Too Late To Regret, My Alphas

Darien:

The longer Charlotte stayed inside our lives, the harder I found it to remain patient.

I had just spent the better part of an hour dealing with yet another disaster she had created, and by the time I stepped out of the servants’ quarters, every ounce of restraint I possessed was hanging by a thread.

What should have been a peaceful afternoon had turned into complete chaos because one maid had accidentally served Charlotte tea that was apparently "not warm enough." That single mistake had somehow escalated into a fit of screaming, shattered porcelain, frightened servants kneeling on the floor, and finally, an order for twenty lashes each for two innocent staff members. Had I arrived only a few minutes later, those punishments would have already been carried out.

Instead, I overruled the order and reduced it to a week’s suspension from duty, though even that felt undeserved. The servants had repeatedly thanked me afterward, but their gratitude only left a bitter taste in my mouth.

If Charlotte hadn’t been carrying my child... if there hadn’t been another innocent life involved... I would have let her experience the very punishment she had so casually ordered for others.

The realization only darkened my mood further. Every passing day that woman remained inside this packhouse, she somehow found another way to prove just how wrong she was for me... for Alastor... for Kaiser... regardless of what fate had decided.

I rubbed my aching temples while making my way through the main hallway, hoping a few quiet hours buried beneath paperwork would calm my thoughts. Instead, I caught sight of Alastor striding across the corridor with long, furious steps before disappearing inside his bedroom so forcefully that the heavy wooden door slammed against the wall.

I froze.

In all the years I had known him, Alastor rarely allowed his emotions to surface so openly. Seeing him lose control like that immediately sent warning bells through my head. Without wasting another second, I changed direction and headed straight after him.

Before I even reached the room, another familiar figure came into view from the opposite hallway.

Kaiser.

It had become rare enough to see my younger brother inside the packhouse that the sight alone caught my attention. Ever since Rose disappeared four months ago, Kaiser had all but abandoned us. He still fulfilled enough duties to keep the packs functioning, but every conversation with him ended in silence, disappointment, or outright dismissal.

Walking a few steps behind him was Luxe, his expression equally serious.

I opened my mouth to stop Kaiser, hoping perhaps today he would finally speak to me like he once used to.

"Kaiser."

He didn’t even slow down. Not a glance. Not a single acknowledgment. He simply walked past me as though I weren’t there, pushed Alastor’s bedroom door open, and stepped inside.

The familiar sting of guilt tightened somewhere beneath my ribs. Once upon a time, Kaiser had been the first to seek me out whenever something troubled him. Now he couldn’t even spare me a look. Swallowing heavily, I followed him into the room with Luxe quietly closing the door behind us.

The atmosphere inside immediately felt suffocating.

Alastor stood beside the large window with both hands braced against the desk, his breathing uneven, his shoulders rigid enough to snap. I had seen him furious before. During border wars. During exiles attacks. Even during council disputes. But this... this was different.

This looked personal.

"Alas-"

Before I could finish asking what had happened, Alastor suddenly turned around, his normally composed face clouded with an anger I hadn’t witnessed in years.

"I found Rosalie."

The words echoed through the room. Everything inside me stopped. And for a brief second, I genuinely forgot how to breathe.

Rosalie.

My Rose.

The name alone sent my heart racing so violently that I could hear my pulse pounding inside my ears. Hope surged through me with terrifying force.

It had been four endless months of searching every town, every neighboring territory, every possible lead. Four months of convincing myself that tomorrow would finally be the day we found her. My hands clenched unconsciously as a hundred questions fought to leave my mouth all at once.

"Where is she?" I demanded before anyone else could speak.

Even Kaiser, who had remained emotionally distant from both of us these past months, looked as though the ground had shifted beneath his feet. His usually cold expression cracked just enough for raw hope to flash across his face.

But Alastor’s next sentence extinguished every bit of warmth inside the room.

"She was in Briston," he said through gritted teeth, "and she wasn’t alone."

My stomach sank, even though I wasn’t sure where this was going. "What do you mean... she wasn’t alone?" I asked, though a part of me already feared the answer.

Alastor’s jaw tightened.

"There was another Alpha with her."

The words struck harder than any physical blow ever could.

Another... Alpha?

It felt as though invisible chains had wrapped around my chest, squeezing tighter with every passing heartbeat. My mind rejected the idea instantly. No. Impossible. Rose wouldn’t... she couldn’t... Yet another voice inside me whispered that I had long since lost the right to decide what she would or wouldn’t do.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Kaiser slowly lower his gaze. His fists had tightened so hard that his knuckles turned completely white.

None of us spoke. No one seemed capable of speaking.

Finally, Alastor inhaled sharply before turning toward Luxe.

"I want a full report," he ordered, every word carrying unmistakable authority. "Find out exactly who that Alpha is."

Luxe remained surprisingly calm. Almost... too calm.

"I have already been thinking about that," he admitted.

The three of us immediately looked toward him. He hesitated only briefly before saying the name.

"He’s... Eiden Thorn."

The room fell deathly still. I stared at Luxe in complete disbelief.

Eiden Thorn?

The infamous healer and one of the strongest Alphas in existence. None of it made sense. Why would someone like him be with Rose? And more importantly... How had they even met?

Questions exploded inside my mind one after another, yet no answers came.

None of us noticed that while we stood frozen inside the bedroom, the slightly open door had allowed every single word to drift into the hallway.

Outside, hidden just beyond our line of sight, another figure had stopped walking altogether. The tray in her trembling hands rattled softly.

Charlotte had heard... everything.

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