The Broken Luna, Now His Regret novel Chapter 14

14 Chapter 14 The Ultimatum

Kieran stared at his phone in disbelief, watching the call disconnect. 1

She’d hung up on him. Actually hung up. Then blocked his number.

His wolf was absolutely feral-howling, clawing, demanding he track down his mate and drag her home by force if necessary.

“You’re not my Alpha anymore.”

Those words carved through him like silver blades, leaving wounds that wouldn’t hear

From upstairs at Blissfield Villa, he could hear Brielle’s heartbroken wails. Astrid’s gentle voice trying to soothe her. His mother’s sharp criticism of “that woman” who dared abandon her child.

He climbed the stairs slowly, each step heavier than the last.

When he pushed open Brielle’s door, he found his daughter curled in Astrid’s lap, face red and blotchy from crying so hard she’d made herself sick.

“Daddy!” Brielle launched herself at him. “Where’s Mommy? I want Mommy!”

He caught her, holding her tight as she sobbed into his shoulder. “Mommy’s working, baby. She can’t come tonight.”

“But I need her! I had a bad dream and I need her to sing to me!” Brielle’s whole body shook. “Why won’t she come see me anymore?”

Astrid stepped forward, her hand gentle on Brielle’s back. “Sweetheart, I can sing to you. Remember the lullaby I taught you?”

“No!” Brielle pushed her away viciously, her small face twisted with rage and grief. “I want MOMMY! I want my real mommy! Not you!”

Astrid’s face crumpled. She stepped back, tears welling in her eyes.

Selene appeared in the doorway, her expression thunderous. “This is unacceptable. That woman has poisoned this child’s mind against this family.”

“Mother, not now-”

“Yes, now!” Selene strode into the room. “Brielle, your mother doesn’t care about you anymore. If she did, she’d be here. But she’s too busy with her new boyfriend to worry

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14 Chapter 14 The Ultimatum

about her own daughter.”

“That’s enough!” Kieran’s Alpha command rang through the room, powerful enough to make the windows rattle.

Selene flinched but stood her ground, her eyes flashing with defiance. “You’re too soft on her, Kieran. You always have been. Meanwhile, Astrid has been here every single day, caring for this child like her own-”

“Get out.” His voice was deadly quiet.

“Excuse me?”

“Get out of my daughter’s room. Now. Before I say something we’ll both regret.”

Selene’s face flushed with fury. “We’ll discuss this tomorrow. When you’ve calmed down and can think rationally.” She swept from the room, taking Astrid with her.

Alone with Brielle, Kieran sat on the edge of her bed and tried desperately to soothe her. But she was inconsolable, her cries echoing through the villa.

“Why doesn’t Mommy love me anymore?” she wailed between gasping sobs.

“She does love you, baby. So, so much.”

“Then why did she leave me?”

Because I drove her away, he thought. Because I chose Astrid over her. Because I let my mother abuse her. Because I’m a coward who couldn’t admit I was destroying the best thing that ever happened to me.

But to Brielle, he just said: “It’s complicated, sweetheart. But Mommy loves you. She always will.”

Brielle cried herself into exhausted sleep in his arms.

And Kieran sat there in the dark, holding his daughter, finally understanding the full extent of what he’d destroyed.

Mira didn’t return to her Millbrook apartment that night.

Instead, she drove for hours, tears streaming down her face, her phone buzzing relentlessly with calls she couldn’t answer.

Finally, at 2 AM, she pulled up outside the Callum Mansion.

Garrett was waiting on the porch, as if he’d sensed she’d come.

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“Sweetheart,” he said, opening his arms.

Mira collapsed into her father’s embrace and sobbed.

“They’re going to take her from me,” she gasped between tears. “Selene’s filing for emergency custody. She has photos of me with Julian. She’s going to make it look like I abandoned Brielle for another man.”

Garrett held her tighter. “Over my dead body.”

“Dad, she’s Selene Ravencrest. She has unlimited resources, unlimited connections”

“And you have us.” Garrett pulled back, gripping her shoulders firmly. “Your mother, your brother, me. We won’t let them take Brielle. I promise you.”

Inside, Estelle was already on the phone with Patricia Morrison despite the ungodly

hour.

“Yes, emergency custody petition,” Patricia’s voice was crisp, professional. “I need everything, Estelle. Every text message, every voicemail, every instance of Selene’s abuse. We go to war at dawn.”

“Have you seen the news?” Helena asked without preamble. “Your wife’s planning to go nuclear. My sources say she has recordings. Documentation. She’s going to eviscerate you publicly.”

“She wouldn’t-”

| “She already has. One of my contacts sent me a preview of what she’s releasing.”

Helena’s voice was grim. “Mr. Ravencrest, she has a recording of you telling your mother that Mira could ‘handle the risk’ of childbirth because she’s expendable while Astrid needed protection.”

The room tilted.

“How did she-”

“Does it matter? She has it. And she’s planning to play it for every news outlet in

14 Chapter 14 The Ultimatum

Oakwood.” Helena paused. “Sir, you need to make a choice. Fight her publicly and risk everything coming out, or settle quietly and hope she shows mercy.”

“What kind of settlement?”

“Full custody to her. You get supervised visitation. And you publicly apologize for everything.”

“Absolutely not-”

“Then prepare for war. Because Mira Whitmore is done being your victim.”

Kieran sat in his study, head in his hands, as the sun rose over Oakwood.

And for the first time in his life, he had absolutely no idea what to do.

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15 Chapter 15 The Press Conference

15 Chapter 15 The Press Conference