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."

edge that sparked something sharp inside Seraphine’s mind, and in that moment she understood something important about the way these men were

were not laughing because

because her

in her posture became even stronger as she faced them

exactly 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

sat comfortably beside Voren, his relaxed posture suggesting that he had

his voice made

his mouth curled into something that

anyone who hears the rules is expected to follow them

the thought of backing out

would eventually thank her when

nerves even while a hint of disdain flickered briefly across

she

smile widened with a dangerous

"You only need to choose one of them, although I should remind you

stubborn determination. "Just say it,"

Leon stiffened as anxiety began crawling across his face. Tiny beads of sweat appeared along his hairline while Ravyn began outlining the challenge in a voice that carried

"You pick any man here who is not your boyfriend and drink with him until one of you can’t continue. The person who gives up first gets thrown

words sounded outrageous to Seraphine the moment

her tolerance for alcohol had never been particularly impressive,

chin slightly while keeping her

hinted

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 to convince the rest of us that you deserve

briefly before adding with unsettling amusement, "And trust me when I say that we have

flicker of excitement when the color drained from Seraphine’s face while several