Alpha’s Regret After His Pregnant Luna Left Chapter 180

(Audrey’s POV)

As soon as the Pack Beta announced Emma’s return, Mrs. Shadowcrest’s eyes darted across the hall. She locked her gaze on her husband and practically yanked him by the arm.

“Come, dear, we must greet them properly,” she whispered loudly enough for those nearby to hear.

The excitement in her voice was unmistakable. She straightened her expensive pack robes and touched her hair, as if preparing for an important photograph rather than a pack meeting.

Sarah nudged me with her elbow. “This should be good,” she murmured, fighting to keep her expression neutral.

Within moments, a noticeable commotion rose from the entrance of the banquet hall. Heads turned and conversations faltered as the new arrivals made their entrance.

Arthur Moonstone stepped into the hall first, his presence commanding immediate attention. He wore a formal black pack Alpha attire that emphasized his broad shoulders and tall frame. His obsidian eyes swept the room with practiced detachment, his noble features set in that familiar cold expression I knew so well.

Julian Reed followed half a step behind him-the perfect Beta position. The easy rapport between them was visible to anyone with pack experience. Emma and her parents flanked them, the Shadowcrests practically glowing with self-satisfaction.

A hush fell over the gathering as recognition dawned on the assembled wolves. This was Arthur Moonstone-former Alpha of Moonstone Pack, now revealed as the mysterious Northern Alliance Alpha.

The same Arthur Moonstone whom the Shadowcrests had quite publicly rejected as a mate for their daughter just days ago.

I felt a twisted sense of satisfaction at the irony. Overnight, the pack dynamics had completely inverted: the formerly spurned Alpha now held all the cards in this territorial game.

Several curious she-wolves drifted toward Mrs. Shadowcrest, their expressions a mixture of schadenfreude and genuine confusion.

“Alpha Moonstone must be here for Emma, right?” one whispered, loud enough for others to hear. “He was just rejected by your pack, wasn’t he?”

Mrs. Shadowcrest’s smile remained fixed, though her eyes flashed with momentary discomfort. She recovered quickly, her voice dripping with false modesty.

“Why bring up the past?” she replied, waving a dismissive hand. “I was far too impulsive back then-and nearly lost Emma a perfect mate marking. Fortunately, Alpha Moonstone is both powerful and forgiving.”

Mr. Shadowcrest looked mortified. He cleared his throat loudly, nudging his wife with an embarrassed cough.

“My dear, perhaps we shouldn’t presume Alpha Moonstone’s intentions,” he muttered through clenched teeth.

Turning to Arthur, he adopted a more dignified tone, though I could hear the strain behind his words.

“Alpha Moonstone, I never imagined Northern Alliance belonged to you as well. Youth truly overwhelms age.” His voice carried both awe and entreaty. “I only hope you’ll show leniency toward the Shadowcrest Pack in future territory negotiations.”

The subtext was clear to everyone. Northern Alliance’s relentless territorial acquisition had already seriously endangered the Shadowcrest family’s hold on its most crucial hunting grounds. This wasn’t just a social call-it was about survival.

Julian’s thin smile didn’t reach his eyes as he stepped forward slightly.

“Alpha Shadowcrest,” he said smoothly, “talk of mercy is all well and good. But when Emma pressed so mercilessly on Alpha Moonstone before, you gave her no heed.”

The words hung in the air, casting the Shadowcrests into uncomfortable silence. Several nearby wolves exchanged glances, enjoying the public humbling of the typically arrogant family.

Mr. Shadowcrest forced a wry grin, knowing when to surrender with grace.

“Emma is young, reckless, and lacked restraint,” he conceded, throwing his daughter under the bus without hesitation. “Rest assured, we won’t ever again bring up mate marking alliances.”

From where I stood, I could see Emma’s face flush with humiliation. First her grandmother, now her father-everyone seemed eager to sacrifice her dignity to salvage the pack’s standing.

Mrs. Shadowcrest, however, wasn’t ready to abandon her ambitions. She grabbed Emma’s arm and practically dragged her forward, maternal determination overriding any sense of decorum.

“Arthur,” she addressed him directly, dropping all pretense of formality, “my earlier decision to reject the mate marking had nothing to do with Emma. It was her father and I who felt you weren’t in the right frame of mind for forming a bond.”

Emma looked like she wanted the floor to swallow her whole as her mother continued.

“But Emma has never stopped thinking of you,” Mrs. Shadowcrest insisted, her voice honey-sweet. “Several times she wanted to run to your territory herself, afraid she might trouble you.”

I nearly choked on my moonlight wine at this blatant rewriting of history. Sarah had to bite her lip to keep from laughing aloud.

Julian’s expression shifted to undisguised irritation. He cut through Mrs. Shadowcrest’s elaborate fiction with surgical precision.

“Mrs. Shadowcrest,” he said sharply, “no part of Alpha Moonstone’s presence here today has anything at all to do with Emma.”

Mrs. Shadowcrest’s smile faltered. Her confident posture began to crumble as she realized her carefully constructed narrative was unraveling.

Arthur’s gaze dropped to his pack emblem momentarily. When he looked up, his voice was crisp and low, carrying easily across the silent room.

“I’m not here under any pretense. I’m here to reclaim my mate.”

Each syllable landed like an icy slap across the mother and daughter’s faces. Several gasps echoed through the hall as wolves realized the implications.

Emma’s eyes filled with tears-not from heartbreak, but from the crushing humiliation of being part of her family’s very public theater. All her mother’s scheming had led to this moment of complete mortification.

“Mom,” she choked out, grabbing her mother’s arm with trembling fingers. “Why do you have to make me look like a fool?”

Without waiting for a reply, she turned and fled into the night corridor. Mrs. Shadowcrest hurried after her, presumably to offer some cold comfort and further manipulation.

The banquet hall fell into stunned silence. Wolves exchanged meaningful glances, this unexpected drama providing fodder for pack gossip that would last for moon cycles.

Sarah leaned close to me, her voice barely audible. “Are you okay?”

I nodded automatically, though my heart raced uncomfortably in my chest. Arthur’s declaration had caught me completely off guard. Not the fact that he wanted me back-he’d made that clear in our previous encounters-but the public nature of his claim, delivered in front of the pack’s most influential wolves.

Just then, Elder Shadowcrest appeared at the entrance to the banquet hall, leading Serena Shadowcrest by the hand. The elderly she-wolf’s dignity was a sharp contrast to her daughter-in-law’s desperate maneuvering.

The pack Beta had undoubtedly informed her of the unfolding debacle. Rather than fan the flames of embarrassment, she approached Arthur with grace, then beckoned me forward with a gentle motion of her hand.

“Audrey,” she said, her tone both grave and gentle as I reluctantly joined them. “The blame for what happened lies squarely with the Shadowcrest Pack. Our own recklessness has brought us low.”

I felt a sudden pang of sympathy for the elderly she-wolf. Though she maintained distance from Mrs. Shadowcrest and Emma, she bore the weight of the entire pack’s honor.

“Child,” she continued, patting my hand affectionately, “Arthur is a remarkable Alpha. Now that he’s determined to pursue his mate, it won’t be as simple as you think.”

Arthur bowed his head respectfully toward the pack elder. “You are right, Elder.”

He paused, his dark eyes glinting with unwavering resolve as they settled on me. Something in his expression made my wolf stir restlessly within me.

“This time,” he said with quiet intensity, “I will not let her down.”

I fought the urge to roll my eyes. I’d heard similar promises before, only to be disappointed time and again.

Having achieved my main purpose for the evening-making connections for Winter’s Remedy-I decided it was time to retreat. The drama unfolding around me was one I had no desire to participate in.

I moved toward a quieter corner of the banquet hall, intending to observe from a safe distance until I could politely make my exit.

Before I could settle, I heard footsteps behind me. Recognizing the distinctive cadence that had once been so familiar, I turned around impatiently.

Arthur stood there, his unyielding gaze fixed on me with predatory focus.

“We’ve severed our mate bond,” I stated flatly, cutting to the chase.

“I thought you were going to say something.” Arthur’s lips curved into a slight smile. “Even after severing a bond, we can form a new one; the Pack Council office is right over there-you can’t run away.”