Alpha's Regret: The Seventh Time was Forever

Chapter 340: Chapter 340 – If you really want to help

Voren pulled in a slow breath and let it out even slower, his whole body wound tight with the need for answers.

Every inch of him burned to yank at those threads, rip apart every single lie and every rotten name tied to what they’d done to Seraphine.

But he knew the difference between raw wanting and playing it smart—he’d learned that lesson the hard way, through blood and pain. Dig too deep right now and too many people would get dragged into the mess.

Word traveled like wildfire in these circles. Ravyn had eyes and ears everywhere. The second that monster caught even the faintest whisper of what was coming, Seraphine’s whole plan would crumble into dust before it ever got a chance to ignite.

He wasn’t about to let that happen. Not on his watch.

”If you really want to help,” Voren told them, his voice dropping low and rock-steady, ”then make damn sure everyone gets to the full moon festival. Ravyn’s throwing it.”

Humphrey’s jaw locked up hard, a storm of pure fury flashing dark behind his eyes—the kind of bottled-up rage that had been festering for way too long with nowhere left to go.

”That bastard,” he growled, shaking his head slow like the words left a foul taste burning on his tongue. ”Seraphine’s been way too easy on him. Too damn soft.”

”She’s not being soft,” Voren shot back, his tone unflinching and sharp. ”She’s playing a long game, every move calculated to hit hard. When you get there, you’ll see exactly what she’s got lined up. It’ll all click into place.”

He let the weight of that hang heavy in the air for a beat before pushing on. ”But that’s not the only reason I showed up today. I came to invite you both to our wedding, face to face.”

He kept his voice casual as hell when he dropped that bomb, like it wasn’t the biggest thing he’d ever laid out in the middle of their living room.

”It’s staying secret for now. She doesn’t want anyone knowing about us until she’s ready to blow the lid off Daisy. Once that goes down, everything explodes together.”

The whole room slammed into this thick, loaded silence.

Humphrey and Kylie just froze there, staring. Their mouths didn’t fall open, but their faces screamed total overload, the kind where the news slammed into their brains but hadn’t fully sunk in yet.

Of all the heavy shit Voren had unloaded since walking through that door, the wedding news hit them like a freight train. Everything else, Ravyn, the festival, Seraphine’s burning revenge, got completely swallowed up by those two words.

Our wedding.

”Wait a second.” Kylie slapped a hand flat against her chest, eyes wide with raw shock. ”You’re getting married. To Sera.” She repeated it like she needed the words to echo in the air twice before they felt real. ”Our Sera.”

A fierce warmth flooded through Voren’s chest at that, hitting him deep. Our Sera. The fierce way they claimed her, that protective fire in their voices screamed exactly how much they truly loved her.

This wasn’t fake politeness or surface-level caring. This was bone-deep, the real deal.

”Yeah,” he answered simply. ”And that’s a big part of why I’m here. I owe you both a real apology for how I came at you last time we crossed paths.”

He didn’t break eye contact, holding Humphrey’s gaze first, then Kylie’s, letting them see the sincerity burning there.

”I spent forever choking on anger at her. I bought the lie that she’d just walked away from everything we had, like it was her choice and I was too stubborn to swallow it.”

His jaw clenched tight at the memory. But that wasn’t what happened at all. Her memories of me, of us, got ripped away, buried under some twisted spell. She didn’t leave. They made her forget.”

Kylie’s hand flew up to cover her mouth, her eyes flooding with emotion.

”She still hasn’t gotten those memories back,” Voren went on, his voice thickening with the raw ache of it. ”Not yet. But it doesn’t wreck me like I thought it would, because what we’ve rebuilt right now is so damn real.”

”Whatever spell they threw at her, whatever pieces they stole, couldn’t take what’s between us. And I’m fighting like hell to bring it all back. Her memories, the mate bond, every single lost piece. I won’t stop until it’s completely whole again.”

He barely got the last word out before Kylie launched herself across the room. She slammed into him with both arms wrapping tight, pulling him into a hug that hit like pure, fierce love, no awkward polite bullshit, just solid, heartfelt crushing. Voren stood there stunned for a heartbeat, then melted into it, letting the warmth of her relief wash over him.

When she finally pulled back, her eyes shimmered with unshed tears. She cupped his face in both hands, the way only a mother who was bursting with pride could.

”Finally.” Her voice cracked hard at the edges, thick with years of worry. ”Finally, Sera has someone strong enough to stand right in front of her, not hiding behind. Goddess, you have no idea how long I’ve been begging for this.”

She let out a laugh that danced right on the knife’s edge of tears, full of overwhelming joy and release. ”This is the best news I’ve heard in forever.”

She dropped her hands but stayed close, her face changing from pure relief into something more guarded and intense. ”But Alpha Voren, your mother.”

Kylie studied his expression like she was searching for cracks. ”She was a wreck when Seraphine forgot you. Totally shattered. The kind of upset that turns into action. She showed up here at the pack, ready to storm in and shake the truth out of Seraphine herself.”

”We had to step in hard. No way were we letting anyone lay a hand on her, no matter who they thought they were.” Her eyes bored into his, pleading for understanding. ”I just hope she knows now that Seraphine never chose to forget. It was never her fault.”

Voren’s brow furrowed deep, a storm of surprise and old pain twisting inside him.

He hadn’t known any of that. His parents had never breathed a word about going to the centenary pack. All that time he’d been drowning in grief alone, barely sleeping, barely holding himself together, convinced the woman he loved had chosen to erase him like he was nothing.

And his mother had marched right into the centenary pack, fueled by that same agony, ready to demand answers Seraphine didn’t even have.

He tucked it away deep. There’d be a raw conversation with her later, but not today.

”Don’t worry about her,” he said, forcing reassurance into his tone even as his mind raced. ”She’ll come around. We’ll all be together at the wedding, and by then all the anger will have nowhere left to burn. Corvine will hit you up soon with every detail, dates, everything.”

”You should’ve told us you were coming,” Kylie said, her voice flipping to that bustling, caring tone people got when their minds were already racing to feed everyone. ”We would’ve whipped up a real meal, not this—”

”I can’t stay,” Voren cut in gently, his smile breaking through real and warm. ”I’m taking Seraphine to see my shaman tonight and time’s already kicking my ass. I’ve got one more stop before I head back.”

He nodded toward the table loaded with gifts. ”Please take those. It’s the least I could do after everything.”

Kylie looked ready to push back hard, but Humphrey laid a steadying hand on her arm and she eased off.

Voren wrapped up his goodbyes, gripping Humphrey’s hand firm, and the older man held on a beat longer, that solid pressure saying more than a thousand words ever could. Then Voren was out the door, stepping into the fresh air.

The house felt warmer and fuller behind him than it had when he’d first walked in, like the visit had cracked open something good.

Kylie lingered by the table, her fingers tracing lightly over the edge of one gift box without really focusing on it. Humphrey stepped up beside her, both of them wrapped in that deep, thoughtful quiet that settles in after too much truth gets poured out and your mind needs time to chase after it.

”Look at all this,” she whispered, her voice thick with something way bigger than just surprise at the fancy presents. It felt like proof, solid evidence of the hope she’d been clinging to all this time.

Humphrey lifted one of the boxes, turning it slowly in his hands before setting it down with care. Kylie glanced up at him, her eyes still bright with emotion. ”Wonder what that other stop of his is?”