The Luna He Rejected: An Alpha's Regret

CHAPTER 26

Seraphine’s POV

The moment we stepped back inside the packhouse, the atmosphere felt different. Heavier. The halls were quieter than usual, but there was a tension in the air that made my skin prickle. Marcus was waiting for us in the war room, his expression grim. The large screen on the wall was already on, and I could see the faint glow of audio waveforms.

Caden closed the door behind us. “Play it.”

Marcus hesitated for a second, glancing at me. “Sera… are you sure you want to hear this?”

“I need to hear it,” I said. My voice came out colder than I intended. “All of it.”

He nodded and pressed play.

My own voice filled the room.

It was raw. Angry. Broken.

“I curse the day the Moon Goddess was stupid enough to call you my mate.”

The words echoed off the walls. I remembered saying them. I remembered the exact moment, standing in Caden’s office, divorce papers already signed, my entire world collapsing around me. Hearing it now, played back like evidence in a trial, made my stomach twist.

Marcus stopped the recording.

Caden stood completely still beside me. His jaw was tight, but he didn’t look away from the screen.

Marcus cleared his throat. “Isolde has been recording conversations in the executive office since she arrived. We found the devices after Brennan disappeared. She’s been gathering material for months.”

He looked at Caden. “There’s more.”

Caden gave a short nod. “Play the third one.”

Marcus hesitated again, then hit play.

This time it was Caden’s voice. It was from a council meeting six weeks ago — right before he left for Millhaven.

“I’m not going there for negotiations,” his recorded voice said clearly. “I’m going to find her. Seraphine. The rest is just cover.”

The room went silent after the recording ended.

I turned to look at Caden. He met my eyes without flinching.

“I meant it,” he said quietly. “I wasn’t going to Millhaven for pack business. I was going to find you. I just didn’t know how to admit that out loud at the time.”

I exhaled slowly. My mind was already moving ahead, calculating damage.

“Isolde is going to use these,” I said. “She’s going to paint you as weak. Obsessed. And she’s going to paint me as unstable. She’s already started with the first two recordings. We can’t let her control the story.”

Marcus nodded. “She’s planning to release them gradually. One every few hours to keep the pack talking.”

I looked at Caden. “We beat her to it. We release all three tonight. We tell the pack the truth before she can twist it.”

Caden’s brow furrowed. “Sera… if we release that last recording, everyone will know I went to Millhaven specifically for you. They’ll know I lied about the reason for the trip.”

“They’re going to find out anyway,” I said. “Isolde already stole the birth certificates and registration files this morning. Our privacy is gone. The only thing we have left is control over how the story is told.”

Caden was quiet for a long moment. I could see him thinking, weighing the cost. Finally, he nodded.

“All right,” he said. “We do it your way.”

He moved to the table and started drafting the public statement on his tablet. His fingers moved quickly across the screen. After a few minutes, he spoke without looking up.

“In the original speech I gave to the council six weeks ago,” he said, “I told them that you had built a life without me. That you were raising the twins with strength and independence. I said I had no right to walk back into that life and disrupt it just because the bond existed.”

He paused, then continued.

“I told them I wasn’t going to Millhaven to claim what was mine. I was going because I finally understood that I had already lost the right to call any of it mine.”

Marcus let out a short, cynical laugh from across the table.

“Well,” he said, “at least you were honest for once.”

When he finished, he looked at me. “Ready?”

I nodded.

He posted the statement along with all three audio files to the official Ironmoor forum. Within minutes, notifications started flooding in. The pack was already reacting.

For now, we had taken control of the narrative.

But I knew it wouldn’t last.

I turned to Caden and Marcus. “Isolde won’t stop here. She’s going to go after the paternity filing next. She’ll claim conflict of interest because my father signed as the witness. She’ll argue it’s invalid.”

Marcus swore under his breath. “She’s right. That’s a legitimate angle.”

Caden was already moving. He picked up his phone and scrolled through his contacts. I watched as he dialed a number I didn’t recognize.

“Who are you calling?” I asked.

“Rowan Greymoor,” he said.

Marcus’s head snapped up. “At three in the morning?”

Caden didn’t answer. He waited until the line connected.

“Rowan,” he said when the other Alpha picked up. His voice was calm but direct. “It’s Caden Ashford. I need a favor.”

There was a long pause on the other end. Then a low, rough voice answered. “This better be good, Ashford.”

Caden got straight to the point. “I need you to witness and sign a paternity filing as a neutral third-party elder. In exchange, I’ll resolve the eastern corridor border dispute in your favor. The one your pack has been fighting over for sixty years.”

Another long silence.

Then Rowan Greymoor laughed, a short, surprised sound. “You’re serious.”

“Dead serious,” Caden said. “I need the signature by morning.”

Rowan was quiet for several seconds. Then he sighed. “Send me the documents. I’ll sign them. But you better hold up your end of the deal, Ashford. I don’t like being played.”

“I won’t play you,” Caden said. “You have my word.”

He ended the call and immediately forwarded the documents.

Marcus stared at him like he had grown a second head. “You just negotiated a sixty-year border dispute over the phone.”

Caden didn’t look proud. He just looked tired. “I’m running out of options.”

I looked at him for a long moment. “You’re terrified of losing us again.”

He didn’t deny it.

Before anyone could say anything else, the door to the war room burst open.

Dani came running in, her face pale and panicked. She was still in her pajamas and breathing hard like she had sprinted the entire way from the guest quarters.

“Raven’s gone,” she said, voice shaking. “His lights are still on. His car is parked outside. The front door was wide open. He’s not there.”

The room went cold.

I felt the blood drain from my face.

Marcus was already on his feet. “When did you notice?”

“Ten minutes ago,” Dani said. “I went to check on him after everything that happened tonight. He wasn’t answering his phone.”

She pulled out her own phone with trembling hands and showed us a photo.

It was a picture of Raven’s kitchen table. On it sat a single piece of paper with neat, deliberate handwriting.

The message was short:

Come alone.

My hands clenched into fists.

Isolde had run out of political moves. She had moved to physical threats.

She had taken Raven.

And now she was using him as bait.

I looked at Caden, my voice steady despite the fear clawing at my chest.

“We’re not playing her game,” I said. “We’re ending it. Mobilize everyone. We’re going to get him tonight.”

I turned to Dani. “Bring the twins. We’re not leaving them behind here.”

Caden was already moving, barking orders into his radio. Marcus was right behind him.

The war had changed again.

This time, it wasn’t just about titles or recordings.

Isolde had crossed the final line.

And I was done waiting for her next move.