The Alpha's Regret Return Of The Betrayed Luna (Addison) novel Chapter 401

Chapter 401: Chapter 401 A Chance

She wasn’t sure if it had anything to do with them being mates, but she found herself letting go of some of the anger, the bitterness she once held toward him.

Yet now, as they spoke about the past, the memories came flooding back. The grievances, the injustices, how Zion and his pack had treated her coldly and indifferently, how everyone seemed to take her for granted, she could feel that dull ache twisting in her chest again, sharp and persistent, like a knife lodged deep inside.

Zion could sense her mood slipping, her expression turning sour, but he didn’t want to push her. He knew all too well that his cold indifference had hurt her far more deeply than any physical wound ever could.

And that wasn’t the worst of it; he had defended another woman right in front of her, choosing to stand up for a fake princess while throwing cutting words at Addison, words he could never take back.

No amount of regret would rewrite what he had done. But at least now, he had finally spoken his intentions for the future. She knew he genuinely planned to earn her forgiveness and win back her heart as his mate. This time, he intended to do better, no, to be better for her.

Addison listened to his promises, and instead of feeling hopeful, a quiet bitterness welled up inside her. While Zion was thinking about their future, about what he should do from now on, her heart was trapped in the past.

’What if he had realized all this before everything fell apart?’

’Maybe our little family of four could’ve been happy by now. Maybe my father, the Alpha King, would have already accepted him and started teaching him how to govern, preparing him to help expand our kingdom.’

’Zion could have been my sword, while I stood as the guiding light of our people. Maybe our children wouldn’t have to wonder who their father is... maybe they could have grown up with warmth, stability, and joy.’

’But alas...’

The more she thought about it, the heavier the bitterness settled in her chest.

After all, if Zion hadn’t been such a jerk back then, she wouldn’t have had to endure so much, she wouldn’t have been forced to give birth to their twins alone, without their father even knowing they existed. And even now, she still carried deep trust issues when it came to Zion’s character.

’What if she introduced him to the children, only for him to repeat the same mistakes he made with her?’

Wouldn’t that hurt the kids even more?

It was far kinder, in her eyes, for the twins to grow up believing they didn’t have a father, just like before, than to let them meet the man, give them hope, and then watch that hope shatter.

That was the fear gripping her heart, the reason she couldn’t bring herself to tell Zion the truth yet. Yes, he had the right to know, but the fear of him hurting her children the way he once hurt her was suffocating.

She had suffered too much already. She had carried them alone, endured the agony of childbirth without the support of her wolf, who had been dormant at the time, and struggled through the slow, painful recovery afterward. She had even fallen into postpartum depression, a darkness she would never forget.

If not for Silas being by her side, steadily pulling her back from that abyss, she didn’t know how she would have survived it.

But she also knew the inevitable would always come. She had no choice but to prepare herself, to finally tell Zion the truth once they returned to the Royal Capital. Only then would he see his children with his own eyes... only then would he understand what he had lost, what he had thrown away by protecting another woman, and the innocent lives he had nearly destroyed because of his negligence.

But before he could revel in the joy swelling inside him, Addison drifted back to sleep, almost as if releasing that single word had finally lifted a thorn buried in her chest for far too long. Relief washed over her features, softening them into a peaceful calm he hadn’t seen in ages.

Zion carefully laid her back onto the bed and eased down beside her. Sleeping next to one’s mate was known to soothe the soul and accelerate healing, and he hoped his presence would steady her, help her body recover even without her wolf and give Shura the strength to regenerate more blood for him.

Watching her breathe softly, Zion allowed his own eyes to close, letting the quiet of their shared warmth pull him into sleep.

「Somewhere Far Away」

Crash!!!

"Useless!" The sound of shattered glass scattered across the floor made the cold, already desolate room feel even more lifeless. The man in black glared at everyone, his eyes sharp enough to pierce through flesh and bone, as if he wanted to kill them in the cruelest way imaginable.

"Chase! Come here!" he barked.

Immediately, Chase, who was standing tall and rigid like a pine, dropped to his knees. His face remained unreadable as he bowed his head, exposing the back of his neck in a clear display of submission.

"Tell me," the man continued, his voice low and dangerous, "how in the world did this mission fall apart when I sent so many men to back you? When you, my supposed best pawn, were there?" He paused, letting the words hang in the air. "Hmmm? You do understand that even the thoughts of betrayal would get you nowhere..."