Third Person's POV The black Rolls-Cullinan, bristling with arrogance like a dominant Alpha, gradually disappeared at the end of the road, only to be replaced moments later by another familiar pack vehicle pulling up in front of her. Celestine scrambled, shoving the photographs she had just gathered into her coat. Her mind churned, picturing the faces of the Moonvale Pack who had watched her suffer in the holding cells without lifting a claw to help. The hatred twisting her expression softened momentarily, replaced by a fragile, desperate smile. "Mother!" she cried, throwing herself into Luna Evelyn's arms as the older wolf welcomed her with open embrace. Alpha Remus and Fenrir were busy with pack affairs and could not come; today, only Luna Evelyn and Lykos were here to retrieve her from confinement. Seeing her gaunt form, the toll of captivity plain in every line of her body, their eyes softened with pity. No amount of anger could mask the price Celestine had paid. A pampered wolf born into privilege, she had never endured this kind of suffering. "Let's go home," Luna Evelyn murmured, her voice tinged with both relief and sorrow. Tears filled Celestine's eyes as she clung to her mother. "Mom... thank you for still recognizing me." "Don't speak such foolishness. You're my daughter. How could I not recognize you?" Luna Evelyn wiped the tears from her cheeks, patting the thin, weary frame of her child. The blame belonged to her. She had failed to guard her daughter, failed to guide the younger wolf through the currents of pack politics. "Mom~" Celestine nestled in close again, using the old, practiced gestures of her youth to beg affection. Nearby, Lykos watched this display, his thoughts betraying him. He thought of Aysel at the birthday gathering, cold and severed from the pack family. Had he ever seen his sister like this-with warmth, with care? "Lykos?" Celestine's voice snapped him from his reverie. He shook his head and offered a small, awkward smile. She had suffered enough; there was no need for him to stir jealousy over this. "Welcome home, sister," he said softly. Back inside the Moonvale estate, Celestine was eager to cleanse herself, to scrub away every trace of the filth and despair she had endured in confinement.Passing by Aysel's room, she paused. The door stood open. "Is this being renovated?" she asked a nearby maid. "Yes," the maid replied. "Madam said the old room was too small. She had the designer merge two rooms together and redecorate according to the second young lady's preferences." Celestine's brief lift in spirits collapsed instantly. Her eyes glinted with venom and sarcasm. So it was true: no matter how far they tried to drive her away, the true daughter always clawed her way back. Those two rooms-surely her dance studio and music room-had been appropriated without so much as a whisper to her. And this, Celestine realized, was what Luna Evelyn meant by treating her as her daughter? The maid noticed her hesitation and looked up, startled at the dark aura simmering in Celestine's gaze. She quickly lowered her eyes. Whatever had changed during Celestine's time abroad had only made her more dangerous, more predatory. Alpha Remus and Fenrir had been absent during the day, but they returned in time for the cleansing feast in the evening. Seeing her shrunken frame, moving cautiously, and even preparing dishes for them, both felt their anger melt into guilt. "Stop fussing," Alpha Remus said, sighing. "Let the staff handle it." Fenrir, unaccustomed to seeing Celestine in such a weakened state, softened as well. "Have the kitchen nourish you properly during this time." Everyone wanted to ease the tension. The conversation at the table gradually smoothed over, no one mentioning the scandalous broadcast that had tarnished their reputation. Celestine loosened her grip on her chopsticks. Moonvale wolves were always easy to manipulate when it mattered. Her mind already raced ahead-she needed to reconnect with old allies, her former suitors, and ensure her future even without her dance. But mid-meal, Alpha Remus's phone buzzed violently. A voice from the pack's corporate council roared through the line: "Alpha Remus! Can you not control your own household? Do you expect the company to survive this storm?" "I don't care! You bear most of the losses from the stock drop yourselves!" he barked, teeth gritted. "Just look at the news today!" the voice snapped back. Simultaneously, Fenrir's assistant's urgent call arrived: "Fenrir! It's over! The young lady was photographed leaving confinement!" The attention of every wolf at the table shifted instantly to Celestine, whose face had drained of color. A mere plagiarism scandal had been one thing-but incarceration was another. The public, unaware of the full extent of her imprisonment, had only heard rumors of her "overseas correctional study." Now that she had emerged, the rumors escalated uncontrollably. The once-warm table froze. Alpha Remus's gaze, usually steady, now burned with sharp, accusing intensity. Every sleepless night spent salvaging the pack's business seemed wasted. Fenrir's face hardened. No longer the indulgent elder brother, he snatched his phone and retreated to the study, preparing for damage control. Luna Evelyn's smile stiffened as she held her chopsticks helplessly, unsure how to respond. Celestine's eyes swept the nearly empty table, her gaze dark, coiled, and dangerous. Were it not for the Moonvale Pack's incompetence, would anyone have been able to expose her so easily? How dare they glare at her now?