Ava's POV
My eyes burned. For a moment, I thought I might lose control, that the tears gathering would fall before I could stop them.
My wolf stirred uneasily, sensitive to the shift, to the weakness. I forced it down.
“No,” I said quietly. “She was kind.”
My voice softened despite myself, pulled into the memory the story carried.
“No matter how much trouble the girl caused… she stayed. She took her to healers, over and over again. Sold her own jewelry just to buy medicine… herbs… anything that might help.”
I swallowed. “She did everything she could for that little girl.”
Jasper’s scent spiked with hope. “So did the girl get better?” he asked eagerly.
I nodded slowly. “She didn’t just get better,” I said. “She became stronger than most children.”
Stronger… because she had to be.
