Chapter 526 – I believe love is stronger than any mate bond
Voren looked directly into Ravyn’s eyes without a single trace of hesitation. "But before that happened, I gave you a choice."
His voice remained calm even as the tension continued to climb.
"I asked whether there was any part of you that still wanted your ex-wife."
A faint scoff escaped him as the memory settled between them. "You told me you’d stay with Daisy no matter what happened to the mate bond so why can’t you forgive and stay with her now ha?"
He folded his arms across his chest and held Ravyn’s gaze. "Or is your love so shallow? Because I watched the woman I love get married to you, and still won her back only after you signed the divorce papers. As it stands now, Daisy is your wife and she’s pregnant for you."
His gaze drifted briefly toward Daisy before returning to the man in front of him. "Even if your decision was because of Bryan..."
His expression sharpened with quiet intensity. "What if Daisy is actually your destined mate?"
The question hit Ravyn like another solid punch to the gut. "You’ve loved her since you were children," Voren pointed out, Ravyn could not deny it because he loved Daisy ever since she was brought to the pack house.
Daisy was always sickly, and Ravyn liked to take care of her. His breathing became uneven as the possibility sank in. "What if she used a spell on me?"
If there was a spell involved, then he had the right to claim back his ex-wife if she gave him the chance.
Before anyone else could answer, Daisy finally spoke up, her voice trembling with desperation. "I used the spell on Sera and Voren..."
Tears streamed down her face as she forced the confession out. "It worked on Sera because she once loved you, but it never worked on Voren."
Her trembling eyes found Ravyn and held them. "Rav... I never used a spell on you."
"Shut up! And don’t call me that."
Ravyn’s furious roar cut straight through her words. His face twisted with a mix of betrayal and disbelief that left no room for her explanation. He couldn’t bring himself to trust a single thing she said anymore.
Turning back to Voren, his voice became firm once again. "Unless you’re canceling the Blood Moon Festival or kill me..."
He jabbed a finger toward Seraphine with stubborn insistence. "I still insist that Sera belongs to me."
"You speak of me like a commodity, Ravyn. I am not yours."
Seraphine’s calm voice immediately silenced the room. She remained seated beside Corvine and the rest of the men, her chin lifted with quiet confidence that no one could ignore.
"And I never will be."
There was no hint of hesitation on her face as she continued. "If the Moon Goddess makes the mistake of pairing me with you..."
Her eyes turned ice cold as she delivered the warning. "Then be prepared for a brutal rejection."
The room erupted with gasps. Reject a fated mate? It had consequences too. In the past those words alone would have sent Ravyn into a rage. Now he simply looked heartbroken.
"Sera..." His voice softened with a desperate hope he couldn’t hide. "You’re only saying that because you’re angry."
He desperately searched her face for any sign that she might still feel something for him. "We all studied this at the academy."
He forced a weak smile that didn’t reach his eyes. "The mate bond is stronger than anything."
Seraphine met his gaze without the slightest trace of uncertainty. "And yet history has shown that mates have rejected each other before."
She walked over and reached for Voren’s hand, as she intertwined their fingers with deliberate care. "I believe love is stronger than any mate bond."
Her smile became impossibly gentle as she looked at her husband. "V is the love of my life."
Emotion shimmered in her eyes as she spoke the truth that had carried her through everything.
"And I will never love another man."
Voren leaned over and kissed her briefly, his heart filled with joy. During the last full moon festival, Seraphine’s affection had only belonged to Ravyn but now, Voren was the one receiving it and he wasn’t taking it for granted.
As much as he wanted the kiss to continue, he also wanted the banquet to end, so he could have his wife all to himself.
As soon as they broke from the kiss, Seraphine turned toward the women gathered throughout the hall. Her voice rang with quiet authority that demanded attention. "So let me make one thing perfectly clear."
Every eye in the room landed on her without exception. "Any she-wolf who has her eyes on my husband..."
A possessive smile curved her lips as she finished the warning. "Better look somewhere else."
She stared back at Voren with easy affection. "Because I will never leave him."
Her gaze swept across the room one final time. "Mate bond or not."
Warmth flooded Voren’s chest as every possessive word she spoke melted another piece of his heart. Unable to hide his smile, he brushed a thumb across the back of her hand with quiet tenderness.
"Save your energy, my queen." His eyes never left hers as he continued. "No she-wolf could ever compare to you."
A soft smile bloomed across Seraphine’s face. Seeing the love shining between them made Voren feel as though the entire world had disappeared and left only the two of them standing in it. Voren walked her back into her chair, still holding her hand tightly.
Across the room Ravyn looked like a man whose soul had been ripped clean out of his body, but Daisy completely lost control. Her eyes turned bloodshot as every last trace of reason vanished beneath a wave of overwhelming hatred.
"Sera..." her scream echoed through the hall with raw fury. "You have to die!"
The instant she lunged forward Ravyn reacted, grabbing her in a desperate attempt to hold her back but his strength was failing.
Around Seraphine the men closest to her immediately formed a solid wall, shielding her from any possible attack, as Voren hastened to help Ravyn to restrain his Fenrir wolfed wife.
"Damon!"
Voren’s voice thundered through the room with absolute command. "Bring the wolfsbane!" Even if the wolfsbane would not have the same effect on this Fenrir as it will normal wolves, it was still worth the try.
Almost the moment the order left his mouth the heavy chain restraining Daisy snapped apart with a sharp metallic crack. With a terrifying growl she shifted into wolf form.