Chapter 436 - 437 You totally deserved it
Chapter 436: Chapter 436 - 437 You totally deserved it
Corvine knew better than almost anyone that Seraphine never saw problems the same way everybody else did. Her mind just worked on a whole different level.
While most people zeroed in on the most obvious fix, she had this incredible way of spotting paths nobody else had even dreamed of. And more often than not, her ideas ended up blowing everyone else’s out of the water.
That’s exactly why Voren was dying to hear what she was cooking up this time.
Corvine was just as hooked. He stayed quiet, watching her closely and waiting for her to lay it out.
Seraphine leaned against the yacht’s railing, her eyes following the gentle waves as they rolled across the endless ocean and softly crashed against the boat.
The peaceful rhythm almost made her jealous. How she wished real life could feel that simple and calm.
After a long moment, she finally broke the silence. "You know, Jasmine actually did an amazing job."
Both men listened without jumping in.
"She made Coco believe she’d finally found someone on the inside." A faint smile played across her lips. "That’s exactly what we needed."
Her expression turned serious again. "But if Jasmine never actually gives her anything useful, Coco’s gonna figure out she’s been played."
She let out a slow breath. "And the second that happens, she’ll start hunting for somebody else to spy on me."
Just thinking about it made everything feel way more complicated. Taking another deep breath, Seraphine kept her gaze fixed on the vast ocean. "Corvine, go get Jasmine for me."
Without asking a single question, Corvine headed over to another table where Jasmine was sitting with Madison, Einstein, and Esperanza. The four of them were chatting easily while Esperanza happily dug into yet another dessert.
Corvine leaned in close and whispered something in Jasmine’s ear. She looked surprised for a second but quickly stood up and followed him back.
The moment she arrived, Seraphine looked at her with calm confidence. "I need you to call Coco right now."
Jasmine looked at her, confused, until Seraphine laid out the plan.
"When she picks up, tell her I’ve been traveling nonstop lately but I’ll be back in a few days." Seraphine didn’t miss a beat. "Then let her know that as soon as I’m back, you’ll plant the camera in my office."
Jasmine blinked hard, a million questions flooding her mind. Wasn’t the whole point to shut Coco down? Why were they suddenly giving her hope instead?
Still, she trusted Seraphine completely, so she kept her mouth shut. If Sera had a plan, there had to be a good reason behind it.
Quietly pulling out her phone, Jasmine dialed Coco’s number and activated the speaker.
Coco answered almost instantly. "Jasmine," she said, her voice dripping with obvious excitement. "I knew you wouldn’t let me down."
Jasmine suddenly felt a wave of nerves hit her. Her fingers tightened around the phone so hard it almost hurt. For a split second she nearly tripped over her own words.
Seraphine noticed right away and gave her a reassuring nod. That small gesture was enough to steady her.
"I’ve been trying to find the perfect moment," Jasmine explained, sounding totally natural. "Sera’s been traveling like crazy these past few days, so I haven’t had a chance to get into her office."
She swallowed before continuing. "But she’ll be back in a few days. The second she does, I’ll plant the camera."
There was a short pause on the other end. Then Coco let out a soft, satisfied laugh. "Good."
She sounded completely pleased. "I wanted it done sooner, but I can wait a little longer." Her voice turned warmer, almost sweet. "And once it’s done, I’ll make you a star, Jasmine."
Jasmine scoffed internally before responding. "I understand."
The second the call ended, she dropped the phone like it was burning her hand.
Seraphine smiled warmly. "You did great." Pure relief washed over Jasmine’s face.
"You can head back now," Seraphine told her gently, Jasmine nodded and went back to the others.
Seraphine stretched her arms high overhead before letting out a big, sleepy yawn. "I’ll take care of everything after the full moon festival."
Corvine instantly raised an eyebrow, a teasing grin spreading across his face. "Looks like somebody’s been pretty busy making babies lately."
Seraphine’s eyes went wide. Without even thinking, she snatched the closest thing, a tablet, and hurled it straight at him. "You are impossible!"
Corvine reacted lightning fast, catching it smoothly before it could smack him. He looked down at the tablet and let out a dramatic sigh. "You’re lucky I’ve got such fast reflexes."
He held it up, shaking his head with an amused smile. "Seriously, be careful throwing stuff around. This thing’s got priceless information on it."
Seraphine rolled her eyes hard. "You totally deserved it."
"I was only telling the truth," he shot back, his grin getting even bigger.
Voren couldn’t hold back a faint smile before turning to Corvine. "So this is why you kept pushing me to give Jasmine another chance?"
Everything finally clicked into place. At first Voren had figured Corvine was just interested in Jasmine romantically. Now he saw there’d been way more to it the whole time.
Corvine nodded. "I’ve been watching her for a while now." His expression grew more thoughtful. "She’s naturally pretty timid. I also think someone really messed with her head in the past."
His voice softened. "But when she’s free to make her own choices, she turns into a completely different person. Don’t get me wrong. She’s pretty, but her ambitions don’t match mine."
Voren pressed his lips together, growing more impressed by the second. "I gotta admit..." He looked at Corvine with real respect shining in his eyes. "You’re very different from most guys I’ve met."
Corvine chuckled. "Don’t start complimenting me too soon." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I learned all those people skills from my Luna." His eyes drifted toward Seraphine with warmth. "My best friend. My sister, Sera."
He continued, his voice full of genuine admiration. "She always sees things from an angle the rest of us completely miss. Because of that, she usually gets results nobody expects."
His thoughts wandered to another familiar face. "Take Zane, for example." He shook his head with a smile. "I never thought I’d see the day when he’d actually be working with us."
Voren’s curiosity spiked immediately. "What happened?"
Corvine began to narrate Zane’s connection to Daisy and almost the exact same moment, the loud thumping of helicopter blades sliced through the ocean air. Everyone looked up. The chopper had arrived.
As it hovered into position, the first group started climbing aboard one by one. Vladimir, Nessa, Desmond, Kylie, Humphrey, Olivia. They boarded quickly.
Seraphine watched them go, then quietly pulled in a deep breath. "Guess it’s our turn to get ready."
The confidence in her voice couldn’t completely hide the uneasy feeling twisting inside her. For some reason she couldn’t shake, she kept imagining the worst, like something awful was waiting for them out there.
Before anyone could say another word, two phones started ringing at the exact same time.
Voren glanced at his screen. Ravyn.
Right beside him, Seraphine looked down at hers. Damon.
Chapter 437 - How could you do this to me?
Voren glanced down at his ringing phone, his eyes narrowing the second he saw the name on the screen. Ravyn.
He had zero interest in picking up that call. After everything that had gone down, he could already picture exactly what Ravyn wanted.
Instead of answering, he shoved the phone back into his pocket and turned his full attention to Seraphine.
She answered her own call and pressed the phone to her ear. "Damon? What’s going on?"
Damon didn’t waste a single second. "Sera, tell me something first," he said, his voice unusually serious. "Are you dating Voren?"
Seraphine blinked in surprise. "What makes you ask that?"
"There are rumors flying all over the pack."
She shot a quick glance at Voren before activating the speaker for him to have a good laugh
"They’re saying Voren brought back some doctor with special powers. People are calling him Doctor Ash or something like that." Damon let out a small laugh.
"I still don’t think there’s a better doctor than you, but Ravyn is over the moon. He actually believes this Doctor Ash can save all the warriors affected by the chemical explosion."
Seraphine stayed quiet, letting him continue.
"He’s been telling everyone he’s going to contact Voren and ask him to bring Doctor Ash here to treat them."
Voren folded his arms, his face turning ice cold. So that was Ravyn’s big plan. Good thing he hadn’t bothered answering the damn call.
"Oh, and that’s not even the worst part," Damon added, sounding almost exhausted now. "Daisy caused another chemical explosion."
Seraphine already knew that and wasn’t surprised at all.
"The antidote you left behind is already completely used up." He sighed heavily. "The pack isn’t exactly thrilled with her anymore."
His voice carried clear frustration. "First she got everyone’s salaries slashed, then she embarrassed herself running around the pack like a maniac. People have totally lost confidence in her."
Seraphine listened in silence.
"Now Ravyn’s planning a coronation at the end of the Full Moon Festival." Damon sounded almost amused. "He thinks officially making Daisy his Luna will magically fix her reputation and restore her authority."
Voren couldn’t help scoffing loudly. Ravyn was so predictable.
Seraphine stared out at the ocean for a moment before speaking again. "Damon."
"Hm?"
"What I’m about to tell you stays strictly between us."
His tone turned dead serious. "You have my word."
A gentle smile spread across her face. "Voren and I got married in New York yesterday."
There was complete, stunned silence at the end of the line for several long seconds, Damon didn’t say a single word. Then...
"What?!" His shout was so loud it blasted through the phone and made Corvine smile.
"You actually got married?" His voice was full of pure disbelief. "How could you not invite me? I would’ve been Voren’s best man!"
A second later he laughed. "Actually, forget that. I would’ve been your man of honor!" He let out an exaggerated, dramatic cry. "Come on, Sera! How could you do this to me?"
Seraphine burst into bright laughter. "I’m sorry!" She tried to stop giggling long enough to explain. "We wanted to keep everything completely secret."
The fake crying stopped immediately. When Damon spoke again, his voice was warm and full of real affection instead of teasing. "I knew it."
A big smile spread across Seraphine’s face.
"I knew Voren loved you," he said softly. "Even when he kept denying it like an idiot." His tone lightened up. "I may have lost, but I’m honestly really happy for you two."
His voice was filled with sincerity. "If you had married someone like me, it wouldn’t have meant nearly as much. You and Voren just make perfect sense together."
His excitement bubbled over. "Goddess... I can’t wait to see you two as a married couple." Then his playful side came roaring back. "So, there should already be a little pup on the way, right?"
Seraphine covered her face with one hand, laughing even harder. "Damon!"
She couldn’t stop smiling. "Knock it off!"
Even Voren couldn’t help grinning wide after hearing that.
Once the laughter finally died down, Seraphine’s expression turned serious again. "I need to ask you something."
"Go ahead."
"Have you kept Raul somewhere safe?" Her voice grew quieter. "I’m sure Ravyn will kill him the second he figures out the truth so I don’t have to worry about anyone standing in my way of claiming Bryan."
Damon answered without any hesitation. "Don’t worry. I’ve already taken care of it." His confidence eased the tight knot of worry in her chest. "I’ll make sure Raul stays somewhere Corvine can reach him whenever you need."
A laugh escaped him. "Honestly... I’m almost embarrassed."
Seraphine smiled. "Why?"
"Because pretending to be someone else around Ravyn is way too easy." He laughed again. "That man is unbelievably gullible."
Voren rolled his eyes hard after hearing that.
Damon kept going. "And watching him throw money around just to keep Daisy happy..." He sighed dramatically. "It stresses me out." His tone turned joking again. "I seriously hope he doesn’t bankrupt himself before I pull my investment."
Seraphine nearly burst out laughing. Of everyone involved, Damon had the least to worry about when it came to money.
His companies were thriving, his stocks kept climbing, and even if he handed over that cash to Ravyn as some fake gift, it wouldn’t put much of a dent in his own massive wealth.
Still, none of them had any intention of letting Ravyn stay afloat. They were going to strip everything away from him. His power, his money, and his reputation, especially after he’d tried to kill Esperanza. That single unforgivable act was something Seraphine would never, ever let go.
No matter what happened, she would make sure he paid dearly for it.
Damon kept talking, casually mentioning one thing after another while Seraphine listened quietly.
Then he said something that made her heart skip a beat. Her smile slowly faded away as the realization hit her all at once.
She had overlooked something incredibly important.
Damon cleared his throat, his tone turning noticeably lighter. "I like city life and all, but honestly..." He let out a soft laugh at himself. "I think I like the pack even more."
Seraphine smiled, patiently waiting for him to keep going.
"So once you become the Luna of the Grimroot Pack, I’m moving there too."
Her eyebrows shot up in genuine surprise. "You are?"
"Absolutely," he said without even a hint of hesitation. "I can always fly back to check on my companies whenever I need to." He sounded like he’d already made up his mind completely. "By the way..." His voice grew hopeful. "Does the Grimroot Pack have a Gamma position open? Or is that spot already taken?"
The question caught Seraphine totally off guard. Her smile slowly faded. Until that moment, she’d assumed Damon would eventually head back to New York and keep running his businesses from there. She hadn’t even considered that he might want to live in the pack permanently.