Alpha's Regret: The Seventh Time was Forever

"It’s actually pretty straightforward," Seraphine said, her voice calm but firm as she faced Ravyn, giving nothing away in her expression. "We keep doing what we’ve been doing. All communication goes through Corvine, and when the serum is ready, you bring Bryan back here. Corvine will let you know when that happens."

Ravyn let out a quiet breath, the tension in his shoulders easing just a little as a faint smile crossed his face. It wasn’t nearly as complicated or punishing as he had prepared himself for, and for a moment, he wondered if he had misjudged her intentions.

However, he knew better than to celebrate prematurely, as Seraphine could be unpredictable.

"Second," she continued without pausing, "I’ll need mandrake. I planted some behind the pack house along with a few other herbs. You’ll have to collect it yourself and get it to Corvine as soon as possible. The sooner I have it, the faster I can move forward with preparing the serum."

Ravyn nodded again, that request sounding manageable, almost routine compared to everything else. He was certain to bring the mandrake the next day for the serum to be prepared quickly. "That won’t be a problem."

Seraphine held his gaze for a second longer, then added, her tone sharpening just enough to signal that this part mattered more than the rest. "Lastly, Bryan is entirely your responsibility. I want you to handle everything yourself. His meals, his medication, his care, every single detail. I’m not relying on reports from anyone else."

That was where Ravyn hesitated. His schedule as an Alpha would not permit him to do all those things and besides, they were things he always assumed were she-wolfs responsibilities.

A faint crease formed between his brows as he looked at her, clearly uncomfortable with what she was asking. "You know how much I have on my plate right now," he said, his voice tightening slightly. "Running the company alone isn’t exactly something I can just put aside."

Seraphine didn’t even blink when she had been four times ahead of him. "You’re not alone," she replied smoothly. "You have Gray and Riven handling things at the company, and a birdie told me that you even brought in a new beta. When you walked away from the pack, I took care Bryan on my own without complaints, and without ignoring my pack duties."

Her words landed exactly where she intended, forcing Ravyn to lower his gaze, guilt flickering across his face. He had never taken full responsibility for Bryan before, not like this, and the memory of Bryan refusing to eat anything Daisy prepared made it even harder to argue.

After a brief pause, he nodded, the decision settling heavily on him. "Alright. I’ll take care of him myself."

"Good," Seraphine replied, her tone easing slightly as she extended a bag toward him. "I packed extra pancakes for him. They should last a few days if you store them properly. Keep them in the fridge, and these are his medications." She gestured toward the neatly arranged bottles. "Everything is labeled clearly, so just follow the instructions."

Ravyn took the items carefully, his grip firm but his expression thoughtful. "Thank you," he said after a moment, then glanced back at her. "What about your payment?"

A quiet scoff slipped from her lips, and for a split second, something sharper flickered in her eyes. Knowing the truth about Bryan, knowing how close she was to making everything fall apart for him, gave her a sense of control she hadn’t felt in a long time.

"Unlike you, I still have a conscience," she said coolly before turning away.

She barely took a step before colliding with Corvine, who had been standing just behind her. The sudden impact made her stiffen as she looked up at him, slightly startled. "Seriously, how long have you been standing there?"

"Not long," Corvine replied evenly, though his eyes briefly flicked toward Ravyn before returning to her.

They walked back inside together, and the moment the door closed behind them, the atmosphere changed.

Corvine didn’t waste any time. "You know Bryan isn’t his son," he said, his voice low but direct. "And you’re still making him take full responsibility for him. Why not just tell him the truth about Daisy and end this?"

Seraphine’s lips curved slowly, but there was nothing warm about the smile that followed. "So he can come crawling back, asking for forgiveness?" she replied, her tone laced with quiet disdain. "No. There’s already something else waiting to hit him, something he won’t see coming. I want him to feel it first. I want him to understand what it’s like to give everything to a child and waking up one day to be told he was never his."

Corvine’s brows lifted slightly as he studied her, the full weight of her plan becoming clearer with every word. "Your methods are ruthless," he said, not quite disapproving, but not entirely comfortable either. It meant that if he dared to offend Seraphine one day, he might not have a place to hide on the face of the earth from her wrath.

"I’m aware," she answered without hesitation. "He’s still walking around like none of this matters because he hasn’t felt the consequences yet. That changes now. And if he finds out the truth too soon, I lose my peace before I’m ready."

That made Corvine go still.

He understood immediately. If Ravyn ever discovered the truth, he wouldn’t just walk away from it. He would fight to get Seraphine back, and that would complicate everything.

Even though Corvine knew she would never return to Ravyn, the situation would become far messier than either of them needed, especially with everything else already on their plate.

Seraphine was starting her company and was not ready to let go of her medical responsibilities and that alone made her busy enough. Then the stock market and her cyber skills standing before her like giants of quick cash. Still, there was one thing he needed to know.

"When do you plan to tell him?" he asked, watching her closely, ready to adjust to whatever came next.