Alpha's Regret: The Seventh Time was Forever

Chapter 86 – It’s already too late for you to rescue her

James hurried across the room toward Seraphine the moment he realized what she was walking into, his steps quick and anxious as a tight knot of worry settled deep in his chest because he already knew the kind of men gathered in this room and understood the games they enjoyed playing whenever someone new stepped into their territory.

He reached her side and lowered his voice, leaning closer so the others would not hear the urgency in his words. "Sera, these men aren’t the kind you want to challenge just to prove a point, because they can be ruthless in ways most people never imagine and their initiation ritual has a reputation that should make anyone think twice before stepping forward."

His jaw tightened as he glanced around at the men lounging comfortably in their expensive chairs, every one of them watching with the lazy curiosity of predators who had just noticed a new animal wander into their hunting ground.

"You really don’t have to do this," he continued quietly, hoping the concern in his tone would convince her to walk away before things spiraled out of control. "Their rituals can get ugly, and sometimes the humiliation is the whole point."

Seraphine turned toward him with an expression that softened just enough for gratitude to appear in her eyes, even though the calm confidence in her posture made it obvious that she had already made up her mind.

"Thank you for telling me," she said, her voice carrying a gentle sincerity that briefly eased the tension in his chest. "But I think I’ll take my chances and see how far this goes."

The answer drained the hope from James’s face, leaving him with nothing except the quiet realization that there was no convincing her once she decided on something.

He exhaled slowly, then stepped away with reluctant acceptance before returning to the corner where his wife Milia stood waiting beside the wall, both of them now watching the unfolding situation with growing unease.

Across the room, Gordon Archer leaned back in his seat with a glass in his hand, his face already flushed from the alcohol that had been flowing freely throughout the evening.

He had reached his tenth drink and was clearly enjoying the chaos beginning to brew in front of him.

"She looks like an angel who wandered into the wrong place," Gordon said with a crooked grin, his voice thick with amusement. "But the way she talks sounds more like steel wrapped in silk."

He lifted his glass slightly toward Seraphine while studying her with exaggerated curiosity.

"Miss, are you absolutely certain you belong in a room like this where men tend to forget their manners," he continued, sounding almost entertained by the absurdity of it all. "This is the first time a woman has tried to stand where you’re standing right now, and to be honest we were all expecting your boyfriend to show up instead of you."

and in that

because they thought she lacked

because her

place, the quiet confidence in her posture became even stronger as she faced

are the rules," she asked, her tone steady and fearless while her gaze traveled calmly across the circle of wealthy men who had suddenly grown very interested in what

rose from the side of the room where he sat comfortably beside Voren, his relaxed posture

of his voice made Seraphine turn

rules themselves are simple enough," Ravyn said slowly, leaning back while the corner of his mouth curled into something that resembled

halfway through, because anyone who hears the rules is expected to

through her body at the weight behind his words, yet the thought of backing out now felt impossible after everything she had already done

her company would eventually thank her when the profits

settled her nerves even while a hint of disdain flickered briefly

ahead," she replied

widened with

explained, lifting one finger slowly as though savoring every second of the moment. "You only need to choose one of them, although I should remind you

gaze with stubborn determination. "Just

along his hairline while Ravyn began outlining the challenge in a voice that carried

until one of you can’t continue. The person who gives up first gets thrown out of the Sovereign Circle immediately,

outrageous to Seraphine the moment she

had never been particularly

still two other choices. She lifted her chin

that hinted at

he said slowly, "you choose any man among us and offer him your body. Once you choose him, he can do whatever he wants with it, and if he walks out satisfied afterward he gets

with unsettling amusement, "And trust me when I say that we have a

flicker of excitement when the color drained from