?Chapter 1114:


    Maia had arranged for the white wolves to stay in another vi. When I arrived, I found Pa on thewn, chasingughter with a few white wolf children.


    Their giggles floated through the air—light, unburdened—as if the world’s cruelty couldn’t touch them.


    I paused at the doorway, quietly soaking in the scene. A real smile tugged at my lips for the first time in what felt like forever.


    The heaviness in my chest lifted—only to crash back down a heartbeatter.


    “Makenna?” Pa spotted me, straightened quickly, and waved.


    She leaned close to an older n member, whispered something, and the n member nodded, gathering the children and leading them away.


    Then she strode toward me, looking puzzled. “Why are you here?”


    I didn’t answer right away. My gaze lingered on the retreating children, questions gnawing at my mind. “When the white wolves were imprisoned, how could there still be newborns?” I asked. “I thought the white wolves were nearly wiped out.”


    The light dimmed from Pa’s face in an instant.


    She dropped her gaze, hands balling into fists at her sides. “The Lycan royals…” she muttered, her voice shaking, “they’ve been bleeding us dry for their experiments. Harvesting our blood—again and again. So many have died. And the survivors? Forced to breed, just to feed their cruelty.”


    My chest constricted, a raw, crushing ache blooming inside me. Images assaulted my mind—white wolves shackled in sterilebs, trapped in endless agony. It choked the breath from my lungs. How could Leonardo be so monstrous? How could he strip away life so easily, so coldly?


    Hatred, molten and consuming, roared through my veins. I gritted my teeth, feeling it rise—a wildfire inside my ribcage, threatening to burn me from within.


    My mind spun back to Maia and Alden—the way they had once spoken of their parents, imprisoned somewhere in the werewolf forest.


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    But during the recent rescue, there had been no sign of them.


    A lump rose in my throat, thick and suffocating. It took me several long breaths before I could force out the words. “Maia’s parents… are they still alive?”


    Pa’s shoulders sagged under the weight of the question. She dipped her head, her hair falling forward to hide her face. For a moment, the world held its breath.


    Then she shook her head, slow and hollow. “They died… a long time ago. In thosebs.”


    A sharp, tearing pain carved through me. “I’m sorry,” I rasped, barely recognizing my own voice. “If I’d moved sooner, maybe they’d still…”


    Pa lifted her head, trying hard to remainposed. “Makenna, this isn’t your fault. You’ve done so much. You’ve saved so many.”


    But the words bounced off the walls of my guilt.


    Tears slipped free, hot and silent, as I bit my lip to keep from crumbling entirely.


    I hated myself—for not seeing the truth, for not fighting earlier.


    Pa turned to the front gates, staring out as if wrestling her own demons.


    After a while, she asked in a low voice, “Something’s happening outside, isn’t it? I noticed the city’s under lockdown today. The air feels… wrong.”


    I wiped the tears from my cheeks, drawing in a shaky breath. “Leonardo knows,” I said hoarsely. “He’s found out the white wolves escaped. Marehelm is surrounded. It’s only a matter of time before the storm hits.”


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