Chapter 625 - They don’t seem to miss us
All gazes moved simultaneously to the entrance. The cave fell into a hushed silence, the only sound the faint crackle of the shaman’s fire. There was no sound of footsteps, so they were surprised to hear another voice in addition to Seraphine’s.
"Mom," Seraphine’s expression dulled, the light in her eyes flickering out like a candle snuffed by the wind. "What are you doing here?"
She hadn’t seen her mother last night and thought she must have gone back to the city. A knot of confusion tightened in her chest.
"We wanted to talk to you last night, but you went to bed early," Einstein appeared beside Madison and spoke, his voice warm yet tinged with concern.
"Honestly, we thought we should be present since we were there at the time of the confession. Well, we’ve been watching, so as soon as everyone gathered here, we eavesdropped at the entrance." A sheepish smile tugged at his lips, though his eyes remained serious.
"Come in," the shaman said, beckoning to her side on the bed since there were no extra chairs. Her hand patted the furs beside her, a silent invitation.
As soon as they sat, Madison spoke up, her voice steady but laced with an old, familiar pain. "I’m also a white wolf, and my husband agrees that I should be the one to sacrifice my wolf. I’ve always been in hiding and only shifted a few times in decades."
"But Mom," Seraphine was about to say, her voice cracking with protest, when Madison beat her to it.
"No buts, Sera. Voren is right. You and Espe cannot give up your powers. I don’t mind sacrificing my wolf because it’s the least I can do for not being able to give you the life you deserved."
The words hung in the air, heavy with years of guilt and regret. It still ached her that Seraphine had undergone so much abuse right under her nose, and she did not see it. The memory of it clawed at her heart like a wounded animal.
The shaman’s eyes closed again, her wrinkled lids pressing shut as she slipped into a deep trance. The fire flickered, casting dancing shadows across the cave walls. This time, it took five minutes before her eyes snapped open, ancient and knowing.
"Your sacrifice has been accepted, and you shall live under the protection of this pack for the rest of your life."
"No," Madison refused, her chin lifting with quiet defiance. "After everything, my husband and I would move permanently to the human world."
Seraphine remembered how Madison took care of her. She was good with the job of a nanny, her hands gentle and her patience endless. And there were lots of pups needing care at the academy. "I thought you loved to take care of kids," Seraphine argued, her voice soft with pleading.
Only then did Madison remember that her daughter was pregnant with twins. The realization struck her like a bolt of lightning, her eyes widening with sudden understanding.
"You have a point, and that girl, Jasmine, needs a break."
"You can both take turns," Voren cut in politely, not willing to take away Jasmine’s job unless she didn’t want it anymore. The woman naturally loved kids, and he could not take that away from her.
At the pack like this, Espe hardly craved him when surrounded by the pack members and Jasmine by her side. The thought brought a small, grateful smile to his lips.
Einstein smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "Alright, we stay."
"Then you should join," the shaman reminded them, her voice carrying the weight of ancient tradition. "New members need the mindlink activated, and we shall settle on a date for the coronation," she informed them.
Nods of approval were heard around the cave, a ripple of silent agreement passing through the gathered wolves. Before the shaman added, her voice dropping to a grave murmur, "Olivia and Oriana must be brought in at midnight. I will begin with the rituals, but you have to explain it to Olivia."
Vladimir did not see a problem with that. His jaw tightened, a cold, calculating gleam flickering in his eyes. He already planned to kill the bitch anyway. The thought was a satisfying balm to his simmering rage.
The shaman took Damon, Corvine, Einstein, and Madison through the pack rites, her ancient voice weaving the sacred words like a tapestry of power. But when she reached Athaliah, she paused, her brow furrowing with concern.
"She hasn’t separated from her pack yet. If we proceed, she will be completely disconnected from them."
Before anyone could speak, Athaliah smiled, a slow, serene curve of her lips that held a world of secrets. "Go ahead. I’m only returning to stand beside Corvine. I won’t indulge in any pack activities anyway."
Voren raised a brow, surprised by how fast the two’s love for each other had grown. He wanted to ask if she was certain about her decision, if she truly understood the weight of what she was giving up. But the smirk in the corner of Corvine’s lips made him swallow his words.
It was clear that those two were up to something Voren could not put a finger on, a scheme dancing behind their eyes like smoke.
Once they could all communicate through mindlink, their voices brushing against each other’s consciousness like whispers in the dark, they left the shaman’s cave.
Voren took Seraphine to the academy to see the kids, and she was mesmerized to see how Esperanza and Bryan took their training seriously. Their small bodies moved with surprising precision, their faces set in masks of fierce concentration.
"They don’t seem to miss us," she said dejectedly, a pang of longing twisting in her chest.
Voren smiled, his hand finding hers and squeezing gently. "Espe has always liked it here. She never liked human school, but we shall still enroll both of them in their teenage years. They need the balance, the knowledge between both worlds."
Seraphine agreed, her mind drifting to the future. "How do you celebrate her birthdays?"
Voren smiled, a hint of sadness in his eyes. "We follow the rule. Only eighteenth birthdays are celebrated."
Seraphine sighed. The way Voren doted on Espe, she thought he’d break rules, bend traditions for his precious daughter. But she was satisfied that he allowed the girl to go through the usual training. That would make her responsible, strong, ready for the world that awaited her.
By sundown, pack members had already gathered at the pack ground, waiting for the meeting as Voren had called last night. The air was thick with anticipation, the murmur of voices a low hum against the fading light. Seraphine was slightly nervous as they approached the pack members, her heart hammering against her ribs.
"Are you really going to tell them about Olivia?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
The initial plan was to subject Olivia to public shame, so Seraphine could not tell what Voren had planned. Her mind churned with possibilities, each one darker than the last.
"I’m having the meeting early to have the pack go to bed early. It’s unnecessary to tell them since Mom would be awakened," Voren said, his voice calm but firm.
"What if she refuses?" Seraphine asked, weighing options in her mind.