The Alpha's Regret: Return Of The Betrayed Luna

Chapter 90: Chapter 90 Who Was Their Real Enemy?

”They pass through the communications department first, then get sorted and filtered through several hands before reaching the right offices... only then do they make their way to the Alpha King. Now, think about how many eyes could see that report. If word of this artifact leaks out, it could cause chaos instead of helping us. For all we know, there might be spies or individuals with hidden agendas inside the palace. If we aren’t careful, we’ll end up sabotaging ourselves.”

Zion’s voice was steady, but his thoughts were racing. Too much was at stake.

”Alpha... what do you mean by spies and sabotaging ourselves?” Levi asked, clearly baffled. He understood each sentence his Alpha had said—but when taken all together, it felt like he was trying to piece together a completely different language.

”Do you honestly believe the Princess’s abduction six years ago was pulled off by vampires alone, without help from the inside?” Zion said, his voice low with conviction. ”Vampires are our enemies—they wouldn’t know the layout of the Royal Grounds well enough to slip in unnoticed. And the palace is one of the most heavily guarded places in the entire domain. Even an elite werewolf would struggle to get past its defenses.”

He paused for emphasis, then continued. ”My father once told me that the Royal Grounds are protected by a barrier cast by none other than Archmage Elric himself. That barrier was created when he formed his alliance with the Alpha King to show his loyalty—just a few decades ago. And barely a handful of people know how to even weaken it, let alone deactivate it.”

Zion’s eyes darkened as he added, ”If someone did bring down that barrier, even for a moment, they would have to know how to do it without alerting Elric. Which means there was someone inside the palace—someone with knowledge, access, and motive—who wanted the princess gone. They handed over the Royal Grounds’ layout, timed the breach perfectly, and covered their tracks. So no, Levi, we can’t trust everyone in the palace. Not anymore.”

Levi’s eyes widened with sudden realization as Zion’s explanation sank in. It made perfect sense—Zion’s deductions weren’t just based on suspicion, but on a deeper understanding of palace politics and history, much of which he had inherited from his father.

After all, Zion’s father, the former Alpha of the Midnight River Pack, had once ranked second only to Alpha Damon of the North. Both had been regularly summoned to the royal palace by the Alpha King due to the immense responsibilities they carried.

Alpha Damon was the stalwart protector of the North, guarding the sealed gate to the Demon World—a barrier locked by the Pope and Saintess thousands of years ago. His role was nothing short of legendary.

Meanwhile, Zion’s father had been stationed at the borderlands leading into the Vampire Domain. This was no coincidence—his strength and leadership were necessary to hold the line against the vampires, a race infamous for their arrogance and hostility.

Vampires viewed every other species as mere blood banks, and their near-immortality gave them an inflated sense of superiority. Especially the high-ranking ones—unlike werewolves or most other races, they had no natural lifespan, making them believe they were closer to gods than mortals.

Understanding the weight of his Alpha’s words, Levi felt a chill run down his spine. If Zion was right, and someone within the palace had helped orchestrate the Princess’s abduction... then nothing about their current situation was as simple as it seemed.

Because of these responsibilities, the former Alpha frequently traveled to the palace, where he witnessed and overheard many things. On several occasions, he even brought the young Zion along, giving him early exposure to court affairs—and a fleeting glimpse of the Royal Princess. This made it easier for Levi to trust in his Alpha’s words now; Zion had grown up with more insight into the royal court than most.

Still, Levi couldn’t help but consider the changes that had followed the former Alpha’s death. By all rights, the third-ranking Alpha at the time should have been promoted to second rank and reassigned as the protector of the border. But the Midnight River Pack had been rooted in this territory for generations—it wasn’t easy to uproot them. Furthermore, Zion had proven himself a worthy successor to his father, arguably even stronger.

Perhaps the Alpha King recognized that strength and allowed Zion to retain the post. Or maybe, Levi thought, the King was deliberately making things difficult for Zion—not out of hostility, but as a harsh method to push him to grow, knowing time waits for no one.

But as soon as the thought occurred to him, it felt far too idealistic. If the Alpha King merely wanted Zion to grow stronger, he wouldn’t have resorted to constant opposition—isolating him from the other packs, undermining his efforts, and blocking every path forward. No, this didn’t feel like tough love. It felt like a calculated effort to suppress someone.

”What you said, Alpha Zion, might actually be true,” Levi began thoughtfully. ”But if we consider everything together—the Alpha King now supporting the Princess’s cousin—would he even be willing to help us?”

”If we send this report about another attempted abduction of the Royal Princess, would he actually take action? And if there really are spies within the Royal Grounds working against the Princess, wouldn’t revealing that we’ve uncovered these anomalies and our suspicions just tip off the enemy?”

He paused before continuing, more serious now.

”Wouldn’t it be better to act like we’re still in the dark? If there’s a traitor in the palace and they’re targeting the Princess—and if she’s under our protection—then our entire pack becomes their primary target. Our downfall would be her downfall. They could twist the narrative and frame us for anything just to eliminate both us and her. And even though I hate to admit it, our fates are already tied to hers. If she falls, we fall too.”

Levi then furrowed his brow in thought. ”But this speculation only makes sense if the pack trying to kidnap the Princess and the palace spy are working together. If not, then we might be inviting a new enemy by being too cautious. What do you think?”

Zion nodded slowly, appreciating Levi’s insight. It was rare to find someone he could confide in and trust with such layered, sensitive matters. No wonder Addison placed so much trust in this man—he clearly had a good head on his shoulders and a sharp grasp of the bigger picture.

”Alright then,” Zion said decisively. ”Let’s send the usual report and carefully gauge the Alpha King’s reaction. We’ll adjust our approach based on how he responds. In the meantime, let’s work on expanding our diplomatic ties with other neutral races. That way, even if the royal palace refuses to support us and we end up with more enemies than allies, we’ll at least have fallback options.”

He paused, then continued, shifting to a more tactical mindset.

”We also need to relocate our traps and start from scratch. Now that Greg is on the enemy’s side, there’s no telling how much he might reveal. He probably knows a lot more than we’d like, so we’ll need to strengthen both our defenses and our offensive strategies. If we can’t get help from the mages, maybe we still have a shot with the witches.”