glimpses of pale skin and delicate curves as she peeled off her blouse "You''re watching!" she used, catching my gaze in the reflection


    I didn''t deny it. Tm making sure you don''t pass out from hypothermia."


    "You shameless-" she sputtered, yanking off her wet pants and throwing them at my head.


    I caught them easily and tossed them aside. Reaching under the seat, I pulled out a Moonlight Thermal


    nket specially designed for werewolf physiology


    "Here," I said, draping it around her shoulders without looking. This will help"


    The nket''s special moonstone fibers would help regte her body temperature and providefort. I''d had it installed in all my vehicles after Lily''s illness, a precaution that now served her mother.


    Olivia wrapped the nket tightly around herself, still ring but visibly relieved by its warmth. The


    Within minutes, her eyelids began to droop. She fought against sleep, her head nodding forward before


    jerking back up


    Eventually, she lost the battle. Her head fell against the window as she drifted off, her breathing evening out


    into the rhythm of sleep.


    The vehicle hit a bump in the road, and Olivia''s head jerked toward the ss. Without thinking, I thrust my hand between her temple and the window, catching her head before it could impact.


    Her soft hair brushed against my palm, and for a moment, I was transported back to simpler times-before Victoria''s return, before Lily''s illness, before everything fell apart.


    Gently, I guided her head to rest on my shoulder instead of the hard window. She mumbled something


    incoherent but didn''t wake


    "Slow down," I instructed Maxwell quietly. "Take the scenic route."


    "Yes, Alpha," he replied, smoothly reducing our speed.


    Olivia slept soundly against my shoulder, her face peaceful for the first time in years. Without the constant mask of defiance and pain, she looked younger, vulnerable in a way she never allowed herself to be while


    awake.


    I''d long suppressed.


    The scent of her hair-moonflowers and rain-filled my senses, bringing with it memories I''d long


    Memories of a different time, a different us.


    When she finally stirred, we were pulling up to Imperial Gardens, the house where she, Lily, and I had lived together for five years. The house I still considered hers, despite her insistence on staying at Maple Grove.


    "Where are we?" she mumbled, disoriented from sleep.


    Without answering. I scooped her up in my arms again, nket and all, and carried her toward the entrance.


    "Put me down," she protested weakly. "I can walk


    "You''re barefoot," I pointed out, continuing up the path to the front door.


    Once inside, I set her down with unexpected gentleness in the foyer. The familiar surroundings seemed to bring her fully awake, her eyes darting around as if searching for ghosts.


    "You should take a hot bath, I suggested. To ward off any chill"


    She nodded absently, already moving toward the master bedroom. Instead of heading for the bathroom, however, she went straight to the closet, emerging minutester in dry clothes.


    I watched in silence as she walked purposefully past me, heading not to the bathroom as I''d suggested, but


    directly to Lily''s bedroom.


    The door creaked slightly as she pushed it open, hesitating on the threshold as if gathering courage.


    (Olivia''s POV)


    I stood frozen in the doorway of Lily''s bedroom, my heart constricting painfully in


    my chest. Everything was exactly as she''d left it-the small bed with its moonflower-patternedforter, the shelves lined with stuffed


    animals, the drawings taped to the walls


    Memories flooded back with such force that I had to grip the doorframe for support. Lilyughing as I braided her hair. Lily curled up with a book, her small face serious in concentration. Lily asking when Daddy


    woulde home.


    My eyes were drawn to her study desk, where a familiar item caught my attention. It was Lily''s Amu Park Family Drawing-the one Ethan had given her, showing the three of us holding hands at Moonlight Fair


    She had treasured that drawing, keeping it in a special frame on her desk. But something was different now.


    The frame was open, as if someone had recently handled it.


    I moved closer, my fingers trembling as I touched the edge of the frame. When had Lily opened this? I couldn''t remember her ever taking it out of the frame before she died.


    This small mystery-this tiny unknown detail about my daughter''s final days-hit me harder than I expected. What else had I missed? What other moments had slipped by while I was focused on her medical care?