---- "Miss Lily!" another voice cried, "Are you aware that you're just the mistress? Is this intentional? Are you trying to replace the Luna?" I forced myself to stand, wobbling slightly, and then I saw them-Yeats and Lily-standing in the center of the crowd. Lily held my daughter in her arms, gently stroking her back as Yelena wept into her chest. It was a scene straight out of a carefully curated fairy tale. And Yeats? He stood beside them like a proud king, his eyes locked on me-not with guilt or regret, but with cold detachment. His gaze was distant, frosty... unfamiliar. "This she-wolf," he said, motioning toward me with the ease of a practiced liar, "is just a helper. She's been with us since Yelena's birth. She cared for her, tended to her needs. They spent time together, which is likely why Yelena has grown... attached." I felt the breath leave my lungs. ---- The crowd gasped. "She's a helper?" "No wonder," someone sneered. "How could Alpha Yeats have a Luna who looks so... old and worn out?" "Exactly! Look at her clothes-she can't be a Luna." "She probably tricked the child into calling her 'mom. ' Shameless she-wolf." "Helpers shouldn't daydream about becoming Lunas. Look at yourself before you claim a title that's not yours!" Their words stabbed deeper than knives. But I barely heard them. My eyes were locked on Yelena, still nestled in Lily's arms. I took a shaky step forward. "Yelena," I called, my voice raw, "Tell them. Tell them who I am. Tell them I'm your mother." She looked up, her face blotchy from tears, and for a ---- moment, our eyes met. I hoped-prayed-for truth. But she only clung tighter to Lily's waist and whispered, "You're not my mom. My real mom wouldn't be... a shame to me. I want Aunt Lily to be my mother." The cameras clicked rapidly, catching every expression, every tear, every betrayal. My knees buckled again, but this time I didn't fall. Ihad spent my life protecting them. Inearly lost my wolf saving Yeats. I nearly lost my life giving birth to Yelena. And yet here I stood, abandoned by the very souls I had given everything to. Ihad thought-foolishly-that revealing the truth would bring justice, or at least remorse. But all it brought was betrayal without disguise. ---- The crowd erupted in a fresh wave of gossip, shouting over one another. Reporters pushed microphones into my face, demanding a statement. I turned away. Icouldn't take another second. Iran-through the gates, down the steps, past the blinding flashes of light. Iran as if I could outrun the pain. Two blocks away, my breath caught in my chest. My legs gave out. And everything went black.