Alpha's Regret: The Luna He Betrayed

Chapter 15

Chapter 15

KIERAN

The meeting with the Elder Alphas had dragged on for hours, each of them more concerned with their own territorial disputes than the actual business at hand. By the time I finally escaped the suffocating conference room, my wolf was pacing restlessly beneath my skin, anxious to return to Seraphina's side.

I'd left her unconscious in the medical wing of the Blackwood compound three days ago, trusting her family to keep her safe while I dealt with the political fallout from my dramatic rescue in Millbrook. The supernatural world was buzzing with rumors and speculation, and I'd needed to contain the damage before it spiraled completely out of control.

The hotel corridor was dimly lit as I made my way toward my suite, exhaustion weighing heavily on my shoulders. All I wanted was a hot shower and a few hours of sleep before catching the earliest flight back to the city. Back to her.

"Kieran."

I stopped dead in my tracks, recognizing the voice immediately. Miranda Ashworth stepped out of the shadows near my door, her perfectly styled blonde hair catching the overhead lighting. She was beautiful, I'd give her that—tall, elegant, with the kind of classical features that photographers loved. But she'd never made my pulse race, never made my wolf sit up and take notice.

She'd never been Seraphina.

"Miranda," I said carefully, noting the tight set of her jaw and the fire in her blue eyes. "I wasn't expecting you here."

"Clearly," she replied, her voice carrying an edge I'd rarely heard before. She was usually the picture of someone who was composed no matter what she faced, but tonight she looked like a woman ready for battle. "We need to talk."

I glanced toward my door, then back at her. The last thing I wanted was a confrontation in a hotel hallway, but something in her expression told me this wasn't a conversation I could postpone.

"Of course," I said, fishing my keycard from my pocket. "Come in."

She followed me into the suite, her heels clicking sharply against the marble floor. The space was luxurious but impersonal, all neutral colors and expensive furniture that meant nothing to me. I'd spent too many nights in places like this over the past five years, running from memories that followed me everywhere.

Miranda didn't wait for pleasantries. The moment the door closed behind us, she turned on me with barely contained fury.

"What the hell is the meaning of the rumors floating around everywhere about you bringing back Seraphina Blackwood?" she demanded, her careful composure cracking to reveal the anger beneath. "Taking her away from her mate like some kind of lovesick fool?"

I studied her face, seeing the genuine distress there. Miranda had spent years positioning herself as my perfect future Luna, cultivating relationships with influential council members and preparing for a role she'd been promised. My rescue of Seraphina threatened everything she'd worked toward.

"He wasn't her mate," I said simply, moving to the bar to pour myself a whiskey. I offered her one, but she shook her head impatiently. "Marcus Sullivan never completed the bond. She called me for help, so I helped her."

Miranda's laugh was sharp and bitter. "She called, so you went running. Is that it? Are you really still her lapdog after all these years, Kieran? After everything she put you through?"

The words hit their mark, and I felt my wolf bristle with anger. But I kept my voice level, refusing to let her see how deeply the accusation cut.

"She was in danger," I said, taking a long sip of my whiskey. "She'd been drugged with silver and was about to be marked against her will. I did what any decent person would do."

"Any decent person," Miranda repeated, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Or any man still pathetically in love with a woman who abandoned him at the altar?"

I set my glass down harder than necessary, the crystal ringing against the marble bar top. "Careful, Miranda."

She stepped closer, her eyes blazing with a mixture of fury and something that might have been hurt. "People are questioning our marriage, Kieran. Whether it's going to happen at all. The formal announcement is supposed to be in four days, and instead of preparing for that, you're off playing knight in shining armor to your ex-fiancée."

I turned to face her fully, letting her see the authority in my posture. "It's an arranged marriage, Miranda. We both agreed to it for political reasons. The announcement will happen as scheduled."

"And if Seraphina objects?" she asked, her voice quieter now but no less dangerous. "What happens when she decides she wants you back? Because we both know that's what this is really about."

The question hung in the air between us, heavy with implications I didn't want to examine. For three days, I'd tried not to think about what Seraphina's return might mean, tried to focus on the immediate crisis rather than the hope that had started burning in my chest the moment I'd heard her voice on the phone.

"She won't," I said finally, the words tasting like ash in my mouth. "It's not the same anymore. Five years have passed. We're different people now."

Miranda studied my face with the sharp intelligence that had made her father such a formidable opponent in business. Whatever she saw there didn't seem to reassure her.

"You better stick to that promise, Kieran," she said, her voice carrying a threat that raised the hackles on my wolf. "Breaking an alliance this important, backing out of our arrangement after everything that's been negotiated... you wouldn't like the consequences."

I felt my eyes flash gold, my wolf responding to the implied challenge. "Are you threatening me, Miranda?"

She smiled, but there was no warmth in it. "I'm reminding you of reality. My family has invested considerable resources in this alliance. The council members who support our union have made commitments based on it. If you think you can simply walk away because your first love has decided she wants you back..."

She left the threat unfinished, but the implication was clear. The Ashworth family had connections, influence, resources that could make my life as king significantly more difficult if I crossed them.

"I said the marriage would happen," I repeated firmly. "I keep my word, Miranda. Always."

She nodded, some of the tension leaving her shoulders. "Good. In that case, I'll be returning to the city with you tomorrow. I think it's time we were seen together more publicly, don't you?"

The thought of traveling with Miranda, of pretending to be a happy couple for the cameras and the gossips, made my stomach turn. But she was right about the optics. After my dramatic rescue of Seraphina, I needed to reinforce my commitment to our engagement.