Victor's POV
When I returned to the room, the first thing I noticed… was her.
Ava. She was asleep beside the bed.
For a moment, I just stood there, unmoving, my hand still resting on the door handle.
She had curled up close to Grandma, a thin hospital blanket barely covering her. Her body was angled protectively toward the bed, like even in sleep, she was guarding my grandmother.
And my jacket… it was tossed aside on the sofa, crumpled and abandoned like it meant nothing.
My wolf gave a low, displeased rumble.
Of course she didn’t keep it.
A bitter exhale left me as I stepped further inside, closing the door quietly behind me. The room was dim, the soft hum of medical equipment filling the silence.
I picked up my jacket, brushing my fingers over the fabric for a second longer than
