Alpha's Regret: The Seventh Time was Forever

Chapter 341: Chapter 341 - You’ve got Voren

Humphrey blew out a long breath and shook his head, still trying to wrap his mind around the way Voren operated.

Figuring that man out wasn’t something you could knock out in an afternoon. He ran on a whole different wavelength that needed serious time, patience, and yeah, probably a damn whiteboard. ”I’ve got no clue,” he admitted, voice rough with everything swirling inside him. ”But right now, I need to talk to Sera.”

He yanked out his phone, found her name, and hit call before Kylie could even open her mouth. He slapped it on speaker and set it right in the middle of the table between them.

It rang twice. ”Hello?”

”Congratulations, Sera.” Total silence stretched across the line.

Seraphine clearly hadn’t seen that coming. Humphrey could practically hear her brain scrambling to figure out what the hell she was being congratulated for. Then Kylie leaned in close to the phone, unable to hold back.

”You made a damn good choice this time, baby. A real one.” Her voice wrapped around the words with that deep, warm honesty that always hit when she meant every syllable.

”If we’d known Ravyn was gonna turn into the monster he became, we would’ve pushed way harder on your memory situation. We would’ve fought that nightmare differently. But it’s okay now.” A soft, almost teary chuckle slipped out. ”You’ve got Voren. And that changes absolutely everything.”

On the other end, Seraphine went quiet in a heavier way, the kind that meant her mind was racing, piecing it all together fast.

Humphrey and Kylie were miles away. That kind of drive didn’t happen on a whim, and Voren was supposed to be picking her up soon to head to the pack. So when exactly had he—

”Is Voren there?” she asked, her voice carrying a rush of disbelief mixed with something softer and warmer that bled right through the phone.

”He just left.” Kylie’s tone lit up with pure joy. ”He came in by chopper, said he had to hustle back to take you to some shaman tonight. Goddess, Sera.” She paused, voice dropping with deep affection.

”I looked into that man’s eyes when he talked about you. No wonder you got away with slapping him—twice, right?

When he showed up acting like he could demand whatever he wanted. A man who stopped loving you doesn’t look like that. He never stopped. Not for one single day.”

The words hit Seraphine square in the chest, sinking deep and stirring up a storm of feelings.

She remembered both those moments like they were branded into her. The first slap had come from pure terror, white-hot fury, and the desperate need to protect herself. The second hadn’t been much different. And both times Voren had taken it. He hadn’t grabbed her, hadn’t exploded, hadn’t done any of the ugly shit most men would’ve pulled.

She’d gotten away with it in a way nobody else on this earth ever could.

Right then she made herself a silent promise, tucking it away somewhere safe. She was never doing that again. Not out of fear, but because he didn’t deserve it. Their feelings weren’t some big mystery anymore. He loved her—she knew it down to her bones. And Voren wasn’t the type to hurl cruel words at her either. That just wasn’t him.

She didn’t need to test him anymore.

”Thank you,” she told them, the words thick with real gratitude and love. ”Mom. Dad. Thank you for everything. I really hope you’ll be there.”

Humphrey let out a short bark of happy laughter. ”That wedding isn’t happening without us. We’re the parents of the bride. We’ll come early, stay over, the whole thing.” He didn’t even try to hide the huge grin stretching across his face.

Kylie nodded hard beside him, like Seraphine could see her. ”We’ll sleep over and everything. You better have a room ready for us.”

The sound that came through the phone was soft but packed full of emotion. ”I’d love that.”

The call ended and Humphrey stood there a moment longer, hand still hovering near the phone, soaking in the warm glow filling the room. It wasn’t complicated. It was just pure, simple good.

Seraphine set her phone face-down on the table and sat with it for a long beat, letting everything wash over her.

She hadn’t expected that call at all. Hadn’t expected any of what Voren had quietly done today—slipping behind the scenes, reaching out to every person who mattered to her before she even realized he was moving.

He hadn’t made a big show of it. Hadn’t fished for credit. He’d just gone and done it, fierce and steady.

She was still turning that over in her heart when Corvine appeared in the doorway, holding out something glossy and thick.

A fashion magazine, flipped open to a huge spread of wedding gowns.

”Sera.” He extended it toward her. ”You need to pick your gown before we head out. We’ll get the designer rolling tonight so they can work on it while you’re gone.” He dropped it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. ”I already have your measurements.”

Seraphine stared at the pages and felt something inside her stall hard.

She’d totally forgotten about the dress. With everything exploding around her, a wedding gown hadn’t even been on her radar. But now that the magazine sat open in front of her, she didn’t reach for it the way she might’ve thought she would.

Her first wedding had been nothing like this.

Ravyn hadn’t given a damn. He’d shown up, gone through the motions, and checked out the second it was over. She had picked every single thing herself, the color, the cut, all the details—because asking someone who wasn’t even paying attention was pointless. She’d dressed for herself because no one else was looking.

But Voren cared.

He paid attention in that sharp, careful way that only happened when someone truly cared down to their core. Seraphine wanted to wear something he’d actually light up seeing her in.

”Do you have any idea what he’d like?” She met Corvine’s eyes. ”He’s done so much. I want this to be for him too, not just me grabbing whatever.”

Corvine went quiet for a second, clearly thinking it through. Then something lit up in his expression and he closed the magazine with a decisive snap. ”You know what? Forget this. I’ll talk to him directly. He put together that Santiago look all on his own, so the man clearly has a vision.” He gave a firm nod. ”I’ll pull him aside tonight. He can tell me exactly what he wants to see and we’ll build from there.”

Seraphine felt a tight knot loosen in her chest, relief flooding through her. ”That’s perfect.”

The rest of the day blurred by faster than she wanted, everything buzzing underneath with wild excitement, raw nerves, and that sharp-edged anticipation of knowing her daughter was waiting for her at home.

Then the shaman. Seraphine tried not to spiral too deep on what that might mean. Whether it would actually work. Whether she’d wake up tomorrow feeling like a different version of herself. She shoved it down and focused on getting ready, heart pounding the whole time.

When she finally stepped outside to the car, the evening air washed over her and she froze.

Something felt off.

She stood there, unmoving, trying to pin down the feeling. It wasn’t exactly danger. It was more like a deep tug. Like some unfinished piece needed handling before she could leave with a clear head.

She turned to Corvine, who was already by the car. ”Before we go, can we stop at the Stone’s mansion first?” She held his gaze steady. ”I need to see Uncle Desmond and Aunt Nessa.”

A quick flash crossed his face. He didn’t argue. Didn’t push for details. ”Yeah,” he said after a beat. ”Yeah, let’s do it.”

Neither of them voiced the other reason hanging there. Corvine had his own burning need for that stop. His parents deserved to hear it straight from him, face to face that he’d moved out. He owed them that much.

He opened the car door and Seraphine slid inside. They stayed quiet as he pulled out onto the road.

What neither of them knew yet, was that someone had already beaten them there.