Ravyn never saw that coming from Seraphine. That whole mess had gone down more than six years back, and he'd spent every one of those years shoving the memories so deep he could almost pretend they never existed.
If she'd pulled him aside somewhere private, he could've handled it, brushed it off, come up with something that sounded halfway decent. But no, she had to drop it right there in the middle of the hall, with every Alpha, Luna, and royal guest staring straight at them.
There was no corner to duck into and no excuse that wouldn't sound like pure bullshit.
Before he could even get his head straight, Corvine was already moving. He stepped up without a second thought, dropped to one knee in front of Seraphine, and carefully slid those stilettos off her feet.
His hands were steady and gentle, almost like he was handling something precious, and he swapped them out for a pair of soft flip-flops somebody had ready and waiting.
