Chapter 139

Claire's POV The drive to my childhood home felt like traveling backward through time, each familiar street corner marking another step away from the life I'd built and toward the sanctuary of unconditional love that had shaped my earliest years. I sat in my car for several minutes before summoning the courage to walk up the front path, my hands trembling as I carried the single suitcase that contained what remained of my independence. The weight of public humiliation pressed down on my shoulders like a physical burden, making each step feel like an insurmountable effort. How could I explain to my mother that her daughter—the one she'd raised to value integrity above all else—had been branded a corporate traitor by the entire werewolf community? She probably knew and that was why shed been trying to communicate. But when the front door opened before I could even knock, my mother's reaction was immediate and unambiguous. She took one look at my tear-stained face and opened her arms with