Alpha's Regret: Losing His True Mate-Chapter 185

With that thought, they turned their attention back to Sienna, their expressions warm and full of pride.

Right then, Sienna stood and turned to Old Master Fisher with a gracious smile. "I’m sorry. I lost."

Old Master Fisher waved her off kindly. "Even in losing, you played beautifully. Not everyone’s like that young man from the Wilson family. A young person who excels in both academics and chess? That’s already quite rare."

Sienna’s smile stayed modest. "You’re too kind, Old Master Fisher."

"Want to go another round?" he offered.

She shook her head, still smiling. "One round of showing off is plenty. I’ll leave the next game to someone else."

Old Master Fisher, clearly enjoying himself, looked around. "Anyone else want to take a turn?"

Silence fell.

Harry had been half-watching the board, half-lost in thought. Then he realized Dante was holding a chess piece and staring right at him.

Before Harry could react, Elodie stepped forward.

"How about a game?" she said, looking directly at Dante.

Dante froze, a chess piece still in hand. His eyes locked with hers.

Harry’s head whipped around, genuinely surprised.

He hadn’t expected Elodie to challenge Dante. Not here. Not in front of all these people.

Sienna and the Brown and Green families looked equally stunned.

From what they knew of Elodie, she wasn’t the type to put herself out there like this. She was quiet. Reserved. The type of person who’d rather fade into the background than make a scene.

But now...

The Browns frowned.

Logan muttered under his breath, "If I’d known she was going to pull something like this, I would’ve said something to her earlier."

Then Dante spoke.

"Alright."

Elodie sat down across from him.

After the initial shock wore off, Sienna’s face smoothed back into calm composure. She greeted Old Master Hall and the others politely, then moved to stand beside Dante.

It wasn’t just Harry and the Browns who were surprised. Jimmy and Old Master Hall exchanged quick glances too.

Jordan had introduced Elodie earlier, but neither of them really knew her. From what they’d seen, though, she seemed gentle. Soft-spoken. Not the type to draw attention to herself.

So for her to step up and challenge someone publicly, no less was unexpected.

Old Master Fisher didn’t know Elodie, but he’d definitely noticed her. It was hard not to. She was striking... beautiful, but in a quiet way. She looked gentle and polished. The type of girl who looked like she came from a good family. Honestly, she seemed like the perfect granddaughter-in-law material...

He just hadn’t expected her to know how to play chess.

Dante looked at her. "You want to go first?"

In Go, the first player usually had the advantage.

Elodie didn’t hesitate. She made her opening move.

Dante responded.

At first, neither of them made any bold plays. Their moves were careful, measured. They didn’t talk. Just focused on the board.

Elodie kept her eyes down, barely even glancing at Dante across from her.

After a while, Old Master Hall, Old Master Fisher, and the others started to pick up on something.

Elodie’s style matched her calm and steady personality. Whether she was attacking or defending, every move was purposeful. She wasn’t just reacting. She was thinking three, four, five steps ahead.

Realizing this, the older men exchanged surprised looks.

Earlier, they’d praised Sienna for being sharp and strategic. And she was good, no question. But watching her game with Dante, it had been clear he was guiding her the whole time. Going easy on her. It felt like a playful match between a couple, nothing too serious.

Still, for a woman her age, Sienna’s reflexes and adaptability were impressive.

But now...

Dante seemed to realize that Elodie wasn’t following his lead. She wasn’t reacting to his strategy.

She was pulling him into hers.

When Dante slowed down his attacks, trying to regain control, Elodie didn’t give him an opening. She shifted seamlessly from defense to offense, launching a counterattack that forced him to pause mid-move.

He looked up at her.

And smiled. Just slightly.

Seeing Elodie’s aggressive play, Old Master Fisher couldn’t hold back.

"Beautiful!" he exclaimed.

Johnny raised an eyebrow, grinning.

Harry and Jimmy just stared, stunned.

They’d completely lost track of her strategy. Her early moves had been so calm, so defensive, that they’d assumed she was just playing it safe. They hadn’t noticed the trap she was setting.

It wasn’t until now that they realized that Elodie didn’t just know how to play.

She was really good.

Sienna, standing beside Dante, had been focused more on his side of the board. Like Harry and the others, she’d already fallen behind in tracking his moves.

At first, she’d assumed Elodie would lose quickly.

But now, she noticed Dante’s expression had changed. He was more focused. More serious. Even more so than when he’d played against her.

When she saw Old Master Fisher and the others completely absorbed in the game, it finally hit her.

Elodie wasn’t just holding her own.

She might actually be better than Sienna.

From that point on, Sienna kept her eyes glued to Elodie’s side of the board.

When she saw Elodie navigate out of a complicated trap Dante had set, one Sienna herself wouldn’t have seen coming, her chest tightened.

And when Old Master Fisher praised the move out loud, Sienna’s mood sank even further.

Elodie, meanwhile, was completely locked in. She didn’t notice the murmurs around her, didn’t register the eyes watching. Her entire focus was on the board in front of her.

The position was manageable for now. But if she wanted to actually win...

She paused and looked up at Dante.

Dante made his move.

Elodie stopped, her hand hovering over a piece as she thought it through.

Old Master Hall, watching intently, let out a low chuckle. "Truly remarkable. I never thought I’d see a game this exciting between two young people. Very, very impressive."

Old Master Fisher shot him an irritated glare. "Would you shut up?"

Old Master Hall went quiet.

A few minutes later, Elodie placed her piece. The balance shifted slightly back in her favor.

Two minutes after that, Dante responded.

Elodie carefully set the piece she’d been holding back on the board.

"I lost."

She could’ve dragged it out a few more moves, sure. But the outcome was already decided.

No point.

She stood up, ready to leave, when Dante’s voice stopped her.

"Another game?"

Elodie hesitated. Then sat back down.

Old Master Hall laughed, clearly delighted. "This girl seems so quiet and reserved, but look at her, still jumping at the chance to play another round with the young man from the Wilson family. She must not get many opponents at this level. Now that she’s found one, she’s not letting go."

He directed the comment at Johnny.

Johnny could tell what was happening too.

He nodded. "Yeah."

Old Master Hall grinned. "I bet you can’t beat her either."

Johnny, despite being one of the sharpest minds in their circle, who was second only to Dante was completely honest.

"Nope. I can’t."

Elodie had mostly played against Professor Nolan before this.

She’d never beaten him. Not once. But the way Nolan reacted to her games, the way he praised her strategies? That said everything.

She was already a serious threat. And she was still so young.

Nolan hadn’t lost a game since his teenage years. The fact that he spoke so highly of Elodie’s play... regardless of her age or gender... put her in an extremely rare category.

That alone was proof. She was good.

By the time they finished talking, Elodie and Dante had already reset the board.

Dante looked at her. "You go first."

"You first."

She’d lost by more than a single move last time.

She needed to see exactly where her limits were.