Chapter 300 – Stay away from that woman
"Back then? Oh yeah, by a pretty big margin," Voren said, like it was just a simple fact with no hurt pride showing in his voice at all.
"He was hands-down the strongest one in that whole group, and everybody knew it. But he was never an about it, I’ll give him that much. When I was going through a really rough patch and the senior Alpha boys kept giving a hard ti, Ravyn stepped in and handled it."
"He fought them for , and he even got pretty badly injured in the process. Once he healed up, he started training with and showed all kinds of techniques. He was a whole year younger than , but he still had my back, even when it ant going up against our seniors."
A complicated look crossed his face as the old mories ca back. "That’s how we got so close in the first place. That’s why for years I would’ve done anything for him. Because when I had nothing else going for in that place, he still chose as his friend."
Seraphine took all of it in quietly, turning the pieces around in her mind. It put a whole new light on sothing she’d always found confusing, that deep loyalty Voren had shown to a man she’d co to see as her biggest mistake. It wasn’t blind at all. It had real roots that went way back.
"And what about ?" she asked carefully.
The corner of Voren’s mouth twitched a little. "It was after we graduated from the cross-academy that I saw you for the first ti when I visited Ravyn. You were always around him back then."
He pursed his lips bitterly. "But Ravyn had zero patience for you. He told he liked your nanny’s daughter because she was soft and easygoing. Compared to you, he thought you were too wild and too outspoken for his taste."
"So, whenever you’d co looking for him and want to play or hang out, he’d put in his spot instead. Literally. He’d have wear the sa colors and clothes as him and send out to et you."
Seraphine’s mouth fell open. Then she closed it again. Then she pressed her hand over her face. Sothing had just hit her hard, and it was a painful realization as she rembered the pictures and videos on Voren’s phone.
"You’re telling ," she said from behind her palm, "that half the ti I thought I was hanging out with Ravyn—"
"You were actually with . Yeah. You loved Ravyn, but after spending ti with , you could tell the difference, and you started calling by my na." "That’s when I began recording those videos, because you didn’t care about Ravyn anymore after that."
"That’s how it all started," he said, doing a pretty good job of not looking too pleased with himself.
"And then it stopped feeling like an act for . You were this wild mix of things. So ambitious even at that young age, like you’d already decided exactly who you were going to beco, and the world just needed to hurry up and catch up to you. But you were also completely open and present, with no walls up yet."
He shook his head almost to himself. "I could listen to your plans and all your talks about the future without ever getting bored."
"And Ravyn?" Seraphine lowered her hand from her face. "When did he realize what was going on?"
"He knew the whole ti. He just didn’t care. You weren’t even on his radar the way you were on mine." Voren’s voice stayed careful. "He even congratulated for lifting his burden, and that’s why it hurt so much when you went right back to him after everything. But now I know it was because of the spell."
"Those videos, by the way. The ones you’ve been watching."
Seraphine nodded slowly as Voren dropped another stunning revelation.
"Ravyn was the one who fild most of them, but the ones at my pack were fild by my parents, and sotis my childhood friend who later beca my beta, Kael."
Voren studied her face as it changed with the news. Seraphine pressed her palm against her face again. "This is too much." Her voice ca out muffled.
Voren opened his mouth to reply, to say sothing comforting, when it hit her without any warning at all.
A sharp pain tore out of her abdon that she hadn’t ant to make, and she doubled forward a little, her hand flying straight to her abdon.
"Ah—it’s here."
Voren was sitting up straight in a flash, the whole conversation dropping away instantly as his full focus snapped right to her.
He looked at her face, and the color had drained out of it fast, turning that particular grayish white he recognized right away.
"Your period?"
Seraphine nodded tightly, jaw clenched hard, trying to ride out the first wave of pain.
Voren was already grabbing his phone. He pulled up his father’s contact and hit call, keeping his eyes locked on Seraphine’s face the whole ti it rang.
His father answered on the third ring.
"Dad." Voren kept his voice steady. "I need the antidote. I’m ready for it and Sera needs it right now."
What ca back through the phone wasn’t what he expected at all.
There was a pause. Then his father’s voice ca through, low and heavy with the tone of a man who’d seen enough in life not to waste ti softening blows.
"Seraphine Walker?"
It wasn’t really a question. More like confirming sothing he’d really hoped he’d heard wrong.
"Voren." His father’s voice dropped even lower when he didn’t get a response right away.
"How many more tis do you want your heart broken? How many more pieces do you have left to give?" There was a short pause before his voice ca out sterner. "Stay away from that woman."
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