The mention of Marigold softened Voren’s expression right away. A genuine smile found its way onto his face as thoughts of the little girl filled his mind.

Ravyn would never know that that little girl was his blood but Voren was glad that even the moon goddess chose him among the rest to be a father to Esperanza.

It was an honor he did not have the right words to explain.

"You still don’t get it, do you?" He looked at Ravyn with more disappointment than anger. "I thought you’d finally come to your senses, but there are still pieces missing." A faint chuckle escaped him. "That’s fine. I’ll refresh your memory."

His eyes drifted toward Seraphine for a second before returning to Ravyn. "When Sera chose you, I tried to replace her by finding someone who looked exactly like her."

He thought the resemblance of both women would give Ravyn a clue but clearly, it didn’t. There wasn’t any bitterness left in his voice, only honesty. "That’s what led me to Coco." His smile deepened.

"As for Marigold, Sera accepted her as her own daughter." He couldn’t hide the pride in his voice. "She even changed her name to Esperanza, and the two of them are bonding very well."

A wave of confusion swept across the banquet hall. Most of the guests couldn’t make sense of what they’d just heard. Only the handful of people who already knew the truth understood how everything fit together.

Even Daisy looked completely bewildered. Ravyn had never shared any of Voren’s personal business with her, so she had no idea who Coco even was. To everyone else the revelation sounded impossible.

The Alpha who’d spent years avoiding women had secretly built a family in the shadows.

Ravyn stood frozen as pieces that had never made sense before suddenly clicked into place. So that was it. Every time Voren claimed he was too busy to meet, he really had been busy. Just not with work. He’d been with Seraphine.

Surprisingly, Ravyn wasn’t shocked that Seraphine had accepted Marigold. After everything he’d witnessed today, he already knew she was preparing to claim Bryan as her own even though the boy wasn’t biologically hers. That was simply who she was.

Then another thought hit him hard. His eyes slowly widened. "Wait..." He stared at Voren. "What about Doctor Ash?" He was worried about the warriors and did not want to offend Voren further, especially when the latter had already ended their friendship.

The question hung heavy in the room. If Seraphine somehow was Doctor Ash, none of it made sense. For as long as Ravyn could remember, the rumors said that Doctor Ash had possessed extraordinary healing abilities. Seraphine had never shown anything remotely like that.

Voren let out a quiet scoff. "Who do you think I’ve been giving you excuses to not meet her?" His lips curved upward. "Doctor Ash is my Sera."

The hall erupted with another round of stunned whispers.

"I disguised her with a silicone mask because she wasn’t ready for our relationship to become public back then." His expression darkened. "And the reason she refuses to treat your injured warriors..." His icy gaze landed squarely on Daisy. "Is because Daisy was the one behind the chemical explosion."

The revelation struck the room like lightning. Every eye turned toward Daisy. The weight of her countless sins only continued to grow heavier.

Ravyn felt every ounce of color drain from his face. Slowly he turned toward the woman lying helpless on the floor, wrapped tightly in silver chains. His chest tightened until it hurt.

All he’d ever done was love her, and yet, day after day, she had destroyed his life piece by piece while pretending to love him back.

His voice cracked under the weight of pure betrayal. "Daisy, what did I ever do to you?"

By then Daisy’s heart had already shattered. Every scheme, every lie, every sacrifice, all of it had been for nothing. Despite everything she’d done to keep Voren and Seraphine apart, they had still found their way back to each other.

They had even become husband and wife so what was left to protect? When she spoke again, it wasn’t Daisy but rather her wolf.

"A Fenrir wolf cannot be caged." The unfamiliar voice echoed eerily through the banquet hall. "But you locked her inside that pack house." Its eyes fixed on Ravyn. "And don’t even think about killing her. If you do, the entire pack will be cursed."

Ravyn’s eyes widened and his breathing turned uneven. He was supposed to become the father of the pup she carried. In that moment he wished with everything in him that he wasn’t. Disgust filled his gaze.

"After everything she’s confessed, having slept with so many men," he shook his head over and over. "I can’t be the father of that pup."

How could he be the one to wash the plate, after so many men had eaten from it? Daisy herself stayed silent. Only her wolf answered him.

"Listen to yourself." Her mocking laughter rolled through the room. "Why don’t you have someone scan the pregnancy and find out exactly how far along she is? Since you locked us inside that pack house, no other man has touched her except you."

Her wolf’s voice turned bitter. "We were cursed never to belong to one man." Her lips curled into a cruel smile. "But you tried to make us yours only, and you got exactly what you deserved."

Ravyn’s legs finally gave out beneath him. He collapsed onto his knees as regret crashed over him in relentless waves, his hands trembled.

"I never hurt her..." his broken voice barely carried through the hall. "So why did both of you do this to me?"

Then something suddenly struck him as terribly wrong, his eyes narrowed. "How are you even talking? You’re bound in silver chains."

The question sent another uneasy silence through the banquet hall. Everyone immediately sensed something wasn’t right. It was clear that the Fenrir soon adjusted to the silver, becoming stronger when she was supposed to grow weak.

Her eyes slowly drifted toward Seraphine once again, ready to attack.