Alpha's Regret: The Seventh Time was Forever novel Chapter 81

Chapter 81: Chapter 81 – We are so screwed

The woman standing in front of him in that midnight-blue gown looked like someone he had never known a day in his life.

The dress hugged her in a way that made heads turn without her even trying. The fabric shimmered every time she moved, catching the firelight and the glow from the overhead fixtures, making her look almost unreal.

During their entire seven years of marriage, she had never dressed like that for him. Not once. Not on anniversaries. Not at pack events. Not in private. Back then, she had been simple, understated, almost invisible beside him.

And now she stood there glowing like she had been saving this version of herself for somebody else.

It pissed him off more than it should have.

Ever since the last time he ran into her years ago, when he had sworn to himself that he would never cross paths with her again, he had treated her like a closed file in his life. Done. Finished. Irrelevant. He had convinced himself she would stay far away from his world.

Yet somehow she always found her way back into it.

Seraphine had actually planned to keep things calm tonight. She had told herself she would nod politely, act like she barely knew him, and move on.

When she looked around earlier, she had already spotted a few familiar faces. Powerful Alphas who understood their world and the politics that came with it. They would read between the lines without needing an explanation.

But there were humans here too. Men like Leon. Men who would never fully understand pack hierarchy, Alpha dominance, or the kind of history that could not be explained over wine and small talk.

She could not sit Leon down and casually say, "Oh by the way, my ex-husband is a powerful Alpha with control issues." That conversation would never go well.

And Ravyn, being Ravyn, just had to make a scene.

If not for the fact that she needed him financially stable right now, needed him to return to the pack long enough for Damon to push that DNA test between him and Bryan, she would have already wrecked his stocks out of pure spite.

She had the means to do it, and she had thought about it more than once. But timing mattered, and she needed him secure for now. So instead of attacking his money, she would have to find another angle.

James stood stiffly beside his son, nerves practically written across his forehead. He was terrified Seraphine would blow up Leon’s chances at partnerships tonight.

He had even considered stepping in and politely removing her from the situation. But then he remembered how she had helped Tyler without hesitation, and he swallowed the words he had been about to say.

"Mr. Walker," Leon said, pulling Seraphine a little closer to his side, his arm firm around her waist, "do you have a problem with my woman?"

The way he said it was not fake bravado. His father could see that clearly now. Leon actually liked her. For a man who understood how much was at stake tonight, that kind of loyalty was bold. Maybe even stupid. But it was real.

"Your woman?" Ravyn repeated, letting out a dry laugh that carried farther than he intended.

A few nearby conversations died down.

Mark Whitmore, always entertained when the drama did not involve him directly, smiled slightly. "If we didn’t all know about Mr. Walker’s wife, Daisy," he said smoothly, "I might’ve thought he was admiring this beautiful lady himself."

A ripple of low laughter moved through the room and Seraphine smiled bitterly. Ravyn never saw her worthy of being by his side throughout their seven years of marriage.

No one knew her in relationship to him but the mistress was even known as his wife in the city. It wasn’t funny but Seraphine felt proud of herself for walking away from that miserable marriage.

"What the hell, no," Ravyn snapped immediately, frowning hard. "She—"

"I’m his evil sister," Seraphine cut in, smiling sweetly.

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