Chapter 327: Chapter 327 – Esperanza is ours
Seraphine immediately picked up on the conflict brewing behind Voren’s eyes. She knew him well enough by now to spot when something was eating at him, even when he tried to play it cool and hide it.
The idea that Esperanza might be connected to Ravyn in any way clearly wasn’t sitting right with him.
Honestly, it wasn’t easy for her to stomach either. That was exactly why she wasn’t about to give him the quick reassurance he seemed to be hoping for, not yet, and not without solid proof.
"I won’t answer that until we have the test results," she said, her voice gentle but firm. She reached over and squeezed his hand lightly. "There’s no point making assumptions before we actually know the truth."
Voren’s jaw stayed tight, the tension obvious even though he didn’t want to show how much it bothered him.
Seeing it, Seraphine quickly continued. "V," she said softly, waiting until his eyes met hers before going on. "Ravyn wanted that child dead."
The reminder made his face darken right away. "Even if Esperanza turns out to be mine biologically," she added without a hint of hesitation, every word carrying complete certainty, "you’re still her father. That bastard has no right to lay any kind of claim to a child he wanted dead."
Her eyes flashed with anger as memories of everything Ravyn had done came rushing back, the betrayal, the pain, the devastating loss, and all those years she’d never get back.
"As far as I’m concerned, Ravyn already killed his daughter," she said, her tone turning cold and deadly. "And he’ll still pay for it."
A fierce protective instinct surged through her chest at the thought of Esperanza. That little girl deserved so much better than any of this. A slow smile returned to Seraphine’s face. "Esperanza is ours, yours, and mine."
The moment those words left her lips, the tension melted from Voren’s shoulders.
Relief washed over him so strongly that he hadn’t even realized how badly he’d needed to hear it. His fingers tightened around hers, and a genuine smile spread across his face.
Without warning, he scooped up another forkful of scrambled eggs and held it toward her lips. "Open."
Seraphine laughed. "Voren—"
"Open."
Still laughing, she accepted the bite. The victorious look on his face made her roll her eyes playfully. Apparently feeding her had quickly become his new favorite thing. "Fine," she said.
His grin widened. "Good."
The playful moment only lasted a few seconds before his expression turned serious again. "Okay," he said, leaning back a little. "Let’s do both a maternity and paternity test."
Seraphine nodded. That was definitely the smartest move—no more guessing, no more assumptions, just cold, hard facts.
"But I was thinking about something else," he added, his gaze growing thoughtful. "We should head out to the pack tonight."
Seraphine blinked in surprise. "Tonight?"
Voren nodded. "We can leave the wedding preparations to Corvine." A laugh almost slipped out of her at that. Poor Corvine had no idea he was about to get handed an entire wedding project.
Voren kept going. "I need to find out the exact date of the Blood Moon Festival for Ravyn." His eyes darkened at the mention of Ravyn. "And we need to take a real shot at restoring your memories."
The words hung between them for a moment, and neither spoke right away. Seraphine found herself reflecting on everything that had happened since they reunited.
At first, the thought of getting her memories back had terrified her. She’d been scared of what she might uncover, scared of the forgotten pieces, and scared of the mate bond returning and bringing complications she wasn’t ready to handle. But things were different now, much different.
She looked at Voren, really looked at him. The man sitting beside her wasn’t a stranger anymore.
Somewhere along the way, she’d fallen for him all over again. Not because of old memories, not because of some fated bond, and not because anyone told her she should.
She’d fallen for him as the man he was today, the stubborn alpha, the fiercely protective father, the guy who learned how to cook just to make her breakfast.
A small smile stretched her lips. Still, she wanted those memories back. She wanted their shared history, their first love, their first meeting, every single moment they’d lost.
Besides, the Moon Goddess couldn’t possibly be cruel enough to bring her back to her daughter only to pair her and Voren up with other people afterward. Right? She hoped not.
"Alright," she finally said with a nod. "I’ll stop by the office first." Her mind was already kicking into gear, organizing her schedule. "Then I’ll leave early and head to the hospital."
"To see Leon?"
"Yes," she confirmed. "I need to talk to him." Her fingers tapped lightly against the table as she thought out loud. "And I’ll send our samples to the lab for testing."
Before she could keep listing everything she needed to handle, Voren reached across the table and gently captured both of her hands in his large ones. The move immediately caught her attention.
He pushed the rest of the food aside and focused completely on her, his eyes softening with something deeper and more serious than usual.
"Baby," he said quietly, his thumbs brushing across her skin. "You’ve got so much going on right now."
Seraphine frowned just a little. He wasn’t wrong. Between work, the wedding plans, Esperanza, her memories, the upcoming trip to the pack, and all the tests, her life had gotten unbelievably packed.
A small smile brightened Voren’s face. "Sadly, I can’t help you with everything," he admitted, his voice full of genuine regret. If he could take every burden off her shoulders, he would do it in a heartbeat. "But can you let me handle the little things I actually can help with?"
Confusion crossed her face for a second. "What do you mean?"
Voren took a deep breath, his gaze never leaving hers. "Honestly?" The corner of his mouth lifted. "I hope we have a lot of kids in the future."
The unexpected statement caught her completely off guard, and her cheeks warmed instantly.
Meanwhile, Voren looked dead serious, like he’d already started mapping out their future family in his head. His expression softened. "I don’t want you carrying all the stress by yourself."
Something warm bloomed deep inside Seraphine’s chest. He wasn’t really talking about the kids. He was talking about taking care of her, supporting her, and being the kind of partner she could lean on.
"I can’t carry a pregnancy," he added with a teasing smile. "Trust me, if it were possible, I’d volunteer immediately."
That pulled a genuine laugh out of Seraphine. Voren chuckled along before continuing. "But you know how it is. The stronger an alpha is, the harder pregnancy can get."
His words brought back memories she hadn’t touched in years, difficult ones, exhausting ones. She remembered every sleepless night, every ache, and every challenge.
By the third trimester, things had gotten so rough that she’d been forced to put her education on hold. Even with Kylie’s help, those months had been anything but easy.
Her gaze dropped briefly. Back then, she’d carried those burdens almost completely alone. Now she had someone right beside her who actually wanted to help.
The realization made her heart ache in the best possible way. Looking back up at him, her eyes softened with emotion. "So what exactly are you trying to say?" she asked, her voice almost a whisper, deeply moved by how thoughtful he was and how much he truly cared.
