The wolf took the memory card and walked toward the large vision hearth mounted on the wall.

He connected the card reader to the USB port located on the rear of the vision hearth.

All eyes fixed on the screen—except Ashley and Emily.

Emma looked at Lunara and her mother, she saw fear in their eyes as they stared curiously.

The time-stamped footage began with Daniel entering the chamber and began to throw all the things in the small chamber in different directions, as if he was looking for something. He stood upright, looked around, and walked towards a cupboard. He took out everything that was in the cupboard and lifted a rolling pin.

The door opened slowly and a she-wolf and her two moonpups walked in. The young he-wolf, who would be about six winters old, was holding two grocery bags. Apparently, his father took them out. There was fear in their mother’s eyes as she was probably wondering who had left her door open. She jerked when she sighted Daniel holding a rolling pin.

"Theresa told me you visited her again," Daniel said, his voice low...but sharp enough to cut through the air.

"Yes, but I... I... didn’t tell her anything," she rushed out, trembling slightly. "I swear to the Moon Goddess." Please believe me... I had no choice... I couldn’t risk everything falling apart.

"Why would you visit her at all after I warned you not to?" he demanded, his voice tightening with anger and disbelief.

"I need crowns of silver for Penny’s upkeep!" she snapped, desperation breaking through. "What I earn each moonfall isn’t enough to take care of her! You stopped me from seeing the only he-wolf who helps us!" If I don’t care for her... who will?

Daniel’s eyes darkened. "Where are you coming from?"

"I... I..." Her voice cracked as her hands tightened nervously.

"Where are you coming from? Answer me!!" Daniel suddenly roared.

He lifted the rolling pin in his hand, stepping forward with a heavy, threatening stride. The chamber tightened with fear as tension snapped like a stretched cord.

The she-wolf quickly pulled her little one behind her, instinctively shielding her as she edged toward the door...eyes darting for escape.

"Where did you go?" he pressed again, voice colder now.

"I went to see... Jason’s father!" she finally blurted out, panic spilling over. "I need to take care of my moonpups! I want to put our Penny on a proper diet...she is losing weight!" Please... just understand... I’m only trying to survive.

Daniel ran after the she-wolf and she quickly left the bedchamber.

He turned.

The little he-wolf was still staring at him—frozen, wide-eyed.

Then the rolling pin came down.

The little he-wolf fell immediately and blöod began to flow.

Penny’s scream tore through the chamber.

Daniel emptied one of the bags, dropped the rolling pin inside, and walked out—

without looking back.

Penny continued screaming. Their mother came in after a few minutes, fell on her knees, and began to howl.

"Please, put this off...switch it off!" Brandon shouted at the spokeswolf . He quickly switched the vision hearth off and removed the card. All the wolves in the hall had tears rolling down their cheeks. They turned to look at Daniel, but he had disappeared. They looked down the hall and saw him struggling with two security warriors that stopped him from leaving the hall.

"You foolish wolf... where do you think you’re going, hmm?" Penny snapped, her voice sharp with fury. "At this rate, you’ll end up replacing my mother in the dungeon. And if you ever try that again, I swear I will..."

"Penny, enough," Emma cut in firmly before the threat could spill any further.

She stepped forward without hesitation and pulled Penny away from Daniel, her grip gentle but unyielding, as if she knew one more word would only make things worse.

Theresa screamed and fell. Lunara quickly ran to her and tried to help her up. One of the pack reporters moved closer to capture them very well.

"Turn off that damn camera, will you?!" she screamed, her patience snapping. The sharp slap echoed as she struck the pack reporter, sending the camera tumbling from his grip as she flung it aside in pure frustration.

Her moonallies quickly gathered around Theresa, their voices overlapping as they tried to steady her, to calm the storm that had already broken loose.

"Leave me... just leave me!" Theresa cried, her voice breaking.

"I want to die! I’ve been living with a murderer! Lunara, your father is a murderer...a cheater, and a bloody liar!"

"Mother, stop... you’re drawing attention," Lunara whispered, her fingers tightening at her sides.

"Who is that young wolf to your father, hmm? Probably the pup he’s been hiding from us all this time!"

"I don’t care who she is... just stop already," Lunara pleaded, her voice trembling, tears threatening to spill as everything spiraled beyond her control.

Lunara stared angrily at another pack reporter that was recording everything again. She quickly took her camera down and took some steps backward.

"Who invited all these correspondents?" the King thundered, his gaze sweeping the hall as though their presence had only just begun to offend him.

Emma nearly scoffed. He wouldn’t be asking that question if Lunara had succeeded in humiliating her. This sudden outrage—it came far too late, and far too conveniently.

"Get out!" he roared, his voice crashing through the hall. "Guards—remove them. Now!"

"My High Alpha King, they have been here from the very beginning," the High Luna said calmly, her voice cutting through the tension with quiet authority. "I must admit... I’m impressed. They should continue."

A faint, knowing smile touched her lips as she leaned back into her seat, utterly unbothered. "Guards, stand down. Let them be."

Lunara stood up, turned, and faced her father, who had been handcuffed already. Tears flew uncontrollably down her cheeks.

"You wolf of a bítch!" She screamed. "If anything happens to my mother, I swear to Moon Goddess, I’m going to kill you bloody idîot!"

Daniel lowered his head in shame, unable to find a single word to say. The revelation had caught him completely off guard—he never saw it coming.

"Calm yourself, Lunara," Emma said quietly.

"Don’t be so quick to call your father names—not yet."

Her gaze hardened slightly, a quiet weight settling behind her words. "These memory cards don’t only expose him," Emma said, her gaze locking on Lunara.

"They expose you."

A brief silence followed, thick and suffocating, as the hall seemed to lean in.

"And yet," she continued more softly, almost coldly, "the entire packland sees you as a saint... spotless, untouched... without a single stain on your record." 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

"Emma, please wait," the king said softly, his voice weighed down by grief as he lifted a hand in a tired wave.

Emma paused, clutching the memory cards closer to her chest. Her gaze moved across the hall. No one seemed truly focused on what she held anymore...except the High Luna. Around them, wolves quietly broke down, tears slipping freely as the weight of what had been revealed settled into their hearts.

"Emma... please continue," the High Luna whispered shakily, quickly wiping her tears, though her voice betrayed how much she dreaded what was coming next.

"That’s enough!" the king suddenly cut in, his voice breaking as he lowered his head. The command was firm, but it carried the ache of a ruler who could no longer bear what his own truth was doing to his pack.

"No, my High Alpha King. Emma, please... continue," the High Luna insisted, her voice firmer now despite the tremor underneath it.

She turned her gaze briefly toward the spokeswolf, searching for support or at least acknowledgment. But he remained frozen, still visibly shaken by the footage he had just seen. His mind seemed trapped in it, replaying every second, leaving him unable to even glance at the memory cards Emma was holding.

The Vision Hearth would have made things smoother, more dignified... more official. But since no one moved to take the memory card from her...and the silence stretched too heavily...Emma simply exhaled, almost in surrender.

With a small shrug, she lowered herself into a seat, opened her laptop, and without another word, began loading the video.

"Stop!" Lunara yelled, her voice sharp with frustration as her whole wolf form trembled, shaking under the weight of her anger and loss of control.

"No, she won’t!" Brandon snapped back sharply, stepping forward without hesitation. His tone was protective, firmly backing Emma. You are not going to stop her, not now, never."

"Lunara Greens... Alpha’s fated bride."

Emma paused, letting the title hang in the air.

"Shall we see who you really are?"

"...one of these videos," Emma said, lifting the card slightly,

"is a nude video call you made last moon with a Guyanese wolf. I don’t know who he is to you...a moonmate or a client." This shouldn’t exist... yet it’s recorded as fact.

She tilted her head.

"Would you like me to play it... or explain it?"

She paused.

"This other one was taken from the DVR Prince Brandon removed from your chamber the day I visited the royal house. Shall we play your truth next... or would you like to confess first?"