The Luna He Rejected: An Alpha's Regret

CHAPTER 30

Seraphine’s POV

I hadn’t slept much.

Even after everything that happened in the great hall, my mind refused to quiet down. I had spent most of the night staring at the ceiling of the room I’d been given, replaying every moment from the confrontation with Isolde. The recordings. The way Caden had stood beside me. The way the pack had instinctively chosen him. And most of all, the look in his eyes when he asked me to stay.

Not as Luna.

Just as me.

When the first hints of morning light began creeping through the curtains, I gave up on sleep entirely. I got dressed quietly and made my way down to the kitchen. The packhouse was still mostly asleep, but I could already hear movement from the kitchen, the soft clatter of pans and the low hum of the oven.

Marta was already there, of course.

She stood at the large stove, stirring something that smelled like porridge and cinnamon. When she noticed me in the doorway, she didn’t look surprised. She simply nodded toward the counter where a mug of tea was already waiting.

“You look like you fought the night and lost,” she said gently.

I gave her a tired smile and picked up the mug. “Something like that.”

Marta wiped her hands on her apron and turned to face me fully. For a moment, she just studied me with that sharp, motherly gaze of hers.

“You know,” she said, “the scent of a true Luna never really leaves her territory. Even when she’s gone for years. It lingers in the walls. In the way the pack still moves around her old spaces. In the way the Alpha still looks toward the door like he’s waiting for her to walk through it.”

I lowered my eyes to the tea.

Marta continued, her voice softer now. “Caden was different after you left. Harder and Colder. But these last few weeks… I’ve watched him change again. Not into who he was before. Into someone better. Four years of carrying that guilt alone forced him to grow. He’s not the same man who signed those divorce papers.”

I didn’t answer right away. I just let her words settle over me.

Before I could respond, soft footsteps padded into the kitchen.

Luna walked in holding her notebook against her chest. She was still in her pajamas, her hair slightly messy from sleep, but her expression was as serious as ever. She climbed onto one of the stools at the counter and carefully placed her notebook down in front of her.

“I made a list,” she announced.

I raised an eyebrow. “A list?”

She nodded and opened the notebook. On the page, written in her neat, careful handwriting, was the title:

Factors for Staying at Ironmoor

She had even numbered them.

I couldn’t help the small smile that tugged at my lips. “Alright. Let’s hear them.”

Luna cleared her throat and began reading in her calm, matter-of-fact voice.

“Factor One: The territory feels good for my wolf. She’s been calmer since we crossed the border. She likes the forest and the mountains. She feels stronger here.”

“Factor Two: Evan is growing faster here. His wolf is more confident. He doesn’t flinch as much when people talk loudly.”

“Factor Three: Emery needs an Alpha role model. He keeps trying to copy how Caden stands and how he talks to the warriors.”

“Factor Four: The pack needs stability. They’ve been scared and divided for weeks. Having a real Luna and Alpha together would help them feel safe again.”

She closed the notebook gently and looked up at me.

I studied my daughter for a long moment. Her list was thoughtful. Practical. Very much like her. But I could tell she was holding something back.

“What about you, Luna?” I asked quietly. “What do you want? Not what’s good for your wolf, or for Evan, or for the pack. What do you want?”

Luna was quiet for several seconds. She looked down at her notebook, tracing the edge of the page with her finger.

“I want this to be home,” she finally said. Her voice was small but steady. “I want to wake up here every morning. I want to run in the forest with other pups. I want to stop feeling like we’re always waiting for something bad to happen.”

She looked up at me then, her dark eyes serious.

“But only if you want it too, Mummy. I don’t want to stay here if it makes you sad.”

My throat tightened.

I reached across the counter and gently took her small hand in mine. “Luna… you have every right to want happiness. You don’t have to carry the weight of my feelings. You’re allowed to want a home. You’re allowed to want stability. And I’m allowed to want those things too.”

Luna’s eyes widened slightly, like she hadn’t expected me to say that. Then she picked up her pen and carefully wrote something at the bottom of her list.

Factor Five: Mummy wants it.

I let out a soft laugh, my eyes stinging. “You’re adding that?”

She nodded seriously. “It’s important.”

We sat there in comfortable silence for a moment, the smell of cinnamon and porridge filling the kitchen. Marta had quietly moved to the other side of the counter, giving us space while still keeping an ear on everything.

Then I felt him.

Caden’s presence moved through the bond before he even entered the room. A moment later, he stepped into the kitchen, freshly showered and dressed in a simple dark shirt and pants. His eyes found mine immediately.

Luna looked up at him, then back down at her notebook. Without saying a word, she wrote one more line.

Factor Six: Caden’s wolf is Mummy’s wolf’s person. They are true mates.

She closed the notebook and slid it toward me so I could see.

I felt my breath catch.

Caden had clearly read what she wrote over her shoulder. His expression shifted, something raw and vulnerable crossing his face. For a second, neither of us spoke. The weight of those simple words hung between us.

Then, slowly, a small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

I smiled back.

It wasn’t a grand declaration or dramatic. But in that quiet kitchen, with my daughter’s careful handwriting between us, something settled.

Before either of us could say anything, the sound of running feet echoed down the hallway.

Emery burst into the kitchen like a small hurricane, still in his pajamas, his hair sticking up in every direction.

“I’m hungry!” he announced loudly. “Really, really hungry. Can we have pancakes? Or bacon? Or both? I want both.”

Marta immediately moved into action, muttering about growing boys and empty stomachs while she started pulling out ingredients.

Emery climbed onto the stool beside Luna and looked between me and Caden with bright, curious eyes.

“Are we staying here now?” he asked bluntly.

The question hung in the air.

Caden looked at me. I looked at him.

We didn’t answer with words.

But in the silence that followed, something passed between us, quiet, certain, and deeply felt.

For the first time in four years, I didn’t feel like I was standing at a crossroads.

I felt like I was already home.