Chapter 461 How exactly did she save my ass?

“Rav,” Daisy called out, her voice soft. He looked at her. “Since Seraphine is already here, shouldn’t she be helping those paralyzed warriors? Doctor Raymond still hasn’t been able to do anything for them.” A hint of real dissatisfaction colored her tone.

Ravyn rubbed the back of his neck. “I already spoke to Voren about it. Doctor Ash will arrive after the festival.” His answer came out calm but Daisy wasn’t satisfied at all.

“So those warriors are supposed to miss the entire festival?” She looked genuinely bothered. “They’ve already suffered enough as it is.”

Ravyn let out a slow breath. He understood her concern, and he knew Seraphine would not help those warriors even if he gave her the pack. Still, he pushed himself to his feet. “I’ll go ask.”

Just then, another group hurried into the gym, brushing snow off their coats. Their excited voices instantly grabbed everyone’s attention.

“Did you see Alpha Voren and Princess Athaliah? They looked incredible together.”

“They’re such a powerful match.”

“They really do look like a future Alpha King and Queen.”

Not far away, Seraphine heard every single word. Her brows slowly knitted together as a sharp pang hit her chest. A second later, the entrance doors opened again.

Voren walked inside with Athaliah right beside him.

Seraphine’s eyes found them immediately. Something tight and painful squeezed inside her chest. At almost the exact same moment, Voren scanned the crowded gym and spotted Seraphine instantly.

Athaliah followed his gaze and landed on her too.

Without saying a word, both of them started walking straight in her direction. Then the gym suddenly fell into this unnaturally heavy quiet. Voren noticed it right away.

His sharp instincts screamed that something was off. He stopped walking halfway across the room.

Instead of heading straight to Seraphine, he casually turned toward a few nearby Alphas and greeted them like that had been his plan all along.

If Voren walked straight to Seraphine now, Athaliah would instantly know exactly who the woman he’d been talking about was. She was way too intelligent to miss what he was doing.

Without changing her expression one bit, Athaliah continued on alone. A warm, cheerful smile spread across her face as she stopped right in front of Seraphine.

Beside Voren, that familiar teasing voice slipped right into his ear like it always did.

“So, Alpha Voren,” Damon drawled, that signature grin pulling at the corners of his mouth. “How’s it feel to finally own up to what you’ve been feeling this whole damn time?”

Voren glanced back over his shoulder and spotted the smug look plastered all over Damon’s face. Even in a room crammed full of powerful Alphas, the guy still had the balls to poke at him like this.

“Anyway,” Damon went on, dropping his voice a little lower, “thanks for making me Gamma. That means way more to me than you probably realize.”

A small smile crept across Voren’s lips. “You earned it,” he murmured back. “You showed your loyalty to Sera long before you ever proved it to me. But honestly…” His eyes drifted across the crowded hall until they found Seraphine. “I wish you were standing closer to her instead of right here next to me. There are plenty of people I’d rather have keeping an eye on her right now.”

Damon caught on immediately to what Voren was really saying. Officially, he was supposed to stick close to Ravyn as her ally but looking out for Seraphine was more important to Voren. An idea clicked into place in his head right away.

“I’ll move over toward the other Betas,” he whispered with a confident little nod. “Not so close that it draws any unwanted attention, but near enough that I can get to her fast if something goes down.”

Then that playful grin slid right back onto his face.

“Oh, before I forget… I heard all the gossip floating around.” His eyebrows shot up in that teasing way of his. “Did you really let the princess ride in your car?”

Voren rubbed the bridge of his nose, a sharp flash of frustration cutting through him.

“It’s complicated as hell,” he muttered.

His gaze automatically swept through the crowd again until it locked onto Seraphine. She was chatting away with Athaliah, and just seeing that made something deep in his chest twist up painfully tight.

Every single rumor swirling around him and the princess suddenly roared louder in his head, stirring up a storm of unease that he couldn’t quite shake.

But Damon wasn’t done yet, not by a long shot.

“Your wife and the princess actually seem to be hitting it off pretty well.” He folded his arms across his chest, pure amusement sparkling in his eyes. “But I’ve known Sera enough to spot that look on her face. She’s just as damn good at burying what she’s really feeling as you are.”

Voren’s jaw clenched so hard the muscles stood out like cords under his skin, a hot wave of irritation surging through him.

“Shut the fuck up, Damon,” he growled lowly, so no one else except Damon could hear him.

Before Damon could fire back with something else, Bloodfang’s low growl echoed through Voren’s mind.

’Marsha is upset with us,’ he said in Voren’s mind, sounding genuinely sad. ’She’s pulled away.’

Voren’s heart plummeted straight down into his stomach. His chest squeezed so tight it felt like it might crack, a heavy rush of panic flooding every inch of him.

He didn’t waste even a second before reaching out to Seraphine through their mind link, his thoughts edged with raw worry. ’What are you talking about with Athaliah?’

His mental voice carried that hint of desperation. ’Didn’t you hear everyone going on and on about how she’s supposedly the perfect match for me?’

Seraphine’s amused little scoff brushed warmly against his mind, cutting through the tension like a lifeline.

’Oh, I heard every single word of it,’ she mind linked back. ’I was already planning to make you run a thousand laps around the grounds for that whole mess… but the princess swooped in and saved your ass in a way I didn’t see coming.’

Voren blinked hard in total disbelief, his pulse kicking up a notch.

’Saved me?’ Confusion flooded his thoughts. ’How?’

Then another wave of fear hit him square in the chest, making his heartbeat thunder even faster.

’Wait… are you sure a thousand laps is all the punishment I’m getting? You’re not thinking about leaving me… are you?’

A soft, genuine laugh echoed from Seraphine through the link, wrapping around him like a warm embrace.

’Leave you? Never,’ she answered instantly, without even a flicker of hesitation. ’It’s ride or die with you, remember?’

A powerful rush of warmth exploded through Voren’s whole body, chasing away every bit of that crushing tightness in his chest as sweet, overwhelming relief poured over him like a tidal wave.

’You can make me run a million laps if that’s what you want,’ he replied, warmth filling his heart. ’But losing you… I’d rather die a thousand times over than face that.’

Seraphine couldn’t hold back another soft chuckle that vibrated through their mind link, full of affection and playfulness.

Voren smiled to himself, the knot of anxiety finally loosening, but curiosity quickly took over again, burning bright.

’Now tell me… how exactly did she save my ass?’