Chapter 1 – 1 The Hero’s Return: My Alpha

“Luna! Luna! We’ve just received a report from the frontlines—the war is over!!!”

Gamma Levi’s heavy footsteps rang through the hallway as he hurried toward the Luna’s office, where Addison was buried in the grain production report from their farm. Her Gamma’s excited voice echoed from down the hall, even before he reached the door.

Her hand trembled, and her heart seemed to stop in an instant as the news sank in.

‘The war is over?’

At that moment, a face flashed across her mind, causing her heart to skip a beat as a wave of happiness and disbelief washed over her. She sprang up from her chair, the heavy wooden seat crashing to the floor with a resounding thud behind her. Yet all she could hear was a ringing in her ears, her Gamma’s words echoing in her thoughts.

A wide, unguarded smile spread across her face—one that hadn’t appeared in months, revealing a youthful gleam beneath her tired, gaunt face. Though still in her early twenties, the trials of war had aged her beyond her years, making her look much older than she actually was.

“Is it true?!” Addison’s face lit up with an excited, warm smile as she eagerly awaited her Gamma to reach her, holding a sealed letter—one that had come from the frontlines via their messenger birds.

Gamma Levi didn’t speak. Instead, he handed the letter to Addison, allowing her to read the news herself. His eyes softened as he watched her—the woman he had worked with this entire three years to keep the pack afloat while their Alpha and most of their warriors were fighting in the frontlines.

Although it sounded glamorous to hear that Luna Addison became the rock of their pack, in reality, none of the pack members actually respected her.

After all, aside from her managerial skills, her wolf is weak; she can’t even shift into her wolf form and is labeled as an omega. However, her status is actually lower than an omega since she can’t even shift, which nearly makes her wolfless.

And what’s worse is that their Alpha leaves immediately after the marking ceremony is completed; he didn’t even stay to mate with her, which only shows how much he detested her.

But Addison can’t do anything about it; this is a marriage of convenience. For the entire three years, she stayed in the pack, picking up the broken pieces and slowly supporting everyone while being ridiculed and looked down upon.

She didn’t have anyone to turn to; the only person who treated her fairly well was her Gamma, who kept her sane through all the hard work and pain she had to endure.

Not once did her mate, her alpha, send her a message to inquire about what she was up to. Every message he sent was directed to Gamma Levi, asking for provisions to support the war against the vampires who were terrorizing the borders and killing the werewolves like livestock.

As she read the letter confirming their victory in the war and the retreat of the vampires to their lands, her eyes lingered on the words that sent a rush of emotions through her, Zion, her mate and alpha, was returning.

She ran her fingers over the words that read ‘Returning’ and felt her heart beat faster, happiness surging within her like a wave crashing down before she returned her gaze to her Gamma.

“My mate is coming back,” she murmured softly, her voice breaking as tears welled up in her eyes.

Addison can’t really hate her mate despite all the neglect she endured. After all, he’s her mate, and the mate bond will bind them together, making their hearts long for each other and love them.

She believes that once they meet again, she’ll have a chance to melt his cold heart, and they can slowly resolve their differences and the misunderstandings between them.

“Gamma, Levi, let’s prepare for a banquet to welcome back our Alpha, our hero!” Addison excitedly said as she made her way out of her office.

Her strides were almost turning into a sprint; she calculated that since the letter was arriving now, the Alpha and his entourage weren’t far off and would be arriving any minute too.

She wanted to be the first to welcome them back with a smile and the most glamorous, heartwarming welcome she could offer for her mate and her pack.

After receiving his order, Gamma Levi left almost immediately to help the omega prepare the banquet hall for the alpha’s arrival. Meanwhile, Addison was heading to the entrance of their pack border, where people had already gathered, waiting for the alpha. Everyone was excited and hopeful to see their loved ones.

Addison pushed her way to the very front of the group. Not far from them, she saw the silhouette of the werewolves running toward them, dust swirling behind them. Addison felt her heart tremble as she sensed her connection to her alpha.

‘He’s there!’ she thought, her eyes sparkling with hope and anticipation, feeling her heart hanging by a thread.

As the entourage drew closer, she raised her hand in the air to wave at her mate, but then she stiffened, halting her action midway. She noticed long golden locks swaying in the wind behind her mate’s wolf form and delicate legs.

‘W-Who’s that woman?’

Addison felt her heart constrict as her eyes widened. “That should be my place,” she muttered softly. A werewolf’s back is meant to be reserved for their mate, and allowing someone of the opposite gender to sit on their back signifies that they acknowledge them as their mate.

Addison thought that she wouldn’t feel more pain, but when the entourage came a little closer, she noticed that the woman sitting behind her mate was actually pregnant, and her belly was already bulging.

This meant that she had been pregnant for quite some time and would be giving birth in a few months. Addison felt her heart shatter, even more so when she heard her pack member whisper excitedly after seeing this.

“Our Alpha must have found his fated mate! Soon, we’ll witness the first heir of the Midnight River Pack!”

“Ha ha ha! She must be our future Luna, not some omega who only knows how to exploit the situation!”

“It will only be a matter of time before the alpha dissolves his mate bond with the omega and rejects her. After all, the woman riding behind him must be his fated mate, his true mate!” The people around Addison sneered, not even trying to hide their mocking glares as they openly talked about their alpha in front of her.

Addison felt her whole body tremble as her calm facade cracked bit by bit while she listened to their words.

Her heart was shattering into a million pieces, but she needed to be a gracious host. As a Luna, it was her responsibility and her job.

Soon, Alpha Zion reached them, and Addison stepped forward with a smile that was uglier than her crying.

“Welcome back, Alpha Zion!” However, as she greeted them, Alpha Zion just walked past her as if he didn’t even see her. The warrior behind him mirrored his attitude toward their Luna, and they all ignored her as they made their way to the packhouse.

When they reached the front door of the hall, Alpha Zion stopped, and with the help of his Beta, they gently lowered the pregnant woman from behind him.

“I’ll just take a quick wash before I return. Please look after her for me; she’s heavily pregnant with a pup. If anything happens to her, you’ll face serious consequences!” Zion’s voice that came through the mind link was menacingly threatening, as only a mate would sound.

With his cold, indifferent eyes, he looked at Addison for the first time. Addison’s breath caught in her throat with anticipation, but the words she heard shattered her heart even more as he sent a private mind link.

“Look after her and my pup.” Zion’s tone was laced with a mocking sneer as he casually mentioned that the pup inside the woman’s belly was his, only to watch Addison break.

And he indeed succeeded in breaking her heart into a million pieces as Addison tried to hold herself together, but everyone ignored her as they welcomed the woman; even Zion didn’t look at her a second time after turning his back to leave.

In that moment, Addison felt more alone and lonelier than in the three years she had worked for this pack.

‘Is it really that hard to melt their cold hearts? Is it truly impossible for them to accept me? Is it because I am weak? Or is it simply hatred, still blaming me?’ Addison wanted to cry as she felt this heavy stone pressing on her chest; she couldn’t even breathe, but no tears were coming out of her eyes.

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PS: Hello everyone, welcome to Alpha’s Regret: Return of the Betrayed Luna! I hope you find this novel worthwhile!

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