Alpha's Regret: The Seventh Time was Forever

Chapter 464: Chapter 464 - What exactly do you hope to learn

The second Seraphine walked into the gym, whispers hit her from every corner like a swarm of buzzing bees. She didn’t even need to strain her ears to catch what they were all saying.

Alpha Voren.

Princess Athaliah.

The perfect match.

Those rumors tore through the room like wildfire, and Seraphine felt her stomach twist into a tight, painful knot.

Even though she trusted Voren with everything she had, hearing strangers shove him together with another woman still left a sour, bitter sting in her throat that she couldn’t shake.

Before she could even pull herself together, Athaliah came striding over with that bright, sunny smile of hers lighting up her whole face. ”It’s exactly like I told you,” she chirped, her cheerful voice ringing out across the suddenly quiet space. ”I went and saw Alpha Voren.”

Seraphine tried to force a smile, but it felt fake and never quite reached her eyes. Her expression grew serious as she braced herself for whatever was coming next, her heart hammering with a mix of dread and hope.

Athaliah, totally clueless about the emotional storm raging inside Seraphine, kept going with pure excitement. ”Alpha Voren is head over heels in love with someone.” Her eyes sparkled with wild curiosity. ”I’m seriously dying to meet her!”

Seraphine blinked hard, her eyebrows shooting up in total surprise. All the heavy tension that had been crushing her chest melted away in an instant, replaced by this incredible rush of warmth and relief flooding through her heart.

She had been stressing out over absolutely nothing. Athaliah wasn’t chasing after Voren at all.

Instead, the princess was completely fascinated by the mystery woman who had stolen his heart. It made total sense.

Athaliah was stunning, confident, and carried herself with such grace any guy would’ve been hooked. But she wasn’t the type to go after someone else’s man.

Seraphine’s gaze drifted over to Corvine, and for the first time, she noticed this new softness in his eyes whenever he looked at Athaliah. The corners of his mouth kept lifting into the tiniest smiles, like he couldn’t help himself. It didn’t slip past her for a second.

Athaliah followed her line of sight and let out a dramatic sigh. ”I was really hoping Alpha Voren would just march right over to the she-wolf he loves.” She shrugged, looking genuinely bummed.

”But nope, he went and sat with the other Alphas instead.” Her curious eyes swung back to Seraphine. ”You two are business partners. Any chance you know who this lucky woman is?”

The question hit Seraphine like a curveball, catching her completely off guard. For a split second she froze, her mind racing.

Was Athaliah testing her? She recovered fast, keeping her voice steady and calm so no one would notice the panic. ”We’re just business partners,” she replied smoothly. ”Not super close friends or anything. You probably should’ve asked him yourself.”

The lie tasted awful, leaving a sharp, bitter ache in her chest. She hated hiding the truth like this, but spilling everything now would wreck all their careful plans. She needed to see people’s real intentions before the festival wrapped up.

Athaliah nodded easily, no suspicion in her eyes at all. ”I actually did ask him,” she said with a helpless little smile. ”But all he said was that I’d know if I looked closely enough.”

She glanced across the room at Voren, who sat among the Alphas with that same cool, unreadable mask on his face. ”Just look at him,” she muttered, pouting a bit. ”Does that face scream ’hopelessly in love’? He hides everything way too well.”

”Why are you so dead set on finding this woman?” Corvine asked, real curiosity thick in his voice.

Athaliah turned to him, and the confident princess suddenly seemed a little shy, a soft blush creeping across her cheeks. She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

”It’s not what you’re thinking, Beta Corvine.” She paused, then continued, ”Most people don’t know this, but I have what’s called a Love Wolf.”

”When I touched Alpha Voren’s chest...” Kael’s eyebrows flew up, his eyes went wide. ”You touched my Alpha’s chest?” The words tumbled out before anyone could stop him.

Athaliah stared at him, momentarily speechless, then blinked innocently. ”Is... is something wrong with that?”

Kael looked like he’d just swallowed something sour. Athaliah jumped in to explain, laughing awkwardly. ”He didn’t want me to at first. I promised him I’d completely drop any interest if he really loved someone else.” Her expression softened as she remembered it. ”After that, he finally agreed.”

She took a quiet breath, still clearly amazed. ”The second I put my hand on his chest, I was stunned.” Everyone leaned in, hanging on her words. ”The love in his heart wasn’t something new. It had been there for decades.” Her eyes filled with pure admiration. ”I’ve never felt anything that powerful before.”

She looked back toward Voren, her voice full of wonder. ”His feelings for that she-wolf run unbelievably deep. What blows my mind even more is how perfectly he hides it. You’d never guess from his face that he’s carried a love that intense for so long.”

Seraphine felt her vision blur as hot tears burned at the corners of her eyes.

Athaliah had no clue she was talking about her, but every single word wrapped around Seraphine’s heart like a warm embrace.

Hearing someone else confirm just how profoundly Voren loved her made something deep inside her melt completely. She had never doubted him, not once. But damn, having it validated like this made it feel a thousand times more real and overwhelming.

Kael folded his arms, a proud grin spreading across his face as his chest puffed out. ”That’s exactly what makes him Alpha Voren. He doesn’t let any she-wolves get close, so I’m honestly shocked you even pulled that off.”

Athaliah laughed softly, her smile full of genuine respect. ”Alpha Voren is way smarter than people give him credit for. He knows when someone doesn’t mean any harm.”

She shrugged casually. ”The moment I felt how deeply he loved someone else, every bit of interest I had in him just vanished. Now I’m only dying to meet the she-wolf who managed to steal his heart. Who knows? I might even pick up a thing or two from her.”

Right then, Voren’s voice slipped into Seraphine’s mind through their link, his concern wrapping around her before the words even fully formed.

Without drawing any attention, she quietly filled him in on everything Athaliah had just shared. Relief poured back through their bond like a soothing wave. None of the people around them noticed her brief distraction.

Corvine naturally picked up the flow of the conversation, studying Athaliah with quiet interest. ”What exactly do you hope to learn from the she-wolf who captured Alpha Voren’s heart?”