Vladimir slowly lowered his head, his eyes growing distant as memories he had buried for decades came rushing back to the surface with painful, crystal-clear detail.

One after another, they replayed in his mind like a cruel movie he couldn’t stop watching.

If only he had listened. If only he had taken those warnings seriously instead of letting fear control him. None of them would be standing here today, drowning in all this heartbreak.

A bitter smile crossed his face. "So many people envy wolves with special gifts," he said, his voice quiet and almost empty. "They admire the power. They dream about having abilities no one else possesses."

He slowly shook his head. "But if they truly knew the terrible price that comes with those gifts, they wouldn’t wish for them at all."

The guilt weighing on Vladimir’s heart had been building up for more than thirty years. There had been signs, warnings. There had been questions that should have been asked.

As Alpha, he had all the authority in the world to uncover every single truth. No member of the pack would have dared lie to him if he had demanded real answers. But he hadn’t done any of that.

Not because he couldn’t, but because he was terrified. Terrified of losing the only woman he had ever truly loved.

So instead of searching for the truth, he chose to believe the comforting lie that was placed right in front of him.

He finally looked at Voren. "When your mother became pregnant, the shaman examined her." Every word grew heavier and harder to say. "She told us Oriana was carrying something no woman had ever carried before."

Several people exchanged uneasy glances around the deck.

Vladimir kept going, his voice thick with emotion. "She said the Moon Goddess had chosen her, but she was also giving her a choice. A chance to walk away."

Voren frowned deeply. "What do you mean?"

Vladimir looked straight into his son’s eyes. "The shaman told us only one of you would survive. If she ended the pregnancy, she would live." His voice cracked painfully. "If she carried you to full term, she would die."

The words hit the deck like thunder. No one spoke. Even the air around them felt impossibly heavy.

Vladimir wiped at his face before continuing. "The shaman warned us that your wolf, though not yet connected to you, would slowly drain the life from her." His breathing became uneven. "He explained that no ordinary she-wolf had ever carried a pup blessed with the Black Wolf."

He laughed bitterly at the memory. "Every single day your mother grew weaker. I watched it happen right in front of me." His hands trembled visibly. "I begged her, pleaded with her. I even got angry with her. I asked her...hell, I demanded, that she end the pregnancy."

Tears rolled freely down his cheeks. "But she refused."

A gentle, heartbroken smile appeared on his lips as he remembered Oriana. "She always smiled whenever I brought it up. She would hold her stomach and tell me she’d rather give her life than lose yours."

Vladimir closed his eyes tightly. "That was the kind of woman she was."

Humphrey lowered his head, even he feeling his chest tighten with emotion. There wasn’t a single person on the deck who didn’t feel the crushing weight of Oriana’s incredible sacrifice.

Nearby, Seraphine quietly absorbed every single word. Something suddenly became crystal clear to her. The Moon Goddess never forced anyone onto the path of destiny.

She chose vessels but she also gave them the freedom to refuse. Oriana could have chosen life. She could have rejected her fate. Instead, she willingly embraced it. She chose love. She chose courage. She chose her son.

A woman like that deserved to be remembered with honor for generations, not forgotten, and not abandoned. And certainly not treated the way Olivia had treated her remains.

Vladimir continued speaking, his voice growing rougher with pain. "That’s why I wasn’t there when she gave birth." His confession stunned everyone on the deck. "I couldn’t do it. I knew I wouldn’t survive watching her die."

He slowly shook his head. "No matter how much I begged, she never changed her mind." His lips trembled. "The shaman told us something else."

Everyone looked toward him, hanging on his words.

"He said someone had to carry the special pup. A life had to be exchanged. If Oriana refused, someone else would eventually become that vessel." His shoulders slumped heavily. "But your mother... she stood by her choice until the very end."

Voren couldn’t speak. His chest felt unbearably heavy. Everything he thought he knew about his mother had just been completely turned upside down. She hadn’t simply died giving birth to him. She had knowingly walked straight toward death just so he could live.

Beside him, Seraphine’s heart ached just as deeply. She reached for his hand and held it tightly, offering what little comfort she could.

Neither of them could understand how someone capable of such an incredible, selfless sacrifice had ended up being treated like her body meant absolutely nothing. It wasn’t just heartbreaking. It was completely unforgivable.

At that moment, Seraphine realized something else. People always spoke about the White Wolf as though it were the greatest burden anyone could carry. But now the legend of the Black Wolf seemed even more terrifying. Its existence demanded sacrifices no one should ever have to make.

Vladimir took another shaky breath. "When I finally returned after the birth, I saw Olivia." His face twisted with raw grief. "I thought... I thought the Moon Goddess had shown me mercy." He laughed bitterly at himself. "I believed my Oriana had somehow survived."

His fists clenched hard at his sides. "That’s why I believed this bitch so easily." The harsh word echoed across the silent deck.

Vladimir lowered his head again. "It was already difficult enough accepting that the woman I loved... had given her life before I even had the chance to know my own son." Fresh tears rolled down his face. "I hated her decision. I hated that she chose you over herself."

He looked directly at Voren. "I was so damn furious." His breathing became uneven. "Especially when the shaman had said someone else could have carried the special pup, and made that sacrifice instead."

Shame filled every inch of his face. "But..."

He stopped, his expression tightened. There was still more to tell.