Alpha’s Regret After His Pregnant Luna Left novel Chapter 96

(Audrey’s POV)

“Look!” I grabbed Sarah’s arm, my wolf senses suddenly on high alert. “That’s Richard Moonstone and Victoria going into the Moon Shadow Hotel.”

Sarah slowed the car, pulling over to the curb. I couldn’t believe my eyes. There they were-Arthur’s father and his stepsister-entering the luxurious hotel together. Richard’s hand rested possessively on Victoria’s lower back, his fingers splayed in a way that made my skin crawl. No stepfather should touch his stepdaughter that way. Victoria leaned into his touch, her body language intimate and familiar.

“Are you sure it’s them?” Sarah asked, squinting through the windshield.

“Positive.” My wolf confirmed it, recognizing their scents even from this distance. “Look at how he’s touching her.”

Sarah’s eyes widened. “That’s… disturbing.”

“We need to follow them,” I said, already opening my door. “This could be the proof I need.”

“Wait.” Sarah grabbed my arm. “Let’s think this through. If we’re caught spying on them…”

“I don’t care anymore,” I replied firmly. “Arthur refused to believe me about Katherine and Elder William. Maybe he’ll believe this.”

We hurried across the street, entering the grand lobby of the Moon Shadow Hotel. The place exuded luxury-crystal chandeliers, marble floors, and discreet staff trained to respect the privacy of their high-ranking werewolf clientele. But Richard and Victoria were nowhere to be seen.

“They must have gone up already,” I whispered, scanning the lobby.

Sarah nodded toward the reception desk. “Let me try something.”

I followed her to where a professionally dressed beta wolf was typing at a computer. The nameplate on her desk identified her as “Melissa Hansen, Guest Relations Manager.”

“Excuse me,” Sarah began, her voice trembling slightly. “I’m looking for my father. I think he came in here a few minutes ago.”

The receptionist looked up with a practiced smile. “I’d be happy to help. What’s your father’s name?”

“Richard,” Sarah said, letting her eyes fill with tears. “He was with… a young woman. Not my mother.”

Melissa’s expression remained professionally neutral. “I’m sorry, but I can’t disclose information about our guests.”

“Please,” Sarah begged, really selling the distressed daughter act. “My mother is in the hospital. She just woke up from a coma, and now my father is…” She trailed off, sniffling dramatically.

I had to admire Sarah’s performance. She’d captured the essence of a heartbroken daughter witnessing her father’s betrayal perfectly. But the receptionist remained unmoved.

“I understand your concern, but we have strict privacy policies,” Melissa replied.

Sarah’s demeanor changed instantly, dropping the act. “Fine. We know Richard Moonstone and Victoria just came in here. We saw them.”

The receptionist’s expression didn’t change, but I caught the slight flaring of her nostrils-a wolf’s instinctive reaction when confronted with an unexpected challenge.

“I haven’t seen anyone fitting that description enter the hotel,” she said smoothly.

I stepped forward. “We both saw them. Our wolf senses confirmed it.”

“Perhaps you were mistaken,” she suggested, her tone professional but dismissive. “The lobby has been quiet for the past twenty minutes.”

We were getting nowhere. Either she genuinely hadn’t seen them, or-more likely-she was paid well to protect the privacy of wolves like Richard Moonstone.

“Come on,” I muttered to Sarah. “Let’s go.”

Back in the car, I pulled out my phone and dialed Daniel Hayes’ number. He answered on the third ring.

“Luna,” he greeted me formally. “How can I assist you?”

I winced at the title. Soon I wouldn’t be Luna of anything. “Daniel, is Victoria still at the hospital with Katherine?”

There was a brief pause. “No, Luna. She left approximately an hour ago.”

“Did she say where she was going?”

“She mentioned needing rest at her own residence.” Daniel’s tone was carefully neutral. “May I ask why you’re inquiring?”

“So,” Sarah began, taking a sip of her cocktail. “How did it feel when you initiated the mate bond severance with Arthur?”

The question caught me off guard. “Why do you ask?”

“Just curious,” she shrugged. “I’ve never been mate-bonded, so I don’t know what it’s like to break one.”

I traced the rim of my glass, considering my answer. “Sad. Relieving. Both at once.”

“Sad because you still love him?” Sarah probed gently.

“Sad because of what could have been,” I corrected her. “Sad because he chose Victoria over our unborn pups. Sad because I wasted eight years loving someone who never really saw me.”

Sarah nodded sympathetically. “And the relief?”

“Relief that I don’t have to live with the constant betrayal anymore,” I explained. “Relief that soon I won’t be tied to a wolf who doesn’t value me.”

“And now?” Sarah asked. “What’s the ratio of sad to relieved?”

I considered this carefully, taking a slow sip of my drink. “Even, I think. Maybe slightly more relief than sadness. I’m learning to let go of those eight years.”

“Good,” Sarah said firmly. “He doesn’t deserve your love.”

“You know what I’ve realized?” I mused, watching the wolves dancing without a care in the world. “The most stable relationship between werewolves is no relationship at all. No pack ties, no mate bonds-nothing to complicate things.”

A warm hand landed on my shoulder, startling me. A deep, familiar voice spoke from behind me:

“What no relationship?”

I turned sharply, my drink sloshing in its glass, to find myself looking up into Nathan Snowfang’s piercing blue eyes.