Alpha's Regret: The Seventh Time was Forever

Chapter 171 – I can’t afford to go easy on you

Seraphine instinctively held onto her jacket a little tighter when Voren told her to take it off, because underneath it, she only had on a cropped tank top that left far more exposed than she was comfortable with in a setting like this, especially since she hadn’t expected the training to take this turn.

At the hospital, it had never been an issue, because she always had her doctor’s coat layered over it after taking off her jacket, which gave her enough coverage to move around without thinking twice, but here, standing in the middle of a training ground surrounded by people, it suddenly felt different.

"Do I really have to?" she asked, her hesitation clear even though her tone remained controlled.

Voren raised a brow at her, his expression unimpressed as he replied without filtering his words. "Don’t tell me you came here without wearing anything underneath, because I’m not sure what you expected training to look like."

His words were blunt, but Seraphine didn’t take offense, especially after Kael had already mentioned that Voren had a lot on his plate, and whatever he was dealing with seemed to be bleeding into his mood more than he probably realized.

Instead of arguing or dragging it out, she decided not to make things more complicated than they already were.

With a quiet breath, she unbuttoned her jacket and slipped it off in one smooth motion, revealing her toned, flat stomach as the cool air brushed against her skin.

For a brief second, something flickered in Voren’s eyes, something she couldn’t quite identify before it disappeared just as quickly as it came.

"Come with me," he said, turning away as if nothing had happened before addressing the others. "Keep training."

Seraphine followed him, her steps steady as she tried to shake off the lingering awareness of his gaze.

"Do you own this place?" she asked as they walked, her curiosity getting the better of her after noticing how naturally he commanded everything around him.

"I already told you it belongs to a friend," Voren replied without looking at her. "I just help train his private trainees sometimes."

accepting the explanation as they moved into another room, this one

and hung it neatly on a hook

said, his tone steady but carrying weight. "He has a military background, and he personally trained

Seraphine

got at the pack, believing it would give

this was simple. "Don’t let that get to you," Voren added, noticing the change in her expression. "The FBI will be close by, but I still need you to be capable of handling yourself if things go

again. "I understand. Thank

he took his stance. "Now get ready, because

every line of his body tightening with precision as

your will," he said,

on speed and instinct as she

It didn’t work.

enough to send a sharp wave of pain shooting up

could recover, he pushed her back with enough force to throw her off balance,

her face tightening as the sting settled

"Sorry," he said, though his expression remained unchanged. "I can’t afford to go easy on you, especially not today, because this is your last training session, and your date is in

give me one more day?" she asked, her voice carrying a rare hint of uncertainty as she thought about facing someone like

head without hesitation. "I can’t. I have to leave for the pack tonight, but

her with unease, especially since he had mentioned before

his voice cut

he said, his tone hardening slightly as

watching him carefully. Then he spoke