Chapter 273: Chapter 273 – I wanted to apologize to you last night

’This is the absolute last time I’m asking you anything about outfits.’ Seraphine said to Marsha as she smoothed the front of her clothing one final time.

Marsha barely stirred. ’I’m going into a deep sleep anyway.’ A long, slow yawn rolled through her, the kind that stretched all the way to the bones. ’But for the record, it wasn’t just me making that call. His wolf asked what you were wearing, and I told him what I told you to put on. You both look good.’

Another beat of uncomfortable silence took over her mind before Marsha released another timebomb. ’And the next time you come back, make sure you’re carrying his pup.’

Seraphine moved to refute it but it was too late. Marsha had already blocked her.

Seraphine stood there for a second, blinking, equal parts annoyed and flustered, then grabbed her bag and moved.

She made it maybe four steps down the hallway before Voren caught the handle of her luggage right out of her grip.

"Leave it." No negotiation in his voice. Just quiet certainty.

She didn’t fight him on it. She let go and walked faster, eyes forward, scanning the lobby for any sign of Corvine’s arrival. The front doors opened and the outside air hit her, cool, carrying that particular scent of rain.

"Sera." Voren’s footsteps were right behind her. "Wait."

She kept moving but the car park was still empty and Corvine’s car wasn’t there yet, which meant she had nowhere to actually go. She slowed, stopped, and kept her eyes on the street.

Voren came around beside her, setting the bags down near his feet. "I wanted to apologize to you last night." His voice was different out here, less guarded. "But you were already out."

"For what exactly?" Her eyes stayed on the line of cars along the curb.

The wind came through then, blowing her hair sideways across her face in dark ribbons. She reached up to push it back but his hand was already there, no hesitation, no asking, his fingers brushing the strands gently away from her face and tucking them back.

She went completely still, taking a step back.

He noticed, respecting the fact that everything was too much for her. They needed a proper talk and he just could not say if this was the right place for it.

His eyes moved over her face with that focused, unhurried attention that made her feel like she was standing under a light she hadn’t agreed to stand under.

"Take off the sunglasses."

It wasn’t quite a request.

He pulled his own off first and when their eyes met, the air left her lungs in a quiet rush. His eyes had gone red. Not the soft kind of red that came with emotion.

It was a deep, saturated red that meant something was happening internally that he wasn’t saying out loud.

Her mouth opened.

Then she caught the flash of a familiar car turning into the lot and the moment broke apart.

Voren saw where her attention had gone and his jaw set, his fingers closed at his sides, slowly, like he was concentrating on keeping them still.

Corvine pulled up clean and easy, and before the engine had even fully cut out his door was open. He crossed the distance in three strides and pulled Seraphine into his arms the way someone does when they’ve been counting the hours.

"Sera." His voice was low, genuine, warm in all the ways that came naturally to him. "I missed you so much."

And she let him hold her. Not the rigid, reluctant kind of letting, the real kind, where her shoulders dropped and her body just settled into the embrace like it recognized it as safe.

That was what got Voren.

Last night he had gotten her tears and her dead weight against his chest because she had broken all the way down and had nowhere else to go. Corvine walked up on a regular day and got her soft and whole and willing.

"Alpha Voren." Corvine glanced over after stepping back, his expression easy and unbothered. "Thank you for taking care of her."

Voren said nothing.

Corvine didn’t seem to need a response. He loaded the luggage into the trunk, opened the passenger door for Seraphine, and within two minutes they were pulling out of the lot.

Voren stood there and watched them go. Then he walked to his own car.

When they turned left instead of toward where he expected them to head, he followed.

"Sera." Corvine’s eyes flicked briefly to the rearview mirror. "Voren’s behind us."

Seraphine turned her face toward the passenger window. The trees reflected in her sunglasses. "Ignore him."

Corvine’s shoulders lifted once and dropped. Eyes back on the road. "This Tallulah, you’re sure about her?"

"Yes." No hesitation. "Get Emery to help her find her footing in the city. Get her everything she needs and have them stay together until Tallulah’s ready to stand on her own."

Her fingers laced together in her lap. "Ravyn’s hosting another moon festival. I’m going to walk in there and blow the whole thing up by putting Daisy right in the middle of the floor for everyone to see. But that’s secondary. And oh, Raul is Bryan’s father."

"Excuse me." Corvine almost stepped on the brakes but Seraphine only chuckled and explained everything slowly. Her voice went flat, something quieter moving through it. "Finding her comes first."

Corvine exhaled through his nose, and there was real satisfaction in it. "I cannot wait to watch his entire world fall apart piece by piece."

The corner of Seraphine’s mouth lifted. Not warmth exactly. More like someone who had been patient for a very long time and could finally see the end of the road.

"And the moment it starts going down, Damon pulls his investment and hands in his resignation. Everything at once."

Corvine shook his head slowly with something close to admiration. "I genuinely love this side of you. The terrifying scheming side." He checked his mirrors once, then again. "Hey, would you mind if I stopped for a run? I won’t be long. Just need to let him out for a bit."

Seraphine went quiet.

She thought about it and felt the small uncomfortable recognition of how much Corvine had rearranged his life around her without complaint. He had walked away from his pack for her.

"Stop the car." Her voice was gentle. "I’ll wait. Leave your things inside, I won’t look."

Corvine pulled over and glanced sideways at her. "You don’t have to turn away. You’ve seen me naked plenty of times."

"That was wolf training."

"Still counts."

Those sessions had always been hers to lead. Ravyn had never shown up for a single one, always somewhere else. It had been her and Corvine and the rest of the pack in the early mornings, mud and shifting bones and laughter when someone landed wrong.

Corvine stepped out and behind them, a car door opened.