Vladimir’s shoulders slumped under the crushing weight of all his regrets. His eyes were red and swollen from crying, and every single word that left his mouth sounded heavier and more painful than the last.

"What Olivia did..." His voice cracked badly. "It destroyed me."

He covered his face with one hand for a moment before forcing himself to keep going. "For years, I convinced myself that Oriana’s memory loss was the price the Moon Goddess demanded for bringing you into the world instead of her life." His gaze slowly found Voren. "I told myself losing her memories was better than losing her life."

Another tear slipped down his face. "I clung to that belief because it hurt less. I never imagined that she had been dead all along."

Silence swallowed the entire deck.

Vladimir’s eyes filled with fresh tears. "She gave everything for our son." His fists trembled at his sides. "And instead of honoring that sacrifice, we lived our lives as though she had never existed."

The guilt in his voice was absolutely heartbreaking. "I spent decades giving Olivia every bit of love that belonged to Oriana. I stood by her even when I knew she was wrong. I loved the wrong woman."

No one spoke. There were no comforting words that could possibly lessen that kind of deep, soul-crushing pain. Even those who had been angry with Vladimir earlier found it hard not to sympathize with him now.

Looking back, it finally made sense. The reason Vladimir had fought so hard against Voren’s relationship with Seraphine wasn’t because he hated Seraphine.

It was because he believed he was protecting the woman he thought had stood beside him for decades, sacrificed so much for their son. He had defended Olivia because he believed she deserved that loyalty. The truth made the betrayal feel even crueler.

Vladimir wiped his eyes before looking directly at Voren. "Honestly, if I had known your mother died that day, I would have raised you alone." His answer came without any hesitation. "I wouldn’t have remarried."

His expression was full of certainty. "Your mother loved you enough to trade her own life for yours." He smiled sadly. "So why wouldn’t I spend the rest of mine raising the son she died protecting?"

His chest rose with raw emotion. "Oriana never could have been replaced. Not in my heart, not in the Grimroot Pack, and not anywhere." He closed his eyes tightly. "Her sacrifice was beyond measure."

Voren remained silent. His own heart felt painfully heavy. Listening to his father’s words only strengthened the quiet promise he had made to himself.

In this lifetime, he would only have one wife no matter what happened. Even if the thought made him sick to his stomach. If death ever took Seraphine from him, he would never marry again. Never.

He would rather rule the Grimroot Pack without a Luna than allow another woman to stand where Seraphine once stood. No one could ever replace her. Not in his heart, and most certainly not in his life.

As those thoughts filled his mind, another memory surfaced. The shaman. Kael had once told him about a strange conversation Olivia had with her. That mysterious old woman always spoke in riddles. At the time, none of them had really understood her words but now everything felt different.

Voren frowned thoughtfully. Maybe they had been making a mistake all along. Instead of waiting for her strange predictions to come true, they should have been trying to understand them from the very beginning. The answers might already be there. They simply hadn’t been listening carefully enough.

Vladimir suddenly looked at his son again. "The shaman came to visit you the day after you were born." His voice carried another heavy layer of regret. "I remember every word she spoke." He swallowed painfully. "She looked at me and said, "’not everything that glitters is gold.’"

He rubbed his forehead. "At the time, I had no idea what she meant." A broken laugh escaped him. "If only I had understood."

His composure finally crumbled completely. He covered his face and cried openly. The mighty Alpha cried like a child who had lost everything.

Across the deck, Einstein silently wiped away his own tears. He had believed his own family had suffered enough. Compared to Vladimir’s tragedy, their pain suddenly felt much smaller. His heart ached for the Alpha.

Vladimir slowly gathered himself again. His eyes remained swollen and red, but his voice carried renewed determination. "Olivia is a criminal." His gaze landed hard on her. "But before anything happens, she will attend the Full Moon Festival."

His expression became firm. "She will personally take me to meet her husband." Disgust flashed across his face. "I have to retrieve my wife’s remains from the Season Pack. I will bring Oriana home."

He wiped the remaining tears from his face with the back of his hand. That decision was final.

Olivia broke down completely. Her cries echoed loudly across the deck as she wailed without caring who heard her. But no one pitied her because they understood exactly why she was crying.

She wasn’t mourning Oriana. She wasn’t sorry for Vladimir or Voren. She was only sorrowful for herself and the life she was about to lose.

She feared the total disgrace waiting for her. For years, she had enjoyed respect from every pack. Because Voren had remained without a Luna for so long, many people had admired her supposed wisdom and influence.

It was one of the reasons the Alpha King had trusted her enough to arrange Voren’s marriage to Athaliah. That reputation was gone forever now.

Once the truth spread, no Alpha, no Luna, and no pack would willingly associate with her again. She had lost everything.

Alphas weren’t known for showing tears. Strength was expected of them. Yet after hearing the full truth about Oriana, every single person standing on that deck had tears in their eyes. Even those who tried to hide them couldn’t.

Vladimir looked at Olivia once more. Deep inside, he had already decided her fate. He had no intention of allowing her to live peacefully after everything she had done. But first, she would face every bit of humiliation her lies had earned. Only then would her punishment truly be complete.

"I agree," Voren’s voice broke the heavy silence. His own voice cracked with emotion. "I have to meet the woman who gave her life so I could live." His eyes became moist. "Even if all that’s left of her, are her skeletal remains."

The words left a deep ache inside everyone’s heart. The timing made it even worse. This was supposed to be the happiest day of Voren and Seraphine’s lives. Instead, it had become one of the most painful ones.

For the first time, Voren silently thanked Corvine. If Corvine had revealed this truth before the wedding, everything would have fallen apart. The ceremony never would have happened. At least now Voren had married the woman he loved before facing this heartbreaking reality.

His mother deserved to be mourned properly. She deserved every honor that had been stolen from her.

Corvine stepped forward without hesitation. "In that case, I’ll personally keep Olivia confined until the festival."

Before anyone else could respond, Jasmine finally found the courage to speak. Her voice was small and filled with guilt. "What about me?"

Everyone turned toward her. Tears filled her eyes as she lowered her head. "I’m guilty too."