Filed to story: Alpha’s Regret After His Pregnant Luna’s Death (Evelyn & Declan)
I stood abruptly, the motion startling kara. My movements were too sharp and fast.
I strapped Lana into her carrier, my fingers moving automatically, like muscle memory from another life.
“Evelyn, where are you taking her?” kara’s voice trembled behind me.
But by the time she reached the doorway, I was already gone.
Thunder cracked overhead, echoing like a growl from the heavens.
My heart answered it.
Outside, the sky split open, and the first drops fell against my face. I walked in the rain. I had only one destination in mind, The Crawford Group. Declan’s domain.
I needed answers, I needed to know why all these where happening to me and why he was at the center of it all.
Declan’s POV
I was in my office at Crawford Group, listening to Collins my beta speak. He said something that caused my wolf to stir.
“So, a janitor stole my grandmother’s ring?” My voice came out low and calm.
My grandmother came back few days ago after spending several years abroad. She left after my mother and her daughter passed away. She was too heartbroken to stay here.
When I got married to Evelyn five years ago, she sent her goodwill to me and has since been disturbing me for grandchildren.
Now she is finally back to taunt me as much as she can.
Collins straightened, nerves shining in his voice. “Alpha Declan, be rest assured. Since it involves Luna Jennifer, the police have assigned an officer to handle it specially. According to Luna Jennifer’s maid, Lucy, the ring has been recovered.”
Recovered? My instincts pricked.
“But,” Collins continued, rubbing at his nose, “it wasn’t the police who found it. Another janitor did.”
Collins’s rushed through the rest. “That janitor set a trap to catch the thief and got Luna Jennifer’s ring back. Luna Jennifer took a liking to her because of it. And… well, funny enough, sir, you know her. She’s the one you sponsored after your car splashed her with dirty water, the janitor who brings her baby to work.”
Recognition slammed into me.
“Oh, it was her,” I murmured.
I turned to the floor-to-ceiling window, the city sprawling beneath me like prey under a hunter’s watch. My tall and lean reflection looked back at me. But behind my own eyes, my wolf paced, it was restless.
I remembered that day, outside the prison when I had caught a glimpse of her in that bus. She had been holding a baby and whispering something soft against its tiny ear.
When my car had splashed her later, she hadn’t flinched for herself. She’d twisted, fast and in a protective manner, every movement screaming instinct. She was a picture of a mother guarding her cub.
I’d seen hundreds of women. But her? There was something raw about her. Something untamed. It unsettled me then, and it unsettled me now.
Why though? There are thousands of sad stories in this city. People groveling, breaking and surviving. I’d built an empire by learning to tune them out. Yet I couldn’t tune her out.
I’d told myself my donation had been an act of fairness. A small correction. But I knew the truth, it had been instinct. For some reason, I wanted her safe.
And now, hearing about her again, that same feeling burned in my chest.
“What’s her name?” I asked, then I shook my head. “Never mind. She’s just a single-mother janitor. Since she helped my grandmother, call her supervisor. Make sure she and her pub aren’t bullied. That’s the least she deserves.”
“Yes, Alpha,” Collins replied. He hesitated before adding, “About the donation you made last time – the Community Board supervisor said the janitor recorded a thank-you video. It’s in your email. The PR team asked if we should feature it publicly.”
I clenched my jaw.
“No need,” I said curtly. I didn’t need her face paraded for clicks and gossip.
My finger hovered over the mouse, the cursor gliding over the email marked “Thank You.” Then I clicked delete. The message vanished into the trash.
I stood, straightening my jacket and walked out of my office. Collins closed the office door behind me and together, we headee towards the meeting room.
*****
The meeting soon ended.
From the corner of my eye, I watched Collins step aside to make a call, his voice was low but efficient as he relayed my orders to someone. A woman named Frances. He instructed her that the janitor and her daughter were to be treated with respect. No bullying and no exploitation.
Collins made yet another call to someone named Kevin.
For some reason I couldn’t quite name, I listened in on his call with my sharp ears. I could hear the man’s tone on the other end of the call, It sounded too eager, too oily. It was the kind of voice that smiled before you even saw the face. I’d known men like him all my life. They are weak, and opportunistic, loyal only to the scent of power.
“Mr. Collins! Something up? Does Alpha Declan have special orders?”
I leaned back in my chair, my fingers wrapped loosely around my coffee cup. Steam curled up, faintly carrying the aroma of roasted beans and porcelain. My wolf didn’t care for caffeine, but the ritual of it kept the beast still.
Collins’s voice took on a firm professional tone unique among my staff. “Kevin, Alpha Declan does have instructions. That janitor and her kid are under your management. Alpha Declan wants you to look out for them.
“Don’t let anyone bully that single mom or her child. Help them when you can. Do it well, and if Alpha Declan is pleased, a good word from him might mean another promotion before you retire. Understood?”
There was a pause. The sound of stunned silence on the other end. Then Kevin stammered something about family and loyalty, his tone practically dripping submission.
Collins ended the call, satisfaction rolling off him like heat.
When he glanced at me, I was already watching him.
He froze for a moment, unsure of my mood.
I took a slow sip of coffee, the warmth steadying me, masking the faint growl rising in my throat.
He’d done as I’d asked. Perfectly, even.
But part of me still bristled. There was something about that man Kevin that rubbed me the wrong way. My instincts didn’t like him.
Collins rubbed the bridge of his nose, shifting nervously. I’ve done everything right, I could almost hear him thinking.
I looked away. “Relax, Collins,” I thought silently. “If I wanted your head, you’d already know.”
Instead of saying those words, I gave him a nod and he instantly relaxed.
“What about the person I asked you to find?” I asked sternly, setting the cup down.
Collins straightened.
He knew I was talking about my Luna, Evelyn and was about to say something when suddenly, his phone rang.
Evelyn’s POV
The lobby smelled of marble polish, coffee, and fear, my fear.
“I’m here to see Declan Crawford,” I told the receptionist in a voice that appeared steady. I could hear the tremor underneath it and feel my wolf pacing in my chest.
The woman blinked, clearly startled by the sight of me. I was a slightly soaked mess, clutching my baby close to my chest.
She picked up the phone.
“Mr. Collins,” she said, lowering her voice. “There’s… a strange woman here. She won’t say why, just insists on seeing Alpha Declan. Oh, and she’s holding a baby – looks about eight months old.”
A strange woman. My lips curled before I could stop them. Again, I wasn’t surprised that I was unrecognizable. I have become entirely different from how I used to be.
From the faint hiss of static, I caught a Collins voice on the other end. It was clipped and irritated. “Is she crazy, or what? Kick her out.”
Kick me out? Just like that?
The receptionist hesitated, her gaze flicking to Lana. “But, Mr. Collins, the baby she is holding really looks like Alpha Declan. Should we just send her away?”
Her words hung heavy in the air. I could feel the blood rushing in my ears, my wolf straining beneath my skin, a low, dangerous rumble vibrating in my chest. The baby looked like him? Even they could see it.
“Get rid of her,” Collins barked. “Ms. Sophia is coming soon. Don’t cause trouble for Alpha Declan.”
Sophia Darvin. The name hit like ice water down my spine.
The receptionist hung up and turned to me, guilt softening her pretty face. “Ms., Alpha Declan isn’t here.” She lied. “Maybe… try another day?”
Another day. As if I hadn’t crossed half the city despite the storm, as if I hadn’t already lost enough blood and pride.
I stood there, trembling from anger, not the cold. My wolf wanted to bare her teeth, to snarl and make them see. But I couldn’t, not here, not with Lana in my arms.
I pressed my lips together, biting down until I tasted iron. “Right,” I said hoarsely. “Another day.”
But my voice broke anyway.
Rainwater dripped from my hair, soaking through my clothes. Lana whimpered softly, her tiny fingers clutching at my collar. I pulled her closer, wrapping my coat tighter around her. My coat was already drenched and useless, but I had nothing else to give.
No one in the grand, shining lobby recognized me. Not the guards watching me as though I was a threat. Not the staff whose eyes slid past me as if I were dirt on their polished floors.
Over a year ago, I’d walked through these halls in heels and silk, my briefcase in hand, my head high. I was a lawyer. A woman with a future, and most importantly, an Alpha’s wife.
