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~Elara's POV
I don't know when the tears started. Maybe before I even realized it. Maybe the moment my mind finally accepted what my heart already knew. I wiped at my cheeks, but more kept falling, warm and stubborn, like they refused to let me hide anything anymore.
"You all want to hide behind the excuse that you didn't know," I said quietly, and my voice shook even though I tried to make it steady. "That's what you want, right? You want the story to be simple. You didn't know I was your daughter, and that's why you ignored me. That's why you treated me like I was nothing."
Alpha Rowan flinched. Luna Elena looked down at her hands like she was praying they would turn into something else. Something cleaner.
I let out a breath that felt like it tore my chest open. "But that's not the worst part," I continued, shaking my head. "The worst part is that she did tell you. She told you the truth."
They stared, confused for a moment, until my eyes slid to Stella.
