Chapter 662 - Never wait up for me
"V."
The sound of Seraphine’s voice curled through the bedroom like smoke, soft and searching. Voren’s thumb froze mid-air, hovering over the glowing screen of his phone.
He pressed send without looking, tossed the device onto the sofa, and began working the buttons of his shirt loose as he crossed the threshold. The moment his gaze found his wife, propped against the headboard, the lamplight painting amber streaks through her dark hair, his brow knitted with concern. "Why aren’t you sleeping?"
He peeled the fabric from his shoulders, letting it fall away. His belt came next, then his trousers, each piece landing in the laundry basket with practiced ease before he vanished into the bathroom. The water hissed to life, and Seraphine let herself sink into the pillows, a faint smile curving her lips.
She loved this ritual of his. The way Voren never came to her with the sweat of training still clinging to his skin, never brought the wild scent of the forest into their bed.
After every shift, every run through the trees, every brutal session on the training grounds, he would wash himself clean as if he could rinse away the beast and become simply hers again. It was a small thing, but to her, it was everything.
Steam curled from beneath the bathroom door. Less than ten minutes later, he emerged, droplets still glistening on the hard planes of his chest, his body bare and unashamed as he crossed the room.
Seraphine’s cheeks bloomed with heat. She averted her gaze, but not before her eyes traced the familiar lines of him, the broad shoulders, the tapered waist, the powerful thighs that carried him toward her with a predator’s grace.
This wasn’t the first time he’d slept beside her like this. And each time, she felt herself melting a little more into the strange, wonderful intimacy of it.
The mattress dipped beneath his weight as he climbed in. Before she could adjust, his arm hooked around her waist and drew her flush against the warmth of his body.
He pressed his lips to her forehead, a kiss so gentle it ached, then pulled back just enough to fix her with a stern look. "Never wait up for me. Okay?"
She parted her lips to protest, but he silenced her with a quiet rumble of his chest. "A pregnant she-wolf needs her rest. And you’re carrying twins."
The words landed like a caress, warm and protective. She exhaled, letting her body soften against his. "You’re right. But I couldn’t sleep. I kept thinking about those Lycans." Her fingers curled into the sheet. "What if something happened to you? What if they—"
"I saw them."
The air in the room went thin. Her entire body locked up in his arms, her heart stuttering against her ribs.
"I also made it clear they need to stay out of my business." Voren’s voice was low, steady, the voice of a King who had drawn a line in the sand and dared anyone to cross it. "Alpha Jaron is no longer a problem."
"Is he dead?" The question slipped out before Seraphine could stop it.
"No." A cold, dangerous glint flickered across Voren’s yes, there and gone like a blade catching moonlight. "Death would have been too merciful. Now anyone who sees him will know that betrayal has consequences."
Seraphine let out a slow breath, and some of the iron tension bled from her shoulders. She pressed her palm flat against his chest, feeling the steady thrum of his heartbeat beneath her hand, proof that he was here, alive, and hers.
"If you’re up to it tomorrow," Voren continued, his tone easing into something lighter, "we can draft the new clauses for our pack constitution and the others. And in time, I’ll take over the leaders’ training academy."
Pride swelled through Seraphine, warm and golden. With Voren at the helm, she knew their future would be something extraordinary, a legacy built on strength and vision.
But beneath that pride, quieter and colder, a worry coiled like a serpent. All of this would consume him. The packs. The politics. The endless, grinding demands of a crown that never rested.
"You’re doing well," she murmured, her fingertip tracing a slow path along his collarbone. "But promise me you’ll always make time for your family. Don’t become so buried in work that your children have to beg for your attention."
Voren went completely still. The air between them thickened, charged with something unspoken. Then he turned onto his side, his eyes finding hers in the dim light, dark, searching, raw. He pulled her closer, one hand splaying across the small of her back, pressing her into the warmth of him.
"It’s okay for others to misjudge me," he said, his voice dropping to a husky whisper. "To misunderstand me. But you?" He buried his face in the crook of her neck, his breath hot against her skin. His lips found the sensitive spot just below her ear, and he sucked gently, drawing a soft, helpless moan from her throat.
She pressed her palm against his chest and pushed him back just far enough to meet his gaze. "I’m saying this because I know you."
A smile curved Voren’s lips but it didn’t reach his eyes. "If you know me so well, then you understand that everything I’m building now is meant to free up time for us. After the blood moon festival, we’ll have our honeymoon. Our life."
Seraphine studied him, her expression unconvinced. The lamplight carved shadows across his handsome face, catching the faint lines of exhaustion around his eyes. "Everything you’ve mentioned will take time. You’re the Alpha King now, V. Every pack matter falls on your shoulders. You can’t pretend otherwise."
Jaron had been a failure of a king, a stain on the title, but the weight of the role itself remained. The responsibilities didn’t vanish just because the man had. And Voren, capable and relentless as he was, would carry them all. She knew it. She also knew what it would cost.
He didn’t seem to share her worry. His hand moved in slow circles on her back, soothing, reassuring. "You’re forgetting something important."
"Tell me."
"Corvine is Alpha now. With a little training, he won’t need me. Kael ran the pack in my absence more times than I can count. He’s more than capable. His only weakness is the business side of things, which is why I’m pairing him with Damon and Corvine to shore that up."
A yawn slipped past his lips, and he blinked against the fatigue pulling at his features. "Damon lacks physical and leadership training, but with his experience in the human world, he’ll be ready soon enough. Once he is, I can deploy both him and Kael to handle pack matters across the territory."
Seraphine’s brows lifted. "How?"
For the first time, she couldn’t quite follow the thread of his vision. It was like watching him weave a tapestry she couldn’t yet see.
"The betrayal will come from within the packs," he explained, his voice dropping to something darker, more intimate. "The Lycans will find another pawn. And when they do, those who fall will have to face the consequences. This time, I won’t leave it to the council or the pack to choose a new Alpha."
His jaw tightened, the muscle flexing beneath his skin. "I’ll use Damon and Kael to raise capable leaders from within, ones who will take over when the time comes. That takes time. Time I’m buying now."
"Wow." The word left Seraphine on a breath of relief, her chest loosening. If an Alpha had to be removed, tradition dictated the Alpha King step in temporarily.
But Voren wasn’t planning to stretch himself thin. He was building leaders, planting seeds. Cultivating a future where he wouldn’t have to carry every burden alone.
"I’m so honored to be by your side."
Something moved in his expression, a warmth that chased away the shadows. He moved then, climbing over her with slow, deliberate purpose.
His lips found her face, trailing kisses across her cheeks, the bridge of her nose, the delicate skin of her eyelids. Each touch was reverent, worshipful.
But the moment his fingers found the hem of her lingerie, Seraphine caught his wrist. "Please don’t."
Voren froze. The word hung between them, heavy and unfamiliar. She had never denied him before, never.
"What’s wrong?" Panic edged into his voice, sharpening his features, draining the color from his face. His eyes searched hers, desperate and afraid.
When he saw the glassy sheen coating her gaze, the unshed tears shimmering in the lamplight, his heart cracked open. "Babe. Don’t hide anything from me."