Alpha's Regret: The Seventh Time was Forever

Chapter 290 - Why don’t I remember any of this?

Seraphine’s hands wouldn’t stop shaking.

She’d told herself it was just a quick scroll through his phone. No big deal. But the longer she stared at the screen, the tighter her chest got, like someone was squeezing the air right out of her lungs.

She knew Voren’s whole world revolved around Marigold. His pack, his empire, every decision—it all came back to that little girl. So yeah, she’d expected his camera roll to be packed with Marigold’s milestones: birthdays, first steps, silly faces, all that cute dad stuff.

But that’s not what she found.

It was her.

The wallpaper alone nearly knocked the wind out of her. An old birthday photo, colors slightly faded. A much younger Seraphine, caught mid-laugh with her hair flying everywhere, eyes squeezed shut like that exact moment was the best thing that had ever happened to her.

She couldn’t even remember which birthday it was. Six? Seven? No clue.

And that’s when it really hit her.

There was a massive hole where those memories should’ve been.

She sat there, mentally poking at the empty space like you’d press on a bruise, but nothing came back. She’d always had this vague, uneasy feeling that her childhood sucked.

Nothing specific, just a low hum in the background. She remembered little scraps, like sitting on the bathroom floor untangling her own curls because no one else was around, or blow-drying her hair in the mirror when she was so small she could barely reach the counter. Those moments stuck.

But her parents? Almost completely gone. Daisy’s face from back then? Mostly wiped too.

She remembered donating blood for Daisy over and over the pinch of the needle, squeezing her eyes shut, counting to ten. That part was clear.

Everything else around it? Blurry. Like someone had taken a wet rag and smeared it across the first half of her life.

convinced herself that was normal. That everyone had memory gaps. That it wasn’t a big deal but staring at Voren’s phone, she wasn’t so sure

She kept scrolling.

of photos. Then hundreds. When she hit the videos, something deep in her chest cracked wide open, and she

bright, totally carefree,

bring me a moon pendant from the city. And a bracelet to

riding on Voren’s back like

open smile she’d never seen on his face in the present. He carried her so naturally, like he’d done

nothing like the guarded tone he used

anything, darling. Just

Darling.

He’d called her Darling.

it. Then played it

video, Voren looked like a teenager, sixteen or seventeen, hair longer and shaggy,

Ravyn. Same jaw, same hair, same energy. If she hadn’t heard her younger self say his name, she

She kept going.

Another video started automatically.

better," her younger self said, voice dropping into something half-shy, half-serious. "When we grow up...

Seraphine stopped breathing.

screen, Voren threw his head back and laughed, real, full, happy

he said, still grinning. "But I love you, Sera. Let’s

She jumped up, bouncing in place,

Sera!

her mid-bounce, his

"Yes, darling. Nobody else."

out through the woods as her curls brushed the grass. She was screaming with joy, trusting him

closed

phone face-down on her lap. She pressed her fingers hard