Alpha's Regret: The Seventh Time was Forever

Chapter 217 – Ego meets reality

For reasons Ravyn didn’t fully understand, hearing Seraphine’s name now came with an uncomfortable weight, settling somewhere deep in his chest like something he couldn’t quite digest, let alone ignore, and as Doctor Raymond brought her up again, that faint irritation only grew stronger, threading through his tone as he asked, "What about her?"

Raymond cleared his throat, straightening slightly as though preparing himself for a conversation he already knew wouldn’t be easy. "She’s handling everything on her own," he began carefully, choosing his words with obvious caution. "I was thinking... if she allows us to observe the process, we wouldn’t have to rely on her every time something like this happens."

Daisy was paying him well and the director position came with benefits he was not willing to let go.

Learning how to create the cure for this paralysis would put him ahead of his peers, and he hated Seraphine for not wanting to share her knowledge.

At the side, Voren’s gaze flickered in their direction, sharp but unreadable, though he didn’t say a word, his silence masking the quiet unrest stirring inside of him, because even the mere mention of her name was enough to rouse Bloodfang again.

’What’s her wolf’s name?’ Bloodfang asked suddenly, his curiosity carrying an intensity that grated on Voren’s nerves.

’How am I supposed to know?’ Voren snapped back internally, irritation rising fast. ’We’re not that close.’

’Then you should ask her,’ Bloodfang pressed, undeterred.

Voren was already preparing to block him completely, but Bloodfang sensed it after years of knowing is human, and his next words came colder, edged with something that made Voren pause.

’Keep trying to block me like that, and I might take you down with me. Or worse, I might just let us both die.’

landed harder than

connection was as vital as breath itself, and even though the city dulled that bond because they were ruled by

key but in a place where they were forced to suppress a part of them and

his head slightly before responding to Raymond, his tone firm but not entirely dismissive. "It wasn’t easy getting

his gaze briefly, unwilling to give up or let Seraphine have her way, especially when Daisy

his veins like adrenaline. "Alpha, it almost feels like you’re all afraid of

forming as the words settled in, because hearing it put that way, unknowingly bruised his ego, forcing him to look at the

that really

she did not let in could not climb over no matter how hard they tried, making her

her?" he replied after a moment, his tone carrying a trace of defensiveness. "We simply need her

for a response, he turned and headed back toward the lab,

more focused, with Bryan sitting off to the side, happily eating while his attention remained fixed on Seraphine, his eyes following her every movement as though he were trying to memorize it all, every detail, every step, like

we talk?" Ravyn asked, his voice carrying a

look at

on," she replied simply, her focus never leaving what

for her sarcastic words or cold dismissal, because that had become the pattern between them, but

watched her closely as he spoke, his attention catching on the way her hand paused briefly, the liquid she was transferring held mid-motion, suspended between one container and