The Alpha’s Regret

CHAPTER TWO

SERA

The first thing I felt was panic. It slammed into me before I even opened my eyes, before I even remembered why. My body jerked up from the bed, breath catching in my throat, hands clutching at the thin sheets like they could protect me from the ghosts clawing inside my head.

“s**t—hey, hey, calm down,” a voice rushed out, quick and warm. “You’re safe. No one’s going to hurt you.”

I turned toward the sound, heart hammering, and my gaze locked onto a stranger.

He was tall, broad-shouldered, handsome in that almost careless way—dark curls falling into his eyes, a grin tugging at his mouth even though concern flickered in it. He held his hands up like I was a wild animal ready to bite. Maybe I was.

“Stay back,” I rasped, my throat raw. “Where am I?”

Before he could answer, another figure stepped forward from the shadows near the window. He was taller, sharper, silence wrapped around him like armor, it looked like he hadn't risen to his full height. His dark hair was pulled back, his eyes watchful.

“You’re in Halden Pack territory,” the quiet one said, his voice smooth, even. “Neutral lands.”

My breath snagged.

“Safe,” the first one said again, his grin widening like he could pull me out of my fear by sheer force of personality. “See? Just us. And I promise we’re prettier company.”

I blinked, caught between confusion and a bitter laugh. “Who are you?”

The quiet one moved closer. “Elias,” he said simply. Then he gestured at the other with a look that was both patient and exasperated.

The other one grinned wider. “Adrian. Son of Halden’s Alpha.”

Elias sighed. “Ignore him.”

“Hey,” Adrian protested, dropping into a dramatic bow that made my lips twitch despite myself. “Most people don’t ignore me. They usually fall in love.”

“I’m not most people,” I snapped, my chest tight.

Adrian’s grin softened. “Yeah, I can tell.”

The silence stretched. My fingers clenched in the sheets. “How long have I been here?”

Elias answered first. “Two weeks.”

The words crashed into me. “Two… what?”

“You collapsed just beyond our borders,” Elias said. “You were feverish. Barely breathing. We thought…” He paused, glanced at Adrian, then finished quietly, “We thought you wouldn’t make it.”

Two weeks. Two weeks gone while the world went on. My stomach twisted as images clawed up—my father’s blood on my skin, his voice telling me to run, Rhys’s cold eyes as he chose her. Althea. My so-called replacement.

“They’ve already buried him,” I whispered, my throat aching. “They’ve already… moved on.”

Elias’s jaw tightened, but he said nothing. Adrian, though—Adrian crouched down in front of me, his eyes searching my face, his grin gone now.

“Who?” he asked softly.

“My father.” My voice cracked. “They killed him in front of me. They called me a traitor. They said I cheated.” My chest heaved, shame and rage twisting until I could barely breathe. “They said—”

“Stop.” Adrian’s hand lifted, hovering like he wanted to touch mine but waiting, giving me the choice. “You don’t owe us the whole story. Not yet. Not if it hurts this much.”

His tone was so different from his teasing before that it startled me.

“I don’t need your pity,” I said, though my voice trembled.

“Good,” Elias said from behind him. “Because we don’t give pity. We give choices.”

Adrian leaned closer, his grin flickering back into place, lighter this time. “And really good food. Elias makes a mean stew. Almost worth staying alive for.”

“Adrian,” Elias muttered, but Adrian only smirked at him, and something passed between them.

They were mates. I could see it in the ease, the banter, the way Elias didn’t need to look to know what Adrian was thinking, the way Adrian lit up when Elias spoke even one word.

The sight made my chest ache. Because I had been promised something like that once, and it had been torn away in the cruelest way possible.

“I don’t trust you,” I said finally, my voice breaking through the silence.

Adrian’s grin widened. “Good. Makes things more interesting.”

“Adrian,” Elias warned, but Adrian just flopped onto the chair beside my bed, legs sprawled, like he’d decided he was staying no matter what.

“Two weeks,” I whispered again, more to myself. “Two weeks wasted.”

“No,” Elias said, his voice quiet but firm. “Two weeks survived.”

I looked at him then, really looked.

“I don’t even know you,” I muttered.

“Then get to know us,” Adrian said, winking like it was the easiest thing in the world. “We’re great company. Ask Elias. He’s been stuck with me for years and still hasn’t run away.”

“Not for lack of trying,” Elias said dryly, though the corner of his mouth betrayed him with that almost-smile again.

Despite myself, a shaky laugh broke through my chest. And it felt like air after weeks of suffocating.

The door opened.

I froze.

The man was broad, his shoulders stretching the doorway. He had the same sharp jaw as Adrian, the same dark curls—though streaked with gray at the temples.

Adrian’s grin split his face. “Dad.”

So I was right. The Alpha.

Adrian didn’t wait—he launched himself across the room, his body slamming into the man’s chest like he hadn’t seen him in years. “You couldn’t wait one more hour? I was going to tell her you were a grumpy old man who hides in his office all day.”

His father caught him with barely a move, one hand steady on Adrian’s back. His expression didn’t shift, but there was something in his eyes—fondness.

“You talk too much,” the Alpha said.

“And you don’t talk enough.” Adrian leaned back, flashing me a grin like this was normal. “Sera, meet my father. The Alpha of Halden. He hates titles, though. Don’t call him ‘sir’ or he’ll throw something.”

I stared, pulse erratic. “Alpha,” I murmured, my voice small.

The man’s gaze cut to me. He didn’t smile. “Sera,” he said, like he already knew my name. His voice was deep, roughened by years of command. “You’re safe here.”

Something in me wanted to believe him, though my throat tightened against it. “Thank you,” I whispered.

“You don’t need to thank me,” he said simply.

Behind them, Elias shifted. And that’s when I noticed—he had been leaning against the wall. But when the Alpha entered, Elias straightened. Stood tall.

And gods—he towered.

Adrian barely reached his shoulder, even with his cocky stance.

Adrian flopped back onto the chair beside me, half-sprawled. “So. Dad, you like her?”

The Alpha raised a brow. “She’s not a horse for sale.”

Adrian grinned wider. “Didn’t answer the question, though.”

“Adrian,” Elias said, his voice low.

“What? I’m being friendly.” Adrian leaned closer to me, his hand brushing mine briefly before I pulled back. “He’s scary at first, I know. But he’s actually soft. Like bread. A grumpy loaf.”

His father’s sigh was long, quiet. “You embarrass me daily.”

“And yet you keep me,” Adrian shot back, eyes sparkling.

Something flickered at the corner of Elias’s mouth, like he was hiding a smile. He didn’t join in, though.

The tension snapped when the door pushed open again. This time it was the doctor. A man with neat glasses, a clipboard tucked under his arm, eyes sharp.

“Ah, good. You’re awake,” he said, moving closer. “We’ve been waiting.”

“Waiting?” I asked, heart tightening.

He looked at the Alpha, then at Elias, then finally at me. “I’ll keep this simple. The fever burned itself out. You’re weak, but healing. But there’s something else.”

My palms went cold. “What?”

The doctor flipped his chart, his voice steady. “You’re pregnant.”

I was carrying his child.

The child of the man who destroyed me.