Alpha’s Regret After His Pregnant Luna Left Chapter 189

(Audrey’s POV)

The Shadowcrest gathering hall felt suffocating as I sat beneath the weight of Mrs. Shadowcrest’s piercing gaze. Her demeanor had transformed from the anxious anger of previous nights to something far more chilling-cold mockery that made my skin crawl.

“Where are the bloodline verification ritual results that were supposed to come out today?” she demanded, her voice slicing through the tense silence.

Florian’s casual “Soon” only seemed to irritate her further. She turned to me, her lips curving into a cold smile that never reached her eyes.

“Ms. Winter,” she said, practically spitting my name, “once the report comes out, I have only one request: never set foot in our Shadowcrest territory again! You’ve thrown our pack into chaos with your absurd claims!”

I flinched at her venom, unable to defend myself against accusations I hadn’t even made. It was Florian who believed I might be Serena, not me.

“SILENCE!!” Elder Shadowcrest’s voice thundered through the hall with surprising power for her frail frame. She glared at her daughter-in-law with such intensity that Mrs. Shadowcrest actually took a step back.

Then the elderly she-wolf turned to me, her ancient eyes softening. “Audrey, don’t feel burdened. Elder Shadowcrest is here.”

Those simple words washed over me like a healing balm. No matter what happened today-whether I was Audrey or Serena-I wouldn’t face it alone. I had someone in my corner. The realization nearly brought tears to my eyes.

Mrs. Shadowcrest recovered quickly, her composure returning like a mask slipping back into place. “This is ridiculous,” she scoffed. “She obviously can’t be Serena.”

“How can you be so certain before seeing the results?” Florian asked, his golden eyes studying her with unsettling intensity.

A flicker of panic crossed Mrs. Shadowcrest’s face. “I-I’m not saying I know anything in advance,” she stammered, her usual confidence wavering momentarily. “I’m just saying it’s impossible. I would know my own daughter.”

She kept glancing toward the door, repeatedly checking the time on her pack device. “When exactly will the report arrive?” she pressed, her fingers drumming nervously against the polished table.

As if summoned by her impatience, a Beta wolf entered the hall. My heart leaped into my throat as he approached Florian with two documents in hand.

“Alpha Stormhowl,” the Beta said formally, “these came directly from Pack Verification Specialist Reed. They haven’t passed through anyone else’s paws, as you requested.”

The room fell silent as death. Every eye fixed on Florian as he accepted the documents. My palms grew sweaty, my pulse racing with anticipation.

Strangely, Mrs. Shadowcrest didn’t immediately demand to see the results. Instead, she waited, watching Florian’s face with unusual attentiveness.

Florian’s expression remained carefully neutral as he read the first document. Then he moved to the second, and I saw his features harden, the golden warmth in his eyes cooling to something dangerous.

“Florian?” I called anxiously, my voice barely above a whisper.

He squeezed my shoulder reassuringly without looking up. At that moment, his pack device vibrated. Whatever message he received made the corner of his mouth twitch into the faintest of smiles.

Mrs. Shadowcrest, mistaking Florian’s silence for resignation, allowed her smile to deepen. “You probably don’t understand the connection between a she-wolf and her pup,” she said smugly. “If Ms. Winter were my daughter, how could I not feel anything at all?”

Florian finally looked up, his golden eyes freezing her with their intensity. “I’m just wondering how you tampered with the results.”

Her expression tightened momentarily before she smoothed it away. “That’s a serious accusation, Alpha Stormhowl. I’ve done nothing wrong.”

“Pack Sister,” Florian said, his voice dripping with mocking formality as he tossed both reports onto the table. “I won’t fall for the same trick twice.”

He leaned back in his chair, his posture deceptively relaxed. “I prepared two bloodline verification rituals-one at the Stormhowl pack’s healing center and another sent to the Northern Wolf Council by territory messenger two nights before.”

Mrs. Shadowcrest’s face drained of color. Emma Shadowcrest, who had been silently watching the proceedings, suddenly sat forward.

“Are you saying the Northern Wolf Council’s test results contradict our local ones?” she asked, her voice sharp with alarm.

Florian’s lips curved into a cruel smile. “Ask your mother.”

The silence that followed was deafening. Elder Shadowcrest reached for both reports with trembling hands. She compared them briefly, then looked sharply at the she-wolf claiming to be Serena Shadowcrest.

“Beta,” she commanded the uniformed wolf standing at attention by the door, “keep this impostor under close watch in the guest den. And have Serena’s quarters thoroughly cleaned and disinfected. Serena loves cleanliness and doesn’t like strangers touching her things.”

The fake Serena’s composure cracked completely. Tears welled in her eyes as she looked desperately from me to Mrs. Shadowcrest to Emma. Finding no support, she fell to her knees before Florian.

“Alpha Stormhowl, please forgive me!” she pleaded, voice breaking. “I shouldn’t have been so presumptuous…”

Florian frowned, clearly uncomfortable with her display. “Seek help from whoever sent you,” he said coldly, turning away from her sniveling form.

Before the fake Serena could look elsewhere for support, Mrs. Shadowcrest barked, “Take her away!” to the Beta. Her voice had an edge of panic. “We should banish her from the territory immediately rather than keeping her here!”

Her eagerness to remove the evidence didn’t go unnoticed. Elder Shadowcrest’s eyes narrowed as she turned to Florian.

“What about the Northern Wolf Council’s test?” she asked. “When will those results arrive?”

“Five minutes,” Florian confirmed, checking his pack device.

We waited in tense silence. I watched the second hand of the wall clock tick painfully slowly, each moment stretching like an eternity. My hands were cold despite the warmth of the room, my heart pounding so frantically I worried others might hear it.

With two minutes remaining, Mrs. Shadowcrest seemed unable to contain herself. “Northern Wolf Council tests aren’t necessarily more accurate,” she said sharply. “For all we know, you’ve manipulated the results to suit your own purposes.”

Florian laughed-a genuine sound of amusement that echoed oddly in the tense room. “The Northern verification was conducted under constant surveillance,” he explained. “Scent markers were used as proof of identity verification. Would you like to see the recording?”

Mrs. Shadowcrest’s hatred toward me was palpable. Looking at her hostile expression, I felt a strange sadness wash over me. Could a mother and daughter truly despise each other to this degree? Even if I were Serena Shadowcrest, what kind of homecoming was this?

A howl communication interrupted my thoughts. Florian stepped out briefly to answer it, returning moments later with another sealed report in hand.

“Elder,” he said, approaching Elder Shadowcrest with unusual gentleness, “I already know the result. Please see for yourself.”

The implication was clear. My pulse thundered in my ears as Elder Shadowcrest looked at me with eyes full of love-reminiscent of how Elder William Moonstone had once looked at me, with that same mixture of pride and affection.

Her hands trembled as she reached for the report. I held my breath, the world narrowing to this single moment of truth.

Suddenly, Elder Shadowcrest doubled over, her small frame convulsing with pain. Blood spattered the pristine white tablecloth as she coughed violently.

In that split second, I noticed something strange-Emma Shadowcrest’s tightly clenched hand relaxing, her expression flickering with something that looked disturbingly like satisfaction.

“Elder!” I cried, rushing to her side. My own identity crisis forgotten in the face of her suffering.

With what seemed like her last ounce of strength, Elder Shadowcrest grabbed my arm. Her fingers dug into my skin with surprising force as she pulled me closer.

“It’s the grandma’s fault for not recognizing you like Florian did…” she whispered, her voice thick with remorse and pain.

The next moment, her grip went slack, her frail body slumping against me as she lost consciousness.