Alpha's Regret: The Seventh Time was Forever-Chapter 79 – How the hell did he even get in?

’Drive to the airport. Mr. Ashkael has an emergency, so he moved the venue closer to his current location. He’s covering all the bills and compensating for the extra time too.’

That was the message Leon received from his father, and for a second, he just stared at the screen like the words might rearrange themselves into something that made more sense, because confusion flooded his mind so fast it almost felt physical, and without wasting another breath he dialed the middle-aged man’s number, needing clarification before he even attempted to explain this to Seraphine.

"Leon, the message came in about thirty minutes ago," his father said, his voice steady but tight around the edges. "I’ve been trying to sort everything out since then. Turns out we’re all taking the same jet, so just meet us at the airport and we’ll handle the rest there."

Leon stood there for a moment after the call ended, staring at nothing in particular because the information felt heavier than it should have, like it carried something more than just a change of location.

He turned to Seraphine, took a breath to steady himself, and told her everything as calmly as he could.

"What?" Seraphine’s face drained of color so fast it almost scared him, although honestly, her reaction made complete sense.

Leon wasn’t thrilled either, but this was his first time being invited to something on this level and backing out now would have consequences he didn’t even want to think about.

He tried to soften it as he explained, "Mr. Ashkael moved the event to Bohemian Grove in California. From the airport, it’s at least seven and a half hours to get there, but don’t stress, there’s a private jet waiting for us. You can change and rest once we board. When we’re about to arrive, you just get dressed again and we head straight in."

Seraphine looked like she wanted to argue, but she also knew there was no real way out of this. She had already come too far to turn around now, and that truth hung heavy in her chest. "I guess I don’t really have a choice," she said quietly.

At the same time, another thought was crawling under her skin. Voren had enough influence over this entire event that it made her stomach twist just thinking about seeing him again. The memory of him alone was enough to make her jaw tighten.

Was there ever a gathering like this where he didn’t show up and take up all the oxygen in the room?

Leon kept talking, unaware of how deep she’d gone into her own thoughts. "My parents are already there waiting. We’ll all take the same flight, but once we land, we’ll use separate cars."

That at least made Seraphine manage a small smile because Leon’s parents were genuinely kind people, the kind who made you feel welcome without trying too hard. Then she remembered someone else and glanced at him. "What about Tyler? Is he coming too?"

Leon let out a short laugh that held zero amusement. "Absolutely not. This thing is exclusive, and kids aren’t allowed anywhere near it. From what I’ve heard, there’s a lot of explicit stuff that goes on there, if you catch my drift."

Seraphine’s heart pounded harder at that, her mind instantly running toward the worst possibilities. If she had been going with Corvine, she wouldn’t have been worried in the slightest because nothing would dare touch her under his protection.

Instead, she was walking into this surrounded by humans, with wolves waiting somewhere in the shadows for their chance.

At least Ravyn wouldn’t be there.

That thought brought her the smallest bit of relief. His stocks had been rising fast lately, climbing back from the damage she’d done, but since she’d been trading aggressively on behalf of her ’family’, he still hadn’t fully recovered from the financial hits she’d delivered.

He was rebuilding, sure, but he wasn’t where he used to be, and that gave her just enough breathing room to feel slightly less hunted.

Once they boarded the private jet, Seraphine decided to take advantage of something she hadn’t experienced in what felt like forever: real, uninterrupted rest.

The cabin was luxurious in a way that made everything feel unreal, with soft lighting, plush seating, and a bed that looked more inviting than anything she’d slept on in a plane before.

For the first time in years, she allowed herself to actually relax instead of staying half-alert like she usually did.

When she finally woke up, she felt different in a way she couldn’t immediately explain, like something inside her had reset. Her body felt lighter, her mind clearer, and there was a strange warmth in her chest that she hadn’t noticed in a long time.

"Did you travel back in time or something?" Mila Hawthorne asked the moment she saw her.

Seraphine blinked in confusion, only then noticing that Leon and his father, James, were both staring at her like they were seeing a completely different person.

Mila handed her a mirror, and that’s when Seraphine understood. Her skin looked brighter, the shadows under her eyes were gone, not with makeup, and there was a softness to her features that hadn’t been there before.

All her life she had been in motion, running from one crisis to another, surviving on scraps of sleep and pure stubbornness. Even back at the pack, the longest she ever slept was maybe three hours at a time, and once she moved to the city, everything became even more chaotic.

Now, after one solid stretch of rest, she looked like she was aging in reverse.

A sheepish smile curved her lips as she handed the mirror back. "I haven’t rested like that in forever. I guess I really needed it. I should probably go change."

The pajamas provided on the jet were ridiculously comfortable, soft enough to make her consider ignoring the event altogether, but reality was waiting for her on the ground. It was time to get ready for whatever the night had in store.

What she didn’t expect was that the very first person she would see after stepping into that place would be the one she hated more than anyone else.

And the only thing running through her mind when she spotted him was one simple, furious question.

How the hell did he even get in?