Alpha's Regret: The Seventh Time was Forever

Chapter 475: Chapter 475 – What did you just call me?

Seraphine stood quietly off to the side, her hands tucked deep inside the pockets of her warm coat. She had zero intention of jumping into the middle of this mess.

This wasn’t her fight or her place to steer things. She just wanted to be there as a witness to everything unfolding. The raw, devastating pain hanging in the air belonged to Vladimir and Voren.

They were the ones grieving the same woman in completely different, heartbreaking ways.

One had lost the love of his life, while the other had lost the mother he thought he knew all along. Neither of them deserved the cruel lies and betrayal Olivia had put them through for so many years.

The cold wind kept blowing between them, carrying nothing but heavy, painful silence.

Voren looked directly at Ian, his expression steady even though the deep grief behind his eyes was impossible to miss. There was no point trying to hide the truth anymore.

"This shameless woman..." His gaze flicked briefly to Olivia before returning to Ian. "Is Olivia, your wife."

Ian’s eyes widened in shock. His face turned a deathly pale as the words sank in. For several long seconds, he couldn’t even blink. Then the full realization crashed into him.

"Wait..." His voice trembled badly. "Is..." He struggled to get the words out, his breathing turning fast and uneven. "That why we’ve kept hearing crying from your grave?" His horrified eyes stayed locked on Olivia. "If she’s alive," he shivered. "Then who the hell did I bury?"

His question echoed through the snowy night, hanging in the freezing air. A single tear slowly rolled down Seraphine’s cheek. She didn’t bother wiping it away.

Among werewolves, there were old stories passed down through generations about how, when an Alpha or Luna’s soul couldn’t find peace, strange cries could sometimes be heard near their grave.

Most people dismissed those tales as nothing more than legends or ghost stories. Now, they suddenly felt painfully, terrifyingly real.

That meant Luna Oriana had never truly been able to rest. Even after death, her soul had remained restless and trapped.

Seraphine quietly looked toward Vladimir, then over to Voren. Both men stood perfectly still, tears glistening in their eyes. For the first time since she had met them, they looked completely and utterly broken.

Her own heart tightened painfully in her chest. Someone had to stay strong right now. If they both collapsed under the crushing weight of this pain, there would be no one left to hold the pieces together.

Taking a slow, steadying breath, Seraphine gently stepped forward. She looked straight at Ian, her voice calm but filled with compassion. "Olivia left you because she claimed you abused her. But there was another truth she never told anyone." She glanced toward Olivia for a moment before continuing. "After her twin sister died giving birth to Alpha Voren, Olivia took her place."

Ian stood frozen in place. Every single word hit him harder than the last, like repeated blows to the gut. Seraphine kept going gently but firmly. "The she-wolf buried in your pack wasn’t Olivia. She was Luna Oriana. The true Luna of the Grimroot Pack." She slowly pointed toward Olivia. "And this, is your real wife."

The silence that followed felt almost unbearable, thick and suffocating. "We only uncovered the truth a few days ago." Seraphine’s eyes softened with sympathy. "Since then, Alpha Vladimir and Voren have been searching everywhere for either you or your Alpha."

Ian stared blankly down at the snow beneath his feet. Nothing around him felt real anymore. His lips trembled violently. Then his knees suddenly gave out completely.

He collapsed into the snow with a heavy, heartbreaking thud. "Oh, Goddess..." His voice cracked with raw emotion. "What have I done?" Fresh tears streamed down his face. "I gave a Luna... the burial of an ordinary pack member."

Every word sounded heavier and more devastated than the last. He lowered his head in deep shame. "Back then, my behavior toward Olivia made everyone believe I was responsible for her death."

His shoulders shook uncontrollably. "My Alpha insisted I either cremate her remains or bury her among the omegas." He squeezed his eyes shut tight. "I couldn’t bring myself to burn her. So..." His voice broke completely. "I buried her with the omegas."

The world around them seemed to stop spinning for a moment. Two furious voices exploded at the exact same time. "You did what?" Vladimir and Voren roared together. The sheer force behind their combined Alpha voices made the air itself seem to vibrate with power.

Ian flinched so violently he almost fell backward again. His entire body trembled hard. Not because of the freezing weather, but because of the two powerful Alphas standing before him. "I..." His lips quivered. "I didn’t know... I swear..."

Before he could finish, Seraphine quickly stepped forward. "It’s not his fault." Her calm, steady voice broke through the chaos. "He acted based on the lie he was given."

Ian slowly looked up at her, gratitude shining through his tear-filled eyes. Vladimir wasn’t listening anymore. His grief had already twisted into something far darker and more dangerous.

His fingers curled into tight fists as sharp claws slowly pushed through his fingertips. Before anyone had time to react—

Slash!

Olivia cried out in agony as blood splattered across the pure white snow. Deep claw marks tore across one side of her face. Fresh blood streamed down her cheek.

She instinctively reached up to touch the wound. No tears came this time. She had cried so much over the past few days that her eyes had almost run completely dry. She simply stood there, shaking violently.

Vladimir glared at her with murderous, burning eyes. Every instinct inside him screamed to end her life right here and right now.

Only one thought stopped him. Death was too merciful for her. She hadn’t suffered nearly enough yet. She still needed to face the greatest humiliation of all.

He slowly turned back to Ian, his voice becoming frighteningly calm. "Take me to the Seasoned Pack. It’s better that everyone is gathered there." His eyes filled with fresh tears. "I won’t allow my wife’s remains to stay buried in such a degrading place any longer."

He swallowed hard before looking toward Voren. "I’ll recover her remains myself." His voice cracked with emotion. "I’ll arrange for a helicopter. So she can finally return to the Grimroot Pack where she belongs."

For the first time that night, Voren hesitated. He desperately wanted to go with his father. He wanted to bring his mother’s remains home with his own two hands. But he couldn’t leave Seraphine behind, not when she was pregnant. His eyes instinctively turned toward her.

Before he could say anything, Seraphine made the decision for him. She stepped closer to Vladimir. Her voice was gentle but firm. "Dad..." She offered him a reassuring, warm smile. "We’ll all go together."

Time seemed to stop completely. Vladimir froze where he stood. His eyes slowly widened in shock. For several long seconds, he couldn’t even breathe. Then, almost in disbelief, he looked at Seraphine.

His voice came out barely above a whisper. "What..." A thick lump formed in his throat. "Did you just call me?"