Ravyn couldn’t stop the memories from creeping in, no matter how hard he tried to bury them. The images, the videos of Voren and Seraphine together flashed through his mind like something determined to haunt him, refusing to fade no matter how much he forced himself to focus on something else.

Still, he pushed it down.

There were more urgent things to deal with.

’Let him in. I’m at the pack house,’ he responded through the mindlink.

It didn’t take long.

A few minutes later, footsteps echoed through the hallway before Voren walked into the kitchen, only to stop short the second he took in the scene in front of him.

"Ravyn... are you cooking?" he asked, his brows pulling together in clear disbelief as his gaze swept across the counter. "What happened to the maids?"

A bitter smile tugged at Ravyn’s lips as he continued packing the pancakes, his movements steady, almost mechanical. He added strawberries and blueberries with care, the small details feeling oddly important despite everything else unraveling around him.

"This was one of Seraphine’s conditions before she agreed to treat Bryan."

For a split second, Voren almost laughed.

He could feel it rising, pressing at his chest, but the look on Ravyn’s face stopped him cold. That sour, tight expression said more than words ever could.

Instead, he cleared his throat lightly. "What are you doing here already?" Ravyn asked, glancing up briefly, his mind already running through the timing. "Didn’t we just speak not long ago?"

It didn’t add up.

Even with the distance, getting here this fast meant only one thing. Voren must have taken a helicopter for part of the trip before finishing the rest by car.

"You weren’t picking up your phone," Voren replied smoothly, like he had anticipated the question long before it came. "I figured you might need help." His eyes lingered on Ravyn for a moment before he added, more carefully, "I was surprised to hear you were still here."

Ravyn let out a low, humorless chuckle, the sound carrying more frustration than amusement. "I was about to go looking for them when they showed up. They looked fine," he said, putting a little too much weight on that last part.

Voren caught it instantly.

"And did they say where they’d been?" he asked, his tone casual, though there was a sharpness underneath it.

Ravyn’s laugh came again, rougher this time. "Do you think she answers to me?" he said, not even bothering to hide the bitterness anymore. He closed the container, securing it before picking it up. "I’m taking this to Bryan. He’s with her at the hospital."

"I’ll come with you."

The words came too quickly, Ravyn stilled.

Something flickered across his face as a thought crossed his mind, slow but heavy, settling into place with uncomfortable clarity. He turned slightly, his gaze narrowing just a fraction.

"Did you come because you were worried about me..." he paused, his voice lowering, "...or her?"

Voren didn’t answer immediately.

For the briefest moment, his lips pressed together, but just like always, he recovered fast, his expression smoothing out into something practiced.

"I came for the one with my billions."

Ravyn nodded slowly, though the faint disappointment that passed through his eyes didn’t go unnoticed. Still, he accepted it, because it made sense. Voren would ensure Seraphine’s safety because of his investment in MindNest.

"Of course," he said. "If anything happens to her, you lose money."

He grabbed the rest of the things Bryan might need, moving through the pack house with quiet efficiency before heading toward the door. "Let’s go."

Voren fell into step beside him without another word.

As they walked, the air between them carried a tension that wasn’t loud but refused to disappear.

"Where’s Daisy?" Voren asked after a moment, his tone light, though his eyes stayed sharp.

"In her room," Ravyn replied, almost too casually. "Until I figure out why a man named Zane was calling her, she’ll remain under pack arrest."

Voren let out a small chuckle, glancing sideways at him. "You sound jealous."

Ravyn’s lips curved again, but this time, there was nothing warm about it.

"I gave her everything," he said, his voice dropping, growing colder with every word. "If there’s even a chance she’s betraying me..." His gaze hardened, something dark settling deep within it. "I’ll kill her. That’s a promise."

Voren didn’t agree.

"Letting go would be smarter," he said, his tone steady, almost careful. "Don’t take the life of your child’s mother."

Even as he said it, he knew how hollow it sounded.

"Not after everything I gave up for her," Ravyn continued, his jaw tightening. "The least she can do is stay loyal. As a man, I loved her more than I should have... and as an Alpha, I’ve been more than patient."

"You’re not making sense," Voren replied, shaking his head slightly as a few pack members greeted them along the way. He acknowledged them with a nod, but his attention stayed on Ravyn, trying to follow the logic that didn’t quite hold together.

Ravyn stopped briefly, turning to face him fully.

"You were right," he admitted, though the words seemed to cost him something. "I don’t think Daisy has any real medical skills. She can’t even handle training without getting hurt, and when it comes to making decisions, she gets things wrong more often than not." His expression hardened further. "She can’t lead this pack. Which means I’ve been far too generous with her."

He didn’t wait for a response after that.

He simply continued walking, his pace steady, forcing Voren to keep up beside him.

"Yeah," Voren said after a moment, his tone thoughtful. Someone like that wouldn’t last a day in his pack.

Still, something about it didn’t sit right. His brows drew together slightly as he glanced at Ravyn again. "Are you saying you didn’t notice any of this before?"

Ravyn opened his mouth to answer but the sound of laughter cut him off.

It carried through the air, light and bright, unmistakable.

Both of them froze for a fraction of a second. "That’s Bryan," Ravyn said, his voice quieter now, almost disbelieving. "I haven’t heard him laugh like that before."

Without another word, he quickened his pace, something urgent pulling him forward.

Voren followed.

They reached the lab in seconds and Ravyn stopped dead in his tracks the moment he saw what was happening.