Alpha's Regret: The Seventh Time was Forever

"No way," Voren said immediately, shutting the idea down without even giving it a second to breathe, his tone firm enough to make it clear this wasn’t up for negotiation.

Seraphine frowned slightly, caught off guard by how quickly he refused, but he didn’t leave her wondering for long.

"You’re my best friend’s ex-wife," he added, his voice carrying a practical edge now, like this was something obvious she should’ve already considered, "what kind of explanation do you expect me to give if you suddenly show up at my place?"

There was a brief pause before he continued, his tone easing just enough to sound reassuring. "Trust me, Corvine will be more than capable once I’m done training him, and whatever you need, he’ll bring it back to you."

Seraphine didn’t argue, even though a part of her didn’t like the idea of learning secondhand when time wasn’t exactly on her side. Still, she understood the reasoning, and pushing it further wouldn’t change anything.

"Fine," she said, her voice calm, even if the decision didn’t fully sit right with her.

The call ended shortly after, and without wasting time, she turned to Corvine, who had been watching her closely, already trying to piece together how much of that conversation was going to affect him.

"Voren wants to see you tomorrow," she told him, her tone straightforward. "He’s going to train you, guns, combat, everything we’ll need."

Corvine let out a quiet breath, nodding slowly as if that confirmed something he had already been considering. "Honestly, I was already thinking about that," he admitted, his expression thoughtful, though there was a hint of tension behind it.

Seraphine gave him a small smile, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes before she added, "I’ll come with you, just don’t tell him when he sends the location."

That earned her a look. Corvine stared at her for a second, clearly caught between loyalty and common sense, because he already knew Voren wouldn’t be pleased about that, and yet refusing her outright didn’t feel like an option either.

"You’re putting me in a really bad position here," he muttered under his breath, though he didn’t actually say no.

Seraphine didn’t press him further.

Instead, she grabbed what she needed and left for work, leaving Corvine behind with a head full of plans and responsibilities he hadn’t fully signed up for but was already committed to anyway.

By the time she got to the hospital, her focus had completely changed.

She moved through her duties with practiced ease, her attention locked in as she worked alongside Leon, attending to a patient with the kind of precision that made it clear she was fully in her element, at least on the surface.

Her phone vibrating broke that rhythm.

She glanced at the screen, noticing the unfamiliar number before excusing herself, stepping away as she answered. "Hello."

"Sera, it’s me, Santiago. It’s good to hear your voice."

The sound of his voice instantly pulled images back into her mind, flashes of what she had seen through those camera feeds, things she couldn’t unsee no matter how hard she tried.

Still, her expression didn’t change.

She forced a polite smile into her tone. "Thank you for the flowers, but could you stop sending them?" she said, keeping her voice light enough to sound courteous.

A soft laugh came from the other end. "Only if you agree to go on a date with me," he replied smoothly. "I never got your answer."

Seraphine let out a quiet breath. She had already made the decision, already built the plan around it, but she hadn’t formally responded the way he expected, not yet.

"I’m sorry," she said, her tone controlled, "work got in the way."

"No need to apologize," Santiago said easily. "Just tell me when you’re free, and I’ll take care of everything else."

His voice was calm, almost charming, but all Seraphine could picture was that mansion, those hidden rooms, the lab, the people trapped inside like they didn’t matter.

"A week from now works," she said, buying herself as much time as possible.

There was a pause. "I can’t wait that long," Santiago replied, his tone still smooth but carrying a hint of impatience now. "Can you make it three days?"

That tightened something in her chest.

Three days wasn’t enough, not for what she needed to prepare, but she couldn’t push too far without raising suspicion.

"Make it five," she said after a brief moment, keeping her voice steady. "I have surgeries scheduled."

There was another pause before he responded, this time with something that sounded like approval. "I admire that, a woman who takes her work seriously," he said. "It’s... attractive."

Seraphine forced a faint smile, even though the compliment didn’t land the way he intended. "Thank you, but I don’t know enough about you to return the favor."

"You will," he replied, his tone almost amused. "The date will be at 7 p.m., at my mansion. It’s a bit far from town, so I’ll pick you up."

"No," Seraphine said quickly, the response coming out sharper than she intended before she softened it slightly. "That won’t be necessary, Corvine will drive me, just send the location."

There was a slight pause on the other end. "Corvine," Santiago repeated, his tone thoughtful now. "We’ll talk more about that when we meet. Have a lovely day."

The call ended, and the moment it did, Seraphine turned to find Leon already watching her, his expression dark, his gaze sharp.

"Don’t tell me that was him," he said, his voice low but intense. For a second, she considered lying.

It would’ve been easier, safer even, but something told her she was going to need his help sooner or later, and keeping him in the dark might cost more than it saved.

"What if it was?" she replied instead, meeting his gaze directly. "Don’t you want to save those women and children?"

That hit exactly where she expected. Leon’s expression changed, something conflicted passing through his eyes before he looked away slightly, exhaling under his breath. "We’ll talk about this later," he said, his tone more controlled now. "There’s another emergency."

Work took over again after that, pulling her back into the rhythm she knew so well, but even as hours passed, the weight of everything stayed with her, pressing quietly in the background.

By the time Corvine picked her up, exhaustion had settled into her bones.

She leaned back in her seat as they drove, her eyes closing briefly, her mind still running through plans, possibilities, risks, until the car slowed.

When it stopped, she opened her eyes. A familiar car was parked right in front of the gate.

Before either of them could react, the door opened, and Ravyn stepped out, his movements quick, his expression tense as he moved to block the tall iron gate.

"Sera," he called out, his voice carrying a desperation that wasn’t easy to ignore, "please... I need your help."