The Alpha's Regret: Return Of The Betrayed Luna

Chapter 435: Chapter 435 Will Never Let You Go

She paused, watching his expression carefully.

But the moment she uttered the first few words of her refusal, Lance’s mind went blank. His head buzzed, and it felt as though lightning had struck him. His chest seemed to shatter into a thousand pieces, leaving him frozen in shock as her words sank in.

Lance’s eyes widened as he stared at Addison in disbelief. He looked flustered and frightened at the same time. Deep down, he wanted to run, before he had to hear the rest of her words, but his feet refused to move. All he could do was look at her pleadingly, silently begging her to stop.

He wasn’t ready to let go of his feelings for her, not yet. Even though she already had three fated mates, he had still clung to a fragile hope. After all, she was destined to become the future Alpha King of their kingdom.

Multiple partners weren’t impossible... and since she already had three, why couldn’t there be one more? He had hoped she might soften toward him, if only for the sake of their shared childhood.

But now she was telling him to move on. How could he possibly do that so easily? Since when were feelings something that could be commanded? If it were that simple, would he have suffered this much, followed her this far, while watching her stand so close to other men?

His possessiveness and jealousy refused to quiet down, no matter how hard he tried to suppress them, but still, he held on.

”Addie... don’t...” Lance’s voice came out hoarse, almost a plea, as he staggered back a step. ”Don’t say it. I won’t listen... I don’t want to...”

His words dissolved into a broken mumble as he turned away without another glance. Then he walked off briskly, leaving Addison standing there, startled and completely caught off guard.

She had only wanted to lessen the pain for both of them. She thought ending it clearly would be kinder in the long run. But it was obvious now, Lance wasn’t ready to accept her decision. And for the first time, she didn’t know what else she could possibly do.

She almost went after Lance, but a burning stare prickled at her back. Instinctively, Addison turned around.

Levi was looking straight at her.

The moment she met his eyes, he jolted in surprise and hastily looked away. But by then, Addison was already walking toward him. That only made him fluster more. He feared she might misunderstand, think he had been watching her every move, think he was monitoring her, and she might feel uncomfortable because of him. His fist tightened as he tried to suppress the restless turmoil in his chest.

Then a soft hand covered his knuckles.

”Why are you feeling restless?” Addison asked softly.

She drew his clenched hand up toward her face and gently rested her cheek against his palm, acting a little cute as she looked at him, seeking to calm him without saying another word.

Seeing her like this, Levi felt the restless turmoil in his chest slowly ebb away. In its place came an unfamiliar, itching warmth, like his heart was being lightly scratched by a mischievous kitten. Addison was clearly acting cute on purpose, just to reassure him, and he knew it.

As a man, he understood exactly what Lance was thinking. And he wasn’t magnanimous enough to sympathize with it.

The mate bond was a blessing bestowed by the Moon Goddess herself, something no one had the right to challenge. Even with three of them already bound to Addison, he could barely tolerate Zion and Maxwell. Anyone beyond that was completely beyond his limit.

Still, unlike Zion and Maxwell, who might have already erupted in rage at the mere sight of Lance coveting their mate, Levi forced himself to restrain his wolf and remain rational.

But to claim he wasn’t jealous would be a lie.

Lance had been Addison’s childhood sweetheart. He had known her the longest. They had shared years of history, laughter, and hardship. And if not for the abduction six years ago, if not for the discovery of her fated mates... Lance might very well have already been her betrothed.

But her fated mates had arrived at just the right time, and the bond of childhood had long been rendered insignificant. In the face of a true mate bond, a gift from the Moon Goddess herself, everything else naturally came second.

Yet it was clear that Lance had no intention of letting go of the past. He still clung stubbornly to Addison, and that alone made Levi deeply uncomfortable. The restraint he was showing now was already the limit of his tolerance.

If he weren’t holding his wolf back with sheer willpower, he might have already challenged Lance to a duel to the death, just to claim his mate once and for all and put an end to Lance’s delusions.

”Do you trust me?” Addison suddenly asked.

Levi was caught completely off guard. He flinched at the question, his head snapping up to meet her eyes, and then he froze.

In her gaze, there was nothing but patience and understanding. Warmth, quiet reassurance... and perhaps even the faintest budding hint of love. He didn’t dare believe it at first, but his heart still trembled violently in his chest. Excitement surged through him, yet he forced himself to stay grounded, to be certain of what he was seeing. No matter how long he looked, her expression didn’t change.

Slowly, he lowered his gaze. His lashes fluttered as he clenched his molars, struggling to keep the smile from breaking free. Inside his mind, his wolf was already leaping about in wild joy, tail wagging madly.

Today, his emotions had been dragged through a brutal storm of chaos, tension, jealousy, and fear, and now, at this very moment, they soared to a dizzying peak of fragile happiness. And that terrified him most of all.

Because the brighter the happiness, the deeper the fear of losing it.

And Levi... was no exception.

”I... I do,” Levi replied hoarsely. His throat tightened as though even those two simple words had drained all the strength from him.

”Then you should be confident,” Addison said firmly. ”I know I haven’t done a good job reassuring you before, but I’m telling you now.”

Her gaze sharpened with quiet authority. ”Unless you decide you no longer want me... I will never let you go.”

Hearing such a domineering declaration from Addison for the very first time, Levi felt as though he had been lifted straight to cloud nine. After all, this was the first time she had ever chosen him so resolutely and said such words to him without hesitation.

All this time, it had always been him inching closer to her — carefully, patiently — waiting for her to grow comfortable with their bond. Unlike Maxwell or Zion, he could never bring himself to be so forceful, so domineering in claiming her as his own.

Because of that, it often felt as though his presence was easily overlooked, as if he were merely standing on the sidelines rather than being one of her mates.

He was always cautious with every step he took, afraid of being disliked, afraid of becoming a burden. And so, he had long believed himself to be unremarkable compared to the other two. Yet at the same time, his pride as a werewolf refused to let him remain truly meek. From time to time, he would still assert his presence in his own quiet way.

And because of this contradiction, his heart was constantly caught in a storm of conflicting emotions and thoughts, while his wolf, ever restless, did nothing but add fuel to the fire.

But hearing Addison say this, it felt as though the burning tension in his mind slowly began to ease. His heart fluttered as if brushed by a butterfly’s wings, yet it thudded so loudly in his chest that it felt as though it might burst free.

”A-Are you sure?” Levi asked again, his voice hesitant and fragile, as he held his breath in quiet fear that she might take her words back.

Seeing the caution in his eyes, Addison felt as though her heart had been gently twisted. She hadn’t noticed it before, but now she realized how badly she had failed to reassure him as his mate. The thought left her conflicted, yet she still lifted her lips into a confident smile, her expression softening as she met his gaze.

”Yes,” she said simply.

The certainty in her eyes mirrored the conviction in her heart. If she still wavered when it came to Zion or Maxwell, she could not afford to be uncertain with Levi. More than anyone, she knew how much effort he had poured into staying by her side all this time, how much he had done for her in silence.

Perhaps part of what she felt was gratitude, born from friendship and familiarity, but deep within, she knew it wasn’t only that.