The Lycan King's Second Chance Mate: Rise of the Traitor's Daughter

Easter~

I woke up in a hospital bed, the ceiling blurring above me as I blinked into consciousness. My mind felt like fog, but one thing came rushing back with brutal clarity—falling. I had tripped and landed hard, my stomach taking the brunt of the impact.

My hands flew instinctively to my belly.

The panic that followed clawed up my throat like wildfire. I pressed, I searched, desperate for a kick, a flutter—any sign that my baby was okay.

Then the door creaked open, and a nurse stepped in. She wore pink scrubs and held a clipboard, but what I noticed first was her smile—gentle, calm, grounding. The kind of smile that made you believe everything could still be alright.

"You’re okay," she said softly, walking over to check the monitor beside my bed. "And so is your baby."

My breath caught. Relief came crashing through me so fast it made my chest ache. But before I could even settle into it, another thought slammed into me—Rose.

I looked up at the nurse, my voice already cracking. "Where’s my daughter? Rose. She’s three. Curly hair. Bright eyes. She was with me."

The nurse didn’t miss a beat. "She’s safe," she assured, still smiling. "She’s downstairs in the children’s playhouse. Been charming everyone in sight."

I asked—no, begged—to see her immediately. The nurse nodded and left the room.

Five minutes later, she returned with Rose, still in her little sneakers, her face lighting up when she saw me. I didn’t think. I couldn’t. I just opened my arms, and Rose came running into them like she’d been waiting her whole life for that hug.