Alpha's Regret: The Seventh Time was Forever

Chapter 278 – She’s my sister now. That’s enough for me

"I already told her." Corvine’s voice was easy, unbothered, the tone of someone who had long since made their peace with a thing. "And she looked me in the eye and told me she doesn’t feel that way about me."

The corner of his mouth lifted, something almost fond in it. "And unlike somebody in this room, I actually listened, accepted it, and moved on." He smiled, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. "She’s my sister now. That’s enough for me."

Something unknotted in Voren’s chest without permission.

He had been carrying that particular worry around for longer than he wanted to admit, turning it over, looking at it from different angles.

The way Corvine was always there. Always the first call, the first presence, the one Seraphine actually relaxed around. It had sat in him like a splinter, small, invisible, consistently irritating.

He kept his face completely still. "Then there’s nothing left to discuss."

He turned toward the door but Corvine didn’t let him. "Voren."

Voren stopped but didn’t turn around.

"Don’t make the mistake of thinking you have unlimited time." Corvine’s voice was measured, no heat in it, which somehow made it land harder.

"She’s not the kind of woman who waits around while someone figures out whether she’s worth the risk." He paused deliberately for close to ten seconds before letting out the rest. "You have my support. But only if you can promise me one thing. That you won’t turn into your best friend."

The words hit the back of Voren’s neck like cold water.

full picture, the parts Voren had never said out loud to anyone, would he still be standing there offering support? Would any

as straightforward as you’re making it sound." His voice came out quieter than he intended. "She looks at me and sees a business partner. That’s the whole

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her desk by the time Voren came back in, several pages turned, a pen in her hand

blank." She tapped the page with the pen. "That’s

with the kind of ease that came naturally to someone who had spent years walking

eyes moved over her face briefly. "Have you eaten? It’s past two and I know your

and clean,

landed like a door

let the air back out the same way,

any of this. Composed. Distant. Cold. Professionally cordial in a way that left no room for

he just hadn’t expected it to continue after all

there’s nothing else you need to go over," he said, his voice even, "I’ll get out

stop him. Didn’t even glance up from the

matter of fact, like an afterthought that wasn’t really an afterthought. "You don’t

"Noted." He pulled the door open. "As you

Kept his expression exactly where he needed it to be. Only when the doors closed and he was alone

complicated one. He had spent years being aware of his own sharp edges, the way he ran hot in private and cold in public, the

sit across from him with tears still faintly dried on her face from twenty minutes ago and look at him like he was a line

of discipline that was almost impressive if it wasn’t