Alpha's Regret: The Seventh Time was Forever

Chapter 375: Chapter 375 - I’m not covering for you on this one

The deep worry etched across Voren’s face made Seraphine’s chest squeeze tight with emotion. She absolutely hated seeing him like this, so vulnerable and on edge.

This was the same powerful Alpha who faced down enemies without flinching and carried the crushing weight of an entire pack on his shoulders every single day, yet right here and now, all she could see was a man terrified of losing the person he loved more than anything.

A soft, reassuring smile curved her lips as she looked at him. "Nothing’s wrong," she told him gently, her fingers brushing along the strong line of his jaw while she took in every handsome detail of his face.

"But V, when I chose to walk this path with you, I never thought it was going to be smooth sailing. I knew deep down there would be tough challenges, people who wouldn’t approve, and real sacrifices we’d both have to make."

She leaned forward a little closer, her voice staying calm and steady through the swirl of feelings inside her. "With your parents especially, trust me, I get exactly where they’re coming from."

Voren’s brows drew together, but Seraphine kept going before he could jump in. "They saw a side of you I never got to witness. They had to watch you suffer and fall apart while I was out there living my life completely unaware because of that spell. The sadness of it all flickered across her features.

"They carried that pain for so long, feeling helpless while I couldn’t even remember what we had."

Her thumb stroked his cheek tenderly. "So no, we’re not running off and leaving everything behind. We’re staying right here."

The quiet certainty in her voice made something soften in his eyes, easing a bit of the storm inside him. "They love you, V," she added warmly, her smile growing. "They might not be senseless about me right now, but that’s totally different. Your parents just don’t want to see you get hurt again. That’s what this whole thing is really about. They’ll come around eventually. I really believe that."

The confidence ringing in her tone caught even Voren by surprise. He let out a long, heavy breath, some of the tension draining from his shoulders.

"I already told my father that if they refuse to come to the wedding, they’ll never see me again."

Seraphine blinked in surprise, then tilted her head back and stared up at the ceiling for several long seconds while she processed his words.

It sounded exactly like something Voren would do, stubborn as hell, fiercely protective, and completely unreasonable the moment his emotions took over. Her hands stayed on his face as she turned the situation over in her mind.

Then she felt him adjust himself slightly beneath her, and a rush of heat flooded her cheeks. Before she could even react, his hand moved toward her waist. The discomfort she’d been trying hard to push aside came rushing back full force, and she winced sharply.

Voren’s attention snapped right back to her, his expression darkening with fresh concern. Seraphine quickly caught his wrist to stop him. "V, I need to shower first," she said.

But instead of relaxing, his frown only deepened. "You’re hurting," he stated, his eyes narrowing with that intense protectiveness she knew so well. "And don’t even try to hide it from me."

His gaze moved carefully over her face, searching for the truth. A moment later, realization hit him hard. "Wait." His whole body stiffened. "Why hasn’t your wolf healed you yet?"

Seraphine looked away, the guilty expression on her face saying everything. A faint blush spread across her cheeks. "She’s being silly about it."

Voren folded his arms, his voice low. "Silly?"

"She told me I should just endure it for now."

Silence hung in the room for a beat. Then Voren drew in a slow, deep breath, clearly fighting to keep his calm. "That isn’t right," he said, his jaw tightening with frustration and worry. "I want to have a word with her."

Seraphine raised an eyebrow, amusement sparkling in her eyes despite everything. "Is that even possible? Technically we don’t know if we are fated mates yet, and that kind of thing should only happen if two people share a mate bond."

"I don’t think so," Voren replied immediately, sounding completely confident and certain even though neither of them had ever never tried anything like this before. "I’ve got a feeling it’ll work."

Seraphine watched him curiously, but before she could answer, another thought seemed to strike him. "Actually, after that, I need your help at the pack hospital."

Seraphine’s expression turned serious right away. "What happened?"

Guilt flashed across his face. "Bloodfang."

Inside his mind, an offended growl echoed. ’Don’t throw me under the bus.’ Bloodfang sounded embarrassed. ’You started this.’ Voren stayed completely unmoved. ’You have to take responsibility for what you did. I’m not covering for you on this one.’

Turning his full attention back to Seraphine, Voren explained the whole situation. "He injured some of my warriors pretty badly during wolf training."

Seraphine’s brows shot up. "Is it severe?"

"Yeah, it was bad," Voren confirmed, the word dripping with regret. "He straight-up broke their wolf bones. Even after they shifted back to human form, the injuries stuck around. Their bodies couldn’t heal the damage on their own, and their wolves couldn’t either, so now their wolves flat-out refuse to take over anymore."

"They’re too scared of getting hurt worse, and also, they’re stuck in human form with broken bones." A dark shadow crossed his face. "They’ve been left paralyzed."

The room fell quiet as Seraphine took it all in. Then her expression hardened with determination. She folded her arms across her chest. "In that case, I’d like to have a word with Bloodfang too."

Voren froze instantly, his eyes widening. "That is dangerous."

Seraphine wasn’t impressed at all. She leaned back and gave him a pointed look. "Aren’t you the one who just volunteered to speak with my wolf?" freewebnøvel.com

Voren mouth opened, then closed again as Seraphine smiled victoriously. "Exactly. Unless you’ve decided on changing your mind."

Voren sighed deeply. "You’re impossible."

"And you’re dramatic," she shot back, the corner of her lips curving upward in playful affection. "Here’s what we’re going to do." Seraphine started counting on her fingers. "You talk to my wolf first. Then I talk to yours. After that, I’ll take a nice hot bath, and then I’ll go help those warriors." Her smile widened. "Easy peasy."

Voren still looked far from convinced, his doubt written all over his face. Before he could argue again, another thought popped into Seraphine’s head and wiped the playful expression away. "Wait."

Voren blinked. "What?"

Seraphine narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. "Have you ever wondered how our wolves communicate with each other like they do?" The question caught him completely off guard. "What do you mean?"

She pointed between the two of them. "Our wolves reach out to one another all the time. That shouldn’t even be possible." Voren’s expression slowly grew serious as her words sank in. Seraphine tilted her head. "From everything I’ve learned that kind of deep connection should only happen between fated mates."