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.

"The Alpha King is unavailable. He's at Disney with Ms. Frost and her daughter for a special celebration."

The world tilted beneath my feet. "But today is his daughter's birthday. Lily is waiting for him at the Moonlight Fair. He promised."

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Winters. He left strict instructions not to be disturbed."

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

"LILY!" I screamed, gathering her in my arms. "Someone help us!"

At the hospital, the doctors worked frantically, but I could see in their eyes what I refused to accept. Lily's organs were shutting down.

"Mommy," she whispered, her eyes fluttering open one last time. "Why does Daddy love Emma more than me? Is it because I'm sick?"

I couldn't answer through my tears. Lily's phone slipped from her pocket, the screen lighting up with a video someone had sent her. Ethan, Victoria, and Emma at Disney. Ethan was carrying Emma on his shoulders, all of them laughing. A giant banner read: "Happy Birthday, Emmy!"

"I just wanted him to love me," Lily whispered.

Then she was gone, her final breath a question I couldn't answer.

The monitor flatlined, its continuous tone announcing what my heart refused to accept. My daughter was dead. And her father wasn't even there to say goodbye.

The funeral home was quiet except for my muffled sobs. I stood alone beside Lily's small body, arranged peacefully on the cremation table.

"Where is everyone?" the staff member asked gently. "Surely the Alpha King..."

"He doesn't know," I said, my voice hollow. "He doesn't even know she's gone."

I pulled out the Moonstone Hair Clip I'd designed for her birthday—tiny healing crystals embedded in a delicate silver setting. I'd spent months crafting it, infusing each stone with protective energy.

"This was supposed to help you get better," I whispered, carefully placing it in her hair. "I'm so sorry it wasn't enough."

The staff member shifted uncomfortably. "The Alpha King should be informed before we proceed."

"He's at Disney," I said, bitterness seeping into my voice. "Celebrating Emma Frost's birthday with the same party he promised Lily. With the woman he always loved more than us."

The man's eyes widened in shock, but he nodded respectfully. "I understand, Mrs. Winters."

As the cremation began, I stood alone, watching flames consume the daughter Ethan had forgotten.

The traffic ahead was at a standstill. I clutched the Moonwood Ceremonial Urn to my chest, Lily's ashes still warm inside. We were stuck on the highway, directly across from Disney.

A massive screen on the park's exterior wall flashed with images—breaking news about the Alpha King's extravagant celebration.

"Alpha King Ethan Stone spared no expense for young Emma Frost's birthday celebration today," the announcer's cheerful voice boomed. "Sources say he rented the entire park for this special occasion!"

The screen filled with images of 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, she mated to another wolf and gave birth to a daughter, Emma.

Several months ago, she returned to the pack with Emma. My life was changed overnight.

Ethan felt that it was hard and pitiful for Victoria to raise a child alone, so he always went to take care of them. He treated Emma even better than our daughter Lily.

Now, 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 go anywhere."

I turned the urn away from the screen, shielding it as if Lily could still see. "Lily, don't look!" I whispered, tears streaming down my face. "Don't look, baby."

The Imperial Gardens was silent when I returned. 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 dreams.

I sat on her bed all night, cradling the urn, watching the moon track across the sky through her window.

Morning came, and with it, footsteps in the hallway. Ethan appeared in the doorway, his expression annoyed.

"Where's Lily? We're supposed to meet the specialist today."

I stared at him, unable to comprehend his words. "What?"

"The kidney specialist. From Europe." He checked his watch impatiently. "Go get her ready."

Something broke inside me. I stood, still clutching the urn. "Get her ready? GET HER READY?"

Ethan's eyes narrowed. "What's wrong with you? And what's that?"

I thrust the urn toward him. "This is your daughter! This is Lily!"

He took a step back. "Stop being dramatic. Where is she?"

"Lily's dead!" I screamed, my voice shattering the morning silence. "Where are you going to pick her up? Hell?"

Ethan's face hardened. "This isn't funny, Olivia. I don't have time for your emotional outbursts."

"She died on her birthday," I continued, my voice breaking. "While you were at Disney with your precious Victoria and Emma. While you were buying Emma the dress you said was too expensive for Lily."

Ethan turned away, moving toward the stairs. "You're being unreasonable. I'm going to get Lily myself."

As he reached the stairs, his phone rang. He answered immediately, his entire demeanor changing.

"Emmy? What is it, sweetheart?" His voice was gentle, loving—a tone Lily had begged to hear.

A little girl's voice filled the room, sweet and demanding. "Daddy, I miss you, will you come and accompany me?"