Chapter 487 Spin the bottle

Before Seraphine could even get a word out, Alpha Dante, Luna Joyce’s husband, jumped right in, his voice slicing straight through the thick tension that was building up.

“This isn’t fair at all,” he said, his eyes moving over the whole group before locking onto his wife. “Luna Sera never even touched that drink. If she doesn’t like what’s in the cup, forcing her to drink it won’t prove a damn thing. We need to come up with something else for the first candidate.”

He wasn’t standing up for Seraphine because he suddenly felt all warm and fuzzy toward her. Hell no. He just really hated the way this whole situation was heading.

Ravyn and a bunch of other Alphas had already filled him in on exactly who Seraphine really was. Even Riven and Gray, those two who’d lost their Alpha titles after what they pulled on her during the Sovereign Circle meeting had grumbled bitterly about how badly they’d paid for underestimating her.

The absolute last thing Dante wanted was to watch his own wife humiliate herself by starting a fight she had zero chance of winning.

Joyce’s sweet smile nearly shattered on her face. She hated that her husband had spoken up for Seraphine like that.

Knowing how weak he was for gorgeous women and how many mistresses he kept on the side only made her blood boil even hotter.

But she swallowed down that bitter rage, forced her lips back into a sugary smile, and asked, “So what do you suggest then, darling?”

Alpha Dante opened his mouth to answer, but it hit him that he hadn’t actually thought that far ahead.

Before he could fumble his way through a reply, Prince Jasper reached over with that easy, carefree attitude of his and snatched a bottle of vodka off the nearby table. “Spin the bottle,” he announced, his relaxed tone instantly pulling every single person’s attention his way.

He dumped the rest of the liquor into a glass, then tossed the empty bottle toward Luna Joyce.

She caught it clumsily, the hard smack stinging her palm like crazy. Pain flickered across her face for a split second, but she buried it fast behind another bright smile.

Right then, Daisy stepped forward with a burst of energy. “I’ll spin it,” she declared, her eyes sparkling with clear excitement. Only a handful of people caught the tiny, scheming smile that tugged at the corner of her mouth—she was definitely up to something.

She crouched down, set the bottle on the ground, and gave it a powerful spin. Everyone’s eyes followed as it twirled fast across the floor, going round and round in dizzying circles.

Then it started to slow… slower… until the neck of the bottle came to a dead stop, pointing straight at Seraphine.

A heavy silence dropped over the entire gathering. Even the cheerful music floating in from a distance seemed to grow quieter, like the night itself was holding its breath.

Daisy clapped her hands together, practically vibrating with joy she couldn’t hide. “Sera, looks like tonight is seriously your lucky night!” Her grin stretched wide. “But you still have to pick—truth or dare.”

“She—” Corvine started, but Seraphine calmly cut him off.

“Dare,” she said, relaxing like she hadn’t a care in the world. “I choose dare.”

The corners of Daisy’s mouth curved up into a dark, satisfied smile. Exactly as planned. She knew Seraphine would never pick truth in front of this crowd.

“The rules are simple,” Daisy said, folding her arms and acting like she just wanted everyone to have a good time. “This is all just a fun game to loosen things up.” She tilted her head and stared right at Seraphine. “I dare you to kiss Alpha Voren.”

The whole area went dead silent. The music might as well have stopped completely. People shot uneasy looks at each other, Ravyn’s frown deepened with clear disapproval at how far this game had spiraled.

Corvine dropped his gaze, barely hiding the smirk fighting to break free on his face. Athaliah stayed perfectly composed.

Unlike everyone else, neither of them looked even a little worried. They knew there was way more going on between Seraphine and Voren than any of these people could possibly imagine. They just sat back and waited for Daisy to make a complete fool of herself.

Seraphine rested her elbow on her thighs and gazed at Daisy with lazy, amused eyes. “And if I don’t?”

Daisy’s eyes lit up with triumph. She’d been dying for that exact question. “If you refuse…” she raised her voice so the whole crowd could hear, “then you have to strip completely naked and kiss the ground right here in front of everyone.”

Gasps rippled through the gathering like a shockwave. But Daisy wasn’t done yet. “Oh, and one more thing,” she added, her smile growing even brighter and more vicious.

“If you actually manage to kiss Alpha Voren, you have to climb all the way to the top of that hill over there and shout to everyone that you love him.” She pointed dramatically at the hill overlooking the party, pure satisfaction dripping from her words.

“And if he rejects you…” She gave a careless little shrug. “You still have to strip.”

Among werewolves, activities involving getting naked weren’t exactly shocking. Clothes got shredded in wars all the time after a shift, but this?

Standing there completely naked exposed in front of the entire gathering while everyone else stayed dressed? That kind of deep, burning humiliation would cling to a person for the rest of their life.

Daisy was absolutely sure she had already won. Seraphine’s massive pride would never let her climb that hill and scream her love in front of all these witnesses, not after what happened over a decade ago.

And even if she somehow worked up the nerve, Alpha Voren would never let her kiss him. Either way, it ended the same: Seraphine would humiliate herself in front of every Alpha, Luna, and important guest here tonight.

After this, Daisy figured Seraphine wouldn’t dare show her face in respectable circles ever again.

Instead of looking rattled, Seraphine let out a soft, bored yawn. She seemed completely uninterested, her calm eyes settling on Daisy in a way that made the other woman feel strangely uneasy.

Then a faint, confident little smile stretched Seraphine’s lips. “What happens to you…” she asked lazily, “if I kiss Alpha Voren and then climb that hill to tell everyone how much I love him?”