Alpha's Regret: The Seventh Time was Forever

Chapter 538: Chapter 538 - Change of plans

Voren’s face darkened with a storm of quiet fury, yet the steady calm that settled across Seraphine’s features told him she was more than ready to handle whatever came next on her own terms.

Most of the guests had already started drifting back toward the pack house now that the heavy snow had been cleared from the paths, giving Voren the privacy he needed to speak with Alpha Killian, whose hard gaze remained locked on Athaliah like he was still trying to make sense of exactly what she saw in Corvine.

Seraphine turned her attention fully to the cluster of people still standing in front of her, the ones who had once meant everything to her.

She had poured every scrap of love and care she possessed into them, only to watch them grind that kindness into the dirt under their boots without a second thought.

Just as she parted her lips to speak, her eyes drifted toward the gym entrance where Ravyn stood motionless, his expression carved into something completely unreadable.

For one brief moment she actually believed he might order his people away from her vehicle, but instead, he stayed right where he was, staring at her with that distant look that made it clear his mind was still somewhere far away, still wrestling with everything that had just unfolded.

One moment, he was a respectable Alpha and the next moment, shame had taken a deep toll on him in a way that made everything to feel unreal.

”Did every single one of you forget that Daisy is still your Luna?” Seraphine’s quiet reminder pulled every face in front of her into the same gloomy shadow but somehow, they had the guts to speak.

”Luna Sera, it wasn’t like we ever actually liked her. We were just following the Alpha’s call.”

Seraphine slowly shook her head, the motion making it painfully obvious she didn’t buy a single word of that lame excuse.

”I grew up in this place my whole life. Even after I became your Luna, you all respected the title on the surface, but not one of you ever truly cared about me underneath it. During Daisy’s little coronation as co-Luna I saw every single one of your faces and I heard every cruel word you whispered when you thought I couldn’t.”

Their heads dropped one after another as shame settled over them thicker than the snow still clinging to the ground. They had completely blanked on that day, never imagining Seraphine had caught every ugly comment they’d tossed around behind her back.

A few of them muttered soft apologies that barely carried any weight. Even if it did, it was just too late for Seraphine to care. She let out a long, slow breath that fogged in the cold air.

It was a good thing she sat in the back because it was very comfortable for her, allowing her to relax her slender legs the way she wanted.

”It’s way too late for sorry. What you ought to be doing right now is helping your Alpha rebuild whatever’s left of this place instead of standing here looking for an easy way out.”

She looked to her front, about to close the door when one of the warriors grabbed it gently, forcing her to look back in their way as he said, ”but Luna, we want to join the Grimroot pack. Please... take us with you.”

A small smile curved across Seraphine’s mouth, yet there wasn’t a single trace of warmth behind it.

”So I’m supposed to haul every one of you along with me, is that it?” She looked from face to face, letting the silence stretch. ”Then what happens the day the Grimroot pack runs into real trouble? Are you just gonna bail on us too and go hunting for the next pack that looks stronger?”

Every word landed heavier than they expected, like she could see straight through the excuses they were still trying to hide behind.

”You only ever want to show up once the roses are already blooming, completely forgetting every single one of them started out as tiny buds fighting to open. Get out of here.”

Just looking at them dragged every old wound right back to the surface. She had loved these people once, truly and deeply.

Plenty of them had been patients she personally treated at the pack hospital, nights she stayed awake patching up injuries, soothing terrified kids, and walking families through the darkest hours of their lives.

The second the tide turned against her, they abandoned her without hesitation, and now they were ready to pull the exact same move on their own pack.

Seraphine did not like such people on her team. Instead of leaving, every last one of them suddenly dropped to their knees on the frozen ground.

Seraphine barely had time to process the sight before a loud thud cracked across the icy floor. Alpha Killian had fallen on his back against the frozen surface, then shoved himself back up in one violent motion.

His instantly shifted into his wolf form and without a single second of hesitation, he tore away from the pack at full speed, vanishing into the snowy distance until there was nothing left of him but empty white.

Seraphine’s eyes snapped straight to Voren. The pure darkness twisting across his face sent every person still kneeling scrambling back to their feet.

Without another word they bolted as fast as their legs could carry them, vanishing toward the pack house like the ground itself had turned against them.

By the time she could process what had happened to Alpha Killian, Voren was already settled behind the wheel.

She felt too drained to walk all the way around to the passenger side, so she remained at the back while his fingers flew across the screen of his phone.

”What happened?” Seraphine asked with worry, and without looking up, the words left Voren’s mouth in a low, steady tone that left Seraphine puzzled. ”Change of plans.”