The banquet hall went dead quiet the second Damon rushed over and snapped those enchanted chains around Daisy. The second they locked, her wolf started weakening fast, and even through the pain ripping through her she couldn’t hide the pure shock on her face.

Jealousy had hit her harder than the injury ever could.

Damon took one look at her and turned away with a simple intention. Let Daisy sit there, until every single word she’d just heard sink in until it ate her alive.

She wasn’t the only one left speechless.

Whatever was going on between Voren and Seraphine had just blown past the whole Fenrir-wolf revelation and become the bigger bombshell in the room.

Ravyn’s crude question wiped the warmth right off Voren’s face. His expression hardened into something ice-cold that could’ve frozen the whole hall solid.

Instead of answering, he reached through the mind link. ’Kael. Get Corvine over here.’

Corvine was already moving before Kael could even pass the message. The tension pouring off Ravyn was impossible to miss, and after years as his beta Corvine knew exactly what that look meant. When Ravyn’s temper snapped, nothing good ever followed.

He stepped up beside Voren without waiting for orders. Voren carefully moved Seraphine into Corvine’s arms, every movement slow and gentle so he wouldn’t jostle her even a little.

The second his eyes met hers, the hardness in them melted. "You need anything?"

The way he said it made the rest of the room disappear. Seraphine nodded, her stomach reminding her just how long this day had already been. "I’m starving."

She had no idea where he was going to find food right then, but she never once doubted he would.

Recognition flashed across Voren’s face. "Be right back."

Ravyn automatically started forward, but Corvine blocked him without hesitation.

"What’s your problem?" Corvine frowned. "He’s just getting her something to eat."

Ravyn’s brows pulled together. There was food everywhere in the banquet hall. So why hadn’t Seraphine eaten any of it?

Before he could ask out loud, Voren was already back with a small paper bag. The second Seraphine spotted it she wriggled until Corvine set her down, then snatched the bag with sparkling eyes.

When she peeked inside her whole face lit up. "Where did you get these?"

Voren couldn’t help smiling at the pure excitement on her face. "I’ll tell you later. Just let me know which one ends up being your favorite."

She nodded like a kid who’d just been handed the best present in the world. Inside were fresh pomegranates, kiwis, pears, and plums.

Corvine’s voice dropped, heavy with guilt. "I’m so sorry. I never saw that coming."

Who could’ve guessed Daisy would still launch an attack after spilling most of her secrets?

Seraphine gave him a small, steady smile. "It’s alright. I didn’t see it either."

Corvine wasn’t taking another chance. Instead of putting her back in her old seat, he walked her over to a chair between himself, Kael, and Prince Jasper. Without a word the three of them closed ranks around her like a wall. Anybody dumb enough to try something again would have to go through all of them first.

Only after Seraphine was settled and happily sharing the fruit with Athaliah and a few of the guys nearby did Voren turn back to Ravyn. His eyes stayed sharp as he reached over and yanked his phone out of Ravyn’s hand.

"Watch your language, Ravyn."

A low growl rolled up from deep in his chest. "Or you’re going to get an answer you really don’t want."

Ravyn swallowed the anger that was ready to boil over. When he spoke again his voice was steadier, but the frustration underneath hadn’t gone anywhere.

"Are you two together? What about Coco? You never told me the two of you got back together."

They’d been best friends for decades. Ravyn knew exactly where Voren drew the line. Last night Voren had let Seraphine kiss him. Now he was treating her with a kind of care that couldn’t be written off as simple friendship. None of it had escaped Ravyn’s notice.

He’d already started figuring out how to get Seraphine back. Even if she was married, he figured a human could never really fit into pack life. If she gave him another shot, he’d even prepared himself to share her with Leon.

Walking away had never been an option. All he’d wanted was one chance to talk to her once Daisy was locked in the dungeon.

Now Voren was standing square in his path, and Ravyn hated every second of it.

A faint smile tugged at the corner of Voren’s mouth. There wasn’t a shred of hesitation in it.

"No."

The single word came out calm and sure, relief hit Ravyn hard. That sounded more like the Voren he knew. His best friend would never date his ex-wife.

Competing with a human for Seraphine was something Ravyn believed he could handle. Going up against another werewolf... that would’ve been a whole different fight.

Then Voren finished the thought. "Sera isn’t someone I’m dating." Pride filled his eyes as they drifted over to the woman happily eating her fruit. "She’s my legal wife... and the same woman you’ve been staring at on my lock screen."

A wave of stunned whispers swept through the banquet hall. A lot of the she-wolves suddenly realized they’d wasted every wish they’d ever made on something that was never going to happen. How was this even possible? What about the Alpha Code?

A disbelieving smile spread across Ravyn’s face. "No."

He let out a quiet laugh, convinced Voren was messing with him. "She’s married to Leon."

"She never told you that," Voren answered, voice still steady. "You assumed it, and she just let you believe whatever you wanted. Every answer she gave you was a what-if."

Ravyn slowly shook his head. That one gesture alone put a little hope back into the people still watching. Maybe something was off. Maybe Voren and Seraphine were nothing more than business partners.

"No." His eyes narrowed. "You’re only protecting her because she’s your biggest money source."

That was it. The last bit of Voren’s patience snapped. "Enough."

His growl rolled through the banquet hall like thunder. "Sera is mine."

His eyes swept every man in the room, carrying a warning none of them dared ignore. "And I’ll pluck the eyes of any man who dares to look at her the wrong way."

The words landed in the silent hall with absolute certainty. Voren stood there believing he was ready for whatever came next, but he couldn’t have been more wrong.

A fist came flying out of nowhere.