Alpha's Regret: The Luna He Betrayed

Chapter 14

Chapter 14

SERAPHINA

It wasn't a question. I could see the answer in the careful way my family was watching me, in the pity that passed through Lucas's face before he could hide it.

"It's not finalized," Lionel said quickly, as if trying to soften the blow as he stepped forward a bit, his hands out as he continued speaking.

"It's just an arrangement, this is a political alliance that would benefit both territories and show everyone just how powerful they are."

"Who?" I asked, sounding small and fragile despite the font that I was trying to keep up, in their presence.

"Miranda Ashworth," my father said, and I felt the world tilt sideways, hearing that name as I felt anger bubbling inside me.

Miranda f*****g Ashworth. That was the daughter of our family's oldest rivals, she was also the woman who'd spent our teenage years trying to prove she was better than me at everything that we were trained in—combat training, academics, manipulation, seduction.

I hate to say it but she was beautiful, powerful, connected, and had apparently been waiting in line for a long time for this opportunity.

"How long?" I asked, surprised by how steady my voice sounded as I looked at them.

"The formal announcement was supposed to be next week," Lucas admitted reluctantly. "But after what happened in Millbrook, after he dropped everything to come for you... there are rumors that he's reconsidering the marriage that he is supposed to be having with Miranda. Some are calling him weak and pathetic for going back for you."

I closed my eyes, letting the information wash over me, as I felt guilty for ruining the reputation that Kieran had. I had made him look the fool by running out in our wedding day, five years ago and now I was making him look weak because he came for me. For five years, I'd told myself I was happy in my small, human life. I'd convinced myself that I was better off without the complications of supernatural politics, without the pressure of being the Lycan King's mate. I'd been such a fool.

"I want to see him," I said, opening my eyes to meet my father's gaze directly as I grabbed the sheets tightly as I used it to steady myself.

"I want to talk to him."

My mother's expression tightened for a brief moment.

"Seraphina, that might not be the best idea right now. You're still recovering, and the situation is... complicated."

"Complicated how?" I demanded, struggling to sit up straighter despite the way it made my head pound.

Vincent moved to stand directly beside my bed, his presence commanding even in the intimate space of what I now realized was a private medical suite in our family's compound.

"Complicated because Marcus Sullivan is claiming you were kidn*pped," he said bluntly, not skipping the facts or glazing over it. He needed me to know just how precarious it was at the moment.

"He's filed complaints with both the supernatural council and human authorities, saying that the Lycan King used his position to steal another Alpha's mate. There are political consequences to consider."

I stared at him in disbelief. "Mate? He never marked me. In five years of marriage, he never once tried to create a true mate bond between us, even humans get marked even if he thought I was one, but he refused to do so."

"Which is suspicious in itself," Isabella observed from where she was seated as she looked lost in thoughts.

"Why marry you if he didn't intend to complete the bond?"

The question hung in the air, and I realized I didn't have a good answer. I'd always assumed Marcus was being respectful, giving me time to adjust to our arrangement. But right now I was wondering if there was a reason why Marcus didn't go through with it and deep down I was so happy he didn't mark me.

"It doesn't matter why," I said firmly shaking my head. "What matters is that I'm not his mate, I was never truly his mate, and I have every right to leave him."

"Legally, you're still married to him," Lionel pointed out gently.

"Both in human terms and supernatural world. Until that's resolved..."

"Then we resolve it," I said, my voice carrying the authority I'd inherited from both my parents.

"We end the marriage, we deal with whatever political fallout comes from that, and I reclaim my rightful place."

"Your rightful place?" Lucas asked, raising an eyebrow.

"As Kieran's mate," I said simply. "As his Luna. As the woman I was always meant to be before I got scared and ran away like a child."

The silence that followed was profound. I could see them looking at each other in disbelief. Me finally agreeing to a marriage that I had protested for years,even went as far as going on a self imposed exile just to free myself from the bindage of being his mate. I was now agreeing to it without them setting me up for torture with one of their best torture strategist, indeed it was a cold day in hell.

It was my father who spoke first. "You understand that this won't be simple. Miranda Ashworth has spent years positioning herself as the perfect Luna to be by his side, especially after you left.

She has the support of several influential council members, not to mention her father's considerable resources."

"I don't care about Miranda Ashworth," I said, and I meant it.

"I care about the fact that I walked away from my mate five years ago because I was too proud and too scared to accept what fate had given me. I care about the fact that while I was playing house with a man who never truly wanted me, Kieran was waiting. He's always been waiting."

"And if he's moved on?" Isabella asked gently. "If five years of separation have convinced him that you're not worth the pain you caused?"

The question hit me like a physical blow, but I forced myself to consider it honestly. It was possible. It was even probable. Kieran had every right to protect his heart from someone who'd already shattered it once.

But then I remembered his voice on the phone, the desperate relief when I'd finally called him. I remembered the stories Lucas had told me about how he'd refused every attempt at matchmaking, how he'd waited and hoped for five years.

"Then I'll prove to him that I am," I said firmly. "I'll prove that I'm worth fighting for, worth choosing, worth loving. Even if it means going to war with Miranda Ashworth and her entire family."

Lionel smiled then, the first genuine expression of happiness I'd seen from him since I'd woken up. "There's my sister," he said with satisfaction. "I was beginning to worry that five years of suburban life had turned you soft."

"Never," I said, returning his smile with interest. "I'm a Blackwood. We don't do soft."

"No," my father agreed, and there was pride in his voice. "We don't. But we also don't do anything halfway. If you're serious about reclaiming your place as Kieran's mate, then we do this properly. We end your marriage to Sullivan permanently. We deal with the political complications. And we make sure that when you face Miranda Ashworth, you're prepared for everything she's going to throw at you."

"She won't fight fair," my mother warned. "The Ashworths never do. She'll use every advantage she has—her engagement to Kieran, her political connections, her reputation. She'll try to make you look like a homewrecker, like someone who abandoned her responsibilities and now wants to steal someone else's happiness."

"Let her try," I said, my voice carrying the deadly promise I'd inherited from both my parents.

"I've got five years of frustration to work through, and she's just volunteered to be my outlet."

Lucas laughed—a sound of genuine delight that filled the medical suite with warmth. "This is going to be fun to watch."

"It's going to be war," my father corrected, but he was smiling too.

"Even better," I replied, feeling truly like myself for the first time in years. "I've always been good at war."