The Luna He Lost: Alpha's Endless Regret

Lyra

The event blurred after that-I even forgot how I managed to deal with fake pleasantries, handling the drinks they had given to me as they tried to get close to me for Alpha Zane.

When the car pulled up outside Mira's apartment, Zane glanced at me once more.

"Tomorrow, nine o'clock sharp. No suppressants."

I froze and looked at him with widened eyes. "Excuse me?"

"Relax," he said simply. "I want to see the wolf you keep caged and you know, it's not good to rely on supressants and always caging your wolf. If you want to work with me, I want you to learn how to breathe properly."

Do I look like not breathing properly?

"Yes." As if he read my mind, he answered.

Before I could open my mouth to reason out, he waved his hands. "Goodnight, Lyra."

Not Luna.

Not Moonfang's.

Just. Lyra.

My heart skipped, a strange warmth spreading through my chest before I could suppress it. It was the first time in a long while that someone had addressed me as myself-not as something that belonged to another Alpha.

The door shut softly behind him, leaving me standing beneath the faint glow of the streetlamp. I pressed my palm to my face and let out a slow breath, the night air finally filling my lungs.

Only then did it sink in.

This wasn't dismissal.

This was acknowledgement.

I had passed whatever silent test he had set for me.

Whatever doubts I carried, whatever reputation followed me-it hadn't been enough to turn him away.

As I went back to the apartment, it happened that Mira had been waiting for me in the living room. Upon seeing me, she put down the book she's reading and jogged towards me.

"How was the event?"

I smiled faintly. "Just so-so. Not bad."

She pouted. "You didn't enjoy it?"

I only smiled and chose not to answer. It hadn't been terrible-but it wasn't something I could say I enjoyed either.

After a brief pause, I took a breath. "Mira. I think I should start looking for my own place."

She blinked, clearly caught off guard.

"I've secured a job now," I continued gently. "It wouldn't be right for me to keep staying here. I'll find a flat and move out as soon as possible."

Mira hesitated. "You know you can stay a little longer if you need to. It's fine, really."

I saw it then-the hesitation she tried to hide, the discomfort she didn't voice. I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around her.

"Don't feel bad," I murmured. "I'm truly okay. I don't want you to worry about me anymore."

She let out a slow breath and hugged me back, her arms tightening. "I just wish things were. easier."

"I know," I said softly.

We stayed like that for a moment-no accusations, no explanations needed. Just quiet understanding between family.

"I'll go take a bath," I said lightly, patting her back before pulling away.

"You won't eat?" she asked.

I shook my head. "I already ate."

~

By the morning, I was already inside of Zane's office that smelled like coffee. When he gestured to the chair across from his desk.

"Sit," he said, not looking up from a stack of papers while a cup of coffee was next to him.

I took the chair and folded my hands in my lap. The badge on my blazer still felt foreign to me-a small rectangle that said I belonged to Silvercrest.

"You wanted to see me?" I asked.

He set the file down; the sound was deliberate. When he finally looked up, his eyes were slow. "Do you remember Alpha Renn?"

The name made my jaw tighten. Of course, how could I forget the same man who approached me with clear lustful intentions as if in his eyes, I was an easy woman who would spread her legs to any Alpha.

The thought of it made my stomach churned.

"Yeah, I remembered him." I calmly answered while supressing the acid in my throat.

Zane's mouth curved up but his eyes were cold as he folded his hands on the desk. "I've hard the news last night that Renn had been found in the alley with broken ribs, missing tooths, and a crushed.well. eggs."

Realizing the latter he meant with his brows furrowed, clearly feeling the same pain that a fellow men like him do but then shake it off and looked at me with a teasing smile.

"Who do you think did it?"

I was about to say that I didn't know when he suddenly shook the money on me.

"If you guess correctly, the money will be yours," he teased, clearly enjoying this.

I stared at him in frustration then to the stack of money in his hands before resigning to fate. I never thought that thre would be one day that I would give in easily because of money.

"The Moonfang?"

"Specific."

"Kyle."

The corner of his lips raised. "Correct! You got it right."

I ignored his teasing and handed my hand. "The prize."

He chuckled and handed the stack of money which I hurriedly tucked it in my pocket before he would tell me to hand it back to him.

"Not gonna ask why?" I heard him asked.

"No. I'm not curious."

"But I do," he smirked and sighed. "Men like him don't confess things that would shame them."

I looked at him helplessly . "Why are you telling me this?"

Zane's gaze softened fractionally. "Who knows?" he said quietly. "Maybe because I saw something interesting-that he'd break lines for you even if he couldn't show it."

The words came out strange, unsettling, but I didn't respond. The past had already happened, and there was no fixing it. I was living my present life now, and I didn't want to know his thoughts-what he had done or why.

Besides, I refused to believe he did anything for me. The same Alpha who had always looked down on me-who regarded me with contempt and disgust, as if I were worse than trash-wasn't capable of that.

Zane studied me for a moment, then asked bluntly, "What about you? Feeling rather moved, aren't you?"

I frowned and shook my head. "It has nothing to do with work," I said evenly. "And it's not something you need to concern yourself with."

After a brief pause, I added, "You should be worrying about your own mate."

Something shifted in his expression.

It was subtle-too quick to name-but unmistakable. Not irritation. Not amusement. Something deeper, carefully masked, as if I had brushed against a truth I wasn't meant to see.

The change left me puzzled.

I chose not to press further.

Instead, I shrugged and stood up. "Is there anything else I could do for you, Mr. Zane?"

Zane looked at me in the eyes-as if he was scrutinizing if I still had feelings or hope left for Kyle and when he saw that there was none, the corner of his mouth raised as he waved his hand.

"Just help me pile the stacks of document and arrange to make it easier for me to find."

After I finished my work, I went back to Mira's place again. My shoulder's were heavy and my whole body was drained after spending my time working. Even my waist were sore from sitting for a long time.

The moment I pushed the door open, I froze.

Mira and her mate were standing far too close-his arms wrapped around her in an intimate embrace. They broke apart instantly when they noticed me, but it was already too late. Heat rushed to my face as I turned my gaze away, thoroughly embarrassed.

"I-I'm sorry," I muttered.

Her mate, Damon, straightened, irritation flickering across his expression. The warmth from moments ago vanished, replaced by a tight jaw and restrained temper.

"You've been here for a while, Lyra," he said curtly. "Didn't you say this was temporary-until you found a job?"

"I know," I replied calmly. "I've already secured employment. I'll be moving out soon-once I receive my first payment this week."

He exhaled sharply, the sound caught somewhere between relief and frustration. "Good. Because your presence complicates things. Keeping a former Luna from a famous pack under our roof draws attention. We don't want trouble."

"I understand," I said without hesitation. "I've already told Mira. I'll start looking for an apartment immediately."

Mira reached out and brushed her hand against my arm. "Don't rush yourself if you can't," she said gently. "You can still stay for a week at most."

I smiled at her, warmth softening my chest despite everything. "I know. Thank you-for letting me stay at all."

The tension eased, if only slightly.

I retreated to my room soon after and sat on the edge of the bed, pulling out my phone. Rental listings filled the screen-most far too expensive, others cramped and overcrowded. I jotted down numbers and dates, calculating carefully. With my savings-and the bonus Mr. Zane had given me-I could manage at least a month.

It wasn't ideal. But it was a start.

Halfway through the third page of notes, my phone lit up.

I almost dropped it.

Matriarch Seraphina.

Kyle's grandmother.