Alpha's Regret: The Seventh Time was Forever

Chapter 566: Chapter 566 - You’re of no value to her

Voren never saw that level of comeback coming, because deep down he knew one hard truth. A man who had nothing left to lose was the most dangerous kind of man alive.

For a long, heavy moment he just stood there studying Ravyn without a single word leaving his mouth. The guy planted in front of him wasn’t the same cocky, arrogant Alpha who used to walk around believing every single thing in the world sat right at his fingertips.

Something wild and reckless burned in those eyes now, something that made Voren understand exactly how far Ravyn might be willing to push if somebody tried to stop him.

Ravyn hadn’t expected Voren to halt either. The man he used to call his best friend would’ve already been raining punches down on him by now, especially after every ugly thing that had gone down between them.

But somehow his old friend had changed too, and Ravyn knew the exact reason. Seraphine was the fire that melted every last bit of ice inside Voren. He couldn’t work up real anger, because he was too damn happy with the woman in that car.

He had the one thing Ravyn had spent years throwing away without ever realizing what it was worth, a real family, a woman who actually loved him back, a happiness Ravyn once held in his own hands and treated like it meant nothing at all.

The thought of it burned through Ravyn with a jealousy so sharp it almost doubled him over. This whole scene could’ve been him if he’d just paid a little attention to Seraphine.

If he’d investigated Daisy even once, or if he’d simply looked at his own wife instead of searching for happiness somewhere else. He could’ve been the man standing next to her right now, the one she smiled at, the one she went home to.

Instead Voren was living the exact life Ravyn had destroyed with his own two hands, and the knowledge sat in his chest like a hot coal.

”Fine. Move your car,” Voren finally spoke, voice flat and steady. ”I’m not in any position to let her talk to you.”

Ravyn’s fingers curled into tight fists at his sides. His jaw locked hard as he stared at the man who used to be his closest friend in the whole world. ”I came here ready for you to throw hands, and now you’re suddenly playing the gentleman?”

A faint smile lifted the corner of Voren’s mouth when he realized he’d sidestepped the trap Ravyn had tried to set. ”In case you forgot, we’re standing in the middle of New York. My brain works a whole lot better than my fists out here. Now get your ass back in that car and move it off my gate.”

The authority in his tone made it crystal clear the conversation was over. But Ravyn only folded his arms tight across his chest and planted his feet like he planned to grow roots right there on the tarmac.

”I’m not moving an inch until I talk to Sera. We can all stand right here until she’s ready to see me. I don’t care how long it takes.”

Voren looked at him for a long beat, eyes narrowing just a little. Then, without another argument, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. Ravyn watched with growing suspicion tightening every muscle in his face as Voren started the call, voice calm and clear.

”I want to report a harassment. A man named Ravyn Walker is harassing my wife. Right now, he’s blocked my entrance with his—”

Ravyn’s eyes went wide with pure panic. He lunged forward and snatched the phone straight out of Voren’s hand, ending the call before another word could leave the other man’s mouth.

His gaze turned wet and shiny under the streetlights. ”You want me spending the night behind bars so you can slap a restraining order on me the second they let me out.”

Voren didn’t deny it, and neither did he look sorry. If he used his fists, he’d have to keep using them, and the anger riding under his skin might push him far enough to kill Ravyn right there in the driveway.

And how the hell would he ever look Kylie and Humphrey in the eyes after that? That couple treated Sera like she was their own blood daughter.

Voren had seen the deep, quiet love they carried for her, and he couldn’t stand the thought of taking their only son from them if there was any other way to handle this.

”Looks like your brain finally came back online once the truth hit the light,” Voren said, still calm. ”You can keep the phone if it makes you feel better, but I could have Sera call Corvine and have him make the exact same report. He’s already inside the mansion. So tell me which way you choosing?”

Ravyn’s shoulders went rigid. His eyes swung hard toward the big house behind the gates, then to the car.

Through the dark tinted glass, he couldn’t make out Seraphine’s face, so he moved around to the front of the car, desperate for even the smallest glimpse of her through the windshield. His heart was thumping against his ribs so loud he could hear it in his ears.

And then he saw her, and his breath caught hard in his throat and stayed there. How the hell had he never noticed before? How had he spent so many years looking at Seraphine without ever really seeing her? She was stunning. Not because of layers of expensive makeup.

Not because of the hours Daisy used to spend in front of mirrors trying to look perfect. Seraphine didn’t need any of that. There was something natural and quiet about her beauty that made Ravyn’s chest ache with a regret so deep it almost dropped him to his knees.

He’d once had the privilege of seeing that face every single morning and he’d treated all of it like it meant less than nothing. Now even five minutes of her attention felt like something he might never earn again.

His gaze swung back to Voren, jealousy twisting through him all over again, hot and bitter. ”You’re doing this because you’re scared she’ll fall for me again. Isn’t that what they always say, first love never dies? I was her first love, and that’s why you can’t even let me talk to her for five damn minutes.”

Voren laughed, but the sound never reached his eyes. There wasn’t a single trace of amusement on his face when he looked at Ravyn. ”Looks like you’ve lost your mind all over again. The Sera I know would never go back to her own vomit. There’s nothing about you that even pulls her in anymore, and the reason she won’t talk to you is simple. You’re of no value to her.”

The words hit Ravyn like a fist to the gut. His pride screamed at him to turn around and walk away before he made a bigger fool of himself, but his heart refused to listen.

He swallowed the humiliation down hard and stared toward the car again, voice dropping low and rough. ”Then let her prove it. Please, Voren. Just five minutes. And if she turns me away, I swear on everything I have left that I’ll never bother your peaceful lives again.”