Chapter 420: Chapter 420 – Luna Oriana will forever have a place in our hearts.

Olivia’s whole body shook violently with pure, burning rage. Hot tears stung her eyes as she watched Vladimir turn his back on her and look straight at Jasmine instead.

She already knew exactly what was coming, but hearing the words out loud still felt like someone twisting a knife deep in her chest over and over again.

Vladimir gazed at Jasmine with a heavy mix of disappointment and genuine compassion. "I won’t lie to you," he said, his voice calm but every single word carrying massive weight. "I hated knowing you were mixed up in all of this."

Jasmine lowered her head in deep shame, unable to look him in the eye.

"You disappointed me," he continued with a quiet sigh. "Over the years, I’d come to care about you like my own daughter. That’s exactly why your actions cut me so deep."

Jasmine bit down hard on her lower lip, fighting back the flood of emotions.

"But..." A faint, warm smile curled the corner of Vladimir’s lips. "The moment you stood beside Seraphine as her maid of honor, I saw that something real had changed inside you." His eyes softened with understanding. "I saw sincerity. I saw someone who truly wanted to become better."

His smile slowly faded. "That doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten everything you did." His voice grew firm again. "I’ll be watching you closely. If this change is real, you have nothing to fear. But if you’re just pretending..." He didn’t need to finish the sentence. The heavy warning hung in the air, and everyone understood it perfectly.

"For now," he gave her a small, approving nod. "You’re free."

Jasmine’s eyes flew wide open in total shock. She could barely believe what she’d just heard.

Olivia, on the other hand, completely lost it. "No!" she screamed, lunging forward with her face twisted in furious rage. "This isn’t fair!" Her voice echoed wildly across the deck. "How can she just walk away free while I’m the one getting punished?!"

Before anyone could stop her, a loud, sharp slap cracked through the evening air.

Smack!

Olivia’s head snapped hard to the side. She barely had a second to recover before Corvine drove his foot straight into her stomach. The brutal force knocked every bit of air out of her lungs, sending her stumbling backward as she gasped desperately for breath.

His eyes blazed with pure anger. "A disgusting woman like you has no right to complain about anything," he snarled, his voice colder and more terrifying than anyone had ever heard it. "If it weren’t for Jasmine, no one would’ve ever learned the truth. You would’ve carried that filthy secret to your grave." He took a menacing step closer. "And who knows what kind of curse would’ve fallen on the entire Grimroot Pack because of all your lies?"

The heavy words settled over everyone like a dark cloud. No one argued. Every werewolf on that deck understood exactly what he meant. Some sins didn’t bring punishment right away.

Sometimes the consequences waited years, or even generations, quietly poisoning an entire bloodline before anyone realized what was happening. Olivia’s actions had put every future member of the Grimroot Pack at terrible risk.

Corvine stared at her with total disgust. "I started hating you the day you disrespected Sera," he whispered dangerously. "So don’t expect even a drop of kindness from me."

Without another word, he grabbed her roughly by the arm. She struggled wildly, cursing and trying to pull away, but Corvine ignored every bit of it. He dragged her behind him toward the stairs leading down to the storage room beneath the deck, where she would stay locked up for the night.

A heavy silence fell over the deck once they disappeared.

Jasmine stood frozen in place, her eyes locked on the staircase. She had seen Corvine smile plenty of times. She had watched him joke around and show his calm, patient side over and over.

But this ruthless, terrifying version of him was something completely new. It scared her to her core. Yet at the same time, he had defended her when almost no one else would.

The tears she’d been holding back finally broke free. She covered her mouth, trying to steady her shaky breathing. "Thank you..." Her voice trembled with overwhelming emotion. She looked at Vladimir first. "Thank you, Alpha Vladimir."

Then her eyes found Voren. "Thank you, Alpha Voren..."

Before she could continue, Seraphine smiled gently and shook her head. "Nothing has changed," she said warmly. "You don’t have to call them that."

Jasmine blinked in surprise. Seraphine reached over and gave her hand a light, reassuring squeeze. "Keep addressing us the way you always have."

Fresh tears streamed down Jasmine’s cheeks as a grateful smile finally broke through. "Thank you..." Her voice cracked with raw feeling. "Thank you, Sera."

Those simple words carried way more meaning than any long speech ever could.

Vladimir suddenly let out a soft laugh. He rubbed his forehead and looked around at everyone gathered on the deck. "What a day," he said, his smile growing wider. "Voren. Sera. I completely forgot to congratulate the two of you."

His eyes shone with both joy and a touch of regret. "Today was supposed to be one of the happiest days of your lives. It would be a shame if we let all this sorrow erase that completely."

He smiled warmly. "Congratulations."

Voren returned the smile, though it stayed gentle and didn’t quite reach his eyes. Too much had happened, and the celebration they’d dreamed of was long gone. "Thanks, Dad."

His hand rested protectively around Seraphine’s waist. "But Sera understands. We still have countless happy days waiting for us." His smile softened even more as he looked at her with quiet affection. "If I spend my wedding day mourning the woman who gave me life, I don’t think that’s something I’ll ever regret."

Seraphine’s beautiful smile lit up her whole face as she leaned comfortably against him. "V is right." Her eyes moved around the group with warmth. "Today will always be unforgettable, not because of the pain or the betrayal, but because we got to know about our courageous Luna Oriana." Her voice grew gentle and full of respect. "She’ll forever have a place in our hearts."

Those words lifted some of the heavy weight that had been crushing everyone. Small, tentative smiles started appearing across the deck as the thick tension in the air finally began to fade away.

Just then, footsteps echoed from the staircase. Everyone turned to look.

Corvine had returned, and he wasn’t alone. Nessa walked right beside him. The second Seraphine saw her, her eyes immediately searched for someone else. Esperanza wasn’t with them. A flash of worry crossed her face.

She opened her mouth to ask where the little girl was when Nessa noticed and smiled softly. "Don’t worry. Espe is sound asleep."

Seraphine let out the breath she’d been holding, pure relief washing over her face. "I’m glad." She smiled before turning toward Madison, curiosity now sparkling in her eyes. "Mom..."

Her voice was gentle but filled with all the questions that had been building up for years. "Are you finally going to tell us... why you pretended you weren’t my mother?"