The Alpha King is unavailable novel Chapter 63

My fingers trembled as I held up Lily’s Amusement Park Family Drawing. The childish strokes depicted the three of us–Lily in the middle, holding both our hands at the Moonlight Fair. Her stick–figure smile stretched across half her face, radiating the pure joy she’d imagined experiencing with her father.

“This was her dream,” I whispered, my voice breaking. To spend just one day with both her parents. To feel like a normal family*

Ethan’s amber eyes fixed on the drawing. Something shifted in his expression–the hard lines of the Alpha King softening into something I hadn’t seen in years

“She drew this the night before her birthday,” I continued, watching his reaction carefully. “She was so certain you’d keep your promise this time.”

Ethan reached for the drawing with uncharacteristic gentleness. His fingers brushed against mine as he took it, sending an unwelcome shiver up my arm.

“I didn’t know,” he murmured, staring at the crayon figures. “I didn’t realize how much it meant to her.”

“How could you?” I replied bitterly. “You were never there to see.”

Instead of the anger I expected, Ethan’s shoulders slumped slightly. He traced the outline of Lily’s figure with his thumb, his expression unguarded for once.

“Not just the Moonlight Fair,” he said suddenly, his voice carrying an unusual gentleness. “Anything she wants, anything I can do, I will do it for her.”

My breath caught in my throat. Was this genuine remorse? After five years of neglect and months of denial since her death?

“Liv, tell me,” he continued, using the nickname only James had ever used, “where is Lily?”

The question hung between us, loaded with meaning. For months, he’d refused to believe Lily was gone, accusing me of hiding her. Now, his eyes held a flicker of acceptance–and with it, pain.

I hesitated before accepting his hand, allowing him to help me up from Lily’s small chair. His touch was gentle as he guided me with a hand at the small of my back, leading me toward the door.