Regret

Scott

Elder Ruth's voice echoed in my head, dragging me out of my daze. “I'm glad you finally broke things off with Lulu, Alpha Scott.”

She gave my shoulder a light pat before walking away from the Elders' line. Behind her, Leia stood with that triumphant smile stretching across her face. But unlike her, I felt no victory at all.

A sharp pain clamped around my chest, like an iron grip tightening with every breath. I tried to ignore it, but the ache only grew worse when Leia mentioned Lulu's name. Was this the price of rejecting my true mate?

I forced the thought away. Adar—my wolf—had warned me again and again not to reject her. Now, he roared furiously inside my head, the sound like crashing waves of pain. I clenched my jaw, pushing him back before he could seize control.

Lulu was my strength, my balance—my Luna chosen by the Moon Goddess herself. But the Elders refused to see it that way.

They rejected her because of her fire element, something that clashed with Emerald Earth's doctrine. Elder Ruth, especially, was relentless—pressuring me, manipulating me—under the guise of “protecting the pack's balance.” She raised me after my father, Alpha Rodney, died. I owed her everything—too much to defy her.

Letting out a heavy sigh, I glanced briefly at Leia. “I'm exhausted,” I muttered, my voice rough with weariness. “This rejected everything out of I pulled my hand away. “No.” Her frown deepened, but I didn't care.

Without another word, I turned and walked off towards my room. The room felt painfully empty, echoing the hollow ache inside me. I still remembered the moment Lulu rejected me, the way she ignored my calls. The pain that followed was suffocating. Halfway down the corridor, a sharp metallic scent hit me. Blood. I froze. My entire body went rigid. I knew that scent. Lulu's blood. It had to be a side effect of the rejection. Panic surged through me. My legs moved on their own, running fast, following the trail. I turned down the west corridor—towards Lulu's quarters—and what I saw made my blood run cold. The two guards I'd stationed her outside room lay lifeless on the marble floor. Damn it! I immediately opened a mind link with Beta Leighton. “Get to the west corridor. Now.” Within seconds, Leighton appeared with Elite Hunter Erick. Their eyes widened when they saw the bodies. Erick crouched to examine them. “Strange,” he muttered. “They look... startled. Like they froze where they stood.” His fingers brushed the stiff arm of one guard. “This is a curse. Dark magic.” My brows furrowed. “Dark magic?”

“Yes, Alpha,” Erick said grimly. “But I also found traces of water elemental magic near the forest's edge.”

My fists clenched. “Explain,” I demanded, nodding towards the faint moisture around us.

“I picked up a strong magical scent during patrol,” he said

. Empty. A curse escaped my lips. Panic flared hot in my chest. The rejection wasn't supposed to be fatal—and yet, Lulu was gone. “Find her!” I barked. “Erick, search the perimeter for clues .

Leighton, investigate how this happened.”

Leighton snorted sharply.

out the world.

Falling onto the bed, I didn't even have the strength to move. Sleep pulled me under before I could fight it.

**

I stood in the middle of a forest, beside a still, black lake. The full moon hung high above, its reflection shimmering across the water.

Then, from the shadows—she appeared.

Lulu stepped towards me, fire flickering in her palm, yet the water beneath her stayed calm—as if both feet elements obeyed her.

Her eyes burned with fury.

“Lulu,” I called softly.

She didn't answer. She kept walking. Before I could speak again, flames burst from her hand, shooting straight at me.

I barely dodged, but the heat still scorched my skin. “Listen! I know I made a mistake, but—” “No buts,” she cut me off coldly. Her

voice held none of the warmth I used to know.

wilder.In an instant, she shifted into her wolf form—her entire body engulfed in flame.

I tried to step closer, but suddenly, fire flared around me, forming a cage. Pain tore through me as I roared.

Then I woke up—gasping, drenched in sweat. My room was cloaked in darkness, silvered only by the moonlight spilling through the window.

It was just a dream. Bloody hell, just a dream. But it felt real. Too real.

I dragged a hand down my face, trying to calm my racing heart, but the unease in my chest wouldn't fade.

Stepping out onto the balcony, I looked towards the forest in the distance. I had to find her. I had to fix our broken bond.

Without hesitation, I let Adar take over. Bones cracked, muscles stretched, and dark fur spread across my body. Within seconds, I was sprinting into the forest, the night air sharp against my skin.

I didn't know how long I ran, but when the first rays of dawn broke over the horizon, I realized one thing—I hadn't found anything.

A month passed. Lulu was still missing.

When I returned to the mansion, Leighton was already waiting in my office.

“Any news?” I asked, shifting back into human form.

He shook his head. “I've checked neighboring packs—no one's seen her. I suspect Lulu encountered a magic wielder like the one Erick mentioned. But there's something odd… there haven't been any known water mages since Ceneró City fell twenty years ago. Either we're wrong—or something's been hiding.”

A low growl rumbled in my throat.

Erick entered then, face grave. He carried something in his hand. The moment I saw it, my stomach twisted.

“I found this in the drainage near the forest,” he said, handing it to me.

A small emerald pendant. The one I'd given Lulu during our bonding ceremony. I took it carefully. Inside was a tiny folded note. Unfolding it, I read the words.

I'm returning this to you. Our bond—and our love—weren't as strong as we thought.

Short. But each word cut deep.

I clenched the pendant tightly, my jaw locking as guilt pressed down on me like a weight I couldn't bear.

“Alpha Scott,” Erick spoke again, hesitant. “I also found this in her room.” He handed me a blurry black-and-white photo.

I frowned. “What's this?”

He inhaled deeply. “It's an ultrasound.” I

stared blankly.

“Luna Lulu was pregnant,” he confirmed . her. Failed my mate. Failed as an Alpha. Failed as a man. A throbbing pain gripped my skull, so fierce it felt like my brain was being crushed. And then… I saw Leia's face in my mind. And all I could think about—was how much I still wanted her.