Chapter 313: Chapter 313 – hope is what brought us here
Voren was straight-up disgusted by how bold Ravyn was being, but he shoved that feeling down deep before it could show on his face. Getting pissed off right now wouldn’t do a damn thing.
The Moon Festival was just two weeks away, and he’d already made up his mind about where his focus needed to be. There were way bigger things on the horizon, stuff that actually mattered, and he wasn’t about to waste his energy on someone like Ravyn.
All he needed was a little more patience.
Pretty soon, Seraphine would be wearing his ring. Once she officially became his wife, all the secrets would come spilling out into the open.
Every lie would get dragged into the light, and every person who’d ever looked down on her would finally have to deal with the truth. When that day came, he planned to make sure the entire werewolf world saw exactly who Seraphine really was.
He was going to give her the most incredible Luna coronation any pack had ever witnessed. Every Alpha who’d mocked her, every Luna who’d whispered behind her back, and every pack member who’d treated her like she was beneath them would be forced to stand there and watch as she took her rightful place beside him.
No one would ever dare disrespect her again. No one would ever make her feel unwanted.
The call finally ended, leaving a thick silence hanging in the room.
Voren set his phone down and turned toward Seraphine. Guilt flashed across his face as he remembered everything she’d just been forced to listen to. "I’m sorry you had to hear all that, but I’m not going to let you help that pack anymore."
The heavy tension that had filled the space between them eased up almost right away. Seraphine gave him a soft smile and moved closer, sliding her arms around his waist.
Her body melted against his like it belonged there, her bare skin warm against his chest as she rested her cheek right over his heart. The steady beat of it wrapped around her like the coziest blanket, giving her comfort she hadn’t even known she was missing.
"Thank you for being on my side, Voren," she said, her voice full of real sincerity.
That honesty made his chest tighten. She lifted her head a little and looked up at him, her eyes so vulnerable that he couldn’t have looked away even if he tried.
"I know it probably sounds kinda silly," she continued, "but after everything that’s happened, I’d rather spend my time collecting friends than enemies." A quiet laugh slipped out of her, even though sadness lingered underneath it. "The moon goddess knows I’ve had more than enough enemies for one lifetime."
Voren’s arms tightened around her without him even thinking about it. Seraphine understood the harsh realities of pack life better than most people ever could.
Even the Lunas who secretly supported her would never openly go against their own Alphas. Most of them would stay quiet, choosing loyalty to their husbands over standing up for what they believed in.
That was one of the main reasons she’d always tried to avoid festivals whenever she could. Why walk straight into a situation where she knew she’d be judged? Why spend hours pretending the whispers didn’t cut deep? Why force herself to smile while people looked down on her?
But things felt different now. For the first time in years, she wasn’t staring at the future with dread weighing her down. For the first time in years, she was letting herself truly hope.
The kind that settled deep in your heart and gently convinced you that better days were finally on their way.
Her fingers traced lazy circles across his chest as she worked up the courage to speak. "I do have one request, though."
The affection in Voren’s eyes grew even stronger. He brushed a few strands of hair away from her face and tucked them gently behind her ear, letting his touch linger because he simply loved touching her. "You know you don’t have to ask permission for anything," he said with a small smile. "Whatever it is, I’m listening."
Seraphine hesitated for just a second before diving in. "After we get married, would you mind if we changed Marigold’s name? Only if she wants to, of course. I would never force her. If she likes her name, then it stays exactly how it is."
To her surprise, Voren didn’t look upset or confused at all. Instead, he just looked curious. "What name do you have in mind?"
A bright smile lit up her whole face. "Esperanza." The name rolled off her tongue so naturally. "It’s Spanish, and it means hope."
The emotion behind the word was clear as day. "I don’t know why, but every time I think about it, it reminds me of us." Her gaze dropped for a moment before coming back to his. "You stayed single all those years after Coco. And somehow, after everything life threw at both of us, we still found our way back to each other."
A soft laugh escaped her. "When you really think about it, we’ve only had one real day together since reconnecting, but it feels like so much more than that. It feels like neither of us ever completely gave up." She swallowed hard. "Maybe that’s why the name feels so right. Because hope is what brought us here."
Her words hung in the quiet for a moment, but when she looked at him, she noticed something had changed. Voren wasn’t smiling or teasing her like she’d expected.
His expression had gone distant, his eyes unfocused like he’d suddenly remembered something important.
"What are you thinking about?" she asked, a small frown creasing her forehead.
The question snapped him back. He looked at her for several long seconds, confusion slowly settling over his face. "Did Mari put you up to this?"
Seraphine blinked, completely thrown off. "What?" A laugh bubbled out of her before she could catch it. "I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about."
Voren kept studying her face, looking for any sign that she was messing with him. When he didn’t find any, he explained, "She’s written that name before. Esperanza. On one of her drawings."
Seraphine’s eyes widened in genuine surprise. "Wait—she draws?"
The warmth in Voren’s expression deepened the second the conversation turned to his daughter. "She loves drawing. Honestly, she’s really talented." He chuckled softly. "The only problem is she treats her sketches like state secrets. She hides them under pillows, inside books, under her mattress, probably in places I haven’t even found yet."
Seraphine laughed, the sound warm and delighted. The more she learned about Marigold, the more fascinated she became. Her mind was already racing with ideas of how to get her hands on those drawings.
If the name she had matched something about Marigold, then the girl might hold more answers that Seraphine anticipated.
