Alpha's Regret: The Seventh Time was Forever

Chapter 27: Chapter 27 – he still craves me

Ravyn froze. The thought had crossed his mind before, more than once, actually. He had lived under the same roof with Seraphine for years without touching her, existing like polite strangers bound only by a marriage certificate.

It had been a cold, deliberate arrangement, one that would allowed both of them to move through life separately while maintaining appearances.

When he had finally brought up the idea of formalizing that separation, of continuing as husband and wife only on paper, Seraphine had refused.

At the time, Ravyn had been too embarrassed to push. After all, he was the one who had asked for the divorce. Pressing further would have felt hypocritical, almost desperate, and he had swallowed the conversation whole, burying it where pride and regret lived side by side.

Now, standing in front of Daisy, he couldn’t bring himself to say the truth out loud. ”Seraphine isn’t stupid. She’ll know I’m doing it for the money.”

That wasn’t the answer Daisy had expected. A flicker of disappointment crossed her face before she smoothed it away, her voice calm but calculating. ”Then we’ll have to find a way to increase our profits.”

Ravyn nodded slowly. ”I know. That’s why I have to go to the city.”

The weight of everything pressing down on him made his temples throb. Then another thought struck him, sharp and unsettling.

”Daisy,” he said, his tone turning businesslike, ”you haven’t given me any updates on the medical supplies. And I haven’t seen any movement from the account.”

Daisy’s lips pursed. She had already given herself a strict timeline, two weeks. That was all she needed, and was confident that her motivation had been enough to push the doctors toward a breakthrough.

”I’m working on it,” she said smoothly. ”Trust me, it’ll be ready in two weeks.” Then, almost casually, she added, ”I had to fire Nicole. She was getting in my nerves .”

Ravyn gently moved her aside, surprise flashing across his face. ”You fired Nicole? Why didn’t you tell me?”

She tilted her head, studying him. ”You look upset. She disrespected me, insulted my intelligence. I couldn’t let that slide.”

”Oh.” Relief softened his expression. Anyone who disrespected Daisy deserved consequences. ”Still, you should have informed me. If you had, her punishment would have been harsher.”

A coy smile curved Daisy’s lips, but before she could respond, a knock sounded at the door. Ravyn went to answer it.

Damon stood there, holding a sleek device. ”Alpha, I got you a new phone and inserted your SIM. It’s already beeping, looks like a message.”

”Thank you.” Ravyn closed the door and checked the screen, the color drained from his face.

”Who approved half a million to the logistics department?” he demanded. ”An amount like that requires my authorization.”

A chill ran through Daisy. Since Corvine and Seraphine had left, she was the only one signing off on approvals. If it hadn’t been Ravyn, then the blame pointed directly at her.

”I—I’m sorry,” she said quickly. ”They said it was urgent. I didn’t know—”

Ravyn pressed his fingers to his temple. The headache was pounding now. ”So this is how you plan to approve anything labeled urgent?”

Daisy had no answer. A single tear slipped down her cheek instead. ”I’m sorry, I—”

Something in Ravyn cracked. He pulled her into his arms, his voice softening. ”Hey, I didn’t mean to be that hard on you. There’s just too much going on.”

He exhaled slowly. ”Once everything in the city is resolved, I promise we’ll go on that vacation.”

Her lips curled into a slow smile. Daisy turned and straddled his lap, pressing her bare body against him. ”Do I get to go with you?” she asked softly. ”We have a Beta now.”

Ravyn forced a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. ”And who takes care of Bryan?” The answer lingered unspoken between them.

It had always been Seraphine whenever Daisy accompanied him anywhere. Daisy briefly considered suggesting her parents, but she already knew Ravyn would refuse. Bryan was the Alpha heir. His care fell only to the Alpha or the Luna.

Daisy’s parents were neither, and Ravyn’s parents would never accept the responsibility, not after what they had done to Seraphine.

Daisy swallowed the thought, but fear crept into her chest. Fear that Seraphine might still find a way to weave herself back into Ravyn’s life.

Her resolve hardened. ”Fine,” she said lightly. ”If you must go, let me help you relax first.”

She slid off his lap, discreetly positioning her phone before returning to him. What followed was raw and erotic, every moan, every groan, every exposed inch of skin captured without restraint.

The next morning, Damon stood with Ravyn at breakfast, bidding him farewell. Bryan clung to his father, eyes glossy.

”Dad,” he asked softly, ”when are you coming back?”

”I don’t know, son,” Ravyn replied, ruffling his hair before kissing his cheek. ”But very soon. There are things that need my attention.”

Daisy pouted. ”I could still come with you,” she said. ”Damon gets along well with Bryan.”

Ravyn glanced at Damon. The man nodded easily. ”I don’t mind watching him. I love kids.”

Still, Ravyn couldn’t bring himself to trust Damon fully. He shook his head. ”There’s too much to handle within the pack. Let Daisy stay with Bryan and help her train better.”

He didn’t miss the way Damon stiffened at the mention of him helping Daisy, but there was no time to probe. He turned and left.

Later, Daisy smiled to herself as she sent the video of their night to Seraphine with the message,

’Do you see that?’ Daisy’s words dripped with cruel satisfaction, every syllable sharpened to wound. ’Eight years of warming his bed, and he still craves me like I’m his favorite meal, the one he can never get enough of. I’m the only woman who makes him feel like a man, something you never could, and never will.’

Her smile was slow, venomous, as she continued typing before pressing the send button. ’You were never attractive to him, Seraphine. Not once, and don’t fool yourself. No Alpha would ever want you. She waited but there was no response.

At first, she was annoyed, then uneasy when it didn’t come. It took a few days for Seraphine’s answer to come, but when it did, it struck with such force that Daisy couldn’t even bring herself to show her face in the pack.