The more Voren thought about it, the less sense the whole situation made. He stayed right there beside Marigold’s bed, watching his little girl as a million thoughts swirled through his head.
It was weird enough that Seraphine had suggested changing Marigold’s na, but finding out that Marigold herself wanted to go by Esperanza was on another level.
The coincidence felt off, like there were too many puzzle pieces that just wouldn’t line up no matter how he tried to force them.
Seraphine and Marigold hadn’t exactly spent a ton of quality ti together. Sure, they’d t and talked a bit, but those monts had been short and surface-level, nowhere near enough for Seraphine to plant so wild new identity idea in a five-year-old’s head.
And the tiline made even less sense. Marigold had been scribbling the na Esperanza in her drawings way before Seraphine’s divorce, long before the woman had even stepped into their lives. There was no way she could’ve influenced sothing like that.
The deeper he sat with it, the more uneasy he felt. It wasn’t exactly fear, but more like staring at a half-finished puzzle where the missing pieces should make the picture impossible, yet the image was still starting to take shape anyway. The problem was, he had no clue what that picture was supposed to show.
"Daddy," Marigold said softly, pulling him out of his thoughts.
Voren looked down at her. Those big, observant eyes of hers were fixed on him again, the kind that always made him forget she was only five years old.
"I told you about the woman who shows up in my dreams," she continued.
He let out a sigh before he could catch it. Not this again. Those dreams had co up plenty of tis over the years, and while so of the details she described had turned out to be eerily accurate, Voren still had a hard ti wrapping his head around them.
Part of him kept hoping for so logical explanation, but another part knew logic never seed to stick when it ca to Marigold.
He ran a hand through his hair and leaned back a little. "Those strange dreams again?"
She didn’t seem bothered by the gentle skepticism in his voice. If anything, she looked a bit disappointed that he still wasn’t taking her seriously.
"When we go back to the pack, we should visit the shaman," he suggested. That felt like the safest bet—the middle aged woman had seen enough weird stuff over the decades that maybe he’d have so real answers this ti.
Marigold shook her head right away. "I want to stay there."
Voren frowned. "Stay where?"
"At the pack." She answered so fast it was clear she’d been thinking about this for a while.
His expression softened. As much as he got why she was drawn to pack life, the idea still made him uncomfortable. "Mari, I want you close to ."
The words ca out heavier with emotion than he’d ant them to. Being away from her sucked every single ti. Every business trip, every long eting, every obligation that pulled him away felt like soone was stealing precious ti from his life.
Marigold rolled her eyes in that way that made her seem way older than she was. "Then call Pera." She started counting on her fingers. "Or Espy. Or Anza. They’re all short for Esperanza."
Voren just stared at her for a few seconds before turning away and rubbing his temple.
Sotis he genuinely forgot she was only five. The way she talked, the way she reasoned through things, the way she argued her points—it was wild.
Most kids her age were obsessing over toys and cartoons, but Marigold was over here debating identity, destiny, prophetic dreams, and legal na changes. It was exhausting, and honestly, a little terrifying.
"Fine," he said with another sigh. When he looked back, she was already flashing this triumphant little smile. "But I think we should handle the legal stuff first. Your birth certificate still says Marigold."
That reminder took so of the wind out of her sails, though she nodded like she understood. For once, she didn’t push back, which probably should’ve been his first clue that sothing bigger was coming.
"You’ve done good by agreeing to marry Mommy," she said, sounding so serious it almost made him laugh. Almost. "But it has to happen quick. And you need to get her pregnant too."
The words hit him like a truck. "Mari!" His voice ca out way louder than he intended.
She blinked at him all innocent-like while Voren sat there feeling like he was having so kind of parental ltdown. "Goddess above," he muttered, covering his face with his hand. "You’re way too young to be talking about stuff like that."
Marigold just looked confused about why he was freaking out. The crazy part was, her words had struck closer to ho than she probably realized.
Because deep down, he did want all of that. He wanted to marry Seraphine as soon as possible, wanted her by his side for good, and wanted the future they’d been robbed of for so many years. Still, hearing a five-year-old lay it out like that was enough to make any parent squirm.
Voren lowered his hand and stared at her. "You really gotta stop surprising like this."
She just shrugged, completely unapologetic. "The woman told ."
All the amusent drained from his face in an instant. "The woman?"
Marigold nodded. "The woman from my dreams."
A chill ran down his spine. He didn’t necessarily buy every detail, but he couldn’t ignore how often her dreams lined up with reality in ways that didn’t make sense. "What exactly did she tell you?"
She played with the edge of her blanket as she answered. "She said if you don’t do these things, your love for her won’t be enough."
The words landed heavy between them. Voren felt a knot twist in his stomach. They didn’t sound like a threat, but so important, like they carried weight he wasn’t ready to understand yet.
He stayed quiet for a mont. Had he been neglecting her? The question popped up out of nowhere. Between running all his businesses, handling pack issues, political stuff, and security matters, his days were nonstop.
Maybe he hadn’t been giving her enough of his ti. Maybe he’d missed signs he should’ve caught earlier. The guilt hit him hard.
Marigold had always been way too understanding for a kid her age. She barely complained, rarely asked for attention, and almost never acted out. Most parents would call that a blessing, but sotis Voren wondered if it was actually a red flag.
He reached over slowly and brushed a strand of hair from her face. "Mari... can you describe this woman?"
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