Chapter 529 - I trusted you more than anyone
Corvine’s life was too important to be ignored but right before she could allow Marsha to take control, she thought of something. Voren would always come up with some form of solution if she asked.
’V... I need to give Marsha control to heal Corvine,’ Seraphine mind linked Voren with quiet urgency. ’Cover for me.’
His answer came without even a second of hesitation. ’Okay.’
There wasn’t a single part of him that wanted to stop her. Corvine wasn’t just another member of the pack, but also family. If there was anyone worth taking a risk for, it was him.
Voren immediately looked up and locked eyes with the people closest to them. "Damon, Kael, Jasmine, Nicole."
Everyone turned toward him at once. "Kneel."
His tone left no room for questions or arguments. "Let’s form a wall around them."
Confused glances passed between them, but no one hesitated. Each of them dropped to one knee exactly as instructed.
Athaliah quickly joined the circle, and together they linked arms, creating a solid barrier around Seraphine and Corvine that shielded them from every curious eye inside the hall.
The rest of the guests could only wonder what was happening behind the human wall they’d just formed.
Inside the circle Seraphine leaned over Corvine and lowered her head. Almost instantly a soft blue glow emerged from her eyes and flowed gently into Corvine’s wounded chest.
The moment the light reached the deep claw marks, thick black venom began oozing from the injury. The poison bubbled to the surface before dripping onto the floor in dark, sticky drops.
Little by little the torn flesh knitted itself back together until the wounds closed completely. The blue light gradually faded, and when the last trace disappeared Seraphine released a quiet breath of pure relief. "It’s okay."
Her voice stayed gentle as she reached for a clean cloth and carefully wiped the black venom from Corvine’s chest before disinfecting the newly healed skin.
Almost immediately Corvine’s eyes flew open. He blinked several times, looking completely disoriented as he tried to make sense of where he was.
"What happened?"
Before anyone could answer, a warm body threw itself against him. Athaliah wrapped both arms around his bare torso, tears pouring down her cheeks without restraint.
"Corvine..."
Her voice cracked under the weight of everything that had just happened. "You’re awake."
She buried her face against his chest and held on tighter. "I thought I’d lost you."
For a brief moment, Corvine froze in place. His eyes lifted to Seraphine, and she simply smiled back at him with relief shining across her face.
Understanding immediately settled between them. Without saying a word Corvine gently placed one hand against Athaliah’s back. The comforting touch made her slowly pull away. She quickly wiped her tears before helping him sit upright.
A few feet away Jasmine quietly lowered her eyes. The sadness on her face was impossible to miss. Whatever feelings she’d once tried to hide had long grown beyond simple friendship.
Watching Athaliah cling to Corvine felt like someone twisting a knife straight through her heart. Alpha Killian noticed everything.
His own disappointment mirrored Jasmine’s, though he wisely kept it hidden behind a carefully blank expression. Neither of them spoke.
The only sound filling the hall came from Daisy’s desperate sobbing as Ravyn threw her harshly to the floor, wrapping her in chains.
She struggled against the restraints, tears streaming uncontrollably down her face as she tried to make herself heard.
"Please, Ravyn..." Her voice shook violently under the force of her panic. "I’ll tell you everything."
She desperately tried to continue even as the words tumbled out in a rush. "It’s her blood." She stared wildly toward Seraphine with wild, frantic eyes. "Sera’s blood weakened me. She’s a—"
"Duct tape." Voren’s furious command cut through the room like a blade. He would be damned before she openly revealed that Seraphine was a white wolf.
Before Daisy could finish the sentence, his fist slammed into her face with enough force to snap her head sideways, her mouth filled with blood.
Damon immediately rushed over, pulling out a roll of duct tape. Ignoring Daisy’s frantic struggles, he tightly covered her mouth until only muffled cries escaped after that.
Voren’s icy gaze remained fixed on her for a long moment before he turned back to Ravyn. "Everything she’s done..."
His voice carried absolute certainty that left no room for doubt. "We already know."
He began counting the crimes one by one, each one landing harder than the last.
"She’s the one who hired assassins to kill Sera."
"She orchestrated the chemical attack."
"When they were children, she smashed a jar over Sera’s head, and had a witch erase her memories of me."
His expression darkened as he continued. "She even killed Sera’s goldfish."
The room grew quieter with every revelation that spilled out. "And those chemical explosions?"
He scoffed under his breath. "They were nothing but distractions."
His eyes narrowed as the full picture settled into place. "She kept setting them up so she could sneak out unnoticed."
A bitter smile crossed his lips. "Which did not seem to have worked."
He spread his hands slightly as he finished. "So tell me, what else is there left to know?"
Ravyn stared at him in disbelief. The amount of information Voren possessed left him completely speechless. His voice came out hoarse when he finally managed to speak.
"I understand why Sera never trusted me enough to tell me these things."
Pain flickered across his face as the truth settled deeper. "But you..."
He looked directly at his former best friend with raw hurt in his eyes. "I trusted you more than anyone."
His eyes reddened as the weight of everything pressed down on him. "I always believed you."
His breathing grew heavier with every word. "You should’ve told me."
"No." Voren shook his head without hesitation. "Sera never willingly shared any of this with me."
His expression softened for a brief moment as he continued. "I had to earn every piece of her trust so why did I have to make it easy for you?"
His eyes drifted toward Seraphine with quiet affection. "I promised her I would never reveal her secrets unless she wanted me to."
He turned back to Ravyn with a colder edge to his voice. "And believe me, if you hadn’t ordered the death of her pup..."
He glanced at Seraphine again before finishing the thought. "She never would’ve become this ruthless."
The words hit Ravyn harder than any physical punch ever could. His shoulders slumped as regret swallowed him whole. There was nothing he wanted more than Seraphine’s forgiveness, but the one thing she wanted he could never give her. He couldn’t bring their pup back.
His voice barely rose above a whisper when he spoke again. "She was my pup too."
Voren’s expression hardened immediately. "We’ve already had this conversation."
There was nothing left to discuss. Silence settled over the room once more until Ravyn’s attention wandered. His eyes landed on Corvine.
Athaliah remained close beside him while gently feeding him pieces of fruit from what Voren had brought for Seraphine earlier. The sight stirred another wave of bitterness inside him that he couldn’t keep buried.
His jaw tightened as the frustration spilled out. "This isn’t fair."