Madison was waiting for this exact moment. After every revelation on the yacht, she had carried the heavy regret of never standing up to Noelle while Seraphine was still growing up.

Back then she had no idea the woman had been physically abusing her daughter behind closed doors, and if she had known she would have stepped in without a second thought.

Now fate had handed her another chance, and she wasn’t about to let it slip away.

Noelle staggered backward, her cheek already burning from the first slap. She pushed herself up off the floor, one hand pressed hard against her swollen face while pure rage blazed in her eyes. "Madi!" she shrieked. "How dare you slap me? I can have you exiled from this—"

Smack!

The second slap cut her off cold. Noelle’s head snapped sideways. Madison stood right in front of her, face as cold as winter ice. "That one," she growled, "was for switching my daughter."

She grabbed Noelle by the front of her dress and yanked her back onto her feet like she weighed nothing at all. Before Noelle could even steady herself,

Smack!

Another slap cracked through the hall, sharp enough to make the guests jump. "And that," Madison went on, her voice shaking with years of buried anger, "was for every single day you abused my daughter."

The room dropped into complete silence. Every slap carried the weight of years of guilt, heartbreak, and helplessness that Madison had never been able to voice until now.

Noelle stumbled again, vision blurring as humiliation burned through every inch of her body. She clenched her teeth, eyes filling with furious tears. "You..." Her trembling hand flew up, ready to strike Madison back, but she never got the chance.

Smack!

Another loud slap landed across her other cheek, the force knocking her straight to the floor. This time it wasn’t Madison. It was Kylie.

Kylie slowly lowered her hand, her expression colder than anyone in that hall had ever seen from her. No sympathy, no mercy, only pure disgust.

Noelle lay there on the floor, tears spilling freely now, both cheeks swollen and bright red before her wolf began to heal her. The proud woman who always looked down on everyone else had been reduced to a complete mess.

The sight sent Daisy into full panic. "Mom!" She hurried over and dropped to her knees beside Noelle, carefully helping her sit up. Then she looked up at Kylie through watery eyes. "Luna Kylie..." her voice trembled, "why are you hitting her?"

The tears streaming down Daisy’s face matched Noelle’s perfectly. Anyone who didn’t know the truth would have sworn the two of them were the real victims here.

Kylie’s lips curled into a cold smile. "Keep pretending," she told her, icy eyes locked onto Daisy. "You have no idea what’s about to hit you."

Daisy’s breathing hitched as fear slowly crept into her heart. Something felt terribly wrong.

"Mom..." Ravyn finally broke his silence, looking between everyone in confusion. "What’s going on?"

Kylie turned toward him. The disappointment in her eyes stung sharper than any slap ever could. "Stay out of this," she answered, voice firm. "Everything happening today started because of you." She pointed straight at him.

Ravyn froze, chest tightening. Before he could ask another question Kylie bent down, grabbed Noelle by the hair, and roughly forced her head up. Noelle cried out in pain. "Are you going to confess your sins?" Kylie hissed, grip tightening. "Or do I have to beat the truth out of you?"

"Luna Kylie!" Chuck’s voice thundered from behind her as he rushed forward. He barely took two steps.

Bang!

A powerful kick landed squarely on his back. Chuck cried out as he stumbled forward, barely managing to catch himself before he hit the floor face-first. He spun around in shock.

Behind him stood Humphrey, the former Alpha’s face filled with pure disgust. "You are a disgrace to your position, Chuck."

Chuck’s legs suddenly felt weak, heartbeat racing. "Alpha Humphrey..." his voice shook, "what are you talking about?" For the first time in years, he felt genuine fear.

Humphrey marched toward him, his powerful aura crushing everyone nearby, eyes burning with fury. "Answer one question," he said, voice terrifyingly calm. "Is Seraphine your biological daughter?"

Chuck opened his mouth. "Yes, she—"

"Don’t you dare." Humphrey’s furious roar shook the entire hall. "Lie to my face and I’ll bury you with my bare hands."

Every person present felt chills race down their spine. Humphrey stepped even closer, his piercing glare never leaving Chuck’s face. "I have proof."

Those three words drained every bit of color from Chuck’s face. Noelle froze. Daisy stopped breathing. Their minds went completely blank. Was this really the end?

"Mom... Dad..." Ravyn rubbed his temples like he was trying to make sense of everything. "You’re making an even bigger mess." His voice carried more frustration than anything else.

Humphrey slowly turned toward his son. The disappointment in his eyes was heartbreaking. "You foolish child," he replied, letting out a bitter laugh. "If I had known you would grow into this kind of man, I would have handed the Alpha title to Corvine."

The words struck Ravyn like a knife. Humphrey wasn’t finished. "He’s ten times the man you’ll ever be."

Ravyn felt the blood drain from his face. Those words hurt more than anything. This was the second time someone had questioned his worth as a man, and somehow hearing it from his own father cut even deeper. "Dad, enough!" His roar echoed through the hall.

Humphrey didn’t even flinch. Instead, he looked at Ravyn with pity. "You want to know why?" His voice dropped to something frighteningly quiet. "Then listen carefully." He slowly pointed toward Noelle and Chuck. "They switched Seraphine with Daisy when they were babies."

Another wave of gasps swept through the crowd. Eyes widened. Several guests covered their mouths in disbelief. Humphrey continued without looking away from them.

"Seraphine is not their daughter. And I’m still trying to find out why they committed such an unforgivable crime."

His sharp gaze landed on Noelle, still sitting on the floor, then moved to Chuck standing beside her. "Enough of this." He drew in a deep breath. "We’re taking this to the pack house."

Chuck hurried over and helped Noelle onto her feet. Her legs trembled so badly she could barely stand. Behind them Daisy broke into loud sobs, her entire world falling apart.

The two of them slowly walked toward the entrance like they had already accepted their fate.

The moment they crossed the doorway they bolted. Without looking back, they sprinted in the opposite direction. There was no way they would willingly walk into the pack house and face whatever punishment waited for them.

"Guards!" Humphrey’s furious roar exploded through the air. "Get them!"