Alpha's Regret: The Seventh Time was Forever

Chapter 344: Beta in charge of the office of the Luna

There wasn’t a single person in the pack community who didn’t know the Grimroot pack’s Alpha by name and reputation. Voren’s face, his rank, his bloodline, all of it was common knowledge in every circle that mattered.

But what people also understood, if they paid close enough attention, was that the Grimroot pack ran as smoothly as it did because of the solid structure behind Voren.

His parents had been holding things steady for years, quietly filling every gap that opened up whenever their son flew back to Manhattan. It wasn’t a secret. It was simply how things worked.

So Desmond and Nessa asking about his parents made complete sense.

Nessa leaned in, her brow furrowed with concern. "And think about how this all looks from the outside. A brand-new co-Alpha role created out of nowhere, Corvine moving in overnight, a secret wedding —"

She shook her head, not unkindly. "It’s going to be obvious to everyone that you’re doing all of this because of Seraphine. That’s a lot of major changes aimed in one direction." She held his gaze. "What if your parents decide she’s the problem? What if they see everything happening at once and conclude she’s pushing you too far, then turn against her before they’ve even had a chance to know her properly?"

Voren didn’t flinch. He’d already wrestled with this question, turning it over from every angle until he landed on something firm and certain.

"They’ll talk," he said plainly. "For a few days, maybe a week, there will be noise. I’m not going to pretend otherwise." He leaned forward a little. "But I’m going to tell you something I don’t share outside the people I consider family."

His eyes moved between Desmond and Nessa. "The Grimroot pack has a problem we’ve never fully solved. Medical expertise. We don’t have it at the level we need for a pack our size." He let that sink in.

carefully. "Her skills as a doctor. What she’s been able to do for her people. Everyone wanted that kind of care for their

sitting room fell very

a pack doctor. They’ll see her medical value before anything else, and some of them will resist accepting her as Luna at the same time, because

doctor without accepting the Luna, that the two are the same person and she comes as a whole package, they’ll adjust. People always adjust when

briefly. "And my parents specifically, I’ll handle

nodding slowly, the way he did when something lined up with what he had already suspected. Nessa had uncrossed her

same thing that had happened with them, wasn’t it? Corvine had brought Seraphine

passed. And then a few more. Somewhere between the shared meals, the conversations, and watching her move through their home, that caution had quietly melted away and been replaced by something warm that didn’t want her

it carried relief from something that had been weighing on her. "Sera is

head fondly. "And with you and Corvine

that practical tone he used when offering real solutions. Everyone turned toward him. "Two betas isn’t unheard of. Different responsibilities, different areas.

straight at Voren. "But co-Alpha is something else entirely. That title is going to raise eyebrows. People will see it as a challenge, whether you mean it that way or not, and your parents will have ammunition to push back." He clasped his hands together. "I’m not saying don’t do it.

it easily, no ego involved. "The title isn’t what matters to me. The purpose is. If I’m Seraphine’s right hand in that pack, if I’m the one standing between her and anything that tries to reach her, that’s what I came for. We’re both going to be new faces there. Starting

his friend for a

clearly thinking things through underneath. "V."

office. That’s its own lane, its own weight. It means anyone who wants to get to me has to go through him first. If the pack sees what he can do... and they will. A promotion later won’t surprise anyone. It’ll look earned." The corner of her mouth lifted slightly.

he’d been wrestling with and handed it back