The Alpha's Regret

The Silver Moon Pack courthouse. Aria stood before the Alpha Council, her hands trembling as she clutched the divorce papers. The mate bond in her chest felt like shattered glass, each breath cutting deeper than the last. Across the room, Jaxon wouldn't even look at her. "Sign it," he said coldly"Let's get this over with." Three years of marriage. Three years of loving him with everything she had. Gone in the time it took to put pen to paper. "Jaxon, please—" Aria's voice cracked. "We can try again. The healers said there's still a chance—" "There is no chance." His ice-blue eyes finally met hers"You can't give me an heir, Aria. The pack needs a Luna who can produce the next Alpha. You've had three years. It's time to accept reality." Reality was the beautiful woman standing beside him. Celeste. His first love. The she-wolf everyone thought had died in a rogue attack five years ago, only to miraculously return three months ago with a tragic story of captivity and survival. Celeste placed a delicate hand on Jaxon's arm, and Aria watched her husband—soon to be ex-husband—lean into the touch. The same touch he used to crave from Aria. "I'm sorry it came to this," Celeste said softly, her green eyes gleaming with false sympathy. "But Jaxon deserves a mate who can fulfill her duties. Surely you understand." Aria's nails dug into her palms. She understood perfectly. She understood that Celeste had waltzed back into Jaxon's life and poisoned everything they'd built. She understood that the fertility issues the pack doctor diagnosed her with had appeared suspiciously soon after Celeste's return. She understood that she was being replaced. But she couldn't prove any of it. Elder Marcus cleared his throat from his seat at the high table. "Luna Aria, do you contest this divorce?" She could. As the current Luna, she had rights. She could demand a formal challenge, could force Jaxon to prove cause before the entire pack. But what was the point? Her mate wanted someone else. Fighting would only prolong the humiliation. And there was something else. Something she'd discovered just this morning that changed everything. Aria's hand moved unconsciously to her stomach, then stopped. Not yet. She couldn't tell him yet—not with Celeste hanging on his arm like a parasite. Not when he'd made it clear what he thought of her ability to bear children. "No," Aria whispered. "I don't contest it." Jaxon's shoulders relaxed slightly. Did he actually look relieved? Elder Marcus nodded gravely. "Then by the power vested in me by the Silver Moon Pack, I declare the mate bond between Alpha Jaxon Steele and Aria Winters severed. You are no longer husband and wife, no longer Alpha and Luna." The formal severance hit like a physical blow. Aria gasped as the mate bond snapped, the pain dropping her to her knees. It felt like someone had reached into her chest and ripped out half her soul. Her wolf howled in agony, clawing at the emptiness left behind. Through the haze of pain, she heard movement. For one desperate second, she thought Jaxon had come to her, that he'd realized his mistake— But it was Elder Marcus's assistant helping her to her feet, not her mate. Former mate. Jaxon was already walking away, Celeste tucked against his side, whispering something that made him smile. Actually smile. Aria couldn't remember the last time he'd smiled at her like that. "You have until sunset to clear your belongings from the Alpha residence," Elder Marcus said, not unkindly. "The pack will provide you with severance compensation and—" "I don't want anything from this pack," Aria said, her voice stronger than she felt. She straightened her spine, forcing herself to stand tall even as her world crumbled. "Keep your compensation." She signed the papers with hands that barely shook, then walked out of the courthouse with her head held high. The moment she was out of sight, she ran. Aria made it to the forest edge before she collapsed, retching into the bushes. Morning sickness combined with bond-severing pain was a special kind of hell. When the nausea passed, she pulled the pregnancy test from her pocket. She was eight weeks pregnant with Jaxon's child. Maybe children—twins ran in his bloodline.And he'd just divorced her for being infertile. The irony would be funny if it wasn't so devastating. Aria's wolf stirred weakly in her mind. Tell him. Go back. Those are his pups. "No," Aria said aloud. "He made his choice. He chose Celeste. He chose to believe I was broken." He deserves to know. "He deserves nothing." Jaxon Steele had thrown her away like garbage. Had humiliated her before the entire pack council. Had let Celeste dig her claws in and poison their marriage without a fight. If he wanted Celeste so badly, he could have her. But he wouldn't have Aria's children. He wouldn't get to reject them the way he'd rejected her. She pulled out her phone with trembling fingers and dialed a number she'd never thought she'd use. "Kira? It's Aria. I'm coming to stay with you in Crimson Falls... Yes, it's done. The divorce is final... No, I can't explain over the phone. Just—I need to disappear for a while. Can you help me?" Her best friend's voice was fierce with anger"I'll have a car there in an hour. Pack light. You're not going back to that bastard, Aria. Not ever." "I know," Aria whispered, looking down at her still-flat stomach. "I'm done with the Silver Moon Pack. I'm done with Jaxon Steele." She had a new life growing inside her. Maybe two. And she would give them everything—a mother who chose them first, always. A mother who would never let anyone make them feel unwanted. As for their father? He'd made his choice when he signed those divorce papers. Aria Winters was dead. It was time for someone new to rise from the ashes. Three Years Later The ballroom of the Crimson Falls Grand Hotel glittered with crystal chandeliers and the cream of werewolf society. Aria smoothed down her emerald silk gown, the color bringing out the gold flecks in her eyes that seemed brighter now, fiercer. "Mama, I'm bored," a small voice whispered. She looked down at her son, Kai, who was tugging at his tiny tuxedo with the same impatient gesture his father used to make. The resemblance—the same dark hair, the same stubborn jaw, the same ice-blue eyes. "Just a little longer, baby," Aria murmured, running her fingers through his hair. "Then we can—" "MAMA!" Her daughter, Luna, came barreling through the crowd in her silver dress, her blonde curls bouncing. "Uncle Derek says there's a chocolate fountain and I can have as much as I want!" Derek Reed appeared behind Luna, his expression sheepish. "I may have promised that before checking with you." Aria laughed despite herself. Derek—Alpha of the Crimson Falls Pack and her... well, it was complicated. They'd been dating for six months. He'd proposed last week. The diamond ring in her clutch felt like it weighed a thousand pounds. "Chocolate fountains are fine," she said, watching her twins race off together. "Just—" "Keep them away from the White Moon Pack delegation, I know," Derek finished, his hand warm on her lower back. "Aria, you can't hide from him forever." She stiffened. "I'm not hiding. I'm protecting my children." "By keeping them secret? He's going to find out eventually." "Not tonight." She turned to face Derek, this kind, patient Alpha who'd helped her build a new life. Who'd accepted her twins as his own. Who'd never made her feel like she wasn't enough. "Derek, please. Just... not tonight." He cupped her face gently. "Whatever you need." That was the difference between Derek and Jaxon. Derek actually listened. The announcement bell chimed, and the crowd quieted as Elder Catherine took the microphone. "Distinguished Alphas and pack leaders, thank you for joining us for the Annual Alpha Summit. Tonight, we celebrate new alliances and..." Aria tuned out the speech, her eyes tracking her children at the dessert table. Kai was already strategizing the best way to stack cookies. Luna was charming the server into extra strawberries. They Happy. Safe. Everything she'd built in three years—her medical practice, her reputation as the best wolf healer in the region, her life with Derek—it was all real. Solid. Nothing like the house of cards her marriage to Jaxon had been. "And now," Elder Catherine continued, "I'd like to welcome our guests from the Silver Moon Pack, led by Alpha Jaxon Steele." Aria's blood turned to ice. No. No, no, no— The ballroom doors opened, and there he was. Jaxon Steele. Her ex-husband. The father of her children. Looking as devastatingly handsome as ever in a black suit that emphasized his broad shoulders .His ice-blue eyes scanned the crowd with the same intensity that used to make her melt. And beside him, her hand possessively on his arm, was Celeste. Aria's wolf snarled in her mind, a rage so violent it nearly brought her to her knees. But she forced herself still, forced her face neutral, even as every instinct screamed at her to grab her children and run. Derek's hand tightened on her waist. "Breathe." She was breathing. Sort of. In short, sharp gasps that probably looked like panic because that's exactly what it was. And then Jaxon's eyes found hers across the crowded room. For a moment, the world stopped. She watched recognition flash across his face, followed by shock, then something that looked almost like— "MAMA!" Kai's voice cut through the tension. Her son was running toward her, Luna close behind, both of them covered in chocolate and giggling. Aria knelt automatically, catching them both in her arms. "What did I say about the chocolate fountain?" "You said it was fine!" Luna protested. "I said—" Aria froze. Because when she looked up, Jaxon was standing ten feet away, staring. Not at her. At the children in her arms. At the twins with his ice-blue eyes. His face had gone absolutely white. "Aria?" And Celeste, beside him, looked at the twins with an expression of pure, murderous hatred