---- Chapter 9 A Wolf's Redemption (a Spin-off) Yelena's POV: Mom bonded with another Alpha and no longer wanted me as her daughter. At first, I blamed it all on Dad. But over time, I came to understand - it was my fault too. Ihad been selfish, arrogant, and obsessed with appearances. While Mom toiled through sleepless nights and multiple jobs, I lived in comfort with Dad and his mistress. I accepted the gifts, the clothes, the luxuries -but I was too cowardly to admit the truth. Worse, I looked down on Mom. I was ashamed of how tired she looked, how plain her life seemed. I ignored the pain in her eyes when she asked for the truth, and I denied her the one thing she deserved: my honesty. When I realized she was truly gone, unreachable, I ---- couldn't sleep for months. I searched for her through whispers, posts, rumors-any trace I could find. And when I learned she was still alive, I cried with both relief and heartbreak. Because even though she was alive, she didn't want me anymore. And I couldn't blame her. Ihad broken her heart. I had helped crush the one who had loved me unconditionally. I missed her so deeply that it hurt to breathe. I would remember her voice reading me stories at night, the smell of her cooking, the warmth of her arms-and then the memory would disappear like smoke. But I deserved this. Ihad fallen from the daughter of an Alpha to the daughter of a junk collector. And in that fall, I finally lived the life she once lived. I knew hunger. I knew shame. I knew what it was like to be looked down upon, spat at, ignored. Some threw stones at us. Others cursed. We never ---- argued. We took it. Quietly. Four years after she bonded with her new mate, my father died. His wolf had decayed until there was nothing left. And in the final moments, all he could say was that he was sorry-for everything he had done to her. When he passed, I was old enough to survive on my own. Ijoined one of the most grueling, unforgiving packs in the alliance. A place where your blood meant nothing-only your strength, discipline, and endurance. I trained harder than anyone. I pushed my wolf until she burned from within. Because I didn't want pity. I didn't want forgiveness handed to me. I wanted to become the kind of she-wolf worthy of serving Lupus Celestial. Worthy of standing in the same alliance my mother