Chapter 83 I messed up

After the chaos in his life finally settled down and the noise around him faded for the first time in days, Voren had managed to get a few solid hours of sleep.

It was not much, but it was enough to clear his head. The second he woke up, before he even properly stretched, his phone was already lighting up with security alerts from the surveillance system at Bohemian Grove.

The notifications stacked one after another across his screen like they had been waiting for him.

He did not ignore them.

He got up immediately, showered quickly, dressed in a sharp black suit that matched the kind of room he was about to walk into, and headed out. It was only once he was in the car that he finally opened the footage.

The moment Seraphine’s face appeared on his screen, he exhaled slowly.

Trouble.

Not small trouble.

The kind of trouble that always involved Ravyn losing control.

Voren had promised himself he would not interfere in whatever twisted dynamic Ravyn and Seraphine had going on between them. Their marriage had ended. Their war should have ended with it. But he knew Ravyn. Pride ran his emotions more than logic did, and if Seraphine provoked him in public, he would react before thinking.

And that would cost him.

So Voren stepped in.

He arrived just in time to catch Ravyn’s raised hand before it landed on Seraphine’s face. Attention was drawn to Ravyn and Seraphine in a way that no one noticed Voren walking in.

Unlike Ravyn, Voren had not forgotten what Seraphine was capable of. He had not forgotten the way she had drained him financially before. He was still feeling that loss. The woman looked harmless, but she was anything but.

What he did not expect was the way Ravyn turned to him, eyes flashing with something that looked almost like betrayal.

“Do you even know what she did?” Ravyn demanded, his voice tight.

“It doesn’t matter,” Voren said flatly as he forced Ravyn’s arm down.

At the same time, Leon pulled Seraphine back to his side protectively.

Voren grabbed Ravyn by the shoulder and steered him a few steps away from the center of attention. His tone dropped low, controlled but sharp. “What exactly are you doing? Can’t you see she’s setting you up again? This feels like another trap to bleed you dry.”

Ravyn went still.

For a second, the anger drained from his face and was replaced by thought. In his mind, as long as he did not provoke her, she would not come after him.

That had been his logic. But standing there, replaying the moment in his head, he could see it now.

The public argument.

The witnesses.

The raised hand.

If he had hit her, even slightly, she would have had every excuse to go after his money again.

“She cornered me,” Ravyn muttered under his breath, frustration mixing with realization. “But you’re right. I almost walked straight into it. I’m sorry.”

“You almost did more than that,” Voren replied, disappointment clear in his tone. “You’re supposed to be hosting this. I expected you to act like a leader, not lose control in front of everyone.”

The words hit harder than he probably intended.

Ravyn looked genuinely remorseful for a moment. The way Voren had stepped in, so firm, so immediate, had thrown him off balance. For a brief second, a ridiculous thought had crossed his mind that Voren might have been defending Seraphine because he cared about her.

But that thought died as quickly as it formed.

This was Voren.

The man who had no feelings for women, human or wolf. The man who treated relationships like unnecessary complications. What had he been thinking?

“I messed up,” Ravyn admitted quietly.

“You did,” Voren replied without sugarcoating it.

Then he turned back toward the room, posture straightening instantly, expression smoothing into calm authority. “Apologies for the false start,” he announced, his voice carrying effortlessly across the space. “And apologies for my late arrival. The night officially begins now. Talk business, exchange ideas, and enjoy yourselves.”

The shift in atmosphere was immediate.

The difference between Ravyn and Voren became painfully obvious. Ravyn commanded like a boss who expected obedience. Voren led like someone people naturally followed.

Music filled the space, low and sophisticated, blending into the hum of conversations restarting. Laughter returned. Glasses clinked.

Mark Whitmore approached Voren almost immediately, shaking his hand firmly. “I’m glad you made it.”

“So am I,” Voren replied smoothly.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Leon picking up a drink and handing it to Seraphine, his attention soft whenever he looked at her.

“Excuse me,” Voren said politely to Mark before walking toward them.

He stopped in front of Leon. “Leon Hawthorne, right?”

Leon turned, offering a confident handshake. “Mr. Ashkael. We meet again.”

Even among men dressed in perfectly tailored suits, Voren stood out. It was not just appearance. There was something steady about him, something grounded.

“Your father spoke highly of you,” Voren said. “If you accept the position he’s offering, you’ll qualify for membership.”

Leon inhaled slowly before answering. “It’s been my dream, but you know my passion is medicine. I don’t know how I can manage a corporation that size and still give my patients the time they deserve.”

“It’s not impossible,” Seraphine cut in smoothly. “Not if you surround yourself with the right people and delegate properly.”

Leon turned to look at her, completely captivated. It was not just her beauty. It was the confidence in her voice, the intelligence behind her words.

Voren noticed that too. Then something else clicked in his mind. “Sera,” he said, studying her more closely. “How exactly did you get in here?” She had changed so much from the last time they met, as if she had been sleeping in milk and honey.

However, she was the last person he expected to see at a gathering like this, and knowing her personality, she would never agree to come as someone’s arm candy.

Leon cleared his throat lightly. “I should’ve clarified. She’s my girlfriend. I was actually wondering how you two know each other.”

Girlfriend.

The word lingered in Voren’s mind longer than it should have. Now he understood why Ravyn had lost control.

Was Ravyn jealous? No. Ravyn loved Daisy. Everyone knew that.

But Seraphine being here, attached to a human, was unexpected. And for her to choose a human at that, was she trying to prove something, or was she truly moving on?

“That’s… interesting,” Voren said slowly. “How long have you two known each other?”

He did not miss the brief flicker of tension that passed between Leon and Seraphine.