Chapter 491 Don’t let her humiliate me like this
Ravyn felt his chest squeeze so tight it was like someone had punched him right in the ribs.
Seraphine had just stood there in front of the whole damn pack and straight-up declared that she loved Voren.
The words hit him harder than he expected, echoing in his head and stirring up a storm of confusion and frustration.
Was this whole thing still part of her twisted game, or had those feelings actually turned real after all the time she’d spent working right beside him?
He couldn’t wrap his head around why it was eating at him so badly, like a deep, gnawing ache that wouldn’t let go.
At first, he’d been rock-solid sure that Voren would never fall for her tricks—he trusted his friend completely.
But then Seraphine had backed Voren into a corner and forced that kiss, and now she was straight-up threatening his business to keep his mouth shut.
The more Ravyn turned it over in his mind, the worse the uneasy feeling got, twisting and growing until it felt like it was choking him.
What if she’d gotten way too much control over Voren? What if all those business ties had finally worn him down and he couldn’t push her away anymore?
The bitter thought settled heavy in his chest, making his stomach churn with disgust and worry.
Daisy and the other Lunas stood there completely stunned, their faces drained of color.
But then Daisy’s eyes suddenly sparked with a flash of hope as something clicked in her head. “But Alpha Voren never accepted your confession!” she blurted out.
Seraphine turned toward her with a slow, icy smile that sent chills down everyone’s spine. “And he never rejected me either,” she shot back, folding her arms across her chest with total confidence.
“As long as he doesn’t deny it, the bet still stands. That means you’re taking your punishment, sweetheart.”
Deep down, Seraphine already knew Voren wouldn’t dare reject her, but his acceptance of everything might just reveal their marriage prematurely and that would ruin everything.
That was the only reason she did not want him to open his mouth.
Daisy’s face crumpled in pure panic as she spun toward Ravyn, her fingers desperately clutching his sleeve. “Rav… please, you’ve gotta help me,” she begged, her voice cracking with raw fear. “You have to do something right now.”
She was certain that Ravyn would save the situation due to their impending coronation.
How would she be able to face all these people after stripping naked and kissing the floor?
Seraphine should have lost. She was the one deserving of it. Ravyn stared past her, locking eyes with Voren.
Honestly, this wasn’t even about Daisy anymore. The uncomfortable knot twisting inside him had grown so intense he couldn’t ignore it. He needed to hear the truth for himself, no matter how much it might hurt.
“Voren,” he called out, his voice steady but carrying the weight of everything he was feeling. “You don’t love her. So why don’t you just say it straight?”
It was a simple question. Once Voren admitted that he didn’t love Seraphine, then Daisy would automatically win the dare in spite of all Seraphine had done but before Voren could even respond, Seraphine jumped right in.
Her heart was hammering wildly in her chest, but her face stayed cool and composed like nothing could touch her.
“Think very carefully before you answer, Alpha Voren,” she warned, her smile looking sweet on the surface but hiding a razor-sharp threat underneath. “Your new investments still haven’t been finalized because you haven’t produced a next of kin. I can end our contract anytime I want.”
Hearing Seraphine mentioning a next of kin, Ravyn was happier because it meant that Seraphine had no idea Voren had a daughter named Marigold, which to him was a confirmation that Voren only considered Seraphine as a business partner.
A heavy silence fell over the entire gathering as everyone realized exactly what was going on. Seraphine was flat-out using the deal to pressure Voren, and she wasn’t even trying to hide it.
Voren glanced back at Ravyn with a helpless little shrug and a resigned smile that spoke volumes. “You see? My hands are tied.”
“No way!” Daisy stepped forward, glaring daggers at Seraphine as frustration boiled over into full-blown anger. Alpha Voren was so powerful so how could he cower to Seraphine?
If it were in the past, Daisy would have understood because Seraphine was the only girl Voren had eyes for.
But things had changed. Her memories had been wiped and her constant neglect of Voren had made the latter hate her too.
“That’s not fair at all. You’re blackmailing him into agreeing with you, and that’s straight-up cheating!”
Seraphine nearly burst out laughing at the accusation. Instead, she gave Daisy an amused, almost pitying smile.
“You told me to kiss him. I did. You told me to stand on top of that hill and shout that I love him. I did that too.” She shrugged, not showing even a flicker of guilt.
“The only thing that matters is that I completed every single challenge you threw at me. How I got there isn’t part of the rules. Maybe you should’ve picked another Alpha.”
Indeed, if Daisy had picked a different Alpha, then Seraphine would have been sweating.
Daisy clenched her fists so hard her knuckles turned white. The awful truth was she’d thought about asking someone else more than once, but every other option had seemed way worse.
Plenty of Alphas secretly wanted Seraphine, whether they admitted it or not, and the rest would’ve caved instantly to a beautiful she-wolf like her.
Voren had been the only one Daisy truly trusted because he hated women… or at least he used to. Now even he had failed her, or maybe Seraphine was just that damn good at pulling his strings.
Pure panic crashed over Daisy like a tidal wave. There was no way in hell she was stripping in front of everyone, and kissing the ground? Forget it.
Swallowing what little pride she had left, she grabbed Ravyn’s sleeve again, gripping it tighter than ever as her eyes filled with desperate tears.
“Rav… please,” she whispered, her voice soft and breaking. “I don’t care if you have to take her back. Just… please don’t let her humiliate me like this.”