’Do you regret it now?’ Axel’s voice cut through Ravyn’s mind, stripped clean of every trace of sarcasm, and left with nothing but raw disappointment.

Tears blurred Ravyn’s vision until the room swam. His chest locked up so tight that every breath felt like it was being dragged through broken glass.

’Why didn’t you tell me?’ His voice through the mindlink was filled with regret.

Axel stayed quiet for a beat, then let out a long, tired sigh that seemed to carry years of frustration with it.

’You never wanted to hear a single bad word about her. Every time I tried to warn you, you shut me out cold. I kept telling you to have a shift with her, to know the kind of wolf she had, but whenever she came up with another excuse you just swallowed it without a second thought. You brushed off every single warning I gave you, and now look where that got us. We’re trapped because she’s carrying our pup.’

Axel knew that even if Ravyn kept Daisy in the dungeon, he would still kill her slowly over a few days but with their pup on the way, they could not do that. After at most three months, they would have to take her out of the dungeon for the sake of the growing pup.

Fenrir wolves were supposed to be banished and whenever their human was bitter, angry or jealous, it made them stronger.

No!’ Ravyn roared inside his own head, refusing to accept the nightmare unfolding in front of him. To have his heir from a Fenrir wolf?

Impossible. How does he get Seraphine back then? No, he couldn’t accept it. ’There’s got to be another way out of this. Please... help me.’

Axel almost couldn’t believe what he was hearing. For the first time in years his stubborn human wasn’t arguing back. He was asking. Hell, he was begging.

"Then listen to what the Fenrir is saying. She keeps dropping pieces of the truth like breadcrumbs. We might actually dig up the answers we’re looking for if we pay attention, but don’t you dare lower your guard for a second. She’s unpredictable as hell. Nobody knows when she’ll decide to attack again."

Before Ravyn could sort through the chaos spinning inside his head, Voren stepped forward and took full control of the moment.

This wasn’t just another confrontation anymore. The Fenrir was about to go after Seraphine again.

"Damon, get wolfsbane." If the Fenrir had grown stronger than silver, then wolfsbane would do the trick.

The command cracked through the air like a whip, Voren’s icy stare never left Daisy as Damon scrambled to follow the order. The silver hadn’t slowed the Fenrir down the way it should have, and Voren wasn’t about to risk giving her another opening.

The second Damon moved, Daisy’s wolf exploded with pure fury.

"Alpha Voren, stay out of this."

Her voice rumbled with an inhuman power that made the walls feel like they were vibrating under the force of it.

Voren didn’t so much as blink.

"You attacked my wife. That makes this my business whether you like it or not. If I have to kill right here and right now, believe me, I won’t hesitate for a second."

Pure rage detonated out of Daeva, Daisy’s wolf.

"You’re the reason my human turned into this monster in the first place. But if you honestly think wolfsbane is going to weaken me..." A cruel smile stretched across Daisy’s lips. "Go ahead, give it a shot."

A faint crease formed between Voren’s brows. "What the hell does any of this have to do with me?"

Inside their shared mind Daisy fought desperately for control, shoving against Daeva with everything she had left. It felt like trying to hold back a tidal wave with nothing but bare hands.

’Stop it!’

’It’s too late, Daisy.’

The Fenrir’s laughter rolled through her mind, dark and cold. ’This ends today. That man despises you, so stop clinging to those pathetic fantasies. He will never want you.’

’But the Blood Moon Festival...’

Desperation flooded Daisy’s thoughts. She only needed a little more time, just long enough to survive until the festival. ’I already have a plan.’

Daeva answered with another icy laugh and ignored Daisy completely, locking eyes with Voren instead.

"If my human hadn’t gotten so obsessed with you, I never would have stepped into her life at all. Because of you she went down a path of one evil act after another. Now she’s pregnant, and thanks to that..." Her smile widened with pure sinister satisfaction. "Wolfsbane won’t weaken me."

Ravyn’s jaw clenched so hard it felt ready to crack right down the middle. Every muscle in his body trembled with a fury that had nowhere to go.

Before anyone could react, he lunged forward and drove his fist straight into Daisy’s face. The impact snapped her head sideways. Blood spilled from the corner of her mouth.

Yet Daeva only laughed, a deep, mocking sound that sent chills racing through everyone in the room.

"The biggest mistake you ever made was getting her pregnant. Because of that..." her eyes gleamed with triumph, "you can’t banish us, not until the pup is born."

Ravyn stumbled back, feeling completely lost. Every answer only uncovered another nightmare. Every revelation tore another piece out of the life he thought he knew. His mind had gone completely blank.

Seeing the confusion eating him alive, Voren ignored everything else and fixed Daeva with a piercing stare. "I only want the answer to one question."

The room fell dead quiet. "How did you erase Sera’s memories of me?"

The question hit Daisy like a lightning strike. Her entire body locked up, as fear flooded her eyes.

That wasn’t something Daeva had done. That had happened years ago, long before she ever received her wolf.

Panic seized her throat. She tried to keep her mouth shut, but the words slipped out before she could stop them.

"You... knew all along?"

Ravyn’s head snapped toward Voren. Shock, confusion, and a growing dread twisted across his face until it felt like the ground had vanished right out from under him. The secrets just kept piling up. Every answer only revealed another lie.

His voice came out strained as his eyes searched Voren’s face. "Voren... what the hell is going on here?"