Chapter 576 - This is the last time I’m being lenient with you
Voren had already weighed the pros and cons in his own mind. The Moon Goddess had still been working behind the scenes even after their ancestors rejected her by turning their backs on the mate bond.
Her anger, though, sat like lava under the surface, boiling with a danger nobody could predict.
No one knew whether the Blood Moon Festival would bring them mercy and favor or unleash her full wrath instead.
Word was the Moon Goddess would make a physical appearance during the festival, and whatever shape or form she took would tell them everything about her plans, whether she had come looking for revenge or ready to show mercy.
Voren could only hope she chose mercy, and not just because of the mate bond. Too many questions still hung over the Lycans, and they needed answers before anything else.
Outside the mansion the morning air stayed cool against their skin while Seraphine faced Ravyn one last time. Her voice came out hard and steady, the kind of tone that left no room for argument.
"Ravyn, there are ways around this, and if I have to kill you if it so happens that I am bonded to you, then I will grant your wish to run you over the next time you appear in front of my house. This is the last time I’m being lenient with you."
She spoke like the new generation Luna the packs feared to have. Yes, it wasn’t as if Seraphine hadn’t killed before.
Just like other warriors, she had sunk her claws through enemies during wars and she wasn’t joking if she said she was going to kill him.
Voren might not let her though, but she knew he would grant her wish to do it for her. The steel in her voice made Ravyn shiver where he stood.
There was something in the way she carried herself now that made it impossible to mistake her for the woman he had once believed he understood.
Seraphine was not so simple, and Ravyn had found out far too late exactly who the woman he had been married to for seven years truly was. By the time she reached her car, he had already moved out of the way, shoulders slumped, dirt still clinging to his clothes.
Esperanza had wrapped herself tightly around Jasmine when Seraphine stepped into the car, but Seraphine was not surprised. For a child who knew that her father wanted her dead as a baby, she would always be afraid of him.
The sight of her made Seraphine’s heart ache. It was too much for Espe to be burdened by those visions.
"Espe, no one would harm you, okay?" Seraphine comforted her, Esperanza nodded as Jasmine explained. "She always behaved like that whenever he came around the pack and will stay clear of him until he leaves, even when he tried to speak nicely to her."
Voren drove alone to his office while Corvine dropped Seraphine, the kids, and Jasmine off at MindNest in the city. The New York streets were already busy, horns and engines mixing with the usual morning rush as they pulled up.
Inside the building the air smelled faintly of coffee and new carpet. Seraphine checked a few reports and approved a couple of requests before Corvine introduced her to the deputy CEO.
The middle-aged woman came across professional and sharp, answering every question with a confidence that left Seraphine with a solid first impression.
Together they headed for the conference room, leaving Jasmine and the kids waiting back in the office. To Seraphine’s surprise every investor, including Leon, was already seated and waiting. Leon jumped to his feet the second she walked in and pulled her into a quick embrace, grinning wide.
"Sera, I thought Corvine was going to handle everything. Why are you back so early? Did you get bored of your honeymoon? I told you not to marry that cold man, but don’t worry. I’m still single and handsome."
He lifted his chin with a smug look and the room filled with laughter. Most of the investors who had been at the last Sovereign Circle meeting exchanged surprised glances though.
The last time they had checked, Seraphine had been dating Leon, so which cold man was he talking about now?
Corvine chuckled under his breath and Seraphine laughed along with him, the sound easy. He was about to speak up in Voren’s defense when the very man Leon had just called cold walked through the door himself.
The atmosphere tensed on a dime, and laughter died. Every eye turned toward Voren as he moved into the room, his expression unreadable, his presence filling the space without a word.
Everyone took their seats. The chair at the head of the table stayed reserved for Seraphine.
Corvine sat to her right while his deputy took the seat on her left. Voren and Leon ended up facing each other across the polished wood as Seraphine addressed the room, voice calm and clear.
"I’ll first of all like to thank you all for entrusting me with your funds. To be honest, things have been more complicated than I planned, but I’ve always appreciated that my CEO sends you bi-weekly and monthly reports."
"We’ve been receiving those," Mark Whitmore agreed, nodding. "I don’t think you should stress yourself with these kinds of meetings. You have proven without reasonable doubt that you are deserving of our trust. The returns I’ve made from investing with you are more than any investment I’ve ever made, even with Ashkael Holdings."
A few heads turned toward Voren, waiting for some kind of reaction, but his face stayed stoic. He knew Mark was right.
"True. This is the best investment I’ve ever made, and I’m hoping for other investment opportunities. Are there any?" Zack Manchester asked, leaning forward a little.
Seraphine glanced at Corvine, and he picked it up smoothly.
"Indeed, but those opportunities would be available in about three months. We are working on expanding into other businesses, and you stakeholders will be the first to know about it."
Smiles spread across the faces around the table. Gordon spoke up next, his tone warm.
"Miss Chairwoman, you have done an amazing job. I would like to treat you to lunch."
Voren’s gaze darkened just enough to notice. His thumb moved across his phone screen as he started typing something...