the alpha's Regret

The Ghost Returns

Chapter Two: The Ghost Returns

The morning Seraphina returned, the air changed.

Maya felt it before she saw it—a shift in the pack's energy, a ripple of whispers that spread through the halls like wildfire. Wolves who usually greeted her with warm smiles now looked away. Eyes darted. Voices dropped to hushed murmurs.

Something was wrong…

Maya found Hilda in the kitchen, scrubbing the same pot for ten minutes. The omega's hands trembled. Her face was pale..

Hilda? Maya touched her shoulder. What's happening?

Hilda flinched. She wouldn't meet Maya's eyes. Nothing, Luna. Nothing at all.

But Maya knew better. She'd been a Luna for three years. She could read her pack like a second language.

She walked toward the great hall. Her heart pounded with each step. She didn't know why. She just knew something was coming.

Something bad..

The great hall was crowded. Wolves packed the room, shoulder to shoulder, their eyes fixed on the center. Maya pushed through the crowd, her stomach tight.

And then she saw her.

A woman stood beside Xavier, her hand resting on his arm like she owned him. She was beautiful in a cold, untouchable way..raven hair falling in silken waves, ice-blue eyes that swept the room with barely concealed contempt. Her dress was expensive. Her smile was sharper than a blade.

Seraphina.

Maya's wolf, Kaelen, snarled. Danger. Threat. Rival.

The woman from Xavier's nightmares. The name he whispered in his sleep. The ghost that had haunted their marriage for three years.

And she was here. In the flesh. Touching Maya's mate.

Xavier looked up. His grey eyes found Maya. For a moment, something flickered across his face.guilt? Fear? Then it vanished. He smiled. A warm, welcoming smile he hadn't given Maya in months.

Maya, he said. Come. There's someone I want you to meet.

Maya's feet carried her forward. She didn't want to go. Every instinct screamed at her to run, to shift, to tear that woman's hand off her mate's arm. But she was Luna. Luna didn't run. Luna didn't show weakness.

She stopped in front of them. Her chin was lifted. Her back was straight.

Seraphina, she said. Her voice was calm. Even. A mask. Xavier has told me so much about you.

Seraphina's smile widened. It didn't reach her eyes. Has he? I hope only good things. She tilted her head, studying Maya like a wolf sizing up prey. You're exactly as I imagined. Beautiful. Dutiful. The perfect Luna.

The words should have been a compliment. But Seraphina's tone made them sound like an insult. Perfect. Dutiful. A pretty placeholder.

Maya's claws pricked her palms. She kept her face still.

Seraphina has been traveling, Xavier said. His voice was too bright. Too eager. She's come back to visit. Reconnect with old friends.

Reconnect with you, Maya's mind whispered. She's come back for you.

"Of course,.Maya said. You're welcome here, Seraphina. Any friend of Xavier's is a friend of the pack.

Seraphina laughed.a musical, practiced sound. How generous of you, Luna. I hope we can become... friends.

The way she said friends made Maya's skin crawl.

The days that followed were torture.

Seraphina didn't leave. She lingered in the pack house like a shadow, always present, always watching. She joined meals. She walked the grounds. She sat beside Xavier at every meeting, her hand brushing his arm, her voice soft in his ear.

And Xavier... Xavier changed.

He laughed more. Smiled more. His grey eyes followed Seraphina everywhere. He remembered her favorite foods. Her favorite songs. He told stories of their childhood, their adventures, their past—a past Maya had never been part of.

Maya watched it all. She felt herself fading. Shrinking. Becoming invisible.

She tried harder. She cooked his favorite meals. She planned romantic evenings. She wore the dresses he used to love.

He barely noticed.

I'm tired, he'd say. Or, Pack business.or, Not tonight, Maya.

His touches became fewer. His kisses became colder. At night, he rolled away from her in bed, seeking the cold edge. She lay in the darkness, her hand pressed to her belly, feeling the tiny flutter of life inside her.

I'll tell him soon, she told herself. When Seraphina leaves. When things go back to normal.

But Seraphina wasn't leaving. And things weren't going back to normal.

The breaking point came on a Thursday.

Maya was walking toward Xavier's study, a tray of warm tea in her hands. She'd made it herself.his favorite blend, with honey and a hint of mint. She wanted to surprise him. Show him she still cared. Still loved. Still fought for them.

She was ten feet from the door when she heard voices.

Xavier, be reasonable. Seraphina's voice. Soft. Persuasive. "You can't honestly tell me you're happy with her.

Seraphina, don't

I'm not trying to hurt you. I'm telling you the truth. You deserve a true mate. Not someone who tricked you into bonding.

Maya froze. Her hand tightened on the tray. The tea sloshed.

She's... she's good to me, Xavier said. His voice was hesitant. Weak. "She's a good Luna.

Good, Seraphina laughed. She's good. That's not love, Xavier. That's convenient. You settled for her because I left. Admit it.

A long silence.

Maya's heart pounded so loudly she was sure they could hear it.

I didn't... I didn't mean to hurt her, Xavier finally said. She was just... there. I was broken. She was kind. It was easy.

Easy. He'd called their marriage easy.

I know, my love. Seraphina's voice was tender. Almost loving. You were grieving. You made a mistake. But you don't have to keep making it. I'm back now. We can fix this. We can be us again.

Another silence. Longer this time.

Then Xavier spoke. His voice was quiet. Broken. "Do you think she really used scent-masking? Do you think she tricked me?

No, Maya screamed inside her head. No, I never have. I loved you. I gave you everything. I'm carrying your pup.

I think you need to find out, Seraphina said smoothly. For your own peace. For the pack's peace. You can't let a liar stay as Luna.

The tray slipped from Maya's hands.

It crashed to the floor. Tea splattered everywhere. The sound echoed through the hall like a gunshot.

The study door flew open.

Xavier stood there. His grey eyes were wide. Guilty. Behind him, Seraphina smiled,cold, triumphant, satisfied.

Maya, Xavier said. I didn't... we were just...

Maya didn't wait to hear the rest.

She turned. She walked. She didn't run. She was Luna.. Luna didn't run.

But her heart shattered into a thousand pieces with every step.

That night, Maya lay in bed. Xavier was beside her, but he might as well have been a thousand miles away.

She stared at the ceiling. Count the cracks. The same cracks she'd counted a month ago, when she'd first discovered she was pregnant.

So much has changed since then. So much had broken.

Xavier reached for her. His hand touched her shoulder. She tensed.

Maya, he whispered. I'm sorry about today. Seraphina and I were just... catching up. It wasn't what it looked like.

It wasn't what it looked like. He'd just called their marriage easy. A mistake. He'd questioned whether she'd tricked him.

What were you talking about? Maya's voice was hollow. She didn't recognize it.

"Nothing important. Xavier's hand squeezed her shoulder. "Seraphina just... she's been through a lot. She needed someone to talk to..

Liar, Kaelen snarled. He's lying to us.

Maya turned toward him. In the darkness, his face was half-shadowed. She could barely read his expression.

Xavier, she said slowly. Do you love me?

He blinked. Of course I do. You're my Luna.

That's not what I asked. Do you love me? The way a mate should love?

A long pause. Too long.

You're tired. he finally said. You're not thinking clearly. Get some rest.

He turned away from her. Rolled to the cold edge of the bed.

Maya lay in the darkness. Her hand pressed to her belly. The tiny flutter was still there—her pup, her secret, her hope.

But for the first time, she wondered if hope was a lie..

The next morning, Maya found Seraphina in the garden.

The former sweetheart was sitting on the stone bench where Xavier proposed to Maya three years ago. She was smiling—a soft, secret smile, like she knew something Maya didn't.

Good morning, Luna, Seraphina said. Beautiful day, isn't it?"

Maya stopped. She could have walked away. She should have walked away.

But something inside her snapped. Something fierce. Something protective.

What do you want? Maya asked. Her voice was sharp. Honest. No more mask.

Seraphina's smile widened. "What do I want? I want what was always mine. Xavier. The pack. The life I was supposed to have. The life you stole.

Maya's hands clenched. I didn't steal anything. I mated him. Fairly. Honestly. I've given him everything..

And yet he still calls my name in his sleep. Seraphina stood. She stepped closer. Her ice-blue eyes bore into Maya's. Did you know that? I didn't even have to ask. He told me. He said he's never stopped thinking about me. Never stopped loving me.

..

You're lying.

I'm not. Seraphina's voice was soft. Almost kind. "He's been pretending with you, Maya. Pretending to be happy. Pretending to love you. But I'm back now. And I'm not going to let him pretend anymore.

Maya's breath caught. Her heart hammered. Kaelen howled in her chest, furious and wounded.

Seraphina leaned in. Her lips brushed Maya's ear.

Leave while you still have some dignity,she whispered. Before he does it for you.

She walked away, her heels clicking on the stone path.

Maya stood in the garden, alone, her hand pressed to her belly, feeling the tiny flutter of life inside her.

She wanted to cry. She wanted to scream. She wanted to shift and hunt down that snake of a woman and tear her throat out.

But she was a Luna. Lunas didn't fall apart..

So Maya straightened her spine. Lifted her chin. Walked back into the pack house with her head held high.

She still had time. She still had hope. She still had one more chance to save her marriage.

She just didn't know that chance had already slipped through her fingers.