Everyone on the deck became even more attentive, leaning in slightly.

"The night I gave birth..." Her expression grew distant, lost in the memory. "I immediately knew something was wrong." She looked at Seraphine with deep emotion. "I noticed my baby had been switched."

Gasps spread across the deck like wildfire.

"I knew because of the moon mark." Her voice remained steady. "My daughter carried it. When I looked inside the crib, I found another baby." She smiled sadly. "A little girl who wasn’t mine."

Her eyes filled with warmth. "But she still needed someone to love her, so I named her Daisy. That’s the name I always wanted to give my Daughter because I love the Daisy flower."

Kylie frowned deeply, confusion covering her face. "I was there. I never left for long." She looked completely lost. "So how did Noelle manage to switch the babies?"

Madison slowly shook her head. "I honestly don’t know. I’ve wondered about that for years." She looked down briefly. "But something inside me kept telling me the truth. My daughter wasn’t safe with me." She glanced toward Seraphine. "She had inherited the bright blue eyes. The very eyes those creatures had been hunting for."

Madison’s voice became softer, full of pain and love. "Then... Noelle came to me two years later." Everyone watched her carefully. "She made me an offer." Madison smiled bitterly.

"She asked me to become her child’s nanny. She also told me to reduce Daisy’s age by one year. I never understood why." She sighed quietly. "But the moment I entered the pack house, I knew." Her voice became certain. "She was the one who had switched the babies."

Kylie stared at her in disbelief. "You should’ve told me." Her voice carried both hurt and frustration. "I would’ve made things right."

Madison gently shook her head. "I know you would’ve." A grateful smile appeared on her face. "You loved her, and she was growing up as the Beta’s daughter. That life was much closer to what she was born into." She looked proudly at Seraphine. "She was raised with honor, with discipline, and leadership, just as the granddaughter of an Alpha should be."

Madison’s smile slowly disappeared. "There were many days when Noelle insulted her. Many days when her words cut deep." She laughed softly without any real joy.

"But I accepted every insult, swallowed every bit of pain she inflicted on my daughter." Her eyes became wet with tears again. "Because every harsh word reminded me of one thing." She looked at Seraphine with nothing but pure, unbreakable love. "My daughter was safer pretending to be a Beta’s child, than living as the disguised daughter of an omega."

No one could argue with her heartbreaking reasoning. The sacrifices she had made were truly unimaginable.

Voren had remained silent throughout the entire explanation, but one question still bothered him deeply. He looked directly at Madison. "If you knew all of this..." His voice was calm but filled with genuine curiosity. "Then why did you continue allowing Sera to give her blood to Daisy?"

Everyone immediately turned toward Madison, even Kylie and Humphrey. Every single person on the deck desperately wanted to hear her answer.

Madison looked around at everyone gathered on the deck, her gaze finally settling on Seraphine with deep emotion. A sad, tired smile appeared on her face.

"Honestly... any mother in my position would’ve made the same choice." Her voice carried years of heavy guilt and regret. "I only agreed because the doctor assured me that donating blood wouldn’t hurt you."

She swallowed hard, the memories clearly painful. "And from the very beginning, you wanted to help." Her eyes softened with love. "You were such a loving little girl. You behaved so much like Esperanza, always thinking about everyone else before yourself."

Madison’s smile slowly disappeared. "I also couldn’t let Noelle realize that I knew she’d switched the babies. If she found out, I had no idea what she would’ve done." Her shoulders slumped under the weight of it all. "So I allowed you to suffer a little because I believed it would keep you alive."

Tears rolled down her cheeks. "Please don’t misunderstand me." She looked directly into Seraphine’s eyes, her voice breaking. "I never enjoyed watching you suffer. As your mother, I would rather let my daughter endure a little pain than risk losing her forever."

Her breathing became uneven and shaky. "I was terrified those creatures would find us again. I still don’t know what they wanted from our family." Her expression filled with frustration and helplessness. "And even if they came, I couldn’t have fought them."

Voren’s brows furrowed. "You couldn’t..." His sharp eyes stayed locked on Madison. "Or you didn’t know how?"

Madison froze. She immediately realized she had chosen the wrong words. A helpless smile appeared on her face. "I guess... I never learned how."

She sighed quietly. "I spent almost my entire life hiding. Every single day, I lived in fear that those creatures would discover where I was." Her fingers tightened together anxiously. "I hardly ever allowed myself to shift," she smiled bitterly. "I was afraid someone would recognize the wolf I carried."

She looked down. "But now, it’s too late."

Everyone remained silent, hanging on her every word.

"When a gifted wolf stays dormant for too long, her powers begin to fade." She laughed quietly at herself. "Throughout my entire life, I haven’t shifted even seven times."

Seraphine slowly nodded. Everything finally made sense. She had often wondered why Madison never displayed any extraordinary abilities despite everything surrounding her mysterious past. But Marsha already explained.

Gifted wolves needed more than just power. They needed happiness and peace. Only then could their gifts truly awaken and flourish.

Looking back, Seraphine couldn’t remember ever seeing Madison genuinely happy. Not in the pack house, not while raising Daisy. It was only when Madison took care of her as a nanny that she mostly saw that soft smile on her face. Her mother had survived, but she had never truly lived.

Seraphine nodded in understanding, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "Thank you..." Her voice was gentle and full of emotion. "Thank you for finally telling us the truth." She squeezed Madison’s hand warmly. "I’ll find a way to get the rest of the answers from Noelle and I hope your health is good."

A flash of anger crossed her face. "I still don’t understand what gave her the right to treat me the way she did."

Madison frowned in confusion. "Sera..." She blinked, her voice becoming uncertain. "What are you talking about? Noelle was rude most of the time." She nodded sadly. "But she never laid a hand on you. As for my health, is has been at it’s best after the last medication you sent to me."

Seraphine’s eyes immediately filled with fresh tears. "You weren’t there that day." The words came out quietly. "You only saw what happened when people were watching." She slowly looked down. "You weren’t there the day Daisy smashed a glass jar against my head."

Madison’s eyes widened in horror. "How the hell did I not know?"