Alpha's Regret: The Seventh Time was Forever

Chapter 217: Chapter 217 – Ego meets reality

For reasons Ravyn didn’t fully understand, hearing Seraphine’s name now came with an uncomfortable weight, settling somewhere deep in his chest like something he couldn’t quite digest, let alone ignore, and as Doctor Raymond brought her up again, that faint irritation only grew stronger, threading through his tone as he asked, ”What about her?”

Raymond cleared his throat, straightening slightly as though preparing himself for a conversation he already knew wouldn’t be easy. ”She’s handling everything on her own,” he began carefully, choosing his words with obvious caution. ”I was thinking... if she allows us to observe the process, we wouldn’t have to rely on her every time something like this happens.”

Daisy was paying him well and the director position came with benefits he was not willing to let go.

Learning how to create the cure for this paralysis would put him ahead of his peers, and he hated Seraphine for not wanting to share her knowledge.

At the side, Voren’s gaze flickered in their direction, sharp but unreadable, though he didn’t say a word, his silence masking the quiet unrest stirring inside of him, because even the mere mention of her name was enough to rouse Bloodfang again.

’What’s her wolf’s name?’ Bloodfang asked suddenly, his curiosity carrying an intensity that grated on Voren’s nerves.

’How am I supposed to know?’ Voren snapped back internally, irritation rising fast. ’We’re not that close.’

’Then you should ask her,’ Bloodfang pressed, undeterred.

Voren was already preparing to block him completely, but Bloodfang sensed it after years of knowing is human, and his next words came colder, edged with something that made Voren pause.

’Keep trying to block me like that, and I might take you down with me. Or worse, I might just let us both die.’

That threat landed harder than anything else.

Because life without his wolf wasn’t something Voren could even imagine, not when that connection was as vital as breath itself, and even though the city dulled that bond because they were ruled by a different force, it was still soothing to just know that your wolf was there.

Communication was key but in a place where they were forced to suppress a part of them and live completely as humans, it did not change the fact that they were werewolves.

Ravyn, unaware of that silent struggle, shook his head slightly before responding to Raymond, his tone firm but not entirely dismissive. ”It wasn’t easy getting her here to create the cure for us,” he said, a hint of restraint in his voice. ”We can’t force her into anything.”

Raymond lowered his gaze briefly, unwilling to give up or let Seraphine have her way, especially when Daisy was now the co-Luna.

It was just a matter of time before she became Luna completely. Boldness swept through his veins like adrenaline. ”Alpha, it almost feels like you’re all afraid of her. Why is that?”

Ravyn’s expression tightened, a faint frown forming as the words settled in, because hearing it put that way, unknowingly bruised his ego, forcing him to look at the situation from a different angle.

Was that really how it appeared?

Seraphine had built a wall around herself so tall that those she did not let in could not climb over no matter how hard they tried, making her untouchable in that invisible castle.

”Why would I be afraid of her?” he replied after a moment, his tone carrying a trace of defensiveness. ”We simply need her skills.” He paused, exhaling slowly as if weighing the situation against his own patience. ”Fine. I’ll talk to her.”

Without waiting for a response, he turned and headed back toward the lab, his steps steady even as his thoughts continued to turn.

When he stepped inside, the atmosphere felt different again, quieter, more focused, with Bryan sitting off to the side, happily eating while his attention remained fixed on Seraphine, his eyes following her every movement as though he were trying to memorize it all, every detail, every step, like it mattered more than anything else in that moment.

”Sera... can we talk?” Ravyn asked, his voice carrying a cautious edge.

She didn’t look at him.

”Go on,” she replied simply, her focus never leaving what she was doing.

Ravyn cleared his throat, already bracing himself for resistance, for her sarcastic words or cold dismissal, because that had become the pattern between them, but even so, he pressed forward. ”I was wondering... if you could train the pack doctors to produce the cure as well.”

He watched her closely as he spoke, his attention catching on the way her hand paused briefly, the liquid she was transferring held mid-motion, suspended between one container and another, as though she were considering something far deeper than the question itself.

For a second, he expected refusal, or at the very least, indifference.

Instead, he received a one-word response. ”Sure.”

The answer came so easily that it caught him off guard, relief rushing through him before he could stop it, his shoulders loosening just slightly as the tension he had been holding onto began to ease, and then she continued.

”The total cost will be ten billion.”

The relief vanished just as quickly as it came.

”What?” Ravyn’s voice rose before he could control it, shock cutting through his composure so quickly that Damon had to look away, his shoulders tightening as he fought back the laughter threatening to break free.

”Lower your voice,” Seraphine said calmly, not even sparing him a glance as she continued working. ”You’re scaring the kid.”

Her tone remained even, almost indifferent, but beneath it sat something heavier, something rooted in years of being overlooked, because long before any of this, she had given everything she had to this pack—her knowledge, her time, her effort, offering it freely from the moment she returned from the city, and not once had she received so much as a simple thank you.

Now, that wasn’t happening again.

Ravyn drew in a slow breath, forcing himself to settle, though the shock hadn’t fully left his system, his mind already racing to make sense of the number she had just thrown at him.

Then, more carefully this time, he asked, ”If that’s the cost for training them... how much are you charging for the cure you’re already working on?”