Alpha's Regret After She Kneels novel Chapter 71

Chapter 71

Chapter 71

(Raiden’s POV)

The ceremonial rings are still in my pocket, their weight unbearable.

I haven’t pulled them out since Siena’s declaration, but I can feel them pressing against my leg like a constant reminder of my failure.

I can still hear her voice, calm and steady as it cut through the chaos of the hall, severing the bond between us with a finality I didn’t know she possessed.

“I release you from our mating bond.”

Every word had been a dagger, precise and fatal, and I’ve been bleeding ever since.

I denied Lila’s claims immediately, but it hadn’t mattered. Siena had already made up her mind, and I couldn’t blame her. The strength of her composure, the dignity in the way she walked away from me, left me paralyzed.

She didn’t cry. She didn’t falter. She didn’t even hesitate.

And yet, I can’t stop thinking about the confusion in her amber eyes when Lila made her accusations. I saw it before she masked it with that unshakable mask.

It was a flicker of doubt, of disbelief, and it’s that moment I cling to now, desperate to unravel the truth. Because the truth is the only thing I have left to fight for.

I sit in my study, surrounded by the evidence Lila presented. Photographs, medical records, testimonies–it’s all spread out before me in a chaotic mess that mirrors my thoughts. None of it makes sense.

I know I haven’t been with Lila. I know I never touched her. So how could she be pregnant?

The question gnaws at me like a festering wound. Horace growls in the back of my mind, restless and agitated. He knows something is wrong, but I can’t focus long enough to make sense of it.

I pick up one of the photographs, staring at it until my vision blurs. It’s supposed to show us together in an intimate moment, but the memory doesn’t exist. That night doesn’t exist.

My fists clench around the paper, crumpling it in my hands as a surge of anger overtakes me. I slam my fist down on the desk, the sound echoing through the room. The chair creaks as I push it back and stand, pacing the room like a caged animal.

I call Zion, my Beta, and demand answers. I order an investigation into Lila’s claims, knowing I won’t rest until I uncover the truth. The hours crawl by as I wait, my mind a storm of rage and regret.

When Zion returns, his expression is grim. He hands me a folder, and I rip it open without hesitation. The medical reports are inside, along with the results of the investigation.

“The pregnancy is fabricated,” Zion says, his voice heavy with disgust. “The hormone levels in her blood indicate synthetic interference. And the documents she presented? They’re forged.”

I stare at the results, my hands trembling as the pieces begin to fall into place.

“She lied,” I whisper, more to myself than to him.

“There’s more,” Zion continues, his tone cautious. “The photographs she provided–they’ve been doctored. The timestamps don’t match, and some of the images were pulled from unrelated events. She’s been planning this for a long time.”

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Chapter 71

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I sink into my chair, the weight of his words pressing down on me. The truth is staggering. Lila orchestrated this entire charade, and I fell for it. She manipulated me, twisted the narrative, and turned me against the one person who ever stood by me.

But the worst revelation comes later, when Zion joins the investigation. He brings with him intercepted communications- calls and messages from Siena that never reached me. Among them are records from the night her father died.

I stare at the logs, the timestamps blurring as rage boils in my chest. Siena called me. She needed me. And I never answered, because Lila made sure I didn’t.

“She intercepted everything.” Zion says grimly, flipping through a stack of papers. “She blocked her calls, deleted her messages. She wanted to isolate Siena. To make you believe she wasn’t worth your time.”

I feel sick. Horace howls in my mind, the sound raw and guttural, echoing the grief clawing at my chest.

“She never stopped trying,” I say, my voice barely audible. “Even when I gave her every reason to give up, she still tried.”

The final piece of evidence is a journal, one that we found hidden in Lila’s quarters.

Its pages are filled with obsessive ramblings, detailed plans to sabotage Siena and drive us apart. Lila wrote about using toxic compounds in her perfume to trigger Siena’s wolf, about planting seeds of doubt in my mind, about fabricating evidence to discredit her.

“She’s manipulated everything,” Zion says, his voice tight with anger. “Including your perception of Siena.”

The words hit me harder than I expect, the full weight of them settling over me. Lila didn’t just manipulate situations—she manipulated me.

She fed me lies, and I believed her. I chose to believe her, because it was easier than confronting my own fears and failures.

I rejected the mate who would have fought for me to the ends of the earth, and I did it because it was convenient.

Horace growls low in my chest, the sound filled with rage and regret.

“I need to fix this,” I say, my voice trembling. “I need to make this right.”

“The Alpha is no longer here,” she says, her tone sharp.

“What do you mean she’s not here?” I demand, my heart pounding.

“She’s appointed me as Acting Alpha during her absence,” Rairity explains. “She’s left on a world journey. She requested privacy and time for healing.”

The words leave me reeling.

She’s gone. Siena, the mate I rejected, the woman I’ve spent years failing, has left.

And I don’t know if she’s ever coming back.

I stagger back, the weight of her absence threatening to crush me. I can’t breathe. I can’t think. Horace howls in his grief and rage mirroring my own.

my

mind,

“She left?” I whisper, the disbelief clear in my voice.

“She made it clear she didn’t want to be followed,” Rairity says, her tone softening slightly. “She needs time, Raiden. Time to heal. And you need to respect that.”

I sink into one of the council chairs, my head in my hands as the full weight of my actions crashes down on me. I’ve spent years rejecting Siena, pushing her away, believing the lies Lila fed me. And now, when I finally see the truth, it’s too late.