Alpha's Regret: I Burn for My Dead Daughter

Half an hour later, Henry Caldwell's boots on the porch-summoned by Alpha Sean.

He rushed to the bedroom, his healer's satchel thudding on the nightstand. I drifted in and out, feeling his cool hands on my forehead, his thrumming softly as he checked my pulse.

Before Henry could speak, Alpha Sean's voice cut through the haze:

"What's wrong with her?"

His tone was as flat as a frozen lake.

Henry cleared his throat.

"Alpha, she fainted from grief-pure and simple. The kind that drains a wolf's life force. Plus, she hasn't rested in days."

Grief.

The word hung in the air, heavy as silver.

I slipped deeper into the nightmare.

Back to Ellie's last day.

Her fever burned like wildfire, her little body shaking in my arms.

The healer had said the words I'd never forget: "The donor heart was rerouted."

In that moment, I'd called him a hundred times: "Alpha, please-our pup needs that heart. You're the alpha; you can make them listen."

But his connection was blocked. Later, I'd find out he was at Lillian's "get-well" party, feeding her cake while our Ellie coughed blood into my lap.

Henry was still talking: "Should I send for a home nurse?" But Alpha Sean dismissed him with a growl.

The door clicked shut, and for a moment, it was just us-him standing over my bed, me trapped in memories.

I could almost taste the antiseptic smell of the hospital, feel Ellie's tiny hand going limp in mine.

"Stubborn she-wolf," he muttered.

No answer.

I was still in my dreams.

Ellie couldn't hold on.

When her pup's small hand slipped from mine, my heart shattered.

I clung to Ellie, sobbing until her soul felt torn apart, refusing to accept the truth.

I called my pup's name over and over, pleading with her not to leave.

I rubbed Ellie's tiny body, desperate to keep her warm.

But no matter how hard I tried, Ellie grew colder, stiffer in her arms.

My Ellie was truly gone.

I woke in a cold sweat, the nightmare's claws still sunk in my throat.

Alpha Sean's scent flooded my senses, and his hand clamped around my arm.

"Olivia, what's with the-" His growl cut off as he saw my face.

Tears had soaked the pillow, my cheeks burning with the memory of Ellie's last breath.

I was murmuring again, the same plea that had echoed in my mindlink for days: "Don't leave me, pup. I can't do this alone."

His grip softened, and for a second, the alpha command in his scent faded.

I felt his palm on my cheek-rough, familiar, but hesitant.

"Olivia, wake up."

His voice was stiff, like he'd forgotten how to speak softly.

"Stop crying."

But I couldn't.

The tears came in waves: Ellie's first howl, her tiny hands grabbing my finger, the way she'd nuzzle into my neck when she was scared.

Alpha Sean muttered something, then reached for the nightstand.

I felt tissues dabbing at my cheeks, his touch awkward but... intentional.

"Alright, enough. I'm here."

His gruffness should have repelled me, but the mate bond-though frayed-thrummed at his nearness. Then his fingers were on my chin, tilting my face up.

The kiss was sudden, a command more than a caress.

He meant to silence me, just like he'd silenced my mindlink pleas.

But something shifted.

His scent deepened, mingling with mine, and the kiss turned hungry.

It had been years since he'd touched me like this, since his mouth had moved over mine with anything but impatience.

I should have pushed him away. Instead, my wolf responded instinctively.