Edward had sensed the storm the moment Ravyn arrived, the kind that gathered quietly behind clenched jaws and burning eyes.
He had failed to inform his parents in time, and now the consequences thundered through the house with brutal force.
The front door gave way under Ravyn's fury, slamming inward with a violent crash that echoed through the corridors, loud enough to jolt even the deepest sleeper awake.
The walls trembled. Somewhere in the house, a clock rattled against the wall. Corvine shot up from bed instantly, instincts honed by years of vigilance kicking in as his feet hit the floor.
His heart raced as he hurried down the hallway, already preparing himself to face a burglar or an intruder foolish enough to test the defenses of an Alpha's home.
What he did not expect, was Ravyn. The Alpha stood in the foyer like a living tempest, shoulders squared, eyes blazing with an unrestrained rage that seemed to warp the air around him. His presence alone pressed down on the space, heavy with Alpha authority.
Corvine froze for half a heartbeat. Then, despite everything, he bowed deeply, respectfully, offering the last shred of loyalty he still possessed.
The punch came without warning, pain exploded across Corvine's jaw as he crashed to the floor, the impact knocking the breath from his lungs. The taste of blood filled his mouth before he could even process what had happened.
"Where is she?" Ravyn roared, his voice raw, violent, reverberating through the house.
Corvine's fingers dug into the floor as he fought the urge to retaliate. He could fight, and wanted to fight, but this was Ravyn's parents' house, and more than that, Ravyn was saturated with Alpha power.
A fight would be futile, and destructive. Still, leaving Seraphine unprotected was not an option. "Alpha Ravyn," Corvine said, forcing steadiness into his voice as he rose slowly, "I don't know what you're talking about."
Ravyn didn't waste another second on him. He knew Seraphine had always had a room in this house. He had allowed it back when a thin form of friendship existed between them, but not anymore, not after what she had done.
His strides were long, and furious as he took the stairs two at a time. He reached Seraphine's door and twisted the knob, but it was locked.
His jaw tightened. "Seraphine," he barked, his voice shaking the hallway, "if you don't open this door by the count of three, I will break it down."
Corvine's pulse spiked, and he moved instinctively, positioning himself closer, even though he knew the truth. He could never overpower Ravyn. Only another Alpha could stand against him.
Before Ravyn could begin the count, the door creaked open. Seraphine barely had time to react before Ravyn seized her arm and dragged her out into the hallway.
Her feet stumbled against the floor as confusion clouded her expression, sleep still clinging to her like fog.
Corvine reacted immediately, darting past them and pounding hard on the master bedroom door.
"How dare you come to my parents' house after hurting Daisy?" Ravyn hissed, his grip tightening on Seraphine's wrist.
She blinked, dazed, trying to make sense of the chaos crashing into her consciousness. She had opened the door instinctively at the knock, her mind still half lost in sleep.
"Ravyn?" she murmured hoarsely. "What are you doing here?"
That was when Ravyn truly lost control. While Daisy lay between life and death, Seraphine had been here, safe, warm, asleep in his parents' home. The injustice of it burned through him.
"Daisy needs blood," he snapped, voice sharp with urgency and fury. "And you are the only match. You're coming with me." He yanked her closer, but this time Seraphine was fully awake.
She wrenched her hand free, her eyes blazing as she stepped back. "You must be insane if you think I care whether you or she dies."
He lifted his hand to deliver a good slap, but it never landed. Ravyn's hand was caught midair, his arm restrained by another grip, not as strong, not as dominant, but unyielding.
"Not under my watch," Humphrey said calmly, though his voice carried iron beneath it. "How dare you enter my house and raise your hand against my daughter?"
Ravyn turned, stunned. "Your daughter? Dad, she's not your daughter. This woman is despicable."
The rage in his eyes softened briefly as he faced his father. "She stabbed Daisy. Daisy is bleeding out. She needs a transfusion, and Seraphine is the only one compatible."
Humphrey released Ravyn's wrist slowly, his expression hardening into something cold and final. "If Seraphine stabbed Daisy, then Daisy deserved it. And as for her blood, you'll have to go through me first."
The words hit Ravyn harder than any blow. "Are you siding with her over me, your son?" Ravyn demanded, disbelief sharpening his tone. His parents doted on Seraphine but he never thought at a critical time like this, they would choose her over him.
He wanted to say more but the urgency of his reason for coming overshadowed the ache of Seraphine taking his place in the heart of his parents. "Daisy's condition is critical, and Seraphine caused it."
"And so what?" Humphrey shot back. "She is a Luna, has rights. You will not force her to do anything she does not consent to."
Ravyn's chest heaved as realization settled in. Seraphine had outmaneuvered him, taken refuge in the one place he could not dominate.
He inhaled sharply, recalibrating. "Fine," he said tightly. "I won't force her. But she is still the Luna of the Centenary Pack. If she has the right to discipline pack members, then doesn't she also bear responsibility for their welfare?"
The silence that followed was thick, charged. He had a point, but Seraphine laughed. It was soft, cold, and merciless.
"If I stabbed Daisy, she earned it," she said evenly. "And as for my blood, I'd rather drain it into the sewage than give it to her." There was no guilt in her voice.
Ravyn exhaled slowly, something dark flashing through his eyes. "See?" he said bitterly. "This is the woman you claimed was the best."
What he did not know, was that his parents already knew everything. "You should be grateful she hasn't killed you," Humphrey said quietly, "after you killed her child."
Ravyn stiffened. His expression faltered. "You… you know about that?"
"Did you really think," Humphrey continued, his voice heavy with condemnation, "that after you sacrificed her child for Daisy's, she would save her? You should count yourself fortunate she hasn't laid a hand on Bryan. This woman raised another's child as her own, only to discover you murdered hers."
He paused, eyes piercing. "Ravyn, you are beyond redemption." Something flickered in Ravyn's gaze. For a fraction of a second, it almost looked like remorse.
Then it hardened. "No," he snapped coldly. "That's what she gets for forcing herself into my life."
"She never forced herself into—" Humphrey began but was softly interrupted by Seraphine. "It's alright, Dad," she said calmly. Exhaustion finally weighing her down. "You've handled it. I'm going back to sleep, I'm really tired."
She turned away as though Ravyn no longer existed.
Ravyn's fists clenched, knuckles whitening as his restraint snapped. "Seraphine!" he shouted, desperation breaking through the fury. "What would it take for you to save Daisy?"