Semua Bab Alpha's Regret: The Luna He Betrayed: Bab 31 - Bab 40

Chapter 32SERAPHINAThe drive back to the Blackwood compound felt like the longest journey of my life, even though it couldn't have been more than twenty minutes. I kept replaying the conversation with Kieran over and over in my mind, dissecting every word, every facial expression, every painful moment of rejection.*"We're done, Seraphina. What we had, what we could have been—that ended five years ago."*His words echoed in my head like a death knell, each repetition driving the knife deeper into my chest. I'd known it wouldn't be easy, had prepared myself for anger or coldness or even indifference. But somehow, the clinical way he'd dismissed me had been worse than any of those scenarios. He'd looked at me like I was a problem to be solved, an inconvenient complication in his otherwise perfectly ordered life.And then Miranda had walked in with her father, and I'd seen exactly what I was up against. She'd been poised, professional, devastatingly beautiful in a way that made me feel

Chapter 34SERAPHINAMy father moved to the bar and poured himself a drink, raising his glass toward me."To my daughter," he said with pride in his voice. "Who's finally ready to claim what's rightfully hers.""To crushing our enemies under our feet," I added, raising my own glass. "Starting with Marcus Sullivan and his pathetic mistress.""Speaking of which," my mother said, her eyes taking on a calculating gleam, "we should probably deal with the Marcus situation before the fundraiser. We don't want any complications from that quarter overshadowing your reentry into society.""What did you have in mind?" I asked, curious about what my mother—a former assassin with a frighteningly creative mind—might be planning."Nothing fatal," she said with a small smile. "At least, not physically. But Marcus Sullivan committed several serious crimes when he drugged you with silver and attempted a forced marking. Those crimes have consequences in our world, especially when the victim is the daugh

Chapter 36MIRANDABut I couldn't be that person. I'd been raised in a family that punished emotional displays, that valued calculation over passion, that taught me from childhood that love was a weakness to be exploited rather than a strength to be celebrated. My mother had spent my entire life drilling into me that the only value I had was in the strategic alliances I could create, the connections I could forge, the benefits I could bring to the family.Love had never been part of that equation.So I'd approached my engagement to Kieran the same way I approached everything else—as a project to be managed, a goal to be achieved, a business deal to be negotiated. I'd focused on being the perfect Luna-in-training, on learning everything I could about pack politics and territorial management, on presenting the image of a capable, sophisticated partner.What I hadn't focused on was actually connecting with him. Actually trying to build something real beneath all the political convenience

Chapter 38KIERANShe looked up from her computer, surprise flickering across her face."Sunflowers, Your Majesty. She mentioned it once during the engagement photo shoot."Sunflowers. Bright, cheerful, unpretentious. The complete opposite of Seraphina's preferred roses—those carefully cultivated, perfectly formed symbols of romance and passion."Get me sunflowers," I said, making the decision impulsively. "A large arrangement."*What are you doing?* my wolf asked suspiciously."Bringing flowers to dinner, like my mother insisted," I replied.*You're bringing Miranda's favorite flowers to Seraphina's house. That's either incredibly stupid or incredibly deliberate.*It was deliberate. It was my small rebellion, my way of reminding everyone—including myself—that I was committed to Miranda. That Seraphina was the past, and Miranda was the future. Even if Miranda was currently refusing to speak to me.I also had my assistant arrange for a bottle of expensive wine to be delivered to the Bl

Chapter 40KIERAN"And what would you know about it?" I demanded, my control finally snapping. "You married Marcus Sullivan. You spent five years in his bed, building a life with him. Did you love him? Or was he just your way of escaping from me?""He was my mistake," she admitted, and a tear finally escaped, tracking down her cheek. "He was my attempt to prove I could choose my own path, make my own decisions. And I was wrong. So wrong. But at least I can admit that now. Can you? Can you admit that you're making the same kind of mistake with Miranda?""It's not the same," I insisted, but even I could hear how weak the argument sounded."Isn't it?" Vincent asked. "You're marrying someone you don't love because you think it's the right thing to do, because it makes political sense, because you're too proud or too hurt to admit that your heart still belongs to someone else. That sounds exactly like what my daughter did with Marcus Sullivan."The comparison made me want to throw somethin