Alpha’s Regret After His Pregnant Luna Left novel Chapter 154

(Audrey’s POV)

I struggled against Arthur’s grip, but he only held me tighter, almost crushing me against his chest. His familiar scent surrounded me, making my wolf whimper despite my anger.

“I’ve been completely cooperative whether you announced mate marking or severance,” I said, my voice trembling with rage and hurt. “I thought we could go our separate ways from now on. But I didn’t expect that you couldn’t even tolerate my existence.”

“That’s not it!” Arthur’s voice was desperate as he pressed me closer. “Audrey, that’s not what I meant, please don’t get upset.”

I pushed against his chest with all my strength, finally creating enough space to look up at him.

“Then what did you mean?” I asked, my emerald eyes flashing. “Are you going to tell me you never intended to mark Emma Shadowcrest? That sending me to distant territories is somehow for my own benefit?”

My bitter laughter echoed in the quiet room. “I can’t forget you pointing that silver gun at me, Arthur. I can’t forget how easily you chose her over me.”

The memory of that moment in the basement with Marcus Blackclaw still haunted me – Arthur’s cold eyes as he aimed the gun at me instead of Emma. How could he expect me to trust him after that?

“I can’t forget how you protected Emma in front of Elder Shadowcrest just now,” I continued, my voice growing harder. “How quickly you jumped to her defense.”

I finally managed to create some distance between us, looking up into his dark eyes with all the hurt I’d been carrying.

“Maybe the Shadowcrest mother and daughter are right,” I continued, my voice softening with resignation. “You and I come from different worlds. Even living under the same pack territory, we’re like parallel lines-we never truly intersected.”

Arthur’s face contorted with what looked like genuine pain. His Alpha presence dimmed slightly, almost vulnerable.

“Audrey, it’s not like that. There’s so much you don’t understand.” His hands slid from my shoulders to grasp my hands, squeezing them almost painfully.

“Then explain it to me!” My patience snapped like a taut rope. “Make me understand! You keep saying to trust you, but you never actually tell me anything!”

“I can’t… not yet.” His jaw clenched tight. “I just need you to trust me one last time.”

“Trust you?” The words tasted like poison on my tongue. I pulled my hands from his grasp. “In three years as marked mates, you never even allowed me to have pups.”

The memory stung worse than any silver burn. Each time I’d brought up starting a family, Arthur had a new excuse. Too busy with pack matters. Not the right time. The territory wasn’t secure enough.

“Those could have been our pups,” I whispered, my voice breaking. “Our family. But you never wanted that with me, did you?”

Arthur’s expression changed, alarm mixing with something that looked almost like guilt.

“That was-” he began, reaching for me again.

A sharp knock on the door interrupted us. My heart leaped into my throat.

“Audrey Winter?” Florian Stormhowl’s voice called from the other side, lazy but insistent. “Are you in there?”

Panic flooded through me. We were on Shadowcrest pack territory, in what seemed to be a private area. If Florian found us together and told Emma…

Arthur seemed to have the same thought. His grip on me loosened immediately, his eyes suddenly alert and wary. “What is your relationship with him?” he asked, his voice low and tight with suspicion.

I looked at him incredulously, a hysterical laugh bubbling in my throat.

“Are you seriously asking me that right now?” I hissed. “If Emma finds out you were alone with me, your precious mate marking will be ruined!”

The moment the words left my mouth, Arthur released me completely, stepping back as if I’d scalded him. The Alpha who moments before was making promises and declarations now feared his intended mate discovering our interaction.

The transformation was so quick, so complete, that it told me everything I needed to know about where his true priorities lay.

I smoothed my clothes and took a deep breath before opening the door. Florian stood there, his golden eyes immediately moving from me to Arthur with obvious suspicion.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, leaning against the doorframe with practiced casualness that didn’t match the sharpness in his eyes.

“I… I got lost after breakfast,” I stammered, hating how unconvincing I sounded. “This place is enormous.”

Florian’s eyes narrowed, his wolf presence expanding slightly as if testing the truth of my words. “This area is off-limits to irrelevant wolves,” he said, his tone unusually serious. “You shouldn’t be here.”

As Arthur silently slipped past us into the corridor, Florian’s gaze followed him, cold and calculating. Once Arthur was out of sight, Florian carefully locked the door and changed the access mark with surprising reverence.

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