Daisy had idea about anything pertaining to MindNest because, her phone had been confiscated by Alpha Ravyn. Even if she had it, it was unusual for her to have checked the news in the city.

Now, standing there with Damon’s phone in front of her, she realized just how much she had overlooked. The media clips played back to back, voices blending into one another as they spoke about its overwhelming success, the rapid expansion, the way investors were already celebrating massive returns, and with every passing second, something inside her seemed to sink deeper, heavier, like the ground beneath her confidence was quietly crumbling without warning.

Then her eyes caught something that made her breath falter.

It lasted no more than a fleeting moment, barely two seconds, easy to miss if she had blinked at the wrong time, but she didn’t, and that brief capture was enough to change everything she thought she understood.

Seraphine stood beside Voren, composed, equal, untouchable in a way Daisy had never imagined.

The color drained from Daisy’s face almost instantly, her fingers curling slightly at her sides as disbelief tightened around her chest, because this wasn’t just proximity or coincidence.

It meant connection, power, influence, all the things she had convinced herself Seraphine no longer had.

"They’re actually business partners?" she asked, her voice unsteady despite her effort to sound composed, the disbelief slipping through no matter how hard she tried to contain it.

"Now you know," Damon replied calmly as he took the phone back from her, his tone even but carrying a quiet weight that made his words sink deeper than they should have.

"She refused to go into business with Ravyn, and it’s been bothering him more than he lets on, especially since everyone who invested in her is now talking about how much they’ve gained."

He didn’t mention his own involvement, didn’t say anything about the role he played in that success, but he didn’t need to, because Daisy’s reaction spoke volumes. The shock in her eyes, the flicker of envy she couldn’t hide, the quiet panic beginning to creep in, all told him he had hit exactly where it hurt the most.

✿◕‿◕✿ 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Inside the car, Voren remained silent after forcing Seraphine into the passenger seat, his hands steady on the wheel as he drove, yet the stillness surrounding him felt different from what she expected. There was a calmness to him that didn’t belong here, something he usually only carried within the boundaries of the city, where his wolf remained subdued and the chaos inside him didn’t claw so insistently for control.

And yet, here he was, miles away from that environment, carrying that same quiet steadiness as though something had anchored him in place.

Seraphine didn’t question it, not out loud, but the awareness lingered as she leaned back slightly, her gaze drifting ahead until she noticed the subtle change in the car’s movement.

Voren’s eyes flicked toward the rearview mirror, and almost immediately, the speed began to drop, slow enough to draw her attention fully.

Her brows furrowed, irritation slipping into her tone as she turned toward him. "What are you doing?" she asked, her voice firm, laced with impatience. "This isn’t a safe area, so if you’re planning to stop, don’t. I’d rather you keep driving until we get to the hotel."

At that moment, that was all she wanted. A proper meal, a long shower to wash away the tension clinging to her skin, and the kind of sleep that didn’t come easily but felt earned after everything she had dealt with.

"Your ex-husband is behind us," Voren replied, his voice calm, almost detached, as though the situation didn’t carry the urgency she felt, even as his foot pressed against the brakes briefly before he made his decision.

Seraphine frowned, confusion threading through her expression. "What does he want now?" she asked, though the answer didn’t particularly matter to her.

"I’m going to find out," Voren said, already unclasping his seatbelt as he brought the car to a controlled stop before stepping out without another word, leaving no room for argument.

Seraphine let her head fall back against the headrest with a quiet exhale, choosing not to involve herself, because whatever was happening outside didn’t feel worth her energy, not when all she wanted was peace.

Just as she closed her eyes, her phone vibrated in her hand, pulling her attention away from everything else, and when she glanced down at the screen and saw Corvine’s name, she answered without hesitation, her focus pinned entirely to the call, unaware of the tension building outside.

✿◕‿◕✿

The moment Voren stepped out, Ravyn pulled over behind him, stopping along the roadside before stepping out to meet him, his expression already set with purpose as he approached.

Voren leaned casually against his car, his posture relaxed in a way that felt intentional, as though he had already decided how this interaction would unfold.

"Ravyn," he said, his tone carrying a faint hint of amusement that didn’t quite reach his eyes, "I’d rather not believe you actually followed me all the way out here."

Ravyn didn’t entertain the remark, his gaze steady as he closed the distance between them, his voice firm and controlled. "I came to stop you from making things worse," he said, the concern beneath his words harder to hide than he intended. "Your wolf is becoming harder to manage, and if you don’t return to the city soon, it’s going to turn into something you won’t be able to control."

"I’m fine," Voren replied without hesitation, his calmness almost unsettling in its certainty, because it didn’t match what Ravyn expected to see.

Ravyn paused slightly, caught off guard by the composure in front of him, because this wasn’t the tension he had sensed earlier, wasn’t the instability he had been preparing himself for. If anything, Voren looked grounded.

"Where is Sera?" Ravyn asked, his tone tightening just slightly as the question left him.

"In the car," Voren answered, his voice carrying a faint trace of boredom, as though the question itself didn’t hold much importance, before his attention returned fully to Ravyn. "Now, are you going to tell me why you’re really here, or are you going to keep pretending this is about concern? Don’t tell me you suddenly want your ex-wife back."

"No," Ravyn said quickly, but this time the certainty didn’t sit the same way, didn’t carry the weight it should have, his gaze faltering just enough to give it away. "It’s my responsibility to protect her, so I figured I should be the one taking her back."

"You don’t need to worry about that," Voren replied, pushing himself slightly away from the car, his tone steady as he continued, "because I have unfinished business with her—"

He didn’t get the chance to finish.

Both of them felt it at the same time, the air around them tightening as something dark and unmistakable crept closer, their instincts reacting before their thoughts could fully catch up, the awareness settling in like a warning they couldn’t ignore.

Ravyn’s expression hardened instantly, his senses locking onto the presence moving toward them, fast and aggressive, and when he finally spoke, his voice cut through the tension with sharp clarity.

"Rogues."