Alpha's Regret: Marked By The Lycan King

Chapter 140: Chapter 140: Change Of Opinion

Third POV

“You called for me?” Mason’s voice cut through the tent like a blade.

He pushed through the tent flap without waiting for permission. His eyes immediately found Zayne and Estelle frozen in their almost-kiss.

The three of them stared at each other in stunned silence.

Mason’s face turned red. His mouth fell open as he realized what he had just interrupted.

On the other hand, Estelle and Zayne shot apart like they had been burned. She scrambled off the bed so quickly that she nearly knocked over the soup bowl.

“I’m sorry,” Mason stammered, backing toward the tent entrance. “I didn’t know— I thought—”

Zayne’s jaw clenched. His eyes flashed with irritation as he watched his beta fumble over his words.

Mason wished the ground would open up and swallow him whole. Of all the times to walk in without knocking.

Estelle cleared her throat loudly. Her cheeks were bright red as she smoothed down her clothes.

“Since Mason is here, I should return to the medical tent,” she said quickly. Her voice was higher than usual. “There might be something I can help with.”

She didn’t look at either of them as she gathered her things. Her hands shook slightly as she picked up the basin of water.

“Estelle, you don’t have to—” Zayne started.

“It’s fine,” she cut him off. “I really should check on the patients.”

She fled the scene without another word, leaving behind only the faint scent of her perfume.

Zayne glowered at Mason once she was gone. Mason winced under his king’s murderous stare.

“I’m sorry,” Mason said again, his voice small. “I really didn’t realize she was here. I thought she might have gotten some sleep by now.”

Zayne rubbed his forehead with his good hand. “What took you so long to get here?”

“I was at the medical tent getting my bandages changed,” Mason explained, approaching the bed cautiously. “I got poisoned by silver during the fight.”

Zayne’s expression shifted from annoyance to concern. “How bad?”

“Not too bad. It was just a small wound, but they kept me for observation anyway.” Mason rolled up his sleeve to show the fresh bandages on his forearm. “Even a bit of silver poisoning can be fatal, so they wanted to be safe.”

He moved to help Zayne with his own bandages. His movements were gentle but efficient.

“You know, she’s been taking care of you for the last few hours,” Mason said as he worked. “Despite staying up all night when she arrived at camp.”

Zayne watched Mason’s hands as he rewrapped the wounds. “She shouldn’t have to do that.”

“I heard from the other warriors that she worked tirelessly. Apparently, almost half the camp now owes her their lives.” Mason’s voice carried genuine admiration. “A lot of them have a very good impression of her now. Some of the warriors who were skeptical about having a werewolf queen have completely changed their minds.”

A small smile tugged at Zayne’s lips despite his earlier irritation. He had always known Estelle was capable of earning respect through her actions.

“She’s remarkable,” he said quietly.

Zayne knew how difficult it would be for lycan society to accept a werewolf. For generations, their leaders have always been pure-blood lycans. In order to achieve this, certain leaders had arranged marriages, forced to give up their fated mates for chosen ones. The previous King and Queen were the prime example.

However, Zayne refused to follow in their footsteps. He only wished to marry and mate with the one he chose for himself.

Mason finished with the bandages and stepped back. “You should’ve seen the look on her face when you first returned to camp.”

Zayne’s eyes sharpened. “Explain.”

“The way she looked when you collapsed in her arms. I thought she might actually kill someone.” Mason chuckled. “And she hasn’t left your side since then.”

***

Estelle’s POV

My face felt like it was on fire as I stepped back into the medical tent. The cool air did nothing to calm the heat in my cheeks.

“Luna Estelle!” Clyde approached with a gruff smile.

Compared to the sneer and his haughty attitude, this change was remarkable. Last night, he barely acknowledged my presence. Now he looked at me like I hung the moon.

“You’re back,” he said. “Your face seems a little red. Are you feeling alright? Running a fever perhaps?”

Before I could answer, Klein appeared beside him. “Here, let me check—”

His hand reached toward my forehead. I was about to step back when Bridget’s hand shot out, slapping Klein’s away.

“Don’t touch the Lycan Queen so casually, you idiot,” she scolded him.

Klein rubbed his hand, looking sheepish. “I was just trying to help.”

“There are proper protocols,” Bridget continued. “You can’t just—”

“I’m fine,” I interrupted, holding up my hands. “Really. I just need some rest, but I should head back to the capital soon.”

It was fascinating how much these people changed after just one night of working together. Twelve hours ago, they looked at me with barely concealed disdain. Now, they were treating me as though I had saved their lives.

I could tell that after this one night, they had accepted me as their future queen. It wasn’t as though this was the reason why I burned the midnight oil to save their comrades, but it was a nice perk that came with my efforts.

“You should eat something first,” Bridget suggested. “You’ve been working non-stop.”

“I’ll have the healers empty out a bed for you—” Liam suggested, only for me to stop him.

“Thank you for your concern,” I tell them. “But I should check on the remaining patients first. I’ll find a quiet place to rest later.”

They shared a look with each other before eventually nodding.

“In that case, let us know if you need anything,” Clyde said.

I nodded.

It was nice to have Zayne back me up whenever I needed his help in Blackmoon. However, it felt even better proving that I was worthy of standing by his side at the pinnacle of lycan society.

I quickly threw myself back into work. There were still some things I needed to prepare before I could return. Zayne’s bandages would need changing, and the medicinal paste was running short. On top of that, I had to write down the remaining recipes and ratios I had missed so that they could refer to them once I left the camp.

After all that was done, I needed to return to Blackmoon as soon as possible.

Picking up a pen, I quickly got to work.

***

Third POV

At that same moment, hundreds of miles away, Asher was pacing frantically around the Moonveil Pack infirmary.

His face was pale with panic. His hands shook as he ran them through his hair repeatedly.

Several healers cowered in the corners of the room. They pressed themselves against the walls, trying to stay out of his path.

The head healer stood in the center of the room. Her face was grave as she watched their Alpha fall apart.

“What do you mean Finn is missing?!” Asher shouted, his voice echoing off the walls.