Alpha's Regret: The Seventh Time was Forever

Chapter 212: Chapter 212 – Do I See the Scumbag?

’You’re back.’

Marsha’s voice slipped into her mind the second they reached the hospital, soft at first, still heavy with sleep, like she was stretching awake after being gone far too long. There was a faint groan that followed, laced with complaint. ’You shouldn’t have come back so soon.’

Seraphine’s lips curved, the emotion hitting deeper than she expected, settling somewhere tender in her chest as relief washed through her. Just hearing Marsha again made everything feel a little steadier, a little more whole. ’I missed you,’ she murmured inwardly, her tone quieter than usual, almost fragile despite herself. ’So much.’

’You got me now,’ Marsha shot back, her voice sharpening with that familiar bite. ’Though I can’t say I missed you. I’ve been asleep this whole time, living peacefully without your drama.’ A pause followed, then her tone flipped completely, alert and suspicious. ’Wait... hold on. Is that him?’

Seraphine didn’t need to ask who she meant.

’Do I see the scumbag?’ Marsha continued, her voice dropping into something dark and threatening. ’Tell me you didn’t get back together with him. Because if you did, I swear, I’ll take over and end you myself.’

A soft laugh escaped Seraphine before she could stop it, warmth blooming in her chest at the sheer intensity of Marsha’s protectiveness. She had missed this.

’We’re never getting back together,’ she replied calmly, her gaze flicking briefly toward Ravyn before pulling away again as if he barely existed.

’I only agreed to work on the cure because his parents asked me to. They’re my parents now.’ Her tone softened at that last part, carrying something rooted, deeper than obligation. ’We’ll talk more later. I need to handle something first.’

Damon stepped forward like he was about to speak, but Seraphine didn’t give him the chance.

”I asked for your beta to assist me for the duration of my stay here,” she said smoothly, her voice cutting cleanly through the space before Damon could get a word out.

Her eyes landed on Ravyn, calm but firm, holding just enough edge to make the message clear. ”What I require from him isn’t your concern. Or is it?”

’Good,’ Marsha hummed with approval in her head, clearly pleased. ’Seems like being away knocked some sense into you.’

Seraphine resisted the urge to sigh. The interruption tugged at her focus, but she couldn’t bring herself to push Marsha back into silence, not after just getting her back. The connection felt too precious, too alive.

Across from her, Ravyn’s fingers curled into fists, tension flickering across his face before he forced it down. He didn’t say it, but it was obvious he knew better than to push her right now. She hadn’t even started on the cure yet, and the last thing he needed was to give her a reason to walk away.

”Fine,” he said at last, though the word came out tight. ”We were worried when your phones were off.”

”I turned them off on purpose,” Seraphine replied, her tone laced with dry sarcasm as she crossed her arms lightly. ”I didn’t want anyone ruining my rest.”

Ravyn frowned, something darker creeping into his expression. ”Does that mean you were together all night?”

Seraphine let out a quiet yawn, the gesture exaggerated just enough to show how little she cared about the question. Her eyes slid back to him, unimpressed. ”Why does that matter to you?”

There was a beat of silence before she continued, her voice calm but cutting. ”We’re both adults, and single.” A faint, almost mocking smile curled her lips. ”But lucky for you, your beta knows how to behave like a gentleman.”

She tilted her head slightly, raising a brow. ”Now, do you want to keep asking pointless questions, or should I go check on your patients?”

”The patients,” Ravyn said quickly, backing down the second her expression hardened just a fraction.

”Damon, let’s go.”

”To where?” Ravyn asked, his eyes widening slightly as he took a step forward, like he wasn’t ready to be dismissed so easily.

Seraphine didn’t even slow down. ”Who else is going to keep me safe from your savage pack?”

Ravyn swallowed, clearly thrown. ”I’m the Alpha. I can—”

”Mom!”

The word cut straight through the tension.

Seraphine turned just in time to see Bryan rushing toward her, the car door barely shut behind him before he threw himself into her arms. She caught him easily, her expression softening in an instant as she wrapped him in a warm embrace.

”Bryan,” she said gently, her hand sliding up his back in a soothing motion. ”How are you?”

’Why are you hugging him?’ Marsha’s voice snapped, a low, displeased growl threading through her words. ”That’s his son.”

Seraphine held Bryan a little tighter, her tone calm as she responded inwardly. ’Relax. He’s just a child... and he came to his senses.’

Marsha didn’t sound convinced, but she didn’t argue either. ’Fine,’ she muttered after a moment, though the edge didn’t disappear. ”But I want his mother’s blood before we leave. Don’t forget that.”

There was no hesitation in Seraphine’s agreement. ”Okay.”

Right then, a subtle warmth spread through her lower abdomen, familiar enough to recognize instantly. Her monthly cycle had started. Still, there was no pain, no discomfort twisting through her like it used to.

She had prepared for it.

And more than that the pack, as expected, breathes life into her body through her wolf, steady and grounding.

”I’m better,” Bryan said, pulling her attention back as he hugged her tighter. ”I just missed you.”

Ravyn stood a few steps away, his lips parted slightly, watching the scene unfold like he didn’t quite know what to do with it. No words came out, only that stunned silence lingering on his face.

Seraphine smiled faintly before easing back just enough to look at Bryan. ”How about you come watch me work?”

His face lit up instantly. ”Really?”

”Really.”

”Yes!”

She glanced over her shoulder at Ravyn, her expression cooling again, all warmth gone in an instant. ”Bring whatever he’ll need. Clothes. Food.”

She didn’t wait for a response before turning toward the hospital entrance, Bryan happily sticking to her side while Damon followed just behind, quiet but present.

Ravyn stayed where he was for a moment, staring after them, something unreadable flickering in his eyes before he finally exhaled and shook his head.

For someone who was supposed to be Alpha, he felt more like a servant running errands.

Still, he went to the kitchen.

By the time he started making pancakes for Bryan, his movements had settled into something automatic, though the unease from earlier hadn’t left him. It sat heavy in his chest, lingering without explanation.

Then the mindlink came.

’Alpha,’ the guard’s voice rang out urgently from the gate. ’Alpha Voren Ashkael is here to see you.’

Ravyn froze mid-motion, his hand tightening slightly around the spatula as a cold, unexplainable feeling crept up his spine.

Something about this... wasn’t right.