Marigold’s dreams had stopped being just cute kid stuff a long ti ago. Too many of them ca true, and the details matched reality way too closely. The shamans still couldn’t fully explain it.
Instead of answering right away, Marigold tilted her head back so she could look at him. Her eyes sparkled under the soft bedroom light. "When are we going to the pack?" she asked. "I want to attend the academy. I don’t want human school anymore."
That caught him off guard. Voren leaned back slightly, frowning. "I thought we already talked about this. You need human education too."
Marigold let out a dramatic groan that made him fight back a smile. "Tell the truth," he said, narrowing his eyes. "Has your tutor done sothing?"
She shook her head quickly. "No." The answer ca so fast he believed her imdiately. "Then what’s the problem?"
The little girl sighed heavily, the sound so exaggerated it almost made him laugh. "It’s boring. Because I already know everything before she even teaches it."
The confidence in her voice was total, not arrogant, just completely matter-of-fact, like she genuinely couldn’t understand why that wasn’t obvious to everyone.
Voren stared at her. This wasn’t the first ti he’d heard sothing like that. His shaman had spent years telling him that Marigold had unusual gifts, that her mind worked differently from other kids.
The problem was that the middle-aged woman had also insisted she needed her mother. Back then, Voren had shut that idea down imdiately. There was no universe where Coco would ever be allowed back into their lives.
He would’ve fought every Alpha on the continent before letting that happen. But the decision had co with consequences.
Marigold’s seizures had started not long after, and even now, rembering those episodes made sothing painful twist inside his chest. So happened during the day, others while she slept, most once or twice a day, or even more. Nothing had ever terrified him more than hearing his daughter cry out and not being able to stop her suffering.
It was part of why he’d been so furious when Jasmine sent Marigold to the hospital without talking to him first. At least, that’s how he’d felt at the ti. Looking back now, he couldn’t bring himself to regret it.
Because if Jasmine hadn’t done that, Seraphine might never have co into their lives. And strangely enough, ever since Seraphine showed up, the seizures had completely stopped. Not once. Not a single episode. The realization still blew his mind.
Maybe the shaman had been wrong about her needing Coco. Maybe she hadn’t needed her biological mother at all. Maybe she’d just needed the right mother.
Marigold tugged on his sleeve, pulling him back to the present. "Daddy."
"Hmm?"
"You stopped listening," she said, crossing her arms. "I was making important points."
That finally earned a chuckle from him. "Alright, let’s hear your important points."
She sat up straighter. "If I already know everything they’re teaching, why do I still have to go?"
Voren couldn’t imdiately argue with that logic. After a few monts, he nodded. "Fine. I’ll test you. A real test. If you actually know everything you’re claiming, then we can talk about skipping human school."
Excitent lit up her whole face. "Really?"
"Really." He held up a finger. "But moving permanently to the pack will take so ti. Your Mommy Sera and I have a lot of responsibilities here right now."
The ntion of Seraphine imdiately perked her up again, and a mischievous little smile spread across her face, one that looked way too familiar. Voren already knew he probably wasn’t going to love what ca next.
"Daddy?"
"Yes?"
"Are you going to marry Mommy?"
He laughed, no hesitation at all. "Of course."
That seed to satisfy her, but he still needed her to understand sothing. His expression softened. "Mari, Mommy Sera isn’t your biological mother. But she’s agreed to beco your legal mother."
Marigold stared at him for a few seconds, then frowned. Not an angry frown, but the kind kids make when adults say sothing obviously wrong. "Daddy," she said in that tone she used when she thought he was being ridiculous. "Mommy Sera is my mother."
Voren couldn’t help smiling. At this point, arguing felt pointless. "Alright. Whatever you say."
Satisfied with her victory, Marigold settled back against him. Voren brushed a hand gently through her hair. "You should get so sleep."
She groaned imdiately. "Daddy..."
"No argunts." He tried to look stern, but it only lasted about two seconds, especially when she gave him those big blue eyes. "I’ll prepare questions for your quiz tomorrow."
"Good," she said, pointing at him. "And don’t make them easy."
Voren laughed softly. "I’ll do my best."
He carefully lowered her back onto the bed and tucked the blankets around her. Marigold yawned, her eyes already starting to droop. Then a thought from his earlier conversation with Seraphine popped back into his head, and his expression turned thoughtful.
"Mari?"
She peeked out from under the blanket. "Yeah?"
"Would you like to change your na?"
The exhaustion disappeared in a flash. Marigold sat up straight, eyes wide with excitent. "Yes!" The answer ca so fast it nearly made him laugh. But then her excitent changed into frustration. "As a matter of fact, that’s exactly what I’ve been trying to tell you."
Voren frowned. "What do you an?"
She looked at him like he should already know. "My na isn’t Marigold."
The room suddenly felt very still. Voren’s smile slowly faded as the certainty in her voice hit him. It felt way too familiar.
"My na is Esperanza."
Everything inside him froze. For several long seconds, he just stared at her while goosebumps broke out across his skin and his pulse hamred in his chest.
The sa na. The exact sa na Seraphine had suggested only hours earlier. A na Marigold had apparently already written in her drawings long before anyone had talked about it.
A na that neither of them should have connected to the other. The coincidence felt impossible. Absolutely impossible.
Slowly, Voren sat down on the edge of the bed, his eyes never leaving his daughter. For the first ti that night, real unease crept into his chest. "Mari," he said, his voice quieter now, careful and asured. "Please be honest with . Who has been putting all these things in your head?"
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