Alpha's Regret: The Seventh Time was Forever

Chapter 354: Then you won’t see me here again

"It’s nothing," Oriana forced out with a laugh that sounded fake even to her own ears. "I was only trying to scare her." Her smile felt strained and brittle, like it might crack at any second.

But Vladimir had been married to her for decades. He knew every little tell she had, every expression, every habit, every lie she tried to hide behind. The second those words left her mouth, his eyes narrowed sharply. He wasn’t buying a single syllable of it.

"Right," the former Alpha said as he rose from his chair. His voice stayed calm on the surface, but there was a rock-solid firmness underneath that immediately put Oriana on edge. "If you won’t tell me, I’ll find out another way."

Oriana’s stomach twisted into a painful knot. Vladimir adjusted his shirt, his gaze never leaving her. "When Voren returns to the city, we’re going with him."

Her eyes widened in disbelief. "What?"

"You heard me." He crossed his arms, expression unchanging. "If you won’t answer my questions, Jasmine will."

The room fell into a heavy, suffocating silence. Oriana clenched her teeth so hard her jaw ached. This was exactly the nightmare she’d been desperately trying to avoid.

That secret had stayed buried for years, long, careful years. Now both Jasmine and Vladimir were threatening to drag it into the light. If Voren ever learned the truth... No. She couldn’t let that happen. She absolutely couldn’t.

A forced smile stretched across her face. "Fine," she said with a casual shrug that didn’t fool anyone. "You’ll see for yourself that it was nothing." The words came out sounding confident, but inside, panic was already sinking its claws deep into her chest.

Vladimir studied her for a long moment, his suspicions only growing stronger. The more she denied it, the more certain he became that something big was being hidden from him.

Without another word, he turned and headed for the door. He still had Voren’s phone tucked away—he’d completely forgotten to return it during their argument.

The second he left the room, Oriana slipped out quietly after him. She kept far enough back to stay unnoticed but close enough to watch every move he made.

Outside, the first soft hints of morning light were just beginning to chase away the darkness over the pack territory.

Pack members were slowly stirring, emerging from their homes. Some headed toward the training grounds while others prepared for the day’s work. The whole place was waking up around them.

out together. She looked far more alert now, her meditation apparently finished. Vladimir walked straight toward them, his eyes moving between the pair. "Where

His patience for any conversation involving his parents had

could even respond, the shaman answered instead, her wrinkled face breaking into a knowing little smile. "He’s taking me

that’s why you brought her here." His gaze sharpened

question instantly grated on Voren. His eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. "Why do you need to know?" The words came out ice-cold, heavy with

it and took another step closer, frustration and concern mixing on his face. "Because whatever

and son, wisely choosing to keep quiet. The tension stretched thick between them until Vladimir finally let out

fight anymore. He just wanted some kind of solution. But Voren shook his head firmly. "We already discussed

need is for you and Mom to come

frowned. "And if we don’t

see

how deadly serious he sounded. "You would really give

would make sense to people who had never felt anything this deep. He let out a slow breath. "When you love someone... nothing

simple, raw honesty in those words silenced

Voren loved Seraphine. This wasn’t obsession or fleeting infatuation. It was

now that the territory was fully awake. A few young warriors noticed Voren and

"Welcome back, Alpha."

see

with a nod. The warriors smiled politely, but inside they

for the pack without hesitation. But nobody wanted to spar with him when he was in a foul mood. Those sessions usually ended with plenty

of the pack considered him the best Alpha they could ever

in the first place. He

pause. A strange, uneasy feeling settled

sound casual. "So I

muscle in Voren’s body went tight. The shaman noticed immediately. So