Alpha's Regret: The Seventh Time was Forever

Chapter 163 – I need you to be honest with me about one thing

Voren adjusted quickly, as if he had done this a thousand times before, his movements controlled and exact as he repositioned her stance.

He did not realize that he just crossed a boundary he wasn’t supposed to, or perhaps he thought he was training his fellow man.

His hand moved from her waist to her shoulder, steadying her without hesitation, while his other hand corrected the angle of her grip with quiet precision.

"Focus on your breathing," he said, his voice lower now, calmer but firm enough to cut through her tension. "In... and out. Let the shot follow that rhythm instead of forcing it."

Seraphine followed his instructions, drawing in a slow breath and releasing it carefully, trying to quiet the tightness in her chest. When she pulled the trigger this time, the result was different.

The bullet struck the target. It wasn’t perfect, landing lower than she intended, but it hit.

A flicker of relief crossed her face, subtle but real, like she had finally found something solid to hold onto.

Voren noticed it immediately, and the corner of his lips lifted just slightly. "That’s better," he said. "Do it again."

He stayed close, guiding her without crowding her too much, his voice steady as he continued to coach her through the process. But somewhere in the middle of it, something changed inside him, something he hadn’t anticipated.

There was a brief, unwelcome awareness, sharp enough to break through the discipline he usually relied on. The closeness, the warmth of her presence, the way she responded so quickly once she found her balance, unsettled him more than he wanted to admit.

Seraphine fired again.

landed closer

carrying a mix of relief and quiet satisfaction. "Thank you," she

the moment stretching in a way that felt louder than the constant echo of gunfire around

putting space between them again, his expression settling into something more neutral. "We’re not done yet," he said, his tone returning to its usual

Seraphine was grateful to learn

working with different firearms," he

for a second, then gave a

again, the earlier tension replaced with something more focused. Voren’s expression, however, turned serious as

evidence. One of the main reasons they

sharpened

wondering why she hadn’t come across something

at the first sign of a

drained from her face slightly as the implications settled in. Voren watched her carefully, wondering if she was really prepared for this. "Everything inside would be gone," he continued.

wasn’t something

she had been building in her head felt less stable, more unpredictable. But before that uncertainty could take hold

is designed to give them about an hour to

the opening buried inside the risk. "Then that works in our favor too," she said, her tone honing with renewed focus.