Chapter 1

(Olivia's POV)

The beeping of the hospital monitors had become the soundtrack to our lives. My daughter Lily lay in the sterile bed, her small frame dwarfed by the medical equipment surrounding her. Kidney failure. Those two words had shattered our world.

"Mommy," Lily whispered, her voice barely audible over the machines. "Do you think Daddy will come tomorrow?"

I brushed her thin hair back from her forehead. "Of course, sweetheart. It's your birthday."

"And we'll go to the Moonlight Fair? All three of us?" Hope flickered in her emerald eyes-eyes just like mine.

"Yes, Lily. I already asked him, and he promised." I forced a smile, ignoring the doubt gnawing at my heart.

Lily's face lit up with a joy I hadn't seen in months. "Really? Daddy promised?"

I nodded, squeezing her fragile hand. The doctors had given her days, maybe hours. This birthday might be her last, and her only wish was to spend it with her father.

The next morning, I dressed Lily in her warmest clothes. The weather had turned unexpectedly cold, but nothing would stop us. We waited at the Moonlight Fair entrance, the colorful lights and cheerful music a stark contrast to the heaviness in my chest.

One hour passed. Then two.

"He's just running late from work, right Mommy?" Lily asked, her lips turning slightly blue despite the heavy coat.

"I'm sure he is, sweetheart." I dialed Ethan's number for the twentieth time. Straight to voicemail.

Three hours. Lily refused to sit in the wheelchair I'd brought, insisting on standing so her father would see her right away.

"Maybe he forgot," she whispered, her voice breaking. "Maybe he's with Emma again."

My heart cracked at her words. "Let me try once more."

This time, someone answered. Not Ethan, but his assistant.

is unavailable. He's at Disney with Ms. Frost

beneath my feet. "But today is his daughter's birthday. Lily is

Mrs. Winters. He left strict instructions

I turned back, Lily had collapsed. Her small body convulsed on the cold ground, her breathing shallow

gathering her in my

in their eyes what I refused to accept. Lily's

she whispered, her eyes fluttering open one last time. "Why does Daddy love

pocket, the screen lighting up with a video someone had sent her. Ethan, Victoria, and Emma at Disney.

wanted him to love me," Lily

she was gone, her final breath a

to say goodbye. The funeral home was quiet except for my muffled sobs. I stood alone beside Lily's small

the staff member asked gently. "Surely the Alpha King..." "He doesn't

embedded in a delicate silver setting. I'd spent months crafting it, infusing each stone

was supposed to help you get better," I whispered, carefully placing it in her hair. "I'm so sorry

Alpha King should be informed before

my voice. "Celebrating Emma Frost's birthday with the same party he promised

widened in shock, but

began, I stood alone, watching flames consume the daughter Ethan

a standstill. I clutched the Moonwood Ceremonial Urn to my chest, Lily's ashes still warm inside. We

exterior wall flashed with images-breaking news

Frost's birthday celebration today," the announcer's cheerful voice boomed. "Sources say

Ethan carrying Emma on his shoulders, both laughing. Victoria stood beside them, her hand possessively on Ethan's arm. Victoria is Ethan's childhood sweetheart. But she left the pack five years ago. After she left

the pack

raise a child alone, so he always

Emma wore a Crystal-Embroidered Ice Princess Gown-the exact dress Lily had begged for, the one Ethan had refused to buy because "it's too expensive for a sick child who can't

away from the screen, shielding it as if Lily could still see. "Lily, don't look!" I whispered, tears streaming

Our wing of the massive estate felt empty without Lily's presence. I carried the urn to her room, still filled with her toys, her books, her

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