Alpha's Regret: The Seventh Time was Forever

Chapter 82: Chapter 82 – Are you falling for your adopted sister now?

The second Ravyn’s expression darkened and that dangerous silence started spreading around them, Seraphine understood she had embarrassed him far more than she probably should have this time.

Embarrassing a powerful man in private was one thing, but humiliating him in a room filled with billionaires and Alphas who fed off hierarchy and dominance was something else entirely.

There was not a single person present strong enough to truly restrain Ravyn if he decided to retaliate.

The few Alphas who technically had the strength to challenge him were men who survived by staying in his good graces, loyal shadows who would never risk their positions for her. They would back him even if he was wrong.

And Ravyn, when cornered, was unpredictable.

She knew she could not overpower him physically. Raw strength had never been her advantage. What she had was precision, strategy, and the ability to destroy him in ways that did not require fists.

Still, looking at the way his jaw tightened and his eyes darkened, she knew this was not the moment to test how far he would go in public.

So she acted fast. She pulled out her phone, and her stomach dipped when she noticed the battery blinking red. Of course it would be dying now when she had forgotten to charge it. She pressed call anyway, holding her breath as it rang.

It connected, and she did not hesitate. ”Dad!” she cried out dramatically. ”Ravyn is bullying me again!”

The call dropped immediately after.

Perfect timing.

She lowered the phone slowly, innocence spreading across her face like she had rehearsed it. Her eyes widened just enough to look wounded without looking fake, and a few people nearby covered their smiles.

She looked absurdly adorable in that moment, too harmless, too soft to be taken seriously.

They probably could not reconcile that innocent face with the fact that she had just kneed a powerful man in the groin minutes ago.

If only they knew what that same powerful man had done to her. Ravyn was the reason her evil side popped up, and she would not rest until he had all of it as his trophy.

Ravyn’s phone rang almost instantly.

He glared at her in a way that made the air around them feel colder before answering. ”Dad, you always believe everything she tells you.”

”Of course I do,” Humphrey’s voice came through clearly.

Ravyn pressed his lips together tightly, bitterness flashing across his features, and then he turned on speaker mode without warning. ”Fine,” he said sharply. ”Let’s hear it from everyone here. Did I bully her?”

There was a brief pause as people looked at one another.

”No,” came the answer, mostly from the Alphas Seraphine recognized from the pack.

Her gaze flickered toward them, and she memorized every single face. She would deal with that later.

Ravyn continued, voice edged with frustration. ”Wasn’t she the one who hit me just now?”

”That’s because you insulted me,” Seraphine replied without missing a beat. ”You called my boyfriend weak. What did you expect me to do, smile and thank you?”

Leon’s eyebrows lifted, surprise and pride mixing across his face. He had not expected her to defend him so openly, especially against someone like Ravyn. The realization that she had attacked such a powerful man because of him settled heavily in his chest, and he tightened his hold around her waist slightly.

On the phone, Humphrey exhaled sharply. ”Ravyn, I expect you to behave yourself, but you keep creating problems. If I hear one more complaint from her, I will have to reconsider your position as...”

Ravyn ended the call before the word Alpha could leave his father’s mouth.

His jaw clenched so tightly that the muscle along his cheek twitched. His eyes flashed red for the briefest moment, a sign Seraphine recognized instantly. He was furious, and the humiliation was making it worse.

Without warning, he grabbed her. His hand clamped around her arm, and in one forceful motion he pulled her toward him. Her body lifted so easily it almost felt insulting, like she weighed nothing.

She stumbled forward into his chest, and Leon’s arm slipped from around her without him meaning for it to.

The slight loosening of his hold embarrassed him more than he expected. It felt like failure, like he had not been strong enough to keep her steady.

Leon stepped forward immediately, but Ravyn’s glare cut through him. ”Do not even think about it,” Ravyn warned.

The threat in his tone was unmistakable. Seraphine looked at Leon and gave him a calm smile that did not match the tension in the air. ”It’s fine,” she said softly. ”He can’t hurt me.”

Her confidence eased him slightly, though he remained close enough to intervene if necessary.

She pulled her arm free from Ravyn’s grip and faced him fully, refusing to shrink back.

”What exactly is your problem?” she asked, her tone almost teasing. ”Are you falling for your adopted sister now?”

Several heads turned in their direction again, curiosity thick in the air.

Ravyn glanced around, aware of the audience and the whispers building around them. The embarrassment was eating at him, and he tried to pull her toward a more private corner.

She yanked her arm back firmly. ”Whatever you want to say, say it right here,” she insisted. ”Or stop wasting my time with my man.”

The way she said my man cut straight through him.

”Your little games are not going to work on me,” he snapped. ”I would never want you.”

Seraphine laughed loudly, not caring who heard her.

Under the lights, Ravyn noticed something that unsettled him deeply. Her glow was not coming from makeup. Her skin looked healthier, her eyes brighter, her whole presence lighter.

She looked younger, almost like a teenager who had not yet been weighed down by bitterness.

Had divorcing him really freed her that much? Had their marriage drained her so badly that leaving him brought her back to life?

”I would rather be with a mentally unstable man,” she shot back sharply, ”than ever be with someone like you.”

That pushed him over the edge. His hand rose, fueled by anger and wounded pride.

Gasps rippled through the room, and before his palm could reach her face, two hands caught his wrist midair.

He expected one of them. Leon. The other made his stomach drop. Voren.

Ravyn turned slowly, disbelief flickering across his face as he stared at his best friend holding his arm in front of everyone.

Something inside him cracked quietly.

His voice came out low and tight, layered with anger and something that almost sounded like betrayal. ”Why are you stopping me?” he demanded. ”Do you even know what she did?”