Alpha's Regret: Marked By The Lycan King

Third POV

Asher paced the empty bedroom like a caged animal. His footsteps echoed against the bare walls where Estelle’s paintings once hung. The silence felt suffocating.

He cursed under his breath, kicking at the dresser that remained. The furniture rattled against the wall, but the sound only made the emptiness more pronounced.

How had he missed this? How had Estelle managed to pack everything and disappear without him knowing?

The front door clicked open downstairs. Asher’s head snapped up, hope flaring in his chest. Maybe Estelle had returned, and this was all just some big misunderstanding.

He rushed down the stairs, taking them two at a time. “Estelle?”

But it wasn’t her. Instead, a middle-aged woman stood in the entryway, grocery bags in her arms. It was Margaret, one of the housemaids.

Asher’s shoulders sagged. “Oh. It’s you.”

Margaret looked startled by his appearance. “Alpha Asher? I wasn’t expecting you home.”

“Have you been coming here regularly?” Asher demanded, his voice sharper than intended.

“Yes, sir. Every two days, just as usual.” Margaret set down her bags carefully. “Is everything alright?”

Asher ran a hand through his hair. His mind raced as he tried to piece together the timeline.

“When did Estelle move out?” he asked. “And why didn’t you tell me?”

Margaret blinked in confusion. “Move out, sir? I... well, she did pack some things recently. But she told me she would be away for work.”

“When?” Asher stepped closer. “When exactly?”

Margaret’s brow furrowed as she thought. “It must have been almost a week ago now. Maybe more. She said she’d be gone for an extended period for pack business.”

Asher’s jaw clenched. A week ago. That timeline clicked into place with painful clarity.

“She specifically told me not to mention it to you,” Margaret continued hesitantly. “She said she would tell you herself. Well, I assumed she had, since no one really asked.”

“She didn’t,” Asher said through gritted teeth.

In fact, Estelle didn’t tell anyone she was leaving, even while Asher could still reach her. At least his calls went through last time, but now, she wasn’t replying to messages and her number would go straight to voicemail.

“I’m sorry, Alpha. I was just following her instructions. She seemed quite certain about her plans.”

Asher waved her off. “It’s fine. You can go.”

Margaret nodded quickly and retreated, clearly sensing his volatile mood.

Alone again, Asher’s anger began to build. The timing was too convenient to be a coincidence. Estelle had moved out just days after Hazel returned. It had to be right after he’d announced Hazel’s new position as acting-Beta.

So this was about jealousy after all.

He’d given Estelle everything. A home, a family, and even status as the acting-Luna. To think that she’d thrown it all away because she couldn’t handle sharing his attention.

The more Asher thought about it, the angrier he became. Estelle’s departure wasn’t just petty. It was dangerous and self-centered.

In her absence, everything had gone to hell. All of the alliances that she had handled previously were demanding that Estelle return to negotiations. Not only that, three separate people had to take up the responsibilities that Estelle left behind. She hadn’t even given Asher any time to prepare before she suddenly went missing on him.

Instead of putting the pack first, she’d run away like a spoiled child.

Asher gritted his teeth. Maybe Estelle really didn’t have what it took to become the Luna of the Moonveil Pack. And to think she had boldly asked to be made the Luna even before he was officially coronated!

His phone buzzed with another message from neighboring packs, asking about trade agreements that required Estelle’s approval. Asher stared at the screen, frustration mounting.

She was sabotaging everything out of spite.

Upstairs, he could still hear Finn’s muffled sobs through the bedroom door. Hazel’s voice was gentler now, trying to soothe their son. He couldn’t really hear what they were saying. Hazel made sure to speak very softly, probably careful not to let him overhear, in fear that it would further rile up his anger.

Hazel had always been attentive of his feelings. That was what a Luna should be like. Asher’s Luna would have to be a woman who was magnanimous and caring, not the selfish woman Estelle was.

Guilt twisted in Asher’s stomach. He’d lost control. He’d never hit Finn before. The boy was just a child who didn’t understand the complexities of pack politics. Most of all, Finn was his precious son with the love of his life, Hazel. This boy would become the next Alpha of the Moonveil Pack.

But hearing Finn celebrate Estelle’s departure so callously had triggered something dark in Asher. Some protective instinct he didn’t fully understand.

Estelle had cared for Finn when he was sick countless times. She’d been a mother to him in every way that mattered.

Asher had been so annoyed exactly because Finn didn’t realize how important Estelle’s presence was to the pack. At least before she fully handed everything over, she was still needed back in Moonveil.

And now she was gone, without any clue or help as to how to handle the projects and partnerships she was previously dealing with.

Asher climbed the stairs slowly, each step heavier than the last. He needed to apologize to Hazel and Finn. His family didn’t deserve his misdirected anger.

He paused outside the bedroom door, listening to the quiet murmur of voices inside. Hazel was explaining something to Finn in soothing tones, but Asher couldn’t make out the words.

Taking a deep breath, he raised his hand and knocked gently on the door.

“Hazel, can I come in?”