Voren calmly walked to the sink, turned on the faucet, and rinsed every last trace of blood from his hands. The crimson water swirled down the drain until it ran clear.

After checking that not a single stain remained on his suit, he straightened his cuffs with the same care he might use before a business meeting and strolled out of the restroom as though nothing unusual had happened at all.

His face revealed nothing, no anger, no guilt, no satisfaction.

The guests stared at him in pure confusion. Could Alpha Voren really have done something this savage? Looking at the calm, composed expression on his face, it seemed almost impossible.

Yet no one else had entered that restroom, and the two Alphas had already been carried off to the pack hospital. They were Alphas, after all, and if either of them died it would mean open war for whoever was responsible.

Across the hall, Seraphine watched Voren emerge. For her man, she only needed one glance to figure it out. A soft sigh escaped her as she opened their mind link. ’Was this your doing too?’

Voren didn’t bother denying it. Instead, amusement colored his thoughts, warm and unrepentant. ’Can we make the announcement now? I feel like kissing you.’

Heat instantly rushed to Seraphine’s cheeks. She lowered her eyes, looking completely helpless in the face of him. Her husband was merciless, when it came to her enemies and yet hopelessly, ridiculously in love with her at the same time.

She answered through the link, her voice steady even as her face stayed warm. ’I only have one more question for her.’

Before Voren could respond, Daisy’s bitter voice cut across the hall.

"I hate her." Her glare locked onto Seraphine with pure venom. "I hate Sera because she stole my place."

Yes, as kids, she had found Seraphine as a competition, craving the things Seraphine had but after the knowledge of the swap, venom grew where desire had once lingered.

"I’m the Beta’s daughter, but she took everything that should’ve belonged to me." Hatred twisted every feature on her face until she barely looked human. "And—"

Her words stopped abruptly. She bit down hard on her tongue, forcing the rest back. There was one secret she refused to reveal no matter what.

The spell that had erased Seraphine’s memories of Voren was the one secret Daisy refused to let slip, no matter how much pressure closed in around her.

If Voren ever learned the truth, he would despise her even more than he already did, and that thought alone was enough to keep her mouth shut.

No. She couldn’t risk it. If she somehow survived tonight, she would track down that witch again. There had to be a way to undo everything and take back what she still believed was rightfully hers—Voren.

Yes. With the Blood moon festival a month away, it wouldn’t be hard at all to convince the witch to swap her mate bond with Seraphine’s. It wasn’t wrong to want what belonged to Seraphine.

After all, Seraphine only ever attracted the best things in life, and Daisy had spent years watching those good things land in her hands while she was left with nothing but scraps. "And what?" Ravyn’s voice sliced through the quiet hall like a blade.

His eyes were still red from crying, but the warmth that once existed inside them had completely vanished.

Fragments of old memories resurfaced one after another, the injuries, the accusations, the lies that had poisoned every year of his marriage.

It was even due to Daisy’s fears of having her pup become an illegitimate heir to the leadership of the pack that he convinced himself that Seraphine’s pup must die.

Having a boy made it even better, and he convinced himself that a boy was better than a girl, so his decision was the best and now? Only regret settled where confidence had once gained comfort.

His jaw clenched so tight a muscle jumped in his cheek. "So... the night Seraphine left this pack... you really stabbed yourself?"

He hoped it wasn’t the case, recalling how easily he stood protectively with Daisy, even instructing Corvine to throw Seraphine into the dungeon.

He also recalled how he had followed Seraphine to his parents’ residence to force her to return just to give Daisy her blood.

Now, his sins were just too much, and he didn’t know how to even ask for her forgiveness.

Daisy lifted her chin without an ounce of shame. "That’s right." A smug smile spread across her lips. "And I stopped needing her blood when I turned eight. I simply enjoyed draining it from her."

Several people gasped at the casual cruelty in her voice. Those who once supported her against Seraphine were now ashamed.

"Anyone who cared about her became my target." Daisy’s eyes swept across the crowd, cold and proud. "I fired some, and I forced others to quit." Finally, her finger landed on Nicole. "People like her." Then it moved toward Callum. "And him."

Nicole’s face was calm, glad that finally, Daisy was owning up to her sins. Callum equally had a satisfied smile on his face.

Ravyn closed his eyes for a brief moment, as if bracing himself against the full weight of the truth. When he looked at Daisy again, every last trace of affection had disappeared from his face.

His voice became frighteningly cold. "Since you enjoy draining Sera’s blood... we’ll return the favor." He paused, as if thinking of something before declaring, "in the dungeon." Someone like Daisy did not deserve a quick death. She’ll have to pay for since every single day.

His eyes flickered toward Damon. "Sliver chain," he requested, but that was the final thread holding Daisy together.

The only person she had prepared the dungeon for was Seraphine and now Ravyn wanted to put Daisy there? Over her dead body.

Something inside her snapped with an almost audible force, a savage growl ripped from her throat as she began to shift, not allowing a complete transformation before lunging toward Seraphine with lightning speed, teeth bared and eyes wild with pure hatred.

But a certain someone, was even faster...