The Luna He Rejected: An Alpha's Regret

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Seraphine’s POV

My heart slammed against my ribs as I burst through the door of Classroom Three, the sound of it echoing down the hallway like a gunshot. The room was empty. Completely empty.

Desks were slightly shifted, chairs pushed back at odd angles, as if the children had stood up in a hurry. A half-finished drawing of what looked like a bright blue dragon was on the whiteboard, the marker was left uncapped on the tray below.

The air smelled of crayons, glue sticks, and the faint sweetness of apple juice from snack time. Everything looked recently used, but the silence pressed in like a held breath.

“Luna?” My voice cracked as I called out, sharper than I intended. I tried to swallow the rising panic. “Emery?”

No answer.

My wolf surged forward so violently I nearly staggered, a low, protective growl building in my chest. She had been quiet for years, content to watch from the edges while I built this fragile new life. Now she clawed at the surface, demanding I find our pups. Now.

I scanned the room again, eyes darting from the reading corner to the supply shelves. Nothing. No sign of struggle, but the absence itself felt violent.

Caden was suddenly beside me, his presence hitting like a storm front. The bond between us flared hot and electric, feeding me his own lethal mix of fury and terror. His wolf was so close to the surface that the air in the corridor behind us thickened. I heard a couple of nearby teachers instinctively step back, their own wolves recognizing the dominance rolling off him.

“Marcus,” Caden barked, voice low and controlled in that terrifying Alpha way. “Find the teacher. Now.”

Marcus was already moving, snapping orders into his phone with crisp efficiency. “Classroom Three teacher. Locate her. Check the front gate—she may have been pulled away.”

I walked deeper into the room, my fingers brushing the edge of Luna’s desk. The half-finished dragon on the board caught my eye again. Luna never left things unfinished. She was meticulous and watchful, the kind of child who completed every stroke with quiet determination. The marker lying there, drying out… it screamed interruption.

My stomach twisted. “She wouldn’t have left this,” I whispered, more to myself than anyone. “Not willingly.”

Caden’s hand brushed my shoulder briefly before he moved past me, nostrils flaring as he pulled in deep breaths. “Fresh scents. Multiple fresh scents. They went this way.”

He was already striding out of the classroom, following an invisible trail only his heightened senses could detect. Marcus fell in beside him, still coordinating on the comms. I followed without hesitation, my own senses straining even if they weren’t as sharp.

We moved quickly through the familiar hallways that now felt like a maze designed to trap us. Every closed door, every corner, sent fresh spikes of dread through me. My mind kept flashing to Luna’s serious little face, Emery’s loud laugh, the way they both trusted too easily sometimes.

Please be okay. Please.

Marcus’s voice cut through the tension. “The teacher has been located. She was lured to the staff bathroom for a fake emergency at the front gate about an injured parent. She’s shaken but unharmed. Only gone five, maybe six minutes.”

Six minutes. That was all it took for someone to slip in and take my children.

The library doors were ajar when we reached them. Caden pushed through first, body coiled like a predator ready to strike. I was right behind him.

And there they were.

Luna, Emery, and Evan sat at one of the low reading tables near the picture books, looking surprisingly calm. Colored pencils and papers were scattered in front of them. A woman I didn’t recognize sat with them, she looked in her mid-thirties, dark hair pulled into a neat braid, wearing a simple Ironmoor Pack jacket. She had her hands folded politely on the table, but her posture was alert, watchful.

“Mama!” Emery lit up at the sight of me, but Luna’s eyes flicked between us with that unnerving perception of hers.

The relief that crashed through me was so intense my knees nearly buckled. They were safe.

Caden’s presence filled the room as he stepped forward. “Mira,” he said, voice flat with recognition. “What the hell are you doing?”

The woman—Mira—lifted her chin, meeting his gaze steadily. “Alpha. I was sent by Daniel. He said the children needed to be moved to safety immediately. The east fence perimeter was compromised—or so I was told.”

I moved instinctively, placing myself between the table and the doorway, my body a living shield. My wolf was snarling now, pacing just beneath my skin. “Who are you to my children?”

Mira’s eyes softened slightly as she looked at me. “Mira Tellen. I serve in Ironmoor’s internal security. Daniel told me the real threat wasn’t at the east fence. It’s at the west entrance.”

Marcus was already on his comms again, confirming the new information. His face darkened within seconds. “Greymoor wolves. They’ve crossed the boundary line. This isn’t a scouting party. They’re moving with intent.”

Greymoor. The name sent a chill racing down my spine. They weren’t here to talk. This was active incursion—territorial aggression wrapped in whatever political game Isolde was playing.

Mira continued, her voice low and urgent. “Isolde has been building a legal case for months. Using old pack law clauses. The children are leverage—Alpha bloodline assets. She’s coordinated with Greymoor. Territory concessions in exchange for their support in securing custody through the tribunal. This isn’t just personal anymore. It’s a structured takeover.”

The words landed like stones in still water. I felt the full weight of it—the months of planning, the surveillance, the way my peaceful life in Millhaven had been poisoned from the inside. My hands clenched at my sides as I stared at the children. Luna was watching me closely. Emery was fidgeting with a pencil, still unaware of how dangerous this moment was. Evan sat between them, quiet.

They turned my children into pawns.

Before I could respond, Luna’s small voice cut through the heavy air.

“Evan’s gone.”

My head snapped toward the table. The spot where Evan had been sitting was empty. One of the colored pencils rolled slowly across the surface where his hand had been moments ago.

Caden moved like lightning, scenting the air again. “West entrance. He’s heading toward the danger.”

Panic flared fresh and hot in my chest. Evan had slipped away in the chaos. Probably trying to run away at the thought that there was danger looming.

Caden was already heading for the library doors, shoulders set with deadly purpose. “Stay with them,” he told Marcus, but his eyes met mine for one raw second through the bond—fear for our children, fury at the threat, and something deeper, more desperate.

I nodded once, pulling Luna and Emery closer while Mira stood to help secure the room. My heart pounded as Caden disappeared down the hallway toward the west entrance.

The real fight had just begun.