(Yvette’s POV)

    The sterile scent of wolfsbane and healing herbs filled the Wolf Medical Center’s waiting area. I paced the polished floors like a caged animal, my heart hammering against my ribs with each passing minute.

    My daughter was somewhere behind those heavy doors.

    My child, who I had searched for relentlessly for over two decades, was being treated for injuries sustained in a battle that should never have happened.

    The thought of losing her again, so soon after our reunion, made my wolf howl with anguish.

    “Luna Riverwind?” A healer in pristine white robes emerged from the treatment area. “Your daughter is stable. Minor silver burns on her wrists and some bruising, but nothing that won’t healpletely.”

    Relief flooded through me so powerfully that I had to grip the nearest chair to keep from copsing. “Can I see her?”

    “Of course. She’s in room three with Alpha Stormhowl.”

    I rushed down the hallway, my elegant heels clicking urgently against the tiles. Through the partially open door, I could see Audrey sitting on the edge of a medical bed, fresh bandages wrapped around her wrists.

    She looked so small. So fragile. Nothing like the powerfulfemale Alpha I knew her to be.

    “Audrey,” I whispered, pushing the door open.

    Her emerald eyes met mine, and I saw the exact moment herposed facade crumbled. Tears spilled down her cheeks as she reached for me with trembling hands.

    “Mother,” she sobbed.

    I crossed the room in three quick strides, gathering her into my arms as carefully as I could manage. She was warm and solid and alive, and I had never been more grateful for anything in my entire existence.

    “My brave girl,” I murmured against her hair. “I thought I- might lose you again before we’d even had a chance to be a family.”

    Audrey copsed against my chest, her shoulders shaking with the force of her sobs. All the trauma and terror she had endured finally breaking free.

    “Arthur’s gone,” she cried into my shoulder. “He died saving me from Lyra. Those bullets were meant for me, and he just… he threw himself in front of them without hesitation.”

    My heart shattered for her pain. I knew howplicated her rtionship with Arthur Moonstone had been, but his final act of sacrifice would undoubtedly haunt her for years toe.

    “And Florian,” she continued, her voice muffled against my embrace. “I almost lost him too. If Arthur hadn’t been there, if he hadn’t acted when he did…”

    “But he did,” I said firmly, stroking her auburn hair. “And Florian is fine. He’s right here with you.”

    Florian sat in a chair across the room, his own bandages visible beneath his torn shirt. His golden eyes were filled with a mixture of relief and lingering rage, but when he looked at Audrey, only tenderness remained.

    “She’s safe now,” he said quietly. “That’s all that matters.”

    I held my daughter tighter, feeling the tremors that still ran through her body. The wolf who had terrorized her was finally in custody, but the emotional scars would take time to heal.

    “Nathan Snowfang and Lyra will face justice,” I assured her. “The Pack Council has enough evidence to try him for conspiracy, attempted murder, and a dozen other crimes.

    He’ll never hurt you again.”

    But even as I spoke the words, I knew that wasn’t what troubled her most. Arthur’s death was a heavy blow.

    Nathan’s betrayal cut deep. The realization that her trusted friend had been manipting her for years would leave wounds that might never fully heal.

    “I trusted him,” Audrey whispered brokenly. “For two years, I trusted himpletely. How could I have been so blind?””Because you have a good heart,” I replied. “Because you see the best in people, even when they don’t deserve it.

    That’s not a weakness, my darling. It’s what makes you extraordinary.”

    A soft knock at the door interrupted our emotional reunion. An elderly she-wolf leaning heavily on a carved walking stick stood in the doorway, her silver hair perfectly styled despite thete hour.

    Elder Shadowcrest. Audrey’s grandmother.

    Despite her obvious frailty, she had somehow managed to make her way to the medical center upon hearing news of the night’s events.

    “May Ie in?” she asked softly.

    Audrey immediately straightened, wiping at her tear-stained cheeks. “Grandmother! You shouldn’t havee.

    It’s toote, and you need your rest.”

    “Nonsense,” Elder Shadowcrest said with a weak but determined smile. “When I learned what happened, wild horses couldn’t have kept me away.”

    She moved slowly into the room, her concerned eyes taking in every detail of Audrey’s condition. Despite the careful way she held herself, I could see genuine love and worry in her weathered features.

    “My granddaughter,” Elder Shadowcrest said, reaching out to touch Audrey’s face with a trembling hand. “I’m so d you’re safe.”

    Tears streamed down the elderly wolf’s cheeks as she cupped Audrey’s face tenderly. Her relief was palpable, her fears finally put to rest.

    Audrey covered her grandmother’s hand with her own.” It’s all right. Don’t worry, Grandmother. I’m fine.”

    Elder Shadowcrest’s expression grew troubled, her eyes darting nervously between Audrey and me. She took a shaky breath before speaking again.

    “I’m sorry, Audrey,” she said hesitantly. “About your birth mother… I’ve kept the truth hidden from you for so long. I was afraid that knowing would affect your rtionship with your father. I was afraid it would disturb Yvette and create chaos in our lives.”

    Audrey gently squeezed her grandmother’s wrinkled hand. “Grandmother, I understand. I know your actions came from a ce of love and protection.”

    “Don’t worry about the past,” she continued softly. “No matter what happens with my rtionships or my family, you will always be my grandmother. Nothing can change that bond between us.”

    Elder Shadowcrest’s shoulders sagged with relief, but guilt still clouded her features. She turned to face me directly, her voice heavy with regret.

    “I’m sorry, Yvette,” she said formally. “My selfishness back then caused you to lose Serena for so many years. After I found her again, I deliberately hid her existence from you.”

    She paused, gathering strength before continuing. “I was afraid you would take her away from me again. I was a selfish old wolf who couldn’t bear to lose the only family I had left.”

    I studied Elder Shadowcrest’s face carefully. I could see the genuine remorse there, the years of guilt that had weighed on her conscience. But I could also see the fierce love she held for my daughter.

    “If Serena had died tonight,” I said slowly, weighing my words, “I would never have forgiven you. The thought of losing her permanently because of hidden truths would have destroyed me.”

    Elder Shadowcrest flinched as if I had struck her.

    “But she didn’t die,” I continued, allowing my voice to soften. “She’s here, she’s safe, and we finally have a chance to be the family we should have been.”

    I managed a small smile despite everything we had endured. “Let bygones be bygones, Luna Shadowcrest.

    We’ve all made mistakes. What matters now is Audrey’s future.”

    Elder Shadowcrest’s eyes filled with grateful tears. “Thank you for your kindness. You’re more gracious than I deserve.”She turned back to Audrey with obvious hope in her expression. “So, my dear, what will happen now? Where witt you go from here?”

    Audrey looked between her grandmother and me, clearly weighing her words carefully.

    I saw the conflict in her emerald eyes – torn between the old grandmother who had raised her and the destre to connect with her real mother.

    “Grandmother,” she said softly, “I want to go back with my mother. You know, I have always longed for my mother’s love. I’ve finally found my own mother, and we’ve been separated for so long that I want to be with her.”

    Elder Shadowcrest’s face fell slightly, but she nodded with understanding.

    “But I will visit you often,” Audrey added quickly. “Very often. You’re still my family, and I would never abandon you.”

    Elder Shadowcrest nodded slowly, “Then I’ll give you…”

    “I know you want to make up for lost time,” Audrey continued. “I know you probably want to give me properties and territories and all manner of pack resources to show your love.”

    Elder Shadowcrest started to protest, but Audrey held up a gentle hand.

    “But I never thought I would have a mother’s love,” she said, her voice thick with emotion. “That means more to me than any territory or hunting ground ever could:

    Material things can’t rece the hole in my heart that’s been there my entire life.”

    Elder Shadowcrest dabbed at her eyes with a delicate handkerchief. “You have such a pure heart, child. Goddess of the Moon bless you, you deserve everything better.”

    As we prepared to leave the medical center, an idea that had been forming since our first reunion crystallized into certainty. I knew exactly how I wanted to wee my daughter home.

    “Audrey,” I said, taking her hands in mine. “I’m transferring all my Central Territory properties to your name. The hunting lodges, the territory dens, the business interests – all of it.”

    Her eyes widened in shock. “Mother, I can’t ept-“

    “It’s time you had a true home,” I interrupted firmly.”

    Somewhere we can build new memories together.

    Somewhere you can establish your own pack if you choose to.”

    “A ce where you’ll never have to depend on anyone else’s charity or protection,” I added. “Where you can bepletely independent and make your own choices.”

    For the first time since we had arrived at the medical center, Audrey smiled with genuine joy. Not the polite gratitude she had shown Elder Shadowcrest, but pure,radiant happiness.

    “Thank you,” she whispered. “For everything. For never giving up on me. For fighting to find me. For epting me back into your life without question.”

    I pulled her close one more time, breathing in her familiar scent. My daughter. My precious child, finally home where she belonged.

    “Wee to the Riverwind family, Audrey Serena Riverwind,” I murmured against her hair. “Let’s go home.”