Camilla was the only one in that room who truly understood how I had fallen.
She knew more about what happened to my body than I would ever know. So when I spoke about my death plain, sharp, and without soft edges every word struck her. Her face drained out, her breath catching like she’d been hit.
The Morrigans didn’t wait. They rushed her to the car as if she were made of glass.
Of course they did. She was their golden prize now bound to a child, tied to a fortune, claid as an asset. They guarded her the way a pack guards its chosen treasure.
I stood still, watching her faint silhouette disappear into the waiting car. My palm drifted over my stomach flat, empty. A slow ache tightened inside .
Joy... if you’re out there, watching... your mother will make this right.
Camilla, you took what was mine. Why should you feel the warmth I lost? Why should you get family, comfort, a future?
You might be touching the edge of fortune now... but whether you keep it? That isn’t in your hands anymore.
Vivian pulled Camilla close, shielding her with her whole body. Nolan hurried ahead, opening the door with that protective urgency only those with high rank ever received. The sight hit harder than I expected, dragging back to the night everything ended.
To Julian.
To Camilla.
To the entire Morrigans pack.
And I wondered... if I had stayed dead, would they even rember ? Would they whisper my na? Would they mourn?
Watching them now, the answer is clean.
What did I ever an to them?
My father never looked past his own pride. My mother’s affection was for display only. My brothers barely knew I existed.
When word of my death reached them, maybe their eyes burned for a mont. But days later, here they were shielding the woman who ended .
It was almost funny.
My short life... was it just a cruel joke?
Lost in the spiral of it, I barely heard the footsteps behind .
"Still watching? They’re gone," Lewis said, his voice steady and quiet.
I turned, surprised he’d been there. I hadn’t even sensed him approach. My eyes blurred again, a single tear balancing at the corner.
"Co here," he murmured.
I hesitated but stepped toward him. "What is it?"
Before I could finish, he tugged closer, guiding down onto his lap. His thumb brushed the tear from my skin with a tenderness that startled .
I cleared my throat quickly. "It’s nothing. The wind just got in my eyes."
"Mm." He nodded. "I know."
But he didn’t believe a word of it.
I caught his wrist, narrowing my eyes. "Lewis... what are you doing?"
He didn’t pull away. Instead, his arm circled my waist, holding as if I might disappear.
His coat was thick, which kept from feeling too much, but still sothing deep stirred between us.
His eyes looked different today. Softer. Warr.
After a long mont, he finally spoke. His voice was low and calm, but it carried a weight only an Alpha-born could manage.
"Since neither of us plans to walk away from this marriage," he said, "then I’m your husband. And that ans I protect you. Unless..." He paused, jaw tightening. "Unless you look down on because of my legs."
My breath caught. "No. Never."
I shook my head hard. "I’ve never judged you for that. You’ve always shown strength. And respect. That’s what matters."
He held my gaze and sothing changed. Slowly, a smile broke across his face.
A real one.
His smile touched before I even understood why.
It felt like warm air brushing over a cold peak soft, steady, lting places inside I didn’t realize were still frozen.
Sothing in loosened, making room for sothing new...
It was beautiful, that smile.
More than it had any right to be.
Then he said, "From now on, I’ll look after you."
The words hit deeper than they should have.
Not because of what he said, but how he said it calm, sure, almost like a vow whispered through the bond.
I nodded, dazed. "Okay."
"There’s a gathering in a few days," he said, as if talking about the weather. "Lustre Jewels is showing so rare pieces. Co with ?"
It sounded simple, but it ant more.
Appearances mattered in our world. Standing beside him mattered.
And the fact that he asked... that he let choose... I saw the aning in that too.
"I’d love to," I replied.
The heaviness in my chest lightened, and I found myself smiling.
I stood and began pushing his chair back toward the room.
But as soon as we entered, everything shifted.
Julian was there silent, still and his gaze locked onto us like a warning.
His eyes didn’t blink, didn’t soften. Sothing sharp flickered inside them, sothing that carried old claims and new regret.
"Uncle Lewis," Julian said suddenly, "I’d like a word with you. Just the two of us."
Lewis didn’t even pause. "Alright."
I had expected him to be cold toward Julian. He’d once told he ant to replace him. But seeing them now... the tension between them wasn’t simple hate. There was history in it. Old duty. Old hurt.
"I’ll cut up so fruit," I said lightly, stepping away to give them space.
"Okay," Lewis answered, already wheeling himself toward the study with Julian walking close beside him like he belonged at his right side.
As I headed down the hallway, I glanced down and noticed a faint stain on my blouse.
I sighed. Great. I’d have to change first before doing anything.
I turned back toward the bedroom
But a voice slipped out from the cracked door of the study.
Julian’s voice.
It froze in place.
"Uncle Lewis," he said, the words thick with desperation, "please... grant this one wish."
Silence followed.
Then Julian spoke again.
"Right now only our families know about your marriage with Riley. The pack doesn’t know yet. Please... let her go. Let her choose instead."
His breath hitched.
"I want to marry her."
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