Alpha’s Regret After His Pregnant Luna Left Chapter 178

(Audrey’s POV)

I stood frozen in place as Serena Shadowcrest flung herself at Florian Stormhowl with surprising force, clinging to him like a drowning wolf. His body tensed visibly at the contact, his golden eyes flickering with something that looked like discomfort.

“But what have I got to feel guilty about?” I thought to myself as I watched them. “From beginning to end, I didn’t do anything wrong.”

My gaze swept over the group, taking in Elder Shadowcrest’s bright expression, Elder Stormhowl’s approving nod, and Mrs. Shadowcrest’s smug smile. Sarah stood beside me, her posture protective despite the elegant setting.

Florian’s fingers closed around Serena’s wrist, gently but firmly creating distance between them. His voice carried its usual calm detachment when he spoke.

“Run slower,” he said mildly, as if chiding a pack pup.

Serena’s pale face looked up at him, her eyes wide and blinking like a timid rabbit’s. There was something almost rehearsed about her vulnerability, though I couldn’t quite place why I felt that way.

“But I missed you so much!” she protested, her voice quavering with emotion. “You left so early yesterday; I haven’t seen you for almost twenty hours.”

Twenty hours. Not “since yesterday” or “since this morning,” but precisely twenty hours. The exactness struck me as oddly calculating for someone supposedly overwhelmed with feeling.

I suppressed my uncharitable thoughts, allowing only a faint curve to lift the corner of my lips. From the corner of my eye, I noticed Florian’s gaze shift toward me. When he saw my composed, emotionless mask, a flash of irritation crossed his features.

Good. Let him be irritated. Better that than pity.

Florian released Serena’s hand with a rakish grin, strolling over to greet the two elderly she-wolves with exaggerated charm. He then settled lazily on the sofa directly opposite me, lounging with the easy confidence of an Alpha in his prime.

“You could at least pretend to be more attentive,” Elder Stormhowl scolded, though her tone held more fondness than rebuke. “You brat, you ought to take better care of Serena-she’s only just returned to the pack…”

Elder Shadowcrest laughed, cutting off her friend’s lecture. “Why fuss so much? Serena’s in her own pack territory. There’s no need for Florian to coddle her.”

Her shrewd eyes darted between Florian and me before she added, “And from now on, Florian only needs to think of her as a pack sister. They’ve been apart so long there’s no real feeling to support a mate bond. Let these young wolves decide their own lives.”

The words dropped like stones into still water, sending ripples of tension through the room. Even Sarah shifted uncomfortably beside me. The notion of dissolving the intended mate arrangement-one that had stood for over five years-floated awkwardly between us all.

“You mean to call off the intended mate arrangement?” Elder Stormhowl balked, her eyes widening in surprise. “Florian has waited for Serena all these years…”

It became clear in that moment that Florian had discussed this plan with his grandmother but hadn’t informed the Shadowcrest pack. The realization made me nervous. Using me as an excuse to break an ancient pack arrangement would only bring me more enemies.

Elder Shadowcrest merely smiled, seemingly unconcerned by the brewing storm. “Why not hear from the young ones themselves? Childhood bonds don’t guarantee lifelong affection. We’re not stuck in old pack customs.”

Serena’s face had gone completely white, her fingers twisting anxiously in the fabric of her ceremonial robe. Before she could speak, the doors swung open dramatically.

Mrs. Shadowcrest swept in like a gust of cold wind, her elegant attire and perfect composure a stark contrast to the emotional tension in the room. She moved immediately to Serena, placing a gentle hand on her daughter’s cheek.

“Don’t worry,” she cooed in a voice dripping with false sweetness. “Florian only teases. He’s waited for you so many years-he wouldn’t actually break the mate arrangement.”

Serena’s timid “Mom…” died on her lips, her voice too weak to compete with her mother’s authoritative presence.

Florian seemed completely unbothered by the family drama unfolding before him. He flipped open his cellphone with casual indifference, his thumb moving quickly across the screen.

Moments later, my own phone vibrated in my pocket. Then again. And again.

I discreetly checked the screen:

Florian: I will handle it.

Florian: Audrey, answer me.

Florian: Running away again?

I sighed quietly, muting his messages. Was he serious? Serena Shadowcrest stood there in person, clearly distressed by the suggestion of breaking their arrangement, yet he was still messaging me right in front of her.

It made no sense. Was he still harboring doubts about her identity despite the bloodline verification? I refused to be provoked into this mess. This wasn’t my battle, and I wasn’t going to let him use me as an escape route.

My phone continued to vibrate silently in my hand, drawing Mrs. Shadowcrest’s attention. Her gaze locked onto the device with predatory focus, a cruel smile spreading across her perfect features.

“Ms. Winter,” she said loudly enough for everyone to hear, “you just severed your mate bond and your cell phone is already buzzing nonstop. How fast you find the next one.”

The attack was as expected as it was unwarranted. Sarah tensed beside me, ready to jump to my defense, but I placed a gentle hand on her arm to stop her. This was a battlefield I knew how to navigate.

“Not as swift as Emma Shadowcrest,” I replied with a cool smile. “I only just severed my mate bond; she’s already arranged to be marked-and broken off with my ex-mate.”

Mrs. Shadowcrest’s eyes flashed with fury at the mention of her other daughter’s failed mate marking ceremony. She opened her mouth to retort but seemed to think better of it, clearly aware of the pack elders watching the exchange with interest.

Elder Stormhowl frowned slightly, her attention caught by something else I’d said. “Audrey, so your ex-mate is Arthur Moonstone of the Moonstone Pack from Central Territory?”

“Yes,” I admitted simply, seeing no point in hiding what was already common knowledge.

I could practically hear the pack gossip line crackling with this confirmation. The severed mate of one Alpha now potentially involved with another? It was the kind of drama that fueled pack forum discussions for moon cycles.

Elder Shadowcrest, unfazed by the tension, glanced at her counterpart with mild annoyance. “Don’t drag me into their pack feud,” she chided. “I’m too old for such nonsense.”

Her subtle rebuke seemed aimed at Mrs. Shadowcrest’s dirty tactics, which brought me an unexpected moment of satisfaction.

Just then, Mrs. Shadowcrest’s cell phone buzzed with an incoming call. She answered immediately, her face lighting up with triumphant pleasure as she listened.

“What? Julian Reed is coming with his Alpha?” she exclaimed, her voice honeyed with excitement. “Excellent. I’ll arrange their welcome personally.”

After hanging up, she turned to me with undisguised malice. “Ms. Winter, you truly treat your ex-mate as a treasure. Our Emma might soon be the Northern Alliance Alpha’s Luna-or at least a proud pack Beta’s mate.”

The implied comparison was clear-Emma had moved on to better prospects while I remained alone, severed and unwanted.

A soft laugh escaped my lips before I could stop it. “Then let me congratulate Emma in advance.”

My mild response only seemed to infuriate Mrs. Shadowcrest further. Her perfect facade cracked, revealing the snarling wolf beneath.

“Cut the passive-aggressive act!” she growled, taking a threatening step toward me. “You’re simply jealous. She’s had one mate marking; that already puts her miles ahead of you!”

Sarah moved protectively closer to me, but before either of us could respond, Florian’s voice cut through the tension. He hadn’t moved from his lounging position on the sofa, but his words carried a cutting edge that silenced the room.

“It was when a she-wolf had no intelligence or beauty or ability, and was mediocre beyond mediocrity, that she would always use her pack status as a proud capital.”