Julian's POV
Dawn broke over the cemetery, casting long shadows across Lily's headstone. I'd been here for hours, my body aching from kneeling on the cold ground. My head throbbed where the bandage covered my wound, but the physical pain was nothing compared to the hollow ache in my chest.
I reached into the bag I'd brought and pulled out a small pink dress. It was the one I'd ordered for Lily's fifth birthday—the one she never got to wear.
"I bought this for you, princess," I whispered, fingers trembling as I smoothed the delicate fabric. "I wish I could have seen you in it."
The dress had arrived two days after her birthday—two days after she'd died alone, waiting for me. I traced the small flower embroidery along the hem, imagining her twirling in it, smiling up at me with those emerald eyes—Aurelia's eyes.
My wolf whimpered inside me, the sound echoing my own grief.
