Alpha's Regret: The Seventh Time was Forever

Chapter 71: Chapter 71 – Are you planning to leave your boyfriend for me?

Daisy had always wanted to be the smartest person in the room, especially when that room was filled with powerful men who underestimated her, but Seraphine turned out to be that woman in Daisy’s mind.

Succeeding against Seraphine by being the one Ravyn loved should have made her happy, except that Ravyn was neither the most powerful Alpha nor the richest in the United States.

She had plans, layered and unhurried, and Damon had been carefully placed inside those plans like a prized piece waiting to be claimed.

The strategy had been simple in her mind. She loved Ravyn but the desire for wealth and power, no longer made love attractive.

For now, she needed Ravyn for covering but if things continued to fall, she would step away gracefully and direct her attention to Damon, who was younger, rising faster, and far more promising in the long run.

Her target had long been Voren, but he had always been beyond her reach, a different league entirely, untouchable in ways that made even her ambition hesitate. Ravyn, however, had been attainable. He had been the closest steppingstone to power.

And now, Damon was her upgrade waiting in the wings.

With Seraphine’s calculated attacks, Daisy had panicked before but now, she felt that everything was working to her advantage, because she already mapped out an escape route in her mind.

If Ravyn fell too hard, she would detach before the collapse crushed her with him. With Damon, or at least, she thought she did, until hearing that Damon was investing fifty billion into Walker’s Global Enterprise.

The news numbed her, left her feeling like the ground was subtly shifting beneath her perfectly balanced heels.

Her future, which she had arranged so neatly in her imagination, suddenly blurred at the edges. If Damon was strengthening Ravyn instead of positioning himself independently, then her calculations were off.

Her expression, no matter how carefully trained, failed to mask the flicker of irritation in her eyes.

Damon was momentarily stunned by the sharpness of her question, but he masked it quickly, smoothing his features into calm indifference.

”Why can’t I invest?” he asked evenly. ”Fifty billion is nothing. In case you haven’t noticed, my wealth increases by the second. That amount is just a drop of water in the ocean.”

He delivered the words with quiet arrogance, not loud enough to boast but deliberate enough to remind her exactly who he was becoming.

Relief washed across Daisy’s face almost immediately, softening the tension that had tightened her jaw. If the money meant nothing to Damon, then perhaps this was not a decrease in his wealth, but rather another calculated business move.

”I didn’t mean to sound harsh,” she said, forcing an embarrassed smile. ”I was only looking out for you.”

”For me?” Damon echoed, his tone dipping slightly, gaining weight. ”Shouldn’t you be looking out for your boyfriend instead? Aren’t you supposed to become Luna soon?”

The word Luna hung between them like a reminder of chains.

Discomfort flickered across Daisy’s features before she masked it with practiced charm. She stepped closer, her hand lifting instinctively toward his chest, her fingers brushing the air near the fabric of his shirt where it stretched across firm muscle.

The proximity was intentional, but gesture was familiar. Damon moved back instantly, avoiding her touch as though it carried heat.

”Don’t,” he said quietly, though the warning in his tone was unmistakable. ”You wouldn’t want us executed, would you?”

The word executed landed with a harsh precision. In the pack, betrayal of an Alpha did not end with scandal or exile. It ended with blood. Daisy knew that better than anyone, and Damon’s reminder was not accidental.

He was drawing a line while pretending it was for her safety. She forced a small laugh and shook her head, though her pulse had quickened. ”We could always leave,” she murmured, lowering her voice as though sharing a forbidden secret. ”We could elope, start fresh in the city, just you and me.”

Taking Bryan would only bring her problems. Damon raised a brow slowly, studying her with a look that was more analytical than flattered.

”Are you planning to leave your boyfriend for me?” he asked, his tone steady but edged with something chastening.

The question unsettled her more than she expected. For a split second, doubt crept into her thoughts. Had she misread him? She had been so sure he was drawn to her.

The way he trained her, the way he guided her, the way his eyes sometimes lingered longer than necessary. Yet he had never crossed the line, not once.

She could not afford to throw herself at him too cheaply too, not if she wanted to maintain power.

Suddenly, she burst into laughter, loud and exaggerated, as though the idea itself was absurd. ”You should see your face,” she teased. ”I was joking.”

Her voice sounded convincing, but her eyes did not. Damon saw it clearly. She had fallen for him in ways she had not intended. He decided to press while the iron was still hot.

”You’ve been withdrawing a lot of money lately,” he said casually, as though the thought had only just occurred to him. ”If you need anything, tell me. Let me help.”

He softened his tone deliberately, pitching it in a way that suggested concern rather than interrogation. He wanted her to feel safe, not cornered, hoping to get a clue into the identity of Zane.

Still, the effect was immediate.

Daisy’s heart rate spiked violently, a flush rising to her cheeks before draining just as quickly. For a fraction of a second, her composure cracked. Her mind scrambled through excuses, through fabricated explanations that would sound plausible.

Before she could speak, Damon’s phone began to ring. The sound sliced through the tension like a blade.

His heart thumped hard against his ribs, a sudden surge of anticipation and dread colliding inside him.

He reached for the phone slowly, hoping, almost irrationally, that it was not who he suspected it might be...