Alpha's Regret: The Seventh Time was Forever

The words stopped Corvine in a way nothing else had so far, catching him off guard because there was something buried deep inside Voren’s tone, something that went far beyond simple responsibility or obligation, something that sounded personal in a way that couldn’t be ignored no matter how much he tried.

"If anything happens to you, I won’t be able to answer to her," Voren said, and the mix of uncertainty and resolve in his voice made it clear that this wasn’t just about duty, wasn’t just about a mission, but something complicated that he wasn’t fully saying out loud.

For a moment, Corvine just stared at him, a strange feeling settling in his chest as realization began to creep in despite his resistance, because the more he paid attention, the harder it became to deny how much Voren actually cared about Seraphine.

He pushed the thought away almost immediately, forcing his focus back to the situation at hand because this was not the time to get distracted by emotions or assumptions that could wait until later.

Maybe Voren was only here because Seraphine had asked for help, or maybe he felt responsible after everything that had already happened, but even then, Kael’s earlier words slipped back into his mind, refusing to fade, lingering in a way that made it impossible to completely dismiss.

There was no time to dwell on it.

The elevators were completely useless now because of the disrupted signal, which left them with no choice but to take the stairs, and every level they climbed brought another wave of resistance, armed men blocking their path, forcing them to fight their way forward step by step.

By the time they finally reached the floor where Corvine knew Santiago had arranged his meeting with Seraphine, both of them were soaked in sweat, their breathing heavier, their bodies tense and ready for another confrontation waiting on the other side.

But what they found instead was silence. Not the kind that brought relief, but the kind that immediately felt wrong.

There were no guards posted outside the room, no movement, no gunfire, no voices, nothing.

The stillness pressed in around them, unsettling and unnatural, because there was no scenario where a man like Santiago would leave something this important unprotected, especially not in the middle of chaos like this.

Corvine and Voren exchanged a brief look, no words needed, before pushing the door open and stepping inside.

The moment they crossed the threshold, everything made sense. The guards weren’t missing. They were already down.

Bodies scattered across the floor, some unconscious, some bleeding, some still clutching weapons they never got the chance to use, all of them taken out so quickly it looked like they hadn’t even seen it coming.

And then, Voren saw her. Seraphine lay on the floor, completely still, her body unmoving in a way that made everything inside him come to a sudden, terrifying halt.

Santiago stood over her, about to touch her, and for one split second, the world went silent.

Rage tore through Voren so violently it erased everything else. He didn’t think, didn’t hesitate, and just moved.

One moment Santiago was reaching toward Seraphine, and the next, Voren’s fist slammed into his face with brutal force, the impact sending him crashing across the room before he even understood what had happened.

Santiago hit the ground hard, the breath knocked out of him instantly as pain exploded through his body, his chest heaving as he struggled to recover, a low groan slipping from him as he tried to push himself upright.

The second his eyes lifted and locked onto the man standing before him, shock spread across his face, disbelief replacing whatever confidence he had been holding onto.

"Mr. Ashkael?" he stammered, his voice unsteady, his expression tightening as recognition set in. "What are you doing here?"

Voren didn’t raise his voice. Just a cold glare. "You. Touched. The. Wrong. Woman."

The words came out cold, controlled, each one carrying more weight than shouting ever could, because there was no hesitation in them, no softness, no trace of mercy left.

Only fury, tightly contained. He looked at Santiago like the outcome had already been decided, like this moment was nothing more than the final step in something inevitable, and for the first time, real fear flickered across Santiago’s face.

Behind him, Corvine rushed forward, dropping to his knees beside Seraphine, his hands hovering over her for a brief second as if he was afraid of what he might find, afraid of confirming something he wasn’t ready to face.

When he finally reached out, brushing her hair away from her face, the sight of her breathing hit him so hard it almost took the strength out of him, relief flooding in so fast it burned behind his eyes.

"Sera," he called softly, his voice thick, strained, as he gently shook her shoulder, trying to bring her back. "Sera, wake up... please."

The fear in his voice cut through everything. Voren’s focus snapped away from Santiago instantly, his attention moving without hesitation.

"Get her out of here," he ordered, his tone leaving no room for argument as his eyes remained locked on Santiago. "Whatever happens next isn’t something she should be here to see."

Corvine hesitated, just for a second, because he knew exactly what was coming, knew the bomb Seraphine mentioned would go off in less than ten minutes, and every second they stayed inside this building brought them closer to not making it out at all.

But Voren wasn’t wrong. Seraphine needed to be safe, now.

Without wasting another moment, Corvine slid one arm beneath her knees and the other around her back, lifting her carefully, holding her close as he rose to his feet.

The second Santiago saw her being carried away, something dark flickered across his face, something ugly and desperate, but Corvine didn’t stop.

He glanced back once. "Voren, we’re out of time," he warned, urgency clear in his voice. "We need to move."

Voren gave a small nod, acknowledging the warning, but he didn’t follow.

Instead, he waited until Corvine disappeared through the doorway with Seraphine in his arms, until they were completely out of sight, before turning his full attention back to the man in front of him.

His expression had gone completely cold. "Didn’t I warn you?" Voren asked quietly, his voice low, steady, carrying something far more terrifying than anger unleashed. "I told you she would be the end of you."