Madeline:
Holding the sweater made me feel as if I were holding my child's lifeless body.
Pain filled my chest.
I cried, then finally stepped out of the car with my daughter and walked back home.
Inside, Lord Jonah was already awake. He had probably woken up early.
The moment he saw me step in, he hurried over and gently took Elara from my arms.
“Is she okay now?” he asked, brushing her hair back as he checked her face.
“Yeah, she's fine, thankfully,” I replied, turning to watch the warriors carry in food and several cartons.
“Is that beer?” Lord Jonah muttered, pointing toward one of the cartons with a raised brow.
I gave a small smile, thinking about the effort Byron had put into gathering all of this for me.
His pack was not very well off, yet he had shown more care than many people around me.
I still did not understand why Baxter had never mentioned his friendship with Byron, but Byron was right. They truly were friends.
Otherwise, why would he take care of me like this?
“How did this happen? Where did you get all this from?” Lord Jonah pressed, setting Elara down carefully on the couch. She had woken up but still looked weak.
“Byron did,” I answered softly, watching the shock spread across Lord Jonah’s face.
Then I told him everything that had happened from start to finish, including how Elgin had refused to help his daughter.
I made sure not to say any of it in front of Elara but of course, she was awake when he kicked us out of the car.
“Well, there are good people everywhere,” Lord Jonah murmured, though he still sounded reluctant to fully praise Byron.
He then turned and helped his wife, who was feeling much better but still insisted on visiting Baxter at the hospital.
We did not talk much after that.
By the time I finished helping my children with breakfast, it was already eleven in the morning.
Suddenly, my children ran inside, shouting that there were cars parked outside.
“I hope they are not here to cause more trouble,” Lord Jonah muttered, lifting his hand slightly to signal that I could stay inside while he handled it.
“No, I’ll come with you,” I insisted, already moving toward the door.
Lady Abigail stood nearby with her arms folded and a smug expression on her face.
“We have come to request that your daughter-in-law help our children with the sickness,” Lady Abigail explained.
Her words made me lift my head and look straight at Lord Eldon, then at Lady Abigail.
“So now you are here to ask for my help,” I said.
“Listen, we understand that things have not been well,” Lady Abigail began, lifting her chin slightly.
I raised my hand to stop her before she could continue with words that meant nothing to me.
“Let me remind you, ever since I came here from the human world, you have attacked me nonstop,” I said, holding her gaze. “Not only that, when my daughter went missing, none of you helped. It was just Ron and his pack, and Byron and his pack. That is it. So what made you think you could come here and demand that I help you when you have not upheld any of your earlier agreements?”
I heard the firmness in my own voice. For once, I was not afraid she would try to hurt me.
The look on her face was worth seeing. She was finally realizing she could not always control everyone's life.
“Listen, I understand,” she tried again.
A sharp shake of my head stopped her.
“No, you don't understand. You only understand when you need something. That is it,” I hissed, watching her nod quietly before lowering her head.

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