Alpha's Regret: The Seventh Time was Forever

Chapter 447: Chapter 448 – Do you really want that kind of life

Flashback (Eighteen Years Ago)

Author’s Note: This is a flashback within another flashback, so please pay close attention.

"Aunt Noelle, why do you care about me so much?" Daisy asked one lazy afternoon while Noelle gently combed through her hair with loving strokes. "You treat me even better than you treat Sera, your own daughter."

Noelle’s hand slowed for a second before this knowing, secretive smile spread across her face.

"That’s a secret."

Daisy’s eyes lit up instantly with that bright, burning curiosity only a kid could have.

"But you have to promise me you won’t tell anyone."

"I promise."

The answer flew out so fast that Noelle couldn’t help letting out a soft little laugh.

"Then let me tell you a story."

Her fingers kept moving smoothly through Daisy’s hair as her mind drifted way back to events from years earlier.

Flashback Sixteen Years Ago (Continuation of where Kylie’s Flashback stopped).

This wasn’t the first time Noelle had heard the tale of the gifted white she-wolf. The old shaman had shared that powerful prophecy plenty of times before she passed, but there was one tiny detail the shaman had either overlooked or didn’t think was worth explaining.

To Noelle, though, that missing piece changed absolutely everything.

There was a pregnant omega who carried the mark of the crescent moon on her back. She was destined to give birth to the gifted white she-wolf.

As fate would have it, that omega happened to be one of Noelle’s good friends. And even better, both women were expecting their babies at almost exactly the same time.

The second Noelle realized that connection, a dark little idea quietly took root deep in her mind. At first it was just a passing thought, but it quickly grew into a full-blown obsession she couldn’t shake.

As the wife of the pack’s Beta, she already lived a pretty comfortable life with a respected position inside the Centenary Pack. But that wasn’t enough for her.

She wanted so much more.

Her biggest dream had always been for her husband to pass the Beta title down to their son someday, keeping the family’s power alive for another generation.

That dream completely shattered the moment the pack healer examined her pregnancy and told her the truth.

The child growing inside her was a girl.

Noelle had smiled sweetly on the outside and thanked the healer politely, but inside she was consumed by crushing disappointment and rage.

If she couldn’t give birth to the next Beta, then her daughter would have to become something even greater—the next Luna.

The prophecy had to be talking about her own child. Who else could possibly deserve that kind of honor? She was the Beta’s wife, part of one of the most respected families in the entire pack. Surely fate wouldn’t pick some ordinary omega over someone like her.

She refused to accept anything else.

After the old shaman was buried, Noelle didn’t waste any time bringing the whole scheme to her husband. That evening, the two of them sat alone in their bedroom, the silence stretching thick and heavy between them until Noelle finally broke it.

"Chuck..." She wrapped her arms around his neck, though her big pregnant belly kept their bodies from getting too close. "Don’t you think our child deserves to become Luna?"

Chuck stared at her, totally caught off guard. "What are you talking about?"

Her eyes sparkled with wild excitement. "I know exactly who’s carrying the gifted wolf." She leaned in like she was sharing the biggest, most dangerous secret in the world. "We should claim that child as our own."

Chuck’s eyebrows pulled together in confusion.

Noelle didn’t stop, her voice growing more passionate. "We’ll raise her as our daughter, and when she grows up, she’ll marry Ravyn." A satisfied, almost wicked smile spread across her face. "If everyone believes we’re the parents of the future Luna, then we’ll have total control over this entire pack."

Chuck immediately stepped back, discomfort flooding his face. "No."

The answer came fast and firm. "What about our own baby?" His voice dropped low as the real danger of the idea started sinking in. "If anyone ever finds out what we’ve done, we’ll both be executed."

He shook his head hard. "I’m still the Beta of this pack. I won’t throw everything away for this."

Noelle’s smile slowly faded away. "And how long do you think you’ll stay Beta after Ravyn becomes Alpha?" Her words hit him right where it hurt most. "If our baby is a girl, which I know is, we’ll lose all our influence over pack affairs."

She folded her arms across her chest. "But if we switch the babies..." Her voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. "The gifted wolf will grow up believing we’re her real parents."

A wild, dangerous excitement burned bright in her eyes. "We’ll rule this whole pack through her."

Chuck fell completely silent.

The temptation was almost impossible to resist. Power meant everything in their world. Without status and authority, the same people who once respected them would eventually look right through them like they didn’t exist.

His expression slowly hardened as conflicting thoughts raged inside his head. "What about our own child?"

Even as the question left his mouth, his resistance wasn’t nearly as strong as before. Concern still lingered deep in his gaze, but Noelle had already thought through every single detail.

"Don’t worry about our child," Noelle said, her voice staying calm and almost soothing, like she had already mapped out every single possible outcome in her head.

"The woman carrying the gifted wolf, Madison, is only an omega. She has such a kind heart, and that’s exactly why this whole thing is going to work perfectly. I’ll pretend to care about her, earn all her trust, and secretly give her money so she can raise our daughter in comfort."

Chuck stood there frozen, barely able to believe the words coming out of his wife’s mouth.

"I..." The words got stuck in his throat. Everything about this plan felt deeply wrong, yet the intoxicating temptation of real power just wouldn’t leave his mind.

Noelle stepped closer until only her bump remained between them. She placed a hand gently against his chest and looked straight into his eyes with that persuasive gaze she knew so well.

"Don’t think about today, Chuck." Her voice softened even more, turning incredibly convincing. "Think about the future."

She smoothed out the wrinkles in his shirt with careful fingers before continuing. "The moment Ravyn becomes Alpha, you’ll hand over the Beta title. And the second that happens, all your authority will vanish into thin air."

She let those heavy words sink deep into his mind before asking quietly, "Do you really want that kind of life?"