Alpha's Regret: The Seventh Time was Forever

Chapter 493: Chapter 493 - You wanted her to strip. Now it’s your turn

Voren and Damon knew they couldn’t openly defend Seraphine right now. That would only make everyone suspicious and blow their whole careful plan.

For the moment, Kael and Corvine had stepped up as her strongest shields, and Voren wasn’t about to lose that edge.

If he ordered Kael to back down, Seraphine would lose one of the few people brave enough to stand up for her. Athaliah was already fighting hard, but Voren wanted even more voices on her side.

She was carrying his pup, and he knew that even if Seraphine felt, sick, tired, or overwhelmed right now, she wouldn’t show even the tiniest bit of weakness.

She’ll keep everything locked behind that calm, unbreakable face until she could get the revenge, she’d worked so damn hard for. If that was how she wanted to fight this battle, then he would make absolutely sure she never had to fight it alone.

Voren slowly turned his cold gaze toward Kael. ”You’ve said enough.” His voice carried a clear warning, but at the same time, a private mindlink slipped through. ’Don’t back down.’

Kael understood the message instantly. He rose to his feet and gave Voren a respectful bow, his expression dead serious.

”Alpha Voren, you’ve always taught me to keep an open mind and judge situations fairly.” He drew in a slow breath. ”But if you’ve decided to become just as unreasonable as your best friend, then I would like to resign from the Grimroot Pack. Right here, right now.”

Gasps rippled through the entire gathering. No one had expected Kael to throw away his position so easily, like it meant nothing.

Voren, however, knew exactly what game his Beta was playing. He forced a hard, angry expression onto his face, carefully hiding the deep satisfaction burning inside him. ”Then find another pack.”

Kael didn’t even hesitate. ”No need.” He walked straight over to Corvine, a faint grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. ”I think Beta Corvine can keep me plenty busy. He’s the heir to the Stone Group and the CEO of MindNest.” His attention locked on Corvine. ”Think you have room for me?”

Corvine smiled wide and extended his hand without missing a beat. ”Of course.”

Kael accepted the handshake firmly. ”I appreciate it.” Then he turned toward Ravyn, his voice turning strong and final. ”Since I’m no longer part of the Grimroot Pack... I fully support Beta Corvine.”

He looked directly at Daisy and the other two women. ”Your mistress and her friends lost. There shouldn’t be any more arguments. They need to accept their punishment.”

For the first time that night, Ravyn found himself completely speechless. Instead of anger, a heavy wave of pity washed over him as he looked at his good friend. ”Voren...” Regret thickened his voice. ”I’m sorry. I never wanted things to end up like this.”

He knew better than anyone how much Voren relied on Kael. The guy handled endless responsibilities inside the pack, allowing Voren to focus on his external businesses.

Replacing someone like him wouldn’t happen overnight, and that was indeed a massive loss.

Voren simply shrugged, his face revealing nothing. He was only thinking of Ravyn’s reactions when he realizes tomorrow that all of this was faked.

”No one is irreplaceable.” His voice stayed calm and steady. ”I’ll train someone else after I return.”

Before Ravyn could say anything else, Athaliah stepped forward again, her sharp voice slicing through the thick tension like a knife. ”Alpha Ravyn... you can’t protect her forever.”

She folded her arms and swept her gaze across everyone gathered around the bonfire.

”Every single person here agreed that if Sera failed, she’d have to complete the dare. The same rules apply to the three women who lost.” Her expression hardened with steel. ”No one has the authority to stop this now.”

A dangerous smile crossed her lips. ”If they refuse... then this stops being a game. It becomes war.”

The atmosphere around the bonfire grew instantly heavy and suffocating. No one doubted for a second that she meant every single word.

Daisy, Luna Mayo, and Luna Joyce all went deathly pale, fear gripping them hard. Seraphine might not hold any title in the pack land, but Athaliah did. As the Alpha King’s only daughter, her words carried serious weight that few people could challenge.

Luna Mayo’s composure finally shattered. Daisy was useless and could not protect her now. She hurried toward her husband, tears already spilling down her cheeks. ”Oren...” Her voice trembled with desperation. ”Please help me.”

Alpha Oren looked at her with clear, heavy disappointment. ”I warned you. I tried to stop you before things got this far.” He sighed deeply. ”But you insisted on siding with Daisy.” His eyes narrowed. ”You agreed that if Sera succeeds, you’d accept the punishment.”

He paused as he stared at her once again. ”You gave your word among all these powerful people so what do you want me to do now?”

He smiled bitterly. ”Well... it’s only a game. Do it.”

Luna Mayo stared at him in total disbelief, her body shaking so badly that even the warmth from the bonfire couldn’t touch the icy fear running through her.

Beside her, Luna Joyce desperately turned toward her own husband, but before she could even beg, Alpha Dante cut her off. ”Don’t.” His voice was firm and final. ”Don’t ask me to save you.”

Disappointment filled his face completely. ”You know Luna Sera never loses. And yet you still chose to stand against her.” His gaze turned ice-cold. ”You wanted her to strip. Now it’s your turn.”

Without another word, he turned and walked away from the gathering, leaving his wife standing there completely alone to face the consequences of her own choices. A heavy silence settled over the bon fire gathering.

Finally, Ravyn looked at Seraphine, his eyes softening with quiet desperation. ”Sera...” His voice dropped almost to a whisper. ”For the sake of what we once had... please let it go.”

Seraphine slowly lifted an eyebrow. A bitter smile pursed her lips as she held his gaze without blinking. ”If I were the one standing in their place... would you have let it go?”