. “Where are you going?”

“Home,” I replied simply. “I’ll be back later with… a surprise.”

His eyes narrowed, Alpha presence intensifying slightly. “What kind of surprise?”

I hesitated, uncertain how much to reveal about my suspicions regarding Victoria’s involvement in Elder William’s death.

“The kind that might change things,” I said vaguely. “Just focus on healing.”

Arthur’s jaw tightened. “Audrey, if this is about Victoria-”

“It’s important,” I insisted. “But I need to confirm something first.”

He studied me for a long moment before nodding reluctantly. “Don’t disappear again.”

The concern in his voice almost sounded genuine. Almost.

I slipped out of the room before I could be swayed by whatever game Arthur was playing. The medical center hallways were bustling with activity, pack healers moving efficiently between rooms.

Outside, I inhaled deeply, savoring the fresh morning air after the antiseptic smell of the hospital. I pulled out my phone to call for a ride when a sleek black SUV with the unmistakable Snowfang Pack emblem pulled up in front of me.

The window rolled down, revealing a striking young she-wolf with calculating eyes. Her hair was pulled back in a severe style that somehow made her delicate features look sharper.

“Audrey Winter?” she asked, her voice cool and measured.

I tensed immediately. “Who’s asking?”

“Lydia Snowfang,” she replied, studying me with uncomfortable intensity. “Nathan’s stepsister.”

I took an instinctive step back. “How do I know you’re telling the truth?”

A small smile played at her lips. “Nathan was on a call with you when you were kidnapped yesterday. He still wears that ridiculous red wolfsbane bracelet you made him during the Inter-Pack Academy herbology project-the one everyone else threw away because the dye stained their fur.”

I blinked in surprise. Very few people knew about that embarrassing project failure.

“What do you want?” I asked cautiously.

“To help Nathan,” she replied, her expression softening slightly. “And by extension, you. Get in.”

Against my better judgment, I slid into the passenger seat.

Lydia drove with practiced precision, navigating through pack territories with the confidence of someone who knew exactly where every boundary lay.

“Where are we going?” I asked as we entered Snowfang territory.

“My home,” she replied. “Our home, I should say-mine and Nathan’s.”

I watched the landscape change around us-the elegant, old-money aesthetic of the Snowfang Pack territory with its ancient trees and traditional architecture. It was a stark contrast to the modern luxury of the Moonstone Pack lands.

“I have something to ask of you,” Lydia admitted, breaking the silence as we approached an imposing estate.

The mansion before us was built in the traditional pack style-magnificent yet understated, speaking of wealth earned generations ago. Guards nodded respectfully to Lydia as we passed.

Elizabeth struck him across the face, the sound echoing through the chamber. Nathan barely moved, accepting the blow without flinching.

“Then you leave me no choice,” Elizabeth declared coldly. “You will accept the mate bond with Selene Stormheart. Her northern pack’s protection is the only thing that will shield us from the consequences of your foolishness.”

Lydia pulled me away from the door, guiding me quickly down the hallway into a small study.

“Now do you understand?” she asked, her voice urgent.

“No,” I admitted, still reeling from what I’d witnessed. “Why would Nathan risk so much for me? And why are you showing me this?”

Lydia sank into a chair, suddenly looking tired. “Our pack’s wealth wasn’t always… ethically obtained. My mother-Nathan’s stepmother-built alliances through whatever means necessary after she took control.”

“After she murdered Nathan’s mother,” I added, remembering what Nathan had told me.

Lydia flinched but didn’t deny it. “Nathan’s actions brought unwanted attention to connections that operate in the shadows. Elizabeth can’t forgive that.”

“And the arranged mating?” I asked.

“A punishment disguised as a solution,” Lydia explained. “Selene Stormheart’s pack is powerful but cruel. Nathan would be miserable, but the alliance would protect us from scrutiny.”

I struggled to reconcile the Nathan I knew-gentle, principled-with the heir to this complicated legacy.

“Why are you telling me this?” I demanded.

Lydia’s eyes met mine directly. “I care about my stepbrother. Despite everything, he’s the only decent wolf in this family.” She leaned forward. “I need you to convince him to accept the arrangement.”

I stared at her in disbelief. “You want me to persuade him to enter a loveless mate bond as punishment for helping me?”

“I want him alive and unharmed,” Lydia countered sharply. “Elizabeth’s patience is running thin. If Nathan continues to defy her, I fear what she might do.”

The weight of her words settled heavily on my shoulders. Nathan had put himself at risk for me, and now his stepsister was asking me to help condemn him to a life with someone he didn’t love.

“He’s been in love with a marked she-wolf for years,” I said softly. “Everyone at the Academy knew it. He deserves to bond for love.”

Lydia’s expression changed subtly. “And do you know who that she-wolf is, Audrey?”

I shook my head. “No, he never told me her name.”

Lydia nodded, something like disappointment flashing in her eyes. “I see.”