The Alpha's Regret: Return Of The Betrayed Luna

Chapter 101: Chapter 101 Bring Her

”But if we do that, they’ll realize my mate is missing. They could use that against me—use her as a bargaining chip to get what they want. Or worse, they might try to deceive us with someone who only looks like her. Letting the outside world know that my Luna is missing isn’t just dangerous for me... it could put her in even more danger.”

The thought alone made Levi shake his head in frustration. They were backed into a corner, with limited options. All they could do now was place their hope in the letter they had sent to the good witches, and in the traveling merchant who frequently passed near the Mermaid territory for trade. Hopefully, he had managed to deliver the message Zion had entrusted to him.

What frustrated them even more was the Alpha King’s decision to summon the core members of every pack. That included not just the Alpha, but also the second-in-command, named warriors, the Gamma, and even the Luna. Zion couldn’t understand the reasoning behind this move—what was the Alpha King is truly aiming for? If he left his territory with all his key members, it would render his pack vulnerable and exposed.

”We can’t just leave like this,” Zion growled, his voice low and tense. Shura, his wolf, was growing restless, pacing anxiously within his mind.

”If they’re after the Princess,” Zion suddenly said, ”then let’s bring her with us to the palace.”

Levi’s head snapped up, his eyes wide with disbelief, silently screaming, ’Are you nuts?’ He was too stunned to even voice the thought. Bringing the Princess out of their territory would be like putting a target on her back — they’d be sitting ducks in the wild, vulnerable to ambushes or assassins lying in wait. They hadn’t even uncovered who wanted to kidnap her, let alone who they needed to guard against.

Taking the Princess to the Royal Capital might only expose her to even greater danger. After all, Zion himself had just admitted there were people in the palace who wanted her gone. If that was true, then bringing her there would be like walking straight into the lion’s den.

”Alpha Zion, that would be extremely dangerous,” Levi began, then suddenly fell silent. He knew exactly what Zion was thinking. Leaving Princess Claire unattended within their pack while he and his Alpha—and some of their warriors—were away would create a critical gap in their defenses. The conspirators would surely seize the opportunity to send rogues to attack, aiming to capture the Princess.

With Zion absent, the attackers would go all out. There was no telling how many warriors and pack members might be lost, or if the entire pack could even survive the assault. On the other hand, bringing the Princess with them would place a massive target on Zion’s convoy as they traveled to the palace. The closer they got to the Royal Capital, the more desperate and impatient their enemies would become. And when impatience grows, mistakes are made—and clues are left behind.

But that was only true if the group with Greg, who wanted to kidnap the Princess, wasn’t connected to the conspirators already lurking within the Royal Grounds.

And if they left with the Princess, they could at least ensure that their territory remained relatively safe. While there might still be rogue attacks or wild monster incursions, those were manageable.

Their warriors had grown significantly stronger, thanks to Zion’s relentless training—day and night, he had pushed them to be self-sufficient, capable of holding the line without relying on him. His goal was always to reduce casualties and prepare them for exactly these kinds of threats.

After all, they no longer received support from any neighboring packs. Every danger had to be faced head-on. And losing more warriors now would be a heavy blow—replacing them wasn’t easy. They couldn’t just recruit anyone to fill the gaps. Worse still, the birth rate in their territory had been steadily declining. Years of hardship had taken their toll. People were too burdened, too cautious, and too uncertain about the future to think about mating, let alone bringing pups into the world.

Unless they received reinforcements from one of the larger packs, it was only a matter of time before they faced a serious manpower shortage.

”Alpha Zion... is this really our only option?” Levi asked, his voice low but urgent. ”Let’s say we do manage to successfully escort the Princess back to the Royal Capital. The moment the Alpha King sees his daughter return—especially with us—won’t it look like we’re using her status to force our way back into favor, just to avoid being isolated any longer?”

He paused, then added with even more weight, ”And what if they assume the Princess is your new Luna? What will you do then?”

Levi had voiced the most critical questions weighing on his mind—ones that could decide everything.

Zion clenched his jaw so tightly he could taste the sharp tang of blood on his tongue. ”If only we could just bring her to the Royal Palace, dump her there, and let them deal with it... but we can’t,” he muttered bitterly. ”There’s still the matter of what happened with Addison. Honestly, I don’t even want to bring the Princess to the palace. Doing that might stir up the whole incident with Addison. We don’t even know what truly happened to her.”

He ran a hand through his hair, frustration and fear weighing down his every word. ”If the Alpha King finds out... he might send a hunter after her—dead or alive. But it’s not like we have much of a choice now. We can’t risk the death of our entire pack. I mean, I could turn my back and let it all burn... but if the pack dies, then I’d be an Alpha in name only. And if that happens, I won’t have the power to protect Addison anymore—especially if everything comes to light.”

His voice trembled, raw emotion surfacing in his eyes as he looked helplessly at Levi. ”Levi... I don’t know what to do. I’m more afraid of what might happen to Addison than anything else.”

Hearing Zion’s words, Levi fell silent. More than anyone, he wanted to find Addison too. He understood the impossible position they were in—leaving Claire in the pack would almost certainly lead to her abduction, and they’d have no way of explaining that to the Alpha King.

But bringing her to the Royal Grounds carried its own risks. It would place them under scrutiny, dangerously close to being judged. The truth they were trying so hard to keep buried could be exposed, and that would put Addison in even greater danger.

Still, the situation had become too complex for them to handle alone. Their strength was limited, and without allies, they were cornered. With the Alpha King’s authority and Archmage Elric’s support, they might stand a chance. If the Alpha King still harbored even a sliver of affection for his daughter, he would step in and protect her from those plotting against her.

And perhaps... if they returned Claire safely to the Royal Capital, the enemies currently targeting the Midnight River Pack would lose their reason to continue. Instead, they’d retreat, hide, and do everything they could to cover their tracks—at least for a while.