The Alpha King is unavailable novel Chapter 151

Ethan’s words echoed in my mind long after he’d slammed the door. “I want to see Lily!” The

audacity of his demand made my blood boil all over again.

My chest tightened painfully, and I gasped for breath. The familiar sensation of panic clawed at my throat as grief overwhelmed me. I fumbled in my pocket for my medicine bottle, fingers

trembling as I tried to open it.

Empty.

A sob escaped me as I slumped against the wall. Of course it was empty. Nothing in my life

seemed to go right anymore.

“I’m sorry, Lily,” I whispered to the empty room. “I’m so sorry.”

Guilt crashed over me in waves. I had tried so hard to shield Lily from the truth of her father’s

indifference. I’d made excuses for his absences, invented reasons for why he missed her

birthday parties and school events.

“Daddy’s just busy with pack business, sweetheart,” I would tell her, watching her little face fall

with disappointment. “He loves you very much.”

What a fool I’d been. My efforts to create a loving paternal image had only deepened Lily’s hurt, strengthened her attachment to a father who barely acknowledged her existence.

• Tears streamed down my face as I stared at Lily’s portrait on my small altar. Her emerald eyes

-so like my own–gazed back at me, innocent and trusting.

“I failed you,” I choked out. “I couldn’t protect you from him. I couldn’t save you from your illness. And now, I can’t even bring Victoria to justice for what she did.”

The weight of my failures crushed me. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think past the overwhelming guilt and grief.