Third Person’s POV

    Moreover, every time there was a banquet at Madison’s mansion, if Madison had truly been sincereb, /bshe should have introduced her to the guests.

    Yet, during every banquet, she was locked in the vi’s backyard.

    She wasn’t even allowed to leave her room, let alone meet anyone.

    The tutor exined that her etiquette wasn’t up to par and that she might offend the distinguished guests.

    “Could it be that Madison’s rescue of me has some hidden story? Is this true or not?” she asked, her breathing slightlybored.

    “We can’t confirm this yet, so we need to investigate. Could you share the details of what happened back then, as well as the circumstances of your circus troupe’s dissolution?” Paisley requested.

    Poly nodded and recounted everything that had happened in Fairfax County to Paisley.

    Paisley asked meticulous questions, knowing she would need to ry this information to Lance and Caldwell upon her return.

    She inquired about every conceivable detail.

    Poly’s ount was exhaustive, especially regarding her life after the circus disbanded. She described how she made a living on her own and the events leading up to her encounter with the rogue. She held nothing back, sharing every minute detail with Paisley.

    By the end of her story, her voice was hoarse from speaking at length.

    After a while, she timidly asked, “When can I meet them?”

    “You currently reside at the Spectrehowl Pack, and it’s not convenient for you to leave. The Hutchinson family also can’t invite you out frequently. Once I return, I’ll discuss, with Caldwell to find a way. No one longs to see you more than he does.”

    “Additionallyi, /iyour grandfather and mother are now in the capital, and your father awaits you in Garfield Countyi. /iOnce your identity is confirmed, Caldwell will surely send for him to reunite you in the capital.” Poly covered her face with her hands, tears seeping through her fingers.

    She had never thought she’d see her family again.

    No. Actually, she had thought about it.

    In the past, she had dreamed of the day she would confront them and demand to know why they had abandoned her.

    But as she grew older, she realized how illogical that seemed.

    “Over the years,” she said, moving her hands away and wiping her tears, “I myself have suspected

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    something was amissb. /bI was thrown from a vehicle while I was delirious with illness, but bI /bstill bremember /bthe man who threw me out saying, ‘Don’t die in my car.“”

    Paisley handed her a handkerchief, but Poly declined and used her own to dry her tearsb. /bb“/bbIf /bbI /bbwere /bbmy /bparents‘ child, even an unloved daughter, they wouldn’t have cast me aside like that. Even bif /bbI /bbwas /bbon /bbthe /bbrink of death and it was inconvenient to seek a doctor, they could have buried me after I passed. Why would they throw me out while I was still alive? It was pouring rain that day. Every time I recall this, bmy /bheart aches, and I dare not dwell on it.”

    Paisley could envision the torment Poly had endured.

    She must have been terrified after being kidnapped and then fell seriously ill during the journey.

    The kidnappers, fearing exposure and unwilling to bear the cost of treatment, would have simply discarded her.

    Poly, delirious with fever, had mistaken this for abandonment by her own parents. The pain of bsuch /bba /bbelief must have been overwhelming.

    No one would willingly confront such memories.

    Poly began to cry again. “I have family who didn’t abandon me. They’ve been searching for me, waiting for me all these years. Paisley, you can’t imagine what this means to me.”

    “After our circus disbanded, the troupe leader left Fairfax County but didn’t take me with them. I thought I had no family left, that I was all alone in the world. That feeling was truly terrifying.”

    Paisley embraced her, tears streaming down her own face.

    Knowing Poly was Caldwell’s younger sister filled her with a sense of kinship and deepened her empathy for Poly’s suffering.

    Although heartbroken for her, Paisley advised patience, not disclosing when the family reunion would happen.

    The n was too sensitive to risk leakage; otherwise, Adide would be furious.

    Back at the ckthorn Pack, Paisley’s crimson pheromones pulsed with urgency. She gathered Adide and Caldwell in the study.

    Lance hadn’t returned yet, but Caldwell, too anxious to wait, insisted they proceed without him. His cold camphor pheromones were a tangled mess of nerves.

    Paisley’s crimson pheromones radiated warmth and certainty.

    Her first words brought tears to Caldwell’s eyes, “Caldwell, I’m sure she’s your sister.”

    Since Paisley left, Caldwell had been a bundle of nerves, terrified she’d return with a shake of her bed His wolf ws had left half–moon marks in his palm, each breath a shuddering strain. Every moment Paisley was gone stretched into an eternity of anxiety.

    With dark circles under his eyes and a face etched with sleeplessness, he had waited all night. Upon

    b2/3 /b

    13:12 bSat/b, 16 bAug /b

    Paisley’s return, before he could even draw a steadying breath, she spoke.

    He froze, his cold camphor pheromones shattering as tears streamed down his face. His wolf bcars /bdrooped, and his once–straight back curved under the weight of overwhelming emotion.

    Adide and Paisley watched as he trembled, walked to the desk on unsteady legs, and sat down. Hey his head on the desk for a long while before lifting it.

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