I Regret Being Alpha’s Secret Mate novel Chapter 16

< Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Claim 10 Coins By Check in

This time, I could finally stand under the spotlight with confidence. I didn’t have to hide from the judgmental stares of others, endure the cold ridicule of the purebloods, or watch as Julian hid our bond, too afraid to admit who I was.

Once upon a time, I didn’t even have the right to stand at a pack banquet.

On Julian’s birthdays, I could only watch from the shadows as he held Serena Thorne’s hand to cut the cake.

Every tiny moment of happiness I had with Julian back then was subject to the whims of the elder council. I had to be so careful, so cautious, : if I really were the pathetic thief everyone claimed-a thief stealing someone else’s mate.

But now, I walked across the red carpet, the hem of my high-end gown sweeping across the starlit floor. The pearl necklace at my throat cast a soft, ethereal glow.

It was as if I had been born anew.

I looked like a true high-society lady, radiating a quiet strength.

Facing the purebloods and elites at the gala, every move I made was elegant and poised, I no longer had to hide in the back, peering at the radiance that should have been mine all along.

“Who is that? She’s stunning!”

“You don’t know? That’s Julian Vance’s fated mate. He kept her hidden for years. Word is she was an unclaimed orphan from the neutral zone with a ‘lowly’ background. The elders forced Julian to create a public romance with the Thorne pureblood, but this female was his true mate all along!”

“What? A rogue orphan? But she doesn’t look like she came from the slums at all. She has so much class.”

“You have no idea. Chloe Bennett went through hell. She was mistaken for a rank-climber, beaten, and thrown into the Pack Dungeon several times. To protect their reputation, the elders didn’t lift a finger to help her. It wasn’t until Julian himself exposed the council that her name was finally cleared.”

“My God… those elders are monsters. Honestly, I think she is a perfect fit for a Luna. So what if she has no pack backing? She’s clearly got the grace to pull it off.”

The slander of the past had transformed into admiration, sympathy, and a collective disdain for the old Blood Moon regime.

I felt a wave of bittersweet irony.

I had spent years dreaming of this day-the day I could stand in the sun without hiding.

But now that it was here, it felt hollow.

It was ironic that the dignity I had spent years trying to explain and defend was worth less than a single press conference from a powerful male like Julian.

It proved that he could have protected me and seized power in a dozen different ways back then.

But he had chosen the path that hurt me the most.

Seeing me, Julian walked over. Our long separation had filled him with an overwhelming sense of longing.

But when he saw Arthur Sterling standing by my side, a surge of intense jealousy flared in his heart.

He took a step forward, his voice softening instinctively, as if he were terrified I would reject him again.

‘Chloe, how have you been? Have you been eating well? Have you been sick? Have you…”

He wanted to ask if I had missed him, even just a little.

But catching the ice-cold look in my eyes, he forced himself to swallow the words.

It turned out that during the time Julian had been exiled, he had used his brilliant business acumen and ruthlessness to establish his own independent faction. Determined to build his own empire from the ground up just for me, he no longer relied on the Blood Moon Pack.

To prove himself to me, he had spent the last year working tirelessly.

He had secured multiple financing deals, expanded his territorial map, acquired massive resources, and successfully taken his new enterprise

12:09

5.7%

< Chapter 16

public.

Only now did he feel he had the right to talk to me.

Only now could he offer me the future he thought I wanted. That was why he had invited me today.

Claim 10 Coins By Check in

Even if I still gave him the cold shoulder, he didn’t care. He was here to seek reconciliation and was in no hurry.

The banquet officially began, and the room was filled with the clinking of glasses.

During the event, Arthur invited me for a dance. He rested his hand on my waist as we spun through the center of the dance/floor.

Julian watched us, his heart feeling like it was being shredded by a dull blade.

Worse yet, the room was filled with whispers mocking him-people were openly sneering at him for not knowing how to cherish what he had and losing such a beautiful mate.

Some were even applauding, saying he deserved to lose her.

When the dance ended, Julian had completely lost face.

But he said nothing. He walked to the center of the room and took the microphone.

“Thank you all for coming to my celebration banquet. Thank you!”

“However, the person I need to thank the most is my mate. She’s the one who taught me that you can never truly own something that was given as a handout by the elders. Only what you build with your own two hands truly belongs to you.”

Julian looked at me, his eyes filled with a deep, aching melancholy.

He knew he had made mistakes, and even if he couldn’t undo them, he hoped for a sliver of a chance at forgiveness.

He took a folder from Beta Carter and had him hand it to me.

Today, I have a gift for my mate.”

I frowned as I took the folder and opened it.

My eyes widened. It was an absolute ownership deed and share transfer agreement for this entire new enterprise.

I looked closer. It wasn’t just a simple transfer. Julian was listed as the legal representative who would shoulder all the risks, while I was the registered owner of the territory and its assets.

This meant that if the faction ran into trouble or went bankrupt, Julian would be the one legally responsible. I would be completely safe.

And yet, I would receive every cent of the profit and hold ultimate authority.

Julian was essentially giving me the best of everything he had built.

It was a massive, staggering gesture that stunned everyone in the room.

“Chloe, this enterprise is mine, and now I’m giving it to you. It’s everything I own. I can take care of you now. Even if the Blood Moon elders refused to acknowledge it, you will always be my Luna.”

‘No one will ever make you suffer in silence again. So… please, come back to me.”

He held out his hand, his eyes desperate for me to move toward him.

But I just stood there, motionless, as if I were watching a ridiculous joke.

Some people in the crowd started to heckle and pressure me. “If she doesn’t forgive him after that, Chloe Bennett is really being ungrateful.”

“Exactly. It seems Julian was being threatened by the elders back then, which is why he hid the bond. He had his reasons. There’s no reason for her to actually finalize the Rejection and give up a chance to rule her own faction, right?”

“I know, right? She should just forgive him. All fated mates have their spats, but they should settle them in private.”

Julian’s lips quirked into a small, confident smirk. He clearly thought he had done enough.

“Chloe, everything I have is yours. I’ll compensate you for every bit of suffering you endured. Just tell me what you want, and I’ll do it.”

Under the dazzling lights, my expression remained flat. I slowly walked toward him.

01209

57%

< Chapter 16

Everyone held their breath, waiting for this ‘reconciliation of the century to have its happy ending.

Claim 10 Coins By Check in

Only Arthur, watching my footsteps, felt his pupils contract. His heart clenched with a sharp, agonizing pain.

But he had no right to stop me.

He was just a childhood friend, the brother I had grown up with.

He would respect my choice.

If I wanted to go back to Julian, the Lycan King would spend the rest of his life silently guarding this love in the depths of his heart.

Arthur let out a dejected sigh and turned to leave, wanting to give us space for our reunion.

Then-RIIIIIP.

I tore the ownership deed into shreds. My gaze was colder than ice.

I looked at the shock on Julian’s face and slowly rolled up my sleeves, revealing the jagged scars on my arms for all to see.

Horrifying, twisted scars that would never fully heal snaked across my skin.

Then I gestured to my ribs and my back, where there was even more permanent damage.

“Julian Vance, can you compensate me for these?”

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify