The Alpha's Regret: Return Of The Betrayed Luna

Chapter 114: Chapter 114 Memories Of The Past

They might even know things her father and mother never did. Addison cast a glance back at the border patrol office, her expression unreadable.

’Alright... seems like I finally have a goal,’ she thought, eyes fixed on the backs of the people in front of her. As she stared at them, a dull throbbing began in her head—waves of memories rising slowly from the depths. A familiar sensation... a familiar scene...

Addison slipped into a memory from when she was sixteen.

She saw her younger self walking through the forest, her wrist being gently tugged by an older she-wolf—the same woman who had first taken care of her when she joined the border patrol. Back then, their team had been much larger.

”Hey, little sister, why did you decide to join the border patrol?” the she-wolf asked teasingly, her tone light but curious. ”If you really want to rise through the ranks, shouldn’t you be aiming for the Royal Guard? That way, the Alpha King might notice you and give you a better post.”

The others perked up at the conversation, ears twitching in interest, though they remained alert, scanning the woods around them, never forgetting they were still on duty.

”Eh? But the Royal Palace sounds boring,” Addison replied with a slight pout. ”There are barely any enemies there—unless there’s some state emergency...” She tilted her head curiously and looked at the older she-wolf. ”Then why did you join the border patrol, sister? If promotion’s the goal, why not aim for the Royal Guards yourself?”

The she-wolf who had questioned her earlier paused, clearly caught off guard by the question, but managed a sheepish response. ”Well... I did try. But I didn’t have enough strength or skill to pass. So, instead of joining the Royal Guard, they sent me here to the border patrol to gain more experience. They say experience is the best teacher, after all.”

”Hah! Woman, stop sugarcoating it,” the man walking ahead called back with a laugh. ”Just say you failed the entrance test and had no choice but to start from the bottom. Don’t lie through your teeth and mislead the kid.”

”I’m not a kid!” Addison huffed. ”My coming-of-age is just around the corner!”

The man glanced over his shoulder at her. ”By the way... are you an orphan?”

Addison blinked in confusion. ”Why do you ask?”

”Well, if I were your parents, I wouldn’t even let you work here. This place is dangerous,” the man said with a serious tone. ”Maybe you haven’t heard, but rogues often try to ambush patrol teams. And it’s not just them—other races have tried launching sneak attacks, hoping to take down the Alpha King. Because once the Alpha King falls, the entire werewolf kingdom would plunge into chaos. Some enemies would do anything—even sell their souls to the devil—just to reach the Royal Capital.”

”Is it really that dangerous here?” Addison asked, frowning. ”Didn’t they say the Royal Grounds are the safest place in the entire kingdom?”

”They are,” the she-wolf replied. ”But only because there are people like us out here—willing to put ourselves in the most dangerous situations to keep it that way.”

Addison hesitated, then asked, ”But... what do you mean by rogue ambushes? Aren’t rogues basically madmen? I was taught they lose their humanity when they were rejected by the packs, becoming more beast than person. They just attack anything in sight—they only know how to eat and breed, right?”

The others exchanged glances, and the she-wolf’s expression turned thoughtful. Addison’s confusion was understandable—but there was more to the truth than what she’d been told in the palace.

”Well, that’s true,” one of the men said, ”but not all rogues become mindless right away. Sometimes, when a wolf has just been exiled from their pack, they still retain their sanity—for a while, at least. Some of them even try to infiltrate the Royal Grounds, hoping to prove themselves worthy of joining the Alpha King’s pack. After all, no one wants to live as nothing more than a beast...”

Before he could finish, a shout rang out. ”Shit! We’re under attack! Hold your ground and protect the youngest!”

A rogue burst from the bushes and lunged at the patrolman in front. He raised his arms just in time, using them to shield his neck as the rogue aimed to sink its teeth into his throat. Blood splattered as he sacrificed his forearm to block the bite.

The she-wolf guiding Addison acted fast, shoving the younger girl behind her while the rest of the team instinctively closed ranks around Addison, forming a tight protective circle.

More rogues emerged from the underbrush, snarling and charging with wild eyes.

”There are too many of them!” one of the men shouted over the chaos. ”Call for backup—now!”

He directed the order to the she-wolf shielding Addison, who was already reaching for the emergency flare while she was trying to reach the people in the office via mindlink.

”I’m on it.” But before she could even attempt to connect to the office via mindlink, three more rogues lunged out from behind a tree. The others were already locked in combat, and the rogues ahead blocked any hope of retreat. All they could do was shout, ”Run!”

Addison was shoved back by the woman guarding her, who turned to face the oncoming threat. The rogues’ eyes glowed red and unfocused, saliva dripping from their snarling jaws.

They didn’t even give the she-wolf time to finish her warning. Two rogues sank their teeth into her arms, holding her in place. The third leapt for her throat. She clenched her jaw and shut her eyes, unresigned but bracing for the end, summoning every ounce of strength to wrench her arms free as her last struggle before dying.

But the pain never came.

Whine!

Then she heard it — a whine, followed by a snarl — and suddenly, silence. Gasps rippled through the battlefield as if time itself had frozen. Confused, she looked ahead.

There stood their youngest, Addison, her hand buried in the chest of the rogue, blood splattered across her face. She let the limp body drop to the ground before vanishing from sight in a blur.

When the others finally snapped out of their shock, Addison reappeared at the front lines, tearing apart the rogue that had been biting into a man’s arm. His body was shredded, bloodied from claw marks, but Addison didn’t hesitate. One by one, she eliminated the rogues surrounding them — swift, ruthless, and impossibly strong. ℯℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

She never shifted.

And that was what left everyone frozen in disbelief. How could Addison fight like that without revealing her wolf form?

Unless...

Unless she wasn’t just any wolf. Unless the quiet girl they’d patrolled with was the Royal Princess herself, hiding in plain sight among the border patrol. But of course, they never thought this way, after all, how could a princess be among them and be allowed to leave the Royal Palace without a guard?

But Addison, emboldened by her success, grew complacent. As she paused, catching her breath, she failed to notice the last rogue lurking in the underbrush. It lunged from the shadows, aiming straight for the back of her neck.