Alpha's Regret: The Seventh Time was Forever

Corvine looked at her like she had just said something completely insane, frustration written all over his face as he ran a hand through his hair. "He wants you to go on a date with him next week."

Santiago chose a style he never expected, and the more he thought about it, the more he realized the reason behind Santiago having his way in almost everything but how did he even know their location?

Seraphine didn’t even hesitate. She lifted her head, her expression calm, almost too calm for what he had just told her. "Done. Approve the request."

The response hit Corvine like a brick. "What?" he asked, completely thrown off, because this was the exact opposite of what he had been expecting. He had been buying her time this whole time, thinking of ways to stall Santiago without putting her directly in his reach, and now she was just agreeing? Just like that?

Seraphine didn’t give him time to spiral too far into that confusion. "The software is ready," she said, her tone steady, confident. "If you want, you can come take a look."

That caught his attention instantly. Whatever argument he had been preparing faded just as quickly as it had come. A small smile tugged at his lips, curiosity taking over. He had planned to spend the day putting out ads, setting up interviews, building up their workforce, but this mattered more right now.

"I’m right behind you," he said without hesitation. How could he miss the opportunity on being in her work station?

They moved upstairs together, the air between them carrying a quiet sense of anticipation. Corvine took a seat beside her as she powered everything up, his eyes fixed on the screen as it came to life.

"We’ll test it on Zane first," Seraphine explained, her fingers already moving across the keyboard with practiced ease. "His network is smaller, which makes him easier to break into."

Corvine nodded, leaning in slightly as the screen suddenly went black. Against the dark background, white text began to appear as she typed in Zane’s number, each character sharp and precise.

The moment she hit enter, tiny dots began to appear, scattered at first, then swirling together in a controlled pattern that almost looked alive.

"It’s sending a bait," Seraphine said, her eyes locked on the screen, her focus absolute.

Corvine watched closely, absorbing every detail. "What are you using?"

"Daisy," she replied. If not for her, Seraphine would not have been chasing Zane.

That answer barely had time to register before the system responded. Files started popping up one after another, loading so fast it was almost hard to keep up.

Corvine blinked, caught off guard by the speed. "That was fast."

"Yeah," Seraphine said, her voice carrying a quiet urgency now. "After what Leon told me, we don’t have the luxury of taking our time. Every second we waste, more people could be suffering."

Another file flashed across the screen, and Corvine’s expression twisted instantly. "Goddess, Daisy is a piece of shit," he muttered under his breath, clearly uncomfortable with what he had just seen.

Seraphine didn’t react, didn’t even blink. Her attention stayed exactly where it needed to be.

The moment that file finished, she moved on, typing in another name without hesitation. "Emery."

More files appeared, and this time Corvine’s reaction was sharper, anger flashing across his face as he clenched his jaw. "He recorded all of this? Their private moments?"

Seraphine didn’t respond. There was no time for outrage, not when they were in the middle of something like this.

As soon as the files finished loading, she initiated the next step. A virus slipped into Zane’s system, quiet at first, almost invisible, and then it began to spread, eating through his files piece by piece.

Corvine watched the progress bar climb, tension building in his chest as it moved... five percent... seven... nine...

And then—

A notification slammed onto the screen.

’Counterattack. Straighten your system or log out.’

Seraphine reacted instantly. Her fingers flew across the keyboard, cutting the connection before the attack could latch onto them. She leaned back slightly, exhaling as the screen went still again.

"He’s good," she admitted, her tone thoughtful rather than frustrated. "I couldn’t fully break through his system, but we got what we needed. And the virus didn’t do enough damage to affect him too much."

Corvine was about to respond when something caught his eye. "Wait," he said, pointing at the screen. "Look at that."

Seraphine leaned forward again, narrowing her eyes before reaching for her hacking lens and slipping it on. The moment she adjusted it, the details became clearer.

"Encrypted message," she murmured. "Let’s crack it."

Her fingers moved again, faster this time, more precise. The encryption didn’t hold for long under her hands.

The message revealed itself.

’Nova Ghost, do you have a death wish?’

Seraphine’s teeth clenched, irritation flashing across her face. "I didn’t mask myself properly during the attack," she said under her breath. "But it’s fine. He doesn’t know who Nova Ghost is in real life."

Instead of backing off, she leaned in further, typing out a response without hesitation.

’That depends. I pulled some information from your system. If you can provide solid evidence or testify when the time comes, I’ll pay you half a million.’

They didn’t have to wait long.

’Sounds interesting,’ came the reply. ’I’m Zane Callahan. Tell me your real name, and I’ll decide if I can trust you.’

Seraphine paused.

For the first time since this started, her fingers hovered over the keyboard without moving. The weight of that decision pressed down on her, heavy and undeniable. Giving him her name meant exposure. It meant risk.

Corvine didn’t interrupt. He could see the conflict playing out on her face, the calculation behind her eyes.

Seraphine inhaled slowly, steadying herself, and then she made her choice.

Her fingers pressed down on the keys. ’Seraphine Walker.’

The message was sent, and for a brief second, everything felt still.

Then Zane responded, and whatever he wrote, hit her so hard it felt like something inside her cracked, like a piece of her just stopped functioning.