Alpha's Regret: The Seventh Time was Forever novel Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Chapter 11 – Severed Bonds

"Ravyn, what do you want again?" Humphrey asked without lifting his head from the chessboard.

The carved pieces lay scattered between him and Seraphine, the game unfinished yet already decided.

What had begun as a rare, peaceful moment had been shattered the instant Ravyn walked in, followed closely by three presences that sucked the warmth out of the room.

Humphrey’s fingers hovered over a rook, then stilled, irritation tightening his jaw.

Ravyn stood rigid near the entrance, his expression taut with indignation. "Dad, isn’t this my home too?" he demanded. "Am I not welcome here anymore?"

Humphrey did not respond immediately. He made one last move, then leaned back. Seraphine had won again but this time, there was no teasing smile, no shared amusement. The air felt rather heavy, as if poisoned.

Everything had been ruined by their arrival. "Sera, how can you be so ruthless?" a sharp voice cut through the silence.

Noelle’s judgment rang across the living room like a slap. She stood tall, chin lifted, eyes cold as they fixed on Seraphine, as though she were examining a stain that refused to wash out.

Before Seraphine could speak, Kylie rose from her seat. "Enough, Noelle," she said, her voice calm but edged with authority. "You do not raise your voice at Sera, not in my house."

The room froze. "Luna," Noelle said immediately, her head dipping in a practiced bow. Her husband had been the former beta of the Centenary pack and respect was automatic.

Across all packs, the rule was immutable. Once an Alpha or a Luna, always an Alpha or a Luna, unless the title was stripped through divorce, abdication, or crime.

Kylie may have stepped away from leadership, but the weight of her position had never left her.

Noelle straightened slowly, her expression smoothing into something almost pleasant. "I’m only saying this because Sera has become too willful. Honestly, we spoiled her too much."

The words were almost laughable.

If not for the striking resemblance between them, the same eyes, and bone structure, no one would have believed Noelle was Seraphine’s mother.

What she called spoiling had always been neglect, dismissal, and silence whenever Seraphine needed protection most.

Seraphine finally spoke. "What do you want, Noelle?" she asked nonchalantly. She did not say ’Mother,’ refusing to dress the word in affection it no longer deserved.

Something flickered across Noelle’s face, surprise, perhaps but before she could respond, Chuck Dion cleared his throat and stepped forward. "Did you just address your mother by name?" he demanded.

Seraphine turned fully to face him. The middle-aged man had never once defended her, not when accusations were thrown her way, and not when Daisy cried crocodile tears.

Not even when Seraphine lay pale in a hospital bed, blood drained from her veins for someone else’s survival.

"Chuck," Seraphine said evenly, masking the ache rising in her chest, "the last time I checked, the only daughter you recognize is Daisy. She’s the one you always believed. The one you doted on, so let’s be honest, you’re not here for me. You’re here because of her."

Shame crept over their faces, slow and undeniable. She was right. The moment Ravyn told them Daisy had been hospitalized, they had rushed over without hesitation.

Yet during the three months Seraphine herself had remained in that same hospital, none of them had bothered to visit, not once.

"So what if that’s true?" Chuck snapped. "If you did right, wouldn’t we support you?"

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