Alpha’s Regret: Luna Won’t Come Back

Chapter 5 - Temptation

Liam’s POV.

I stared at Melissa, my mind far from clear. Pain, disappointment, and betrayal were etched plainly into her face. Her eyes were red-rimmed and glossy, glistening with tears she stubbornly refused to shed.

I opened my mouth, only for the words to die in my throat. The truth was, this wasn’t how I had wanted things to happen. I had always intended to tell her. I never planned to keep her in the dark forever.

Melissa deserved to know.

But every time I thought about telling her, the timing never felt right. There was always another problem to deal with.

After the miscarriage, she had been drowning in grief. When she finally began smiling again, I couldn’t find it in myself to add more to the burden on her plate.

Then, there were the pack matters and the responsibilities that demanded my attention. Another excuse to put the conversation off until tomorrow. And tomorrow had eventually turned into weeks, then months until the secret had grown so large that I no longer knew how to bring it up without hurting her.

Maybe that was the real problem. I hadn’t been waiting for the right time. I had been waiting for an easier time.

Staring at her now, I wasn’t sure whether I had been protecting Melissa… or protecting myself.

I had always known her reaction would be this intense. I knew she would be furious. I knew she would feel betrayed. She didn’t understand my intentions. To her, the damage had already been done. And perhaps that was why I kept delaying the conversation. I realized there had never been an easy way to tell her.

As Alpha, I could face rogue attacks and threats from rival packs. But Melissa’s tears? That was something I had never known how to face.

Then, without warning, she turned around and ran out of the office. I shot to my feet immediately. My chair tilted from the force of my movement and nearly crashed to the floor.

“Melissa!”

There was only one thing on my mind— to go after her. I needed to talk to her. I needed to explain everything. But before I could reach the door, someone grabbed my arm.

My jaw tightened as I turned to see Warren. “Let go of me,” I warned coldly.

He didn’t budge. “Give her some space first. Did you hear what she said? Did you see her reaction?” he asked. “She’s not going to accept this so easily. She needs time to process everything she’s just learned.”

I stiffened as I realized he had a point, but it did nothing to lessen my urge to chase after Melissa.

“Approaching her right now wouldn’t help,” Warren continued. “For now, give her some time, Liam. She’s angry and hurting, and she has every right to feel that way.”

“I’m worried she might do something rash,” I admitted.

He shook his head and patted my shoulder. “Don’t worry. Melissa isn't impulsive,” he assured me. “Maybe it would be better if Amber talked to her.”

I let out a frustrated sigh and glanced over at Amber, who was still standing off to the side, staring at the door Melissa had stormed through. She looked shaken by what had happened as well.

“Amber,” I called.

She instantly straightened and turned her attention to me. “Alpha,” she acknowledged with a bow.

“Follow Melissa,” I instructed. She nodded and hurried out of the office within seconds.

I sank back into my swivel chair and clasped my hands together on top of my desk, my thoughts consumed by Melissa.

For the first time in years, I felt utterly powerless as an Alpha because there was one battle I couldn’t win. The battle I had started within the heart of the woman who meant the most to me.

***

Vicky’s POV.

I walked silently out of the Alpha estate alongside my older brother, Hall. He had already excused us from Alpha Liam, since Alpha Liam was no longer in the mood to continue our earlier discussion about the surrogacy.

The sun was setting, its golden hues spilling over the landscape and warming my skin. Normally, the sight of the sunset would have been beautiful. But today, all I could picture was Luna Melissa’s face filled with pain and anger.

Without realizing it, I tightened my grip on the hem of my dress and bit my lip hard.

“Hall…” I murmured.

He glanced at me with a frown. “What is it? Is there a problem?”

I hesitated, but the question had been running in my mind for several minutes now.

Stopping in my tracks, I turned to face him. “I don't think I should be doing this… as it was harming Luna,” I began.

The scene in the office replayed in my mind. I never wanted things to turn out that way.

At first, I truly believed I was doing this for the pack. For everyone’s future. For the heir the Alpha needed. But after seeing Luna Melissa’s reaction earlier, I felt guilt in my chest. I suddenly wanted to back out.

“And besides, Alpha Liam doesn’t like me,” I continued, lowering my gaze. “Even if I bear the surrogate child, it belongs to them.”

He burst out laughing and resumed walking, urging me to follow after him. I frowned in confusion. That wasn’t the reaction I had expected.

“Who says it belongs to them?” he replied after a moment, wearing a smile I didn’t particularly like. “That child will be yours too. The baby will carry your blood and flesh.”

“But, brother—”

“Vicky, you’re too kind.”

The tone of his voice made it impossible to tell whether it was praise or criticism.

“Do you know what your problem is?” he asked with a grin.

I blinked. “H-Huh? What?”

When we reached his car, he turned to face me, his expression suddenly serious.

“Vicky, you need to recognize your merits. You’re beautiful, charming, and you’re capable of bearing Alpha’s heir. Aren’t you better than Melissa?”

“What do you mean?” I asked curiously.

His smile widened, full of confidence. “Melissa has a strong personality,” he said, folding his arms across his chest. “You saw her earlier. Do you really think she’ll accept what happened? Do you think she’ll stay?”

I couldn’t answer. I honestly didn’t know. But if I were in her position, I wasn’t sure I could endure it either. Perhaps not.

“Eventually, she’ll leave,” he added with a shrug. “And when that happens, who will remain?”

I lifted my head and stared at him, unable to speak. He merely smirked.

“You.”

A voice whispered deep inside my mind— a voice I had spent years trying to silence.

I shook my head violently. I didn’t want to think about where this conversation was leading. This was wrong. How could I even entertain such thoughts?

Alpha Liam belonged to Luna Melissa. He always had from the very beginning until now.

Yet no matter how hard I tried to deny it, I couldn’t ignore the truth. I had admired him for a very long time before this arrangement. I had always found myself watching him from afar.

I had always known those feelings were foolish. He only ever looked at Melissa. He only ever loved her. But now, I was carrying his child. That made my heart flutter a little.

“When you give birth to Liam’s heir, and since he is soft-hearted, he might just have you as his Luna,” Hall said. “I’m sure he won’t be able to abandon the mother of his child.”

My heart began to race at the thought. Luna… The title echoed in my mind. It was a position I had never dared to dream of. But as much as I wanted to reject Hall’s words, I couldn’t stop myself from imagining it just for a second.

“Vicky, you should be Luna,” Hall encouraged, his voice dangerously persuasive, as if he were planting the idea deeper into my mind. “You are the best choice…”