Alpha's Regret: The Seventh Time was Forever

Leon let out a long breath, like whatever he was about to say had been sitting heavy on his chest for a while now. "There are rumors," he said, his voice lower than usual, almost careful, "and I believe them because of the people I’ve treated. They come in broken, scared out of their minds, and none of them want to talk. They’re terrified of turning him in because Santiago watches everything. He keeps tabs on their families, their friends, anyone they care about."

He paused for a second, like even saying the next part out loud made his skin crawl. "Sera... they say he has a dungeon inside his mansion. A real one. He keeps people there... children, women, even men. And it’s not just captivity. It’s organ harvesting. Other things too. Things I don’t even want to imagine."

The words didn’t just land, they slammed into Seraphine, knocking the air right out of her lungs. Her chest tightened so hard it felt like something inside her was cracking under the pressure, and her thoughts went straight to one place, one fear she had been trying so hard to bury.

Her daughter.

What if whoever took her hadn’t just hidden her, hadn’t just kept her somewhere safe? What if she had been sold? What if her baby had ended up in the hands of someone like Santiago?

The thought was unbearable, and suffocating, curling around her heart and squeezing until she could barely breathe through it.

Something inside her hardened in that moment, snapping into place with a clarity she hadn’t felt in a long time. A resolve so strong it burned through the fear.

"Thanks for telling me," she said, her voice steady in a way that didn’t match the storm raging inside her. "I’ll see you tomorrow."

Corvine and Leon both noticed it immediately, that subtle but undeniable change in her. The way her eyes looked a little colder, a little more focused, like she had already made a decision she wasn’t planning to back down from.

Leon assumed it was exhaustion, that she had simply reached her limit for the day, but Corvine knew better.

He waited until they were in the car before he finally spoke. "What do you have in mind?"

Seraphine leaned back slightly, pressing her head against the seat as she steadied herself, gathering her thoughts into something clear and actionable. "Hitting two birds with one stone."

Corvine’s brows pulled together, confusion settling over his features as he glanced at her. "I don’t understand."

She turned her head toward him, her expression almost too calm. "The software I wanted to use against Zane," she said, watching his reaction as recognition dawned in his eyes.

He nodded. "Yeah?"

"I can use the same thing to hack Santiago," she continued, her voice gaining a quiet edge. "I have his private number. That’s all we need to get in."

Corvine’s hands tightened on the steering wheel, his fingers going still as the weight of what she was suggesting sank in. "Sera, are you sure about this?" he asked, his tone cautious, careful. "I don’t think there are any werewolves involved in what’s happening with his victims. And what if after all of this, your daughter isn’t among them when they’re rescued?" 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

The air inside the car turned cold so fast it felt unnatural, like the temperature had dropped in response to her mood alone.

Corvine immediately regretted how that sounded, his grip on the wheel tightening as he rushed to fix it. "I’m sorry," he added quickly. "I’m just trying to think through everything. Santiago isn’t someone you play with. Staying far away from him is the safest option."

Seraphine’s gaze sharpened, her eyes locking onto him with an intensity that made something uneasy stir in his chest. "So he just keeps going?" she asked, her voice quiet but cutting. "He keeps doing whatever he wants to people until one day it hits someone you love?"

That question hit harder than anything else she had said, digging into Corvine in a way he couldn’t ignore.

"And even if my daughter isn’t there," she continued, her voice softer now but no less determined, "at least I’ll know I did something for her, wherever she is."

The car fell into silence again, but this time it wasn’t confusion filling the space, but understanding.

Corvine exhaled slowly, nodding to himself before speaking. "Alright," he said. "No matter what happens, I’m with you. But Sera, if you’re really going through with this, you might need Voren."

He glanced at her briefly before looking back at the road. "When it comes to skill, resources, power, he’s the one person who can match something like this."

Seraphine leaned back fully this time, her gaze drifting toward the window as she sank into thought. Voren.

A faint, almost dangerous hint of a smile curled her lips. "Then I’ll make him help."

Corvine didn’t question that for a second. If there was anyone who could push Voren into something he didn’t want to do, it was her.

A small smile tugged at his own lips as he thought about it. Voren had a kind of strength that was hard to challenge. Ravyn was powerful too, no doubt about that, but from everything Corvine had heard from his pack, Voren stood on another level entirely.

When they got back to the mansion, Seraphine didn’t waste any time. She headed straight for a quick shower, letting the water run over her as if it could wash away even a fraction of the tension coiled inside her, and when she got to work, the software consumed her completely.

Hour after hour passed without her noticing, her focus locked in as she built, adjusted, and refined every piece of it. Her fingers moved across the keyboard relentlessly, her mind racing ahead of them, anticipating every possible flaw, every possible opening she could exploit.

By the time she finished the final configuration, her body had reached its limit. Her eyelids felt unbearably heavy, her vision blurring as exhaustion finally caught up with her. She didn’t even try to fight it anymore.

Sleep took her instantly.

When she woke up again, it had only been three hours, but it felt like she had been pulled out of a deep, heavy fog.

She made her way downstairs, expecting the usual quiet, the familiar rhythm of the house.

Instead, she froze.

Corvine was still there, which was already unusual, and he looked like he had been through something. Sweat clung to his skin, his shirt slightly damp, and the entire mansion smelled like flowers.

Not just a hint of it, not something subtle in the background. The scent was overwhelming, thick in the air, wrapping around her from every direction.

Her eyes moved across the space, taking it all in, confusion settling in as she tried to make sense of what she was seeing. "What’s going on?" she asked, her voice edged with suspicion.

Corvine forced a smile, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. "Santiago," he said. "He sent all of these. And there’s more still coming. We’ve run out of space to even put them."

Seraphine’s brows lifted slightly, but there was no amusement in her expression, only a tightening in her chest that felt far too familiar.

Santiago never did anything without a reason. Her gaze hardened as she looked around at the excessive display, already knowing this wasn’t just a gesture but was a move, a setup.

"What’s the bait?" she asked quietly.