Alpha's Regret: The Seventh Time was Forever

Chapter 443: Chapter 444 - She doesn’t care about me at all

Seraphine suddenly remembered something that hit her like a lightning bolt. She and Voren were both still wearing their wedding rings, plain as day.

Her heart banged against her ribs as she shot a frantic message through their mind link. ’Please hide your ring right now.’

Voren didn’t even hesitate for a split second. ’No.’ His response came sharp and rock-solid, full of that stubborn fire she knew so well. ’The second you slid this ring onto my finger, I swore to myself I’d never take it off. If you really want it gone, you’re gonna have to march over here and pull it off yourself.’

Seraphine felt completely floored, her thoughts swirling in a wild mix of frustration and something warmer, deeper, that flooded her chest and made her feel all melty inside.

She let out a soft sigh, pushing the feeling aside for now, and turned her full attention back to Bryan instead.

His little arms were locked around her neck like he was terrified she’d vanish into thin air again any second.

Those bright eyes of his shimmered with pure worry, and the serious, scrunched-up look on his tiny face made her heart twist and ache so badly she could barely breathe.

”Mom,” he whispered, squeezing even tighter, his voice thick with emotion. ”I’m serious.”

A gentle, loving smile bloomed across Seraphine’s face as she brushed his soft curls back from his forehead. ”Okay, sweetheart. I believe you,” she murmured, her voice dropping into that soft, soothing tone only he could bring out. ”Let’s hop in the car first, then we can talk all about it, alright?”

Bryan nodded so enthusiastically that his curls bounced everywhere, his whole face lighting up with relief. Just then, Damon finally caught up, panting hard like he’d run a marathon. ”Bryan!”

He bent over, hands on his knees, gasping for air. It wasn’t fatigue but fear ringing in his voice. ”You’re way too fast, kiddo. Please don’t ever run off like that again. I swear I almost had a full-blown heart attack chasing you down.”

Bryan burst into bright, happy laughter and planted a big, loud kiss right on Seraphine’s cheek. He stayed nestled comfortably in her arms, clearly not planning to let go anytime soon.

Voren watched the whole thing with his brows furrowed tight, a deep frown creasing his forehead.

Bryan wasn’t exactly a lightweight anymore, and knowing their own little pup was growing inside her made seeing her carry all that weight feel even more unbearable, sending a fierce wave of protectiveness surging through him.

”Uncle Damon,” Bryan chirped happily, still beaming, ”Mom’s here now. I don’t need you anymore!”

Damon let out a big, dramatic sigh and threw his hands up in the air with a helpless grin. ”Fine, fine. I’ll head back to the pack house. There’s a massive pile of work waiting for me anyway.”

Before he left, he turned to Seraphine, his eyes scanning over her with genuine warmth. ”Welcome back, Sera.” A huge grin spread across his face. ”You’ve changed since the last time I saw you.”

Seraphine raised an eyebrow, curious. ”Oh yeah? How so?”

”You’ve gotten even prettier,” Damon said with an honest smile. ”And you’re absolutely glowing.” He chuckled lightly. ”Anyway, we’ll catch up later. The guests are still pouring in, and I’ve got a hundred things to organize.”

With that, he spun around and took off sprinting back toward the pack house.

Seraphine watched him disappear into the distance before heading toward the car with Bryan still snug in her arms. As they entered, Bryan leaned over her shoulder and waved wildly. ”Uncle Voren! Uncle Corvine!”

”Hey Bryan, have you been good?” Corvine asked, Bryan laughed. ”Very good, uncle Corvine.”

A faint, affectionate smile tugged at Voren’s lips as he looked at the little boy. ”Bryan.” His eyes narrowed just a little. ”What’s going on?”

Bryan’s cheerful expression flipped to dead serious in an instant. ”Uncle Voren, Aunt Daisy and the she-wolves are planning something sneaky,” he whispered, his little voice dropping low.

”They want to embarrass Mom during the campfire.” His worried eyes searched Voren’s face desperately. ”You won’t let them do it... right?”

Voren could tell there was a whole lot more behind those words, and his expression hardened with protective anger. ”What exactly are they planning?”

Bryan frowned so hard his tiny nose scrunched up adorably. ”I didn’t hear everything.” He rubbed his chest, looking really uncomfortable. ”I’m not feeling very well.”

His breathing started getting all uneven. ”Dad forgot to give me my serum yesterday.” He swallowed hard, pushing through. ”My bones feel like they’re burning.”

Seraphine’s heart clenched painfully tight at his words, a rush of worry and love crashing over her. Even Voren’s face darkened with concern.

Bryan took another shaky breath and kept going. ”But... I heard Aunt Daisy talking to some of the Lunas. They’re planning to set Mom up during the campfire.”

His little fingers gripped Seraphine’s shoulder tighter. ”They want to make her do the same thing that happened during the last Full Moon Festival.” He paused to steady himself, then looked straight at Voren with those big, pleading eyes. ”They want someone to trick Mom into kissing you, so you’ll embarrass her in front of everybody.”

His voice grew tiny and broken. ”Please don’t embarrass my mommy.” His eyes turned red as tears welled up.

Seraphine listened quietly, already having a pretty good idea of what Daisy was up to. Instead of looking stressed, a faint, confident little smile played on her lips.

She gently rubbed Bryan’s back in slow, soothing circles. ”Don’t worry, Bryan,” she said, her voice calm and full of comfort. ”I’ll be okay.”

Then another thought hit her. She tilted her head slightly. ”But why do you keep calling Daisy ’Aunt Daisy’? She’s your mother.”

Bryan’s reaction was instant and heartbreaking. ”No!” His eyes flooded with tears right away. ”She’s not my mom.” His small voice trembled with raw pain. ”She doesn’t care about me at all.”

A single tear rolled down his cheek. ”She used to tell me that you didn’t care about me either.” His lips quivered. ”She said you stopped taking care of me because you didn’t want me anymore.”

He lowered his head, sniffling. ”But... I heard the warriors talking.” His voice dropped to the barest whisper. ”They said you were in the hospital all that time. That’s why you couldn’t come.” Another tear slipped free. ”When you came to take me away before, I got so mad because I thought you will leave me all over again.”

Seraphine’s vision blurred instantly as hot tears filled her eyes. A massive wave of guilt and aching pain crashed into her heart like a tidal wave.

Without a second thought, she pulled Bryan into the tightest, most loving hug she could, holding him carefully while gently stroking the back of his head. ”It’s okay, baby,” she whispered, her voice cracking with overwhelming emotion.

”You don’t have to worry anymore.” She pressed a soft kiss to the top of his head. ”After the festival is over, we’ll be together again.”

Bryan’s eyes lit up with pure, sparkling hope. ”Really?” His whole little face glowed with it. But then, as he stared deep into Seraphine’s eyes, his smile slowly faded away.

His entire body went completely still. ”Mommy...” His tiny voice shook with fear. ”Your eyes...”