The request carried years of regret. Before Seraphine could answer, determination returned to his face. He slowly straightened in his chair.

"And no." His gaze hardened as it landed on Olivia. "I’m not going anywhere." His voice grew firmer with every word. "That woman is going to tell me exactly what happened to my wife."

His jaw tightened. "If she really died..." Pain and anger mixed in his eyes. "Then I want to know how she was buried."

Seraphine rubbed her temple as another heavy wave of exhaustion settled deep over her.

The emotional storm unfolding all around her was starting to trigger a pounding headache. She drew in a slow breath before looking at Vladimir. "Alpha—"

"I told you to call me Dad." His voice was not angry this time. It carried something far heavier, regret mixed with a quiet, desperate hope.

His eyes stayed fixed on her, almost pleading for even the smallest chance to fix what had been broken between them for these few days she visited the pack.

Before Seraphine could respond, Voren stepped forward. His expression hardened as his cold gaze landed squarely on his father.

"You lost that privilege the moment you threw those cruel words at her." His voice stayed calm, but every single word struck like ice. "Are you really not ashamed of yourself?"

Vladimir lowered his eyes. The guilt on his face deepened even more. Voren was not finished. "You’re only asking her to call you Dad because she just saved your life." His jaw tightened. "If she hadn’t been a doctor, would you even be standing here right now? And would you have demanded that she calls you dad?"

Silence swallowed the entire deck. Not a single person dared interrupt him. Vladimir could not deny a single word. Every accusation hit true.

Slowly his eyes found Seraphine again. There was silent hope in them, almost as if he expected her to defend him, to tell Voren he was being too harsh.

Instead she remained quiet. Her expression stayed gentle, but it was not forgiving.

Saving his life had been her responsibility as a doctor, yet it did not erase everything that had happened between them.

Some wounds ran far too deep to disappear overnight. Some words left scars that time alone could never fully heal.

"I told you before, Vladimir, that you should pray Seraphine is forgive because I will not forgive you," Humphrey reminded him, his expression brazen.

Seeing no one come to his rescue, Vladimir slowly turned toward Olivia. The sorrow in his eyes vanished, replaced by burning anger. "Oria..."

The name caught in his throat, his face twisted with bitterness. "No." He clenched his fists. "Oli..." Even saying her name became difficult.

Finally, frustration exploded out of him. "Olivia!" His voice echoed across the yacht. "You better start talking before I—"

"Alpha Vladimir." Seraphine’s calm voice interrupted him before his emotions could spiral out of control again. Vladimir turned toward her, she met his eyes without any fear. "I strongly advise you to calm down."

Her tone remained soft but firm. "You’ve just experienced a mild heart attack. Getting worked up again could make things much worse."

To everyone’s surprise, Vladimir immediately obeyed. His shoulders relaxed just a little as he released a slow breath. "Alright." His voice became much quieter. "If that’s what you want..."

He looked at her with complete trust. "I’ll stay calm." Then his eyes slowly drifted back to Olivia. "But I deserve answers." His voice cracked. "My wife died giving birth."

He swallowed painfully. "You didn’t kill her." His breathing remained controlled this time. "But where is she? You never gave me the chance to mourn her, gave me a false hope that she was alive when you took her place." His eyes turned red. "Where are her remains?"

The question hung heavily in the air. For the first time since everything had begun, Olivia truly understood how completely alone she was. Not one person stood beside her.

She had spent years manipulating people, lying, hiding, and using others whenever it benefited her. Now every bridge she had ever crossed had already burned to the ground.

She slowly lowered her head. Her voice came out barely above a whisper. "I sent Oriana’s body back to the Seasoned Pack." Fresh tears rolled down her cheeks and this time, Voren’s expression was equally deadly, matching his fathers’.

"I wanted my abusive husband to believe I had died." Olivia squeezed her eyes shut. "I never asked what they did with her afterward. I honestly don’t know."

The confession landed like another devastating blow. Vladimir’s face drained of color. His breathing immediately became uneven again. Seraphine noticed it instantly.

Without hesitation she stepped beside him. Instead of medication this time, she used one of the traditional werewolf healing techniques she had learned from the academy.

Her fingers gently pressed several specific pressure points around his shoulders, chest, and neck. She carefully controlled the amount of pressure while encouraging him to breathe slowly.

Within moments the tightness in his chest began easing. His breathing grew steadier, and the pain gradually faded. Vladimir looked up at her, his vision blurred with tears.

Shame completely consumed him. This young woman, the one he had rejected, the one he had insulted, the one he had never accepted, was the person taking care of him right now.

His lips trembled. Before he realized it, tears spilled freely down his face. Like a heartbroken child, he cried openly. "Sera..." His voice shook. "Can you ever forgive me?"

He struggled to look her in the eyes. "I treated you terribly. I hurt you over and over."

He looked at the hands that had just eased his pain. "And yet..." His voice broke. "Here you are... taking care of me." Another tear rolled down his cheek. "I’m certain I would’ve died today if you hadn’t been here."

Seraphine found herself at a loss for words. She had not been expecting an apology, especially not one like this. Before she could gather her thoughts, Voren took one step forward. The look on his face made it clear he was not ready to forgive so easily.