The Alpha's Regret: Return Of The Betrayed Luna

Chapter 146: Chapter 146 The Truth

Or perhaps it wasn’t that calculated. Maybe someone simply wanted to help her, after all, Claire was a master of manipulation and deception. Either way, they had to find her. Zion needed to interrogate her, especially to uncover why she impersonated the princess, an offense that demanded she be brought before the Royal Court and presented to the Alpha King, for a punishment she deserved.

But this situation only highlighted his failure. He had been deceived by a woman of unknown origin, and the shame of it made him hesitate.

Levi, however, didn’t share his hesitation. For him, the sooner they found Claire, the sooner they could uncover the truth behind everything that had gone wrong, and the real reason his Luna, now revealed as his fated mate, had suffered.

Levi had always sensed something off about Claire. He had doubted her identity and questioned her motives for impersonating the princess. And though being proven right should have satisfied him, it didn’t. It gutted him. Claire had been the catalyst behind Addison’s torment the night she vanished, and now, with the bond pulling him toward Addison stronger than ever, Levi’s agitation only grew.

"We humbly request Your Majesty’s help in locating someone. The woman we brought back had impersonated the Royal Princess," Levi began diplomatically. " As we reported in our secret communication prior to the Royal Convoy’s deployment three years ago, we had found her on the frontlines before the war ended."

"At the time, my Alpha believed she was the missing princess being held captive in the Vampire Lord’s castle. To avoid igniting conflict between our pack and others over who would return the princess to the Royal Palace, we chose to bring her back quietly."

Unlike Zion, who was caught in the middle of the storm, Levi was able to speak with calm eloquence. It was often said that bystanders see more clearly than those caught in the chaos, and right now, Zion couldn’t defend himself without sounding like he was making excuses. Knowing this, Levi took it upon himself to speak on his Alpha’s behalf, fully aware of the weight of the situation and the delicate balance they had to maintain.

For Levi, with Addison standing right in front of them, it was important to lay everything bare. He wasn’t doing this for his Alpha, Zion; he was doing it for Addison. She deserved clarity, especially after everything that happened three years ago. Levi knew there were still shadows lingering in her heart, unanswered questions that had haunted her all this time. She had the right to know the truth behind her suffering, and above all, she deserved justice.

More than anyone, Addison had been the true victim. Now that Claire was missing, Addison had every right to decide what should be done next. Levi’s actions weren’t about earning points with her just because fate had bound them as mates.

Even if he hadn’t been her fated mate, he would have still done this, because before anything else, they were friends. He had stood by her side for three years and knew exactly the kind of person she was.

"And to prevent the Vampires from intercepting or ambushing us, we kept her presence a secret and gave her a new identity," Levi explained calmly. "More importantly, when Miss Claire was found, she was already pregnant. To protect her reputation, Alpha Zion made everyone believe she was his fated mate, someone he supposedly found on the battlefield."

"That explained her condition and justified her return with us without raising suspicion. In order to preserve the Royal Family’s name and the supposed ’princess’, he also let everyone believe the pup she was carrying was his and allowed the rumors about their relationship to spread."

Then Levi turned to Addison, whose face had gone pale in shock. She vividly remembered the day Zion returned with a pregnant woman on his wolf’s back. No one else saw the way her world crumbled in that moment. Only she knew how deeply her heart shattered when Zion looked her in the eyes and confirmed that the child growing in Claire’s belly was his. The pain that tore through her that day had never truly healed; it had only been buried.

"But," Levi added with a shrug, his tone sharp with brutal honesty, "I can’t say my Alpha hasn’t acted like an asshole more than once." noveldrama

Zion’s head snapped toward him, a low snarl escaping his throat. So much for improving his standing with the Alpha King. Levi, the ever-loyal teammate, was now throwing him under the bus, and yet, he couldn’t even be mad. Levi was just being honest. Besides, they were love rivals now. Undermining him once or twice was expected. But that wasn’t the point.

Levi wasn’t trying to humiliate Zion. He was trying to urge Addison to speak, to finally take control, ask away what she wanted to know, and the things related to her.

While Addison’s mind reeled from the flood of revelations, pieces of the past were starting to fall into place. But even as the truth began to surface, she couldn’t ignore the pain Zion had caused her. Deep down, she even suspected the only reason Zion had Levi speak up now was out of fear, fear of retaliation after discovering that she was the real Royal Princess.

After all, what they did to her back then wasn’t just cruel, it was a capital offense, punishable by death. And now that they were standing on the Royal Grounds, they were no longer in a position of power. Here, they were as helpless as newborn chicks.

Even if they brought their elite warriors, it wouldn’t change anything. They were vastly outnumbered, and if it came down to a fight, Elric and the others could wipe them out without breaking a sweat.

So, all they could do was try to ease the blow by revealing this one piece of truth.

"And the reason we came directly to speak with you... It is because of this," Zion interjected, his jaw clenched tightly as he fought to keep his temper in check, especially in front of Addison, his fated mate, and her parents. He could already see the expressions on the Alpha King and Queen darkening, clearly beginning to understand the gravity of the situation and the role he played in Addison’s pain.

But what troubled him most was that Addison still showed no sign of recognizing him, not as her former mate, nor as the Alpha who once held her as his Luna. He could only assume two possibilities: either her parents already knew the truth and had chosen to remain silent, or Addison herself refused to acknowledge it because the memories were too painful to relive.

Zion didn’t want to dump everything on her all at once. He wanted to tell her gradually, hoping she would come to terms with it on her own. Because aside from the emotional wounds he had inflicted, he had also hurt her physically, twice.

And while aggression from an Alpha wasn’t uncommon in werewolf society when emotions ran high, he had forgotten one critical fact: Addison was wolfless. She was fragile, as vulnerable as a human.