Seraphine sat quietly for a long mont, the weight of every recovered mory crashing down on her all at once. Every missing piece finally locked into place, revealing the full horrifying picture, the endless lies, the icy cruelty disguised as parenting, the gaping holes in her childhood, and that deep, constant ache that sothing had always been terribly wrong with her so-called family.
But one thing remained. Esperanza’s warning. If she reveals too much at the full moon festival, Ravyn might kill Daisy, and the mont she’s out of his life, his strength would return.
"Indeed," she whispered, her voice soft but heavy with the pain of it all. "Whatever spell they cast on must have happened right after I blacked out... after Daisy smashed that goldfish jar into the back of my head."
The mont the words left her mouth, Voren’s chest clenched so painfully it felt like soone had stabbed him.
He couldn’t stand the image flooding his mind: tiny, innocent Seraphine lying there broken and helpless on the forest floor while the people who should’ve protected her with their lives chose instead to destroy her.
His jaw clenched so tight it hurt, a low, dangerous growl threatening to rip free from his throat.
"Kylie told a completely different story," he snarled, his face twisting with raw disgust. "She said Noelle told everyone you were just playing with Daisy and accidentally hit your head on a rock."
His fingers tightened around hers, trembling with the force of his fury. "So many fucking lies. All of it just to bury their cris and keep hurting you."
The more he turned it over in his head, the hotter and more uncontrollable his anger burned. Every new mory Seraphine recovered only peeled back another layer of pure evil.
He looked down at her beautiful face, his voice softening with fierce tenderness even as the rage boiled just beneath. "Sera... why don’t you let handle this? Please."
A deadly gleam ignited in his eyes. He already had countless brutal, satisfying ways to make Noelle and Daisy regret every single tear they’d ever caused Seraphine, ways that would leave them broken and begging for rcy.
But Seraphine imdiately shook her head, a small, fierce, and almost wicked smile curving her lips. "It won’t be nearly as fun if you handle it for ."
Voren stared at her, torn between awe and frustration. Only his Seraphine could talk about revenge like she was planning the sweetest, most satisfying celebration of her life.
A ssage on his phone distracted them and Voren checked it in front of her. ’You aren’t answering my calls. I plan to make Daisy my Luna on the last day of the full moon festival. Thought you should know.’
Seraphine could hear Voren’s teeth grinding together and peeked at his phone. A smile ward her face. "Perfect."
"What do you an by that?" Voren asked, trying to understand her reasoning.
"You still need to pretend you’re on Ravyn’s side," she continued, lifting a finger toward him, her expression turning deadly serious. "That part is crucial. But I’ll need your Beta standing right there with Corvine and Damon."
Voren wanted to argue but understanding flashed across his face instantly.
Once the truth exploded into the open, emotions would erupt like wildfire. Ravyn might completely lose control. Other Alphas could rush in and complicate everything.
Soone might desperately try to silence Seraphine before the full story ca out. His protective instincts surged so powerfully it nearly took his breath away. "I’ll be right there to protect you," he vowed, the promise burning with every ounce of love and ferocity he felt for her.
Seraphine turned and gazed straight into his eyes, her own filled with quiet determination. "You will be there," she said softly.
"But this is a three-day event. If anyone realizes you’re on my side from the very beginning, they’ll get cautious and start hiding things. Then we’ll never drag the whole ugly truth into the light."
She sighed deeply, the exhaustion and pain of it all showing in her eyes. "Please. Promise you won’t interfere, no matter what happens."
Just the request made Voren’s stomach twist with deep discomfort. For maybe the first ti in his entire life, he wasn’t sure he could actually follow through on what she was asking.
He could charge into battle against armies, stare down the most powerful Alphas without flinching, and walk straight into war. But standing by helplessly while soone hurt his Seraphine? That felt completely impossible.
Voren’s jaw tightened painfully as Bloodfang stirred wildly inside him, restless and furious at the very idea.
Seraphine could see the intense, heartbreaking struggle written all over his face before Voren exhaled a heavy, frustrated breath, clearly fighting every instinct screaming at him to protect her.
"Okay," he finally agreed. Then he texted Ravyn. ’That’s a wonderful idea. I’ll be there to support you.’
"There’s sothing else I need to tell you," he said, lowering his voice and putting the phone back in his pocket. He needed any distraction before he was forced to agree to sothing else that went against his soul.
"My parents—"
"No need," Seraphine cut him off gently, her voice warm. "If it’s about Athaliah."
Voren froze, his eyebrows shooting up in complete shock. "You know about that?"
Seraphine couldn’t hold back a soft smile. "Your father told . He thought spilling it would push away from you for good." A gentle laugh escaped her, the sound wrapping around Voren’s heart and easing so of the crushing tension inside him. "But you know . When I want sothing, I claim it with every single piece of my heart and soul. And I never, ever let go easily."
She leaned back fully against his strong chest, her voice ringing with quiet, unbreakable confidence. "Because once I do... there’s no going back."
Their eyes locked in a deep, soul-stirring gaze. For a long mont, neither of them spoke. Then a genuine, heartfelt smile slowly spread across Voren’s face.
The heavy darkness that had been crushing him lifted, replaced by a warm, profound peace he hadn’t felt since the flashback ended.
It felt so good knowing Seraphine wasn’t running away, knowing she wasn’t afraid of his parents or the enemies lurking around, knowing she had chosen him completely despite everything.
His arms tightened around her waist, holding her like she was the most precious thing in his world.
Then a new thought suddenly hit him, and his eyes narrowed with playful suspicion. "Wait."
Seraphine blinked up at him. "What?"
Voren studied her face carefully, his expression turning comically serious. "You aren’t jealous?"
The question ca out far more earnestly than it probably should have. Seraphine stared at him for a beat before bursting into bright, genuine laughter that rang out beautifully beside the waterfall.
Voren frowned, not joking at all. Seeing his stubborn, almost pouty expression only made her laugh harder.
"Rember," he added stubbornly, refusing to drop it, "there’s no true love without jealousy."
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