Jasmine’s eyes immediately darted toward Olivia, her entire face silently begging for help. Tears gathered in her eyes as fear wrapped tight around her heart.

She did not know what to do anymore. Every secret she had carried for years felt like it was crashing down on her all at once. Her lips trembled as she slowly opened her mouth, ready to explain everything.

Before a single word could leave her lips, Voren’s calm but commanding voice cut through the heavy silence. "Yes." His cold eyes swept across everyone gathered on the deck. "I think it’s time we all learned the truth."

His words settled over the group like a heavy weight. No one argued. This moment had been building for far too long.

Corvine immediately understood what Voren intended. Without wasting another second, he walked over to the human crew members still working around the yacht.

He politely thanked them for their hard work and asked them to stay on the lower deck until they were called back. Every member of the crew sensed the seriousness in his tone.

Within moments they quietly disappeared downstairs, leaving only family members and pack members behind.

The cheerful atmosphere from earlier had completely vanished. The music had stopped, the laughter was gone. Only silence remained.

Just then, Madison walked over with a warm smile and reached toward Esperanza. "I’ll take her."

Before she could lift the little girl, Seraphine gently stopped her. She gave Madison a soft smile. "No, Mom."

The single word froze Madison where she stood. Her eyes widened. For a second she was not sure she had heard correctly. Mom. Seraphine had called her Mom instead of nanny.

Emotion instantly filled Madison’s eyes. She had waited so long to hear that word.

Before she could even react, Nessa quietly stepped forward. Unlike everyone else, she could already sense what was about to happen.

The adults were preparing for something ugly, and the last place Esperanza needed to be was right in the middle of it. "I’ll take her," Nessa offered gently.

Seraphine nodded gratefully. "I’d appreciate that."

Nessa smiled before kneeling beside Esperanza. "Come on, sweetheart." Esperanza happily reached for her hand without questioning anything.

Together they disappeared into one of the rooms below the deck, safely away from whatever storm was about to unfold.

The moment they were gone, an unbearable silence settled over everyone. No one wanted to be the first to speak. Every face carried a different emotion, fear, regret, confusion, anger.

Jasmine slowly drew in a shaky breath. There was no escaping anymore. With trembling hands resting in her lap, she began telling the entire story from the beginning.

Her voice cracked several times as she explained everything exactly as she had told Corvine earlier, everything her mother told her from the time of Oriana’s labor to when they had to leave the pack. No one interrupted her. No one looked away. Every person listened carefully.

By the time she reached the end, tears streamed freely down her face. She lowered her head. "So..." Her voice was barely above a whisper. "...the woman who raised Voren... is Olivia."

Silence. Complete silence. The deck became so quiet that even the sound of the waves gently hitting the yacht seemed unusually loud. Nobody moved, nobody breathed.

Then Vladimir slowly turned toward Olivia. Disbelief filled his eyes. His voice came out rough and broken. "No." His head shook repeatedly. "Tell me she isn’t telling the truth."

Olivia could not answer. She did not have the strength. Fresh tears rolled endlessly down her cheeks. Her silence became all the answer anyone needed. Everything Jasmine had confessed was true.

The once proud Luna, whose words had once carried real authority throughout the entire pack, now looked completely defeated. She sat there with lowered eyes, broken by years of guilt and regret.

Vladimir stared at her for several long seconds. His chest rose and fell heavily. Veins stood out across his neck. His fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white. Finally his patience snapped.

"Start talking before I force the truth out of—"

The words suddenly stopped. A violent cough ripped through him. His entire body bent forward as another harsh cough followed. Everyone froze.

"Vladimir!" Several voices called out at once.

Seraphine reacted before anyone else. Her medical instincts immediately took over. She rushed to his side and carefully supported him before he could lose his balance. "Easy."

She gently guided him into the nearest chair beside Jasmine. Once he was seated, she quickly checked his breathing and pulse. "Sit upright." Her voice remained calm and steady despite the panic spreading around them. "Take slow breaths."

Vladimir instinctively followed every instruction she gave. Even while struggling to breathe, he trusted her completely.

Seraphine remained focused. She carefully watched his complexion, monitored his breathing, and checked for any worsening symptoms. Then she looked toward Voren.

Unlike everyone else, he had not moved, not even once. He simply stood where he was, watching. His expression remained cold and unreadable.

Seraphine noticed it immediately, and she knew exactly why. She could forgive people because of her profession. She had taken an oath to save lives no matter who stood before her but Voren was different.

He had not forgotten the cruel words Vladimir had once spoken to her. Those memories still burned inside him. That old wound had not healed. Because of that, sympathy never reached his face.

Keeping her attention on Vladimir, Seraphine spoke clearly. "Corvine."

He stepped forward immediately. "Yes?"

"There should be a first-aid kit somewhere on this yacht." She did not look away from her patient. "Please check for aspirin."

Corvine nodded and hurried off without another question. Everyone else remained frozen where they stood. Only the sound of Vladimir’s uneven breathing filled the air.

Several minutes later Corvine returned carrying the first-aid kit. "I found it."

Seraphine quickly opened the box and searched through the supplies. Finding what she needed, she removed the correct dose of aspirin before handing it to Vladimir. "Chew this." Her tone remained gentle but firm. "Don’t swallow it whole."

Vladimir obeyed immediately. Only after making sure he had taken the medication did Seraphine turn toward Voren again. "Does he have any history of heart attacks?"

Voren answered without hesitation. "None that I know of." His expression remained just as cold. "This would be the first."

Seraphine felt slightly relieved. That was at least one good sign. If there was no previous history, the episode had most likely been triggered by the overwhelming emotional shock.

She slowly nodded before looking back at Vladimir. "In that case..." Her voice softened. "Alpha Vladimir, I think you should lie down somewhere and get some rest for a while."

The suggestion barely left her lips before Vladimir shook his head firmly. "No." His breathing had become steadier, but another pain had settled deep inside his heart. It had nothing to do with his chest. It was something else entirely, something far more personal.

He looked at Seraphine. She had called every older man here "Dad". Humphrey, Einstein, Desmond, but not him. Only him. To her, he was still Alpha Vladimir.

Formal, distant, respectful, but not family. He knew he had earned that distance. He knew every cruel word he had spoken in the past had pushed her away. Even so, it hurt more than he expected.

His eyes became moist, his voice turned unusually soft. "Can you..." He struggled to continue. "just call me Dad?"