Chapter 492 A dare is a dare

Ravyn clenched his jaw so hard it ached and slowly pushed himself up from the stool, his whole-body tense with frustration.

Tomorrow was supposed to be their coronation day, the moment everything finally came together.

Yet here Seraphine stood, cool as ice, demanding that Daisy strip right there in front of the entire pack and kiss the damn ground like some kind of public humiliation.

Yeah, Daisy had kicked off the bet. She’d been the one tossing out those wild challenges left and right. But wasn’t Seraphine supposed to be the kind one deep down?

Wasn’t she the same girl who used to donate her own blood without hesitation just to keep Daisy alive?

The memory hit Ravyn like a punch to the gut as he stared at her, his eyes burning with a messy storm of frustration, disbelief, and leftover hurt.

“Sera…” His voice came out low and rough, almost pleading as it carried across the gathering. “You cared about Daisy once. The two of you were actually close back then. You even gave your blood to save her life numerous times.”

He swallowed hard, the words tasting bitter. “I know I hurt you bad when I chose her over you. If you still hate anyone, let it be me. Don’t take it out on her like this. We can figure something out together, please.”

The gentle tone he used to save only for Daisy echoed through the air, full of raw emotion.

But instead of softening Seraphine’s heart, every single word felt like another knife twisting deeper into her chest, ripping open old wounds and pouring salt on them until the pain burned hotter than ever.

Before she could fire back, Athaliah shoved her stool back and stood up tall. One perfectly arched brow shot up as she looked at Ravyn like he had completely lost his mind. “Did I hear that right?”

Her voice dripped with total disbelief and disgust. “You donated blood to that bitch, and she still stole your man?” Athaliah let out a sharp, humorless laugh that cut through the tension. “Goddess, why am I even wasting my time sitting here listening to this nonsense?”

She crossed her arms tight across her chest. “This Alpha and his little mistress have zero shame.”

“She’s right,” Prince Jasper added, his face growing colder by the second. “Alpha Ravyn spent all this time painting Luna Sera as the villain. But by your own words, she’s done nothing but help both of you. From the looks of it, she was also the brain behind the pack’s finances and that’s why her leaving affected you all so much.”

“The prince has a point,” Alpha Oren chimed in next, his eyes filled with heavy disappointment as he stared at Ravyn like he barely recognized the man standing there anymore.

The crushing weight of everyone’s stares pressed down on Ravyn until he wished he could snatch every word back and swallow them whole.

Beside him, Daisy dropped her head low, shame flooding through her so strongly she prayed the ground would crack open and swallow her alive right then and there.

Trying desperately to recover, Ravyn jumped in again, his voice turning firmer. “That was years ago.” He pointed straight at Seraphine, his face hardening with anger. “Sera has done terrible things too. She bullied Daisy nonstop. She even attacked her… and stabbed her right in front of me.”

For one fleeting second, Seraphine seriously considered spilling everything. She could lay out every single thing Daisy had done, expose all the lies, all the betrayals, and every filthy secret right there in front of the Alphas.

But no, tomorrow was the coronation. Today, she had a very important wish to make and did not want any drama to ruin it.

Also, Daisy hadn’t been crowned Luna yet. If Ravyn broke things off with her now, his full strength and power would be restored, and that wasn’t what Seraphine wanted at all.

She needed Daisy crowned first, needed that coronation to lock them together so that when the truth about her and Voren finally exploded, Ravyn would feel the full devastating pain of losing absolutely everything and still being stuck with Daisy, his greatest weakness.

Seraphine met his gaze calmly, keeping her voice steady. “You’re right. I did everything you just accused me of.”

She didn’t bother denying a single thing. “And in case you’ve forgotten, I’m no longer a member of your pack.” Her eyes slid over to Daisy with icy precision.

“The only thing that matters today is that she lost the bet. So she can either strip on her own, or I’ll make sure she does it another way.”

Ravyn’s fists balled up so tight his knuckles turned bone-white, his chest heaving with every furious breath.

“Sera…” Disappointment and heartbreak clouded his eyes completely. “When did you become so heartless?”

Every time he thought he caught a glimpse of the kind girl he used to know, she slammed the door shut and reminded him exactly why he had stopped believing in her.

Seraphine stared back at him in pure disbelief, her own emotions flaring hot. “Excuse me?”

Before she could get another word out, Athaliah stepped forward again, fierce and unapologetic. “You don’t owe anyone an explanation.”

She glanced at Seraphine with solid support, “If you bullied that bitch…” before turning back to Ravyn. “She probably deserved every bit of it. And if you stabbed her…” She shrugged, not a single drop of regret in her expression. “You should’ve twisted the knife for me.”

Several people around them fought hard to hide their shocked reactions, but Athaliah looked dead serious. “I don’t believe you acted without a reason. And if the situation were reversed, every single one of you would’ve demanded that Sera complete the punishment.”

“Exactly,” Corvine said, folding his arms with finality. “A dare is a dare. They have to accept the consequences.”

“I agree with Corvine,” Kael added with a firm nod. “The rules were clear from the very beginning.”

Ravyn stared at all of them in utter disbelief, his mind reeling. He couldn’t understand how everyone had turned against him and Daisy so completely.

Finally, his desperate eyes landed on Voren. “Voren…” There was raw desperation thick in his voice now. “Can you tell your Beta to stay out of this?”

He needed someone, anyone, to stand with them. But what happened next, nobody saw it coming.