My body healed fast. Dante recovered and went back to handling pack affairs.

On the surface, nothing had changed at home. But the sound of Dante’s parents sighing never really stopped.

That weekend, my big brother Dylan, Alpha of the Moonlight Pack, and his mate Mia had to attend a wedding out of town. They dropped off their two-year-old daughter Lily for me to watch.

Lily wore a pink princess dress. She looked like a doll.

She was clutching a giant can of formula. When she saw me, she puckered her tiny lips and said “Auntie.”

“Seriously? You brought your own food? Scared I’d starve you?”

I cupped her soft little cheeks. I’d doted on this girl since the day she was born. When I was pregnant with Bella, I went to Dylan’s place constantly just to see her.

“You’ve been so sick lately. You haven’t visited. She’s been driving us crazy asking for Auntie. If we didn’t bring her, she’d tear the house apart.”

Mia squeezed my hand and tilted her head toward Maria, who was already eyeing Lily from across the room. I gave a small nod.

“Maria, we really need your help. My sister’s getting married. It’s going to be chaos. We can’t bring Lily. Would you mind?”

Lily had zero fear of strangers. Maria barely had to try. The little girl was already wobbling into her arms.

“Of course not! Layla’s family is our family. And look at this little angel. I could hold her all day.”

After Mia and Dylan left, I barely had to lift a finger. Dante’s parents treated Lily like she was made of gold.

“Maria, it’s afternoon. You and Marcus should nap. I’ll watch Lily.”

“No, you’ve never taken care of a pup. You don’t know what you’re doing. And your body can’t handle her energy. Go rest. We’ve got her.”

They took Lily to their room. As the door was closing, Lily looked back at me and grinned. Two tiny rows of baby teeth.

I thought about Bella constantly. But I couldn’t push Dante directly. So I asked Mia to send Lily instead.

Let Dante’s parents be the ones to light the fuse.

When Dante came home that evening and found Lily crawling across the floor, he froze.

“Honey, you’re back. Wash up for dinner.”

“Why is Lily here?”

I explained about my brother. He was quiet for a moment but didn’t say much else.

At the dinner table, Lily grabbed Dante’s pant leg and heaved herself up with great effort.

He scooped her into his lap. Just held her there through the whole meal.

The table was full of laughter. Real laughter. The kind we hadn’t heard in a long time. Lily had brought warmth back into the house.

After dinner, Dante’s parents fought over who got to carry Lily on the evening walk. Lily, smart little thing, wrapped her arms around Maria’s neck and called her Grandma.

She didn’t forget Grandpa either. She covered Marcus’s face in sloppy kisses. He wiped his cheek and grinned like an idiot.

I watched all of it. Including the way Dante stared at Lily without blinking.

Five days later, Lily went home. The warmth left with her.

That night, Maria pulled Dante aside. They talked for hours.

It didn’t work.

I lay in bed, listening to the muffled voices through the wall. My chest went cold.

After all that, it still wasn’t enough?