The Alpha's Regret Return Of The Betrayed Luna (Addison) novel Chapter 173

Chapter 173: Chapter 173 The Transportation

But right now, it was Lance who looked like he was about to fall apart. The weight of realization hit him hard, and it showed in every part of his trembling expression.

"A-Addison... how did it happen?"

Lance struggled to get the words out, his voice barely above a whisper. Just the thought of Addison belonging to someone else made his heart crack. He had believed that learning she’d met her fated mates would be the hardest truth to bear, but this?

Hearing that she had become another man’s Luna, Zion’s Luna, no less, of the Midnight River Pack, felt like a dagger twisting in his chest. The same pack. The same man. It was as if fate had chosen the cruelest way to break him.

The pain in his heart was unbearable, spreading through him like fire in his veins. His mind couldn’t process it. He didn’t want to. He couldn’t accept that the woman he loved had once stood by another Alpha’s side, not just as a partner, but as his Luna.

Although Addison couldn’t fully remember her past with Lance, there was a deep, undeniable familiarity she felt whenever she looked at him. Seeing the pain etched across his face now—so raw and overwhelming—struck a chord deep inside her.

She wasn’t the naive, foolish girl she might have once been. And she certainly wasn’t blind. It was clear that Lance had feelings for her. Between the way he acted around her, the warmth and ease her parents showed him, and the scattered fragments of her lost memories slowly returning, Addison could only assume one thing: Lance had been someone important to her. Perhaps her childhood sweetheart? A former lover? Or maybe just a crush from long ago?

Whatever he was, it was clear this was going to be a complicated relationship.

When Lance finally looked up at her, his eyes were filled with something that nearly took her breath away: hurt, betrayal, and confusion all mixed into one. Addison found herself speechless. She hadn’t even known she had someone waiting for her in the Royal Capital, how could she betray someone she didn’t even remember?

It seemed Lance came to the same realization, because the fire in his gaze flickered, replaced by something quieter and more fragile. He let out a small, broken whimper, clutching his chest as if the pain had become physical. Even the Alpha King and Queen looked alarmed by the sudden shift.

Addison quickly moved to help him back into his chair, her hand steady on his back.

"Breathe, Lance. You’re having a panic attack," she said gently, guiding him through slow, deep breaths.

Lance’s gaze locked onto hers, full of emotions she couldn’t quite name. Rage. Despair. Longing. Love. A storm she didn’t yet have the answers for, but couldn’t ignore, either.

The Alpha King and Queen exchanged a subtle glance, silently agreeing not to intervene. They knew this was a deeply personal matter between Lance and Addison, one that didn’t warrant their interference, especially not now.

"So in short... we’re abandoning the West?" Addison asked, her brows furrowed in concern. She had assumed the plan was simply to save the food stored in the granaries. But clearly, there was more going on than she’d realized.

"Sweetheart, don’t say that. We’re not abandoning the West, we’re only temporarily relocating everyone until the effects of the biochemical agent subside," the Alpha King explained gently. "We don’t know how harmful those chemicals might be to people, and we can’t guarantee that anything they touch will still be safe to eat. This is the only viable option we have right now: save as much as we can and stop the swarm from spreading further into the territory. If we don’t act quickly, we’ll be facing a true disaster."

He let out a deep, heavy breath and slouched back in his seat, clearly worn down by the situation. Addison pressed her lips into a thin line. As much as the idea unsettled her, she couldn’t argue with his reasoning. Delaying would only allow the swarm to consume even more of their food supply. They had to move fast.

The locusts were already devouring all the vegetation in the area. If their numbers kept growing, the food shortage would worsen, and their movement from one location to another would accelerate. Whatever they passed through would be stripped bare, leaving only destruction in their wake. Worse, if starvation pushed the swarm to evolve further, they could even turn carnivorous, attacking livestock, wild animals, and eventually people.

The more Addison thought about it, the more she understood her father’s urgency. He wasn’t just rushing; he was trying to stop the situation from spiraling out of control.

Besides, it wasn’t like she had a better solution to offer. If she asked her father to delay the plan and wait for a more ideal option, it might already be too late by then.