"Is it true?" Ravyn’s voice boomed through the hall so hard it made half the room flinch. His eyes burned with pure fury as they locked onto Raul. "Did you fuck with my woman?"

Before anybody could even think about moving, Ravyn lunged.

His fingers wrapped tight around Raul’s throat and hauled him clean off the ground like the guy weighed nothing.

Raul’s feet kicked wildly in the air. His hands clawed at Ravyn’s wrist, trying like hell to loosen that crushing grip, but it was no use. His face went from red to a sickly purple as the air got squeezed right out of his lungs.

"A...A..." The words never made it out. His throat was completely locked under Ravyn’s hand.

Watching the whole thing unfold, Daisy’s entire body started shaking. Shame flooded every inch of her so deep she could barely stand it.

How the hell had she ever been attracted to someone like Raul? Looking at him now, weak and helpless and choking, she couldn’t even recognize the man she’d risked everything for.

It had to be her cursed wolf. There was no other way to explain it.

Still...even while the guilt ate her alive, another thought settled heavy in her mind.

Ravyn was never going to forgive her for this. He would leave her, and if that happened, Raul would be all she had left.

With Bryan in the picture, Raul would have no choice but to step up and provide for them. Whether he liked it or not, he’d have to become responsible.

At least, until the Blood Moon Festival gave her a way out, hope still existed.

If her wish didn’t come true during the festival, she’d force her mother to track down that white witch again.

The mate bond could still be exchanged. Nobody had ever confirmed the witch was actually dead.

As long as there was no body, there was still hope. Tears streamed down Daisy’s cheeks as she reached toward Ravyn.

"Ravyn... please." Her voice cracked hard. "It’s not what you think."

She barely got the words out before another hand closed around her own neck.

Ravyn’s head snapped toward her, pure hatred filled his eyes. His fingers tightened around her throat and lifted her into the air just as easily as he’d lifted Raul.

Daisy gasped, her feet dangled helplessly right beside Raul’s. Both of them struggled desperately for air while the entire hall fell into stunned silence.

At that exact moment, the entrance doors opened, and Voren walked inside.

Snowflakes still clung to his dark coat as his sharp gaze swept across the room.

The first thing he searched for was Seraphine. His eyes scanned every corner of the hall, but she wasn’t there.

His expression darkened, and almost immediately, Kael’s mind link zapped through his mind. ’She went to the ladies’ restroom with the princess.’

Relief washed over Voren’s face so fast that only Kael caught it. Good thing his wife wasn’t anywhere near this mess.

His attention swung back to Ravyn, and a deep frown contoured his handsome features. Death would be way too merciful for Daisy.

She needed to face every single consequence of everything she did to his wife.

Voren calmly crossed the room until he stood right beside the furious Ravyn.

Leaning in close enough that only Ravyn could hear, his voice stayed low and steady.

"Don’t you want to know why they kept this from you?"

Ravyn’s jaw tightened hard, as Voren kept going. "What if they’re hiding something even worse?"

The words hit their mark perfectly, Ravyn froze, his grip loosened.

Instead of crushing their throats the rest of the way, he flung both Daisy and Raul across the room.

Their bodies slammed hard onto the marble floor, a painful groan tore out of Daisy as her back hit first.

Raul rolled across the polished surface, coughing so hard he could barely drag air into his aching lungs.

Across the room, Damon frowned, as his gaze drifted toward Daisy’s stomach.

Should he tell Ravyn about Daisy’s pregnancy? No, not yet. Seraphine hadn’t given him that confirmation yet.

Until she did, he was keeping quiet. Still coughing, Raul struggled up onto one elbow.

Beside him, Daisy clutched her throat, wheezing painfully while tears kept pouring down her face.

Ravyn slowly turned toward Voren, questions filled his head. Did Voren know something else?

Before he could ask, a horrified scream echoed from outside. "Beta Chuck!"

Another voice followed right after. "Noelle! What the hell happened to you two?"

Every head in the hall turned toward the entrance. Moments later, several warriors rushed inside with Beta Chuck and Noelle.

The second they crossed the doorway, both of them collapsed. Their unconscious bodies hit the floor with sickening thuds.

The hall erupted into horrified gasps. Their condition was almost impossible to look at. Blood soaked what little remained of their clothes.

Whole parts of their bodies were missing, leaving nothing but gruesome open wounds.

Nobody could understand how they were still breathing. Daisy looked up, and the horrifying sight stole the air right out of her lungs.

A piercing scream ripped out of her before her eyes rolled back and she collapsed onto the floor unconscious.

Just then, Seraphine and Athaliah arrived. The shocking scene rooted Seraphine to the spot.

Her eyes moved from the injured couple, straight to Voren as something twisted uneasily deep in her chest.

’Did you do this?’ She asked through mindlink but once again, it was blocked.

Before she could try again, Voren walked toward her carrying a bottle of warm water.

His expression softened the second he reached her. "You should drink more."

His voice was gentle as he placed the bottle into her hands.

Without another word, he pulled out a chair. "Standing too long isn’t good for you."

Everyone’s attention stayed locked on Daisy and the injured couple, hardly anyone noticed the quiet exchange between them.

Seraphine accepted the bottle but narrowed her eyes. "Your mindlink?"

A small smile tugged at Voren’s lips and this time, he responded through mind link. ’What about it?’

Seraphine blinked, completely rendered speechless. There was no time to call him out as reality pulled her attention back.

She quickly pulled out her phone and sent Nicole a text, asking her to check on Daisy right away.

Meanwhile, Voren looked toward the warriors surrounding Beta Chuck and Noelle.

His tone turned cold and commanding. "Take them to Alpha Humphrey."

His sharp eyes swept over the warriors, annoyance overshadowing his voice. "Why bring them here?"

The warriors exchanged helpless glances. None of them knew where to even grab the injured couple.

Too many parts of their bodies were gone. Even lifting them seemed impossible without making the injuries worse.

Seraphine’s chest tightened painfully. Chuck and Noelle still hadn’t answered the biggest questions. Why had they switched the babies, and where was the white witch?

Her fingers curled tightly around the bottle as she took a sip. ’I hope you didn’t do this,’ she reached for Voren again through the mindlink.

His response came immediately. ’I already got every piece of information we needed from them.’

Her heart skipped in understanding of why he suddenly disappeared. Clearly, he had gone after the couple. ’I’ll tell you everything after we leave here,’ he added.

Before she could process those words, another message followed though mindlink. ’Are you ready for us to go public now?’