Freya's POV By the time Parker finally spoke, it sounded as if he had dragged the words up from the bottom of a frozen lake. "I… there is someone I must save," he said hoarsely. "Jenny can save her." I froze. For a heartbeat, the forest-wolf inside me stilled, breath suspended mid-chest. Images snapped through my mind-my old intel reports, the scattered bits of data I had pieced together on Parker's disappearance, the woman in D-land who had helped him survive, the one who later followed him to C-country after the Williams Family took him in. A woman with failing health. A woman whose name… "Freya?" Parker frowned at me, confused by my sudden silence. My voice came out low. "The person you must save… is it Lina?" His answering smile was a painful, small curve-nothing like the confident grin of the brother I used to know. "Yes. I have to save her." I wasn't surprised. Not really. If Parker had learned I ran off with his DNA sample years ago for testing, he would've known I dug into everything-his past, his timeline, the handful of people tied closely to him. Lina had been one of those. A sick woman in long-term care. And now… "How do you think Jenny can save her?" I asked. "Jenny isn't a healer." Unless- The thought slammed into me. "Jenny's stem cells match Lina's." It wasn't a question. "It matches," Parker confirmed quietly. "If Jenny gets thrown out of the Williams Family, if anything happens to her… Lina dies." Silence fell between us-thick, heavy, too many emotions trapped inside. At last, he exhaled. "You wanted the truth. This is it. It's late. Rest."There was nothing left to say. We got out of the car, found rooms at a roadside inn, and slept for a handful of fitful hours. At dawn, I stepped outside just in time to see Parker walking toward me, two sprays of pale yellow mountain daisies in his hands. I blinked. He shrugged, looking almost embarrassed. "I can't meet them empty-handed." Them. Arthur Thorne and Myra-our parents. Even without memory, something in his wolf reacted whenever I mentioned them. Last night, when I told him they died three years ago in an overseas mission… when I said I'd gone alone to retrieve their ashes… the grief that tore through him hadn't been rational memory. It was instinct. Blood-deep. And guilt. So much guilt it sat on his shoulders like iron. I said nothing and unlocked the car. We drove toward Ashbourne Legion's Hall of Martyrs in silence. The air was cold enough to sting, mist curling low over the stone memorial stones. When we stepped onto the sacred grounds, the scent of pine, old stone, and lingering moon-magic swept up around me-solemn, ancient, comforting. I carried my flowers. Parker carried his. We stopped in front of the twin markers-Arthur and Myra. Parents. Pack warriors. Heroes. I inhaled, steadying myself. "Dad, Mom… I brought Parker." My voice wavered despite my training. "He's alive. He's lost his memories, but I believe he'll remember everything one day." I placed my daisies on the grave. "You can rest easier now." Beside me, Parker stared at the black-and-white etching of their faces-stern, proud, strong. The kind of wolves who shaped the Iron Fang Recon Unit, who raised children to stand upright even when the world collapsed.For years, Parker believed he had no family. But here was the truth, carved in stone. And I watched something inside him break-quietly, soundlessly, but irrevocably. He looked at me. Then back at the gravestones. Then- "Dad. Mom." His voice cracked. "I'm back. And… I'm sorry." I turned sharply toward him. "What are you apologizing for?" "For not coming back sooner," he whispered. "For not being here with you-" His gaze flicked to me, then away. "-when you went to bring them home." He knelt suddenly, spine straight, shoulders squared like a soldier presenting arms. And then- Thud. Thud. Thud. Three full kowtows-forehead to stone, echoes ringing across the silent hall. Instinctual. Ritualistic. Wolf-born. I swallowed hard. After a long moment, Parker rose. "And I'm sorry," he added, voice hoarse, "that even though someone slandered Mom and Dad… I still have to protect her." Jenny. He waited, almost braced-like he expected me to call him a monster. I turned back to our parents' memorial, then to him. "Lina saved your life," I said quietly. "Repaying a life-debt… I understand that. I'll speak to Silas about withdrawing the charges. I can probably get the police side dismissed." Parker's eyes widened. "You'll try?" "Lina saved you," I said. "That means she saved our family. I want her to live, too." His relief was palpable. And then confusion. "But… Silas. You really dated him?" "I did," I said simply. "After the Lunar Severance Phase ended with Caelum, I… tried again. With Silas." I didn't flinch mentioning Caelum's name anymore. It was done. Ashes in the wind. Parker stared at me. "You were with him?" "Briefly," I said. "But it's over. For good." He exhaled. "If Silas won't listen to you… I'll find my own way." "I'll still try," I told him. "But it might not work. And…"