The Alpha's Regret: Return Of The Betrayed Luna

Chapter 36: Chapter 36 Let Him Suffer The Pain

He chased it like a lifeline, tearing through the forest and killing whoever stood in the way until he arrived at the clearing where Elric and the others had stood moments before. But by then, it was too late.

They were gone.

Only the lingering echo of her presence remained—faint but unmistakable. And with it, the pain.

A fresh wave of torment crashed into him, stronger than before; it felt like an aftershock following an earthquake. Whether it was the sting of rejection or the agony of heartbreak, he didn’t know.

All he knew was that his heart couldn’t bear it.

And then everything went black.

When Zion finally came to his senses, he realized that days had passed. He was lying in the bed he once shared with Addison. The emptiness of the space struck him—the absence of her presence, her scent, now faint and barely there, reminding him that she was no longer by his side.

Panic surged within him, and he shot up from the bed, eyes frantically scanning the room, but Addison was nowhere to be found.

A wave of anxiety hit him like a tidal wave, his mind spiraling out of control as the reality of her absence settled in. Just as the panic threatened to overwhelm him, a knock on the door pulled him from his spiraling thoughts. The familiar scent of Addison’s Gamma, Levi, reached his nostrils, and it brought a fleeting sense of relief.

Zion looked up, his gaze locking with Gamma Levi’s. In that moment, it felt like seeing a lifeline after drowning. Without a second thought, Zion surged forward, desperation evident in his voice. ”Where’s my mate? Where’s Addison?” he demanded, urgency and fear lacing his every word.

”Alpha Zion,” Gamma Levi spoke with a cold, almost detached tone, his words cutting through the tension in the room, ”Luna Addison is gone.”

Zion’s heart dropped at the finality in Levi’s voice, but Gamma Levi didn’t show any sign of emotion. His eyes, however, betrayed a depth of pain, the kind only someone who had witnessed the quiet suffering of the woman who had been the heart of this pack could understand.

Levi’s loyalty ran deep—not just to the Alpha, but to Addison, whose blood, sweat, and tears had been poured into shaping this pack.

In truth, Levi could have left. After everything that had been done to Addison, after watching her sacrifice for the very people who had cast her aside, he could have walked away. He could have become a rogue and sought out to find his Luna, Addison.

But this pack—this broken, fractured pack—was also Addison’s work, her legacy. Levi couldn’t let it fall apart, not after all she had done to rebuild it from the ground up. Her blood had shaped it, and because of that, he remained, silently guarding her efforts, even when it seemed like no one else would.

”No! Find her! Find my Luna!” Zion’s voice was a guttural roar, his fury igniting in an instant as if the very mention of Addison’s disappearance had triggered the beast within him. His mind raced in chaos, the shock of Gamma Levi’s words sending him into a frenzied state.

The loss was too much to bear, and he couldn’t accept it. Everything else—Claire’s well-being, the Royal Convoy’s arrival, the pack’s needs—vanished from his thoughts. All that mattered now was finding Addison.

To any observer, Zion looked like a man on the edge of madness, his body trembling with rage, desperation etched in every line of his face. Gamma Levi, watching him, couldn’t suppress a flicker of satisfaction.

It was a dark, fleeting emotion, one that briefly softened his stoic demeanor. After all, he knew the depth of Addison’s suffering—how much she had endured in silence, sacrificing herself for the very pack that had rejected her.

She had borne more pain than Zion ever would, and yet, it seemed Zion would crumble with this little pain.

Levi felt no inclination to assist his Alpha in this moment. Why should he? The pack had pushed Addison aside, broken her in ways Zion could never truly understand. Now, Zion wanted to chase after her, but where had that urgency been when she had been left to fend for herself?

Levi couldn’t help but wonder if Zion’s fury now was born not of love, but of guilt—and maybe even the realization that he had pushed her too far.

But alas, Zion was still his Alpha, and Gamma Levi remained bound by the unbreakable oath of loyalty and fealty. To even think of causing harm to his Alpha—physically or emotionally—was enough to rebound the pain back onto himself.

So now, as rage simmered beneath Levi’s calm exterior, he, too, was writhing in silent agony. The pain curled deep in his chest, laced through his bones like fire, but he didn’t fight it. He welcomed it. It was the only punishment he could accept for his failure, for not protecting his Luna.

Even his wolf, usually a fierce and proud guardian, remained quiet, resigned to the torment. This self-inflicted suffering was a small price to pay for the guilt that ate at Levi’s soul. Disobedience—especially the kind born from resentment—came with consequences. But Levi bore them all.

As he struggled to keep his breathing even, he kept his eyes wide open, refusing to look away from the chaos unfolding before him. Zion was losing control, destroying everything in sight, his fury spilling over like a storm.

His nostrils flared, his aura violent and suffocating. And yet, despite the searing pain within, a bitter, knowing smirk tugged at Levi’s lips.

Let him feel it. Let him taste just a sliver of what Addison had endured.

While Zion was wreaking havoc in his own territory, Addison was brought back to the Royal Palace.

The two men who had found her were still reeling from the shock—one moment they were in unfamiliar woods, and the next, they were standing in the middle of the Royal Grounds.

The sudden teleportation left them both stunned and flustered, especially the shorter one who was standing beside the man who was still cradling Addison in his arms.

Without wasting a second, Elric bolted toward the royal medical ward, his voice slicing through the air with urgency.”Someone! Help! I need a healer—immediately!” he yelled, as though he were the one gravely wounded.

The sight was bizarre—Elric, normally calm and composed, was now frantic and pale with worry. The two men trailed behind him, and Elric stood still, catching his breath as the two followed his lead.

Elric’s commotion stirred the entire ward into action. By the time they reached the entrance, royal healers and doctors were already rushing to meet them at the doors, alerted by the panic in his voice.

”What happened?” the Royal Healer demanded as he rushed forward.

Elric stumbled over his words, breathless. ”This... she—” He couldn’t explain. Instead, he simply pointed to the man still cradling Addison in his arms.

All eyes followed his gesture. There, in the man’s grasp, lay a woman—pale as snow, her brows drawn tightly together in pain. The healer’s expression darkened.

”Follow me,” he ordered sharply, leading them toward an examination room. He motioned for the man to lay Addison down on the bed.

Without delay, the healer and the royal doctor began their assessment. Elric hesitated, then turned and ran off down the corridor. No one stopped him; their attention was entirely fixed on Addison.