The Alpha's Regret: Return Of The Betrayed Luna-Chapter 40 A Curse?

The Alpha King furrowed his brows. Too many things weren’t adding up—and others were starting to notice as well.

It was clear that the situation was far more complicated than it appeared, and they needed to proceed with extreme caution. At the same time, they had to keep the incident strictly confidential and ensure Addison remained hidden for now.

He immediately sent a mindlink to his Royal Beta. "Inform one of the Convoys that was close to head to the Midnight River Pack and quietly assess the situation there. And keep the princess’s return a secret—no one must find out. Make sure the rest of the Royal Convoy doesn’t suspect anything unusual. Report everything directly to me."

"Understood, Your Majesty."

For now, all he could do was wait for the report from the Royal Convoy sent to the Midnight River Pack. It seemed that the root of all these anomalies originated there, and he was determined to uncover the truth.

After receiving the Alpha King’s instructions, the Royal Beta successfully relayed the message to the Royal Convoy, who happened to be stationed in a neighboring pack.

Unaware of the true situation, the convoy proceeded directly to the Midnight River Pack, still believing their mission was simply to retrieve the princess and escort her back to the Royal Palace.

Although they were late compared to the previously agreed time, the Midnight River Pack would likely remain unsuspecting. Unfortunately, their timing couldn’t have been worse—at that moment, the pack’s Alpha was in a state of frenzy looking for Addison, making it far from ideal to receive visitors.

As for Addison, she had fallen into a coma after dissolving her mate bond with Zion. After seven hours of treatment, both the royal doctor and the royal healer emerged from the medical ward looking utterly drained—so exhausted they could barely stand.

Despite their condition, they immediately went to meet the Alpha King and Queen, as they had urgent information to report.

At that moment, the Alpha King was still in the middle of a discreet interrogation with the two werewolves who had found Addison. According to them, the Alpha who carried Addison was named Maxwell Ackerman, and his Beta was named Hue. freёweɓnovel.com

The two had come to the Midnight River Pack searching for the dark witch. After years of hunting for a lead, they had finally uncovered a clue—one that, by chance, and it happened to be located within the Midnight River Pack’s territory.

However, for reasons unknown, their search unexpectedly led them to the princess instead.

Given the circumstances, they could only assume that the princess was under a curse cast by the dark witch. However, they had no idea what kind of curse it was.

Their plan was to bring her back for further testing, hoping to learn more about the curse itself—which they believed might lead them to the dark witch. At that time, they had no idea she was the missing princess; their only focus was uncovering the truth behind the curse.

"Why are you even searching for the dark witch? She’s nothing more than a legend from over five hundred years ago. As far as I know, she was purged and killed by the saintess during her crusade centuries ago," Elric suddenly interjected as the two were explaining the events and the reason for their appearance.

Alpha Maxwell glanced between the Alpha King and Elric before pulling out a necklace. It was enchanted with a spell designed to react in the presence of the dark witch or traces of her curse.

They had been using this necklace for years to search for remnants of the dark witch, but until now, it had never shown any signs. Finally, they had found something—only to discover that the one affected was the princess, which made the situation far more complicated. Even Maxwell seemed troubled by the revelation.

"That’s what everyone believed," he said solemnly. "But I have every reason to believe the dark witch is still alive. And if it’s not the same witch who terrorized the land 500 years ago, then perhaps a descendant. Even though dark magic has been banned for centuries, there are still people who suffer from curses—some even passed down through generations by bloodline."

"So, are you one of those suffering from a curse? Or is it your bloodline that’s been cursed?" Elric pressed, his gaze sharp and unrelenting.

But Maxwell remained silent.

It was a personal matter—one he couldn’t simply share, not even with the Alpha King. His situation was far too complex to explain, and this discussion wasn’t about him; it was about the princess. He believed he had every right to remain silent.

His refusal to speak only confirmed that he was hiding something. Even when the Alpha King issued a command for him to answer, Maxwell kept his mouth shut—willing to endure the consequences of defiance. The weight of pressure bore down on him, but still, he didn’t yield.

In the end, he was released. Pushing him further might have broken him completely—and if he died from the strain, they would be left with even more uncertainty and no clear path forward.

One thing was certain now: the princess was under a curse—its origin known, but its nature still a mystery. And the only potential lead they had to lifting it was Maxwell. For that reason alone, they couldn’t afford to lay a hand on him, no matter how many questions remained unanswered.

The Alpha King clenched his jaw, his teeth grinding as tension radiated from his body. But he said nothing—he couldn’t. Just then, the royal healer and royal doctor burst into the room, both looking utterly drained and visibly worried.

"Alpha King," the royal doctor began, "we’ve done everything we could to treat the princess’s injuries. But... her back may be permanently scarred from being whipped with silver. And there’s more—" he hesitated, eyes flicking nervously toward the king.

"Speak," the Alpha King growled, his eyes flashing with barely restrained fury.

The doctor swallowed hard before continuing. "We couldn’t detect any wolfsbane in her blood... which suggests something worse. She’s not healing—because she doesn’t have her wolf. And one more thing..." He trailed off again, unsure how to deliver the final blow.

When he saw the Alpha King’s stare darken further, the doctor finally blurted, "It’s best if you come and see her yourself."

The Alpha King’s heart pounded with unease. A part of him feared he wouldn’t like what he was about to see. Thankfully, his mate wasn’t with them—he had managed to convince her to rest after she cried herself to sleep. But now, with the royal doctor insisting he see the girl for himself, it could only mean something was seriously wrong.

Without a word, he followed the doctor. Elric trailed behind him, equally tense. As they left, Maxwell and Hue were ordered to remain in the guest house. Though not officially imprisoned, they were clearly being detained within the Royal Grounds while the investigation continued.

The walk to the medical ward felt like an eternity—each step weighed down by dread. When the Alpha King finally arrived at the room where Addison was resting, the royal doctor stepped ahead and gently pulled back the white curtain.

The Alpha King’s breath caught in his throat.

"What happened to her hair?" he asked, stunned.

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