Chapter 23

Selena’s POV

I watched him close the door

It wasn’t loud.

Not harsh.

But sure. Final. Like he needed to go before he did something stupid. Like stay.

i could still perceive his scent

It remainedin the air even after he had left.

A mixture of Smoke and pine.

It felt like, it was stuck to my skin.

And for a second, I wanted to bury my face in the pillow he’d used just to hold on to something real.

But I didn’t move.

Couldn’t.

Not when Sisi was curled so perfectly against me, one hand tangled in the fabric of my nightgown like she was afraid I’d disappear if she let go.

I stayed frozen in place. Arms wrapped around the small, warm weight nestled on my chest.

Sisi.

My heartbeat.

My breath.

My reason.

She hadn’t turned or moved all through the night.

Her breathing was even, slow.

She was still fragile.

Still breakable.

Like if I shifted too quickly, I’d wake her or worse, chase away the peace that had finally settled into her bones.

So I just breathed.

In time with her.

For her.

Until I felt it

A movement.

Her lashes twitched against my collarbone.

It was ticklish.

Her nose wrinkled, just like it always did before she said something strangely profound or weirdly funny.

Then—

“Mummy?”

One word. A whisper. Barely air.

And yet it punched all the air right out of my lungs.

I blinked, heart stuttering. “Hi, baby,” I whispered, tightening my hold. “You’re awake.”

Her eyes blinked open,

And then she began to dart her eyes everywhere, everywhere except my face

And I won’t lie but it hurt me

Cause a part of me was scared that she didn’t want to look me in the face.

Maybe she had realized that I could bever replace her mom

Amd maybe my time with her was up.

“Are we in the clouds?”

A soft laugh escaped my lips. “No, sweetheart. Still the palace. Still your room.”

“But it feels soft,” she smiled back, wiggling slightly. “Like clouds wrapped around my skin.”

I smoothed a curl from her forehead, careful not to press against the fading fever. “Maybe because I never let you go.”

She shifted enough to frown. “My tummy… hurts.”

“I know, love. You were really sick,” I murmured, helping her ease back into the pillows. “But the medicine’s working now. You’re safe.”

She nodded once. Small. Trusting. Her tiny fingers clutched the edge of my sleeve, like she needed to yk anchor herself.

“Did Daddy yell at you?” she asked suddenly.

I blinked, caught off guard. “No. Why would he yell?”

She pouted. “Because he yells at everyone. Except you.”

I didn’t know whether to laugh or feel sad for her.

Or both.

“No yelling,” I said softly. “Just… serious talk.”

She tilted her head. “Like ‘I’m not mad, just disappointed’?”

I smiled. “More like ‘I’m mad, but I don’t know why, and I definitely don’t want to talk about it’.”

She giggled. A sleepy, soft sound that cracked something open in my chest.

“That’s silly,” she whispered.

“That’s your father,” I said gently.

She smirked. “He’s a growly wolf.”

“He is,” I agreed.

Her stomach growled, and her eyes went wide. “Did you hear that?!”

I nodded solemnly. “I think someone’s hungry.”

“Not me,” she said quickly, then paused. “Maybe a little.”

I reached for the covered bowl the maid had left. “Think you can manage a few bites? This fruit is special.”

Her eyes narrowed with suspicion. “Special how?”

“Bananas and apples from a hidden orchard where fairies sing lullabies into the seeds.”

Her nose wrinkled. “What if it tastes like dirt?”

“Then spit it in my face.”

She burst into a sleepy giggle. “Deal.”

I fed her slowly, one spoon at a time. She sniffed the fruit dramatically before taking a bite, like a royal food taster unsure if the grapes were poisoned.

“Well?”

She chewed, squinting thoughtfully. Then nodded. “It tastes like sleepy dreams and warm hugs.”

I exhaled. “Five stars?”

“Six. But don’t tell the fairies. They’ll get cocky.”

While she ate,

I tried my best to think about a story

I repeated the line severally jn my head to make sure it made sense.

it was about a little wolf princess. Lost in the woods.

But somehow she was trained by a magical creature

Similar to the Peter Pan story.

She never cried, because the stars whispered lullabies into her ears at night.

“Wait,” Sisi protested, her mouth full. “Do wolves talk in this story?”

“Of course.”

“Even mean ones?”

“Especially the mean ones. They always have the best lines.”

She grinned. “Like Daddy.”

I laughed. “Especially like Daddy.”

She leaned close and whispered like it was a royal secret. “I think Daddy has a secret wolf power.”

“Oh yeah?”

“He growls a lot. Even when he drinks tea.”

I grinned. “Don’t tell him you figured it out. He might vanish into the woods forever.”

“I won’t.” She held out her pinky. “Pinky promise.”

Later, after a small cup of water and her medicine, we moved to the rug. I helped her build a fort out of pillows and a blanket she called “The Royal Ceiling.”

She dragged out her plush toy basket—filled with creatures missing parts but overflowing with personality.

She handed me a tiny fox with one ear. “This one is scared of everything.”

“Why?”

“Because someone broke her heart when she was a baby.”

Her voice dropped. Serious. Honest. “But she’s brave now. Even if she doesn’t know it yet.”

I stared at the fox.

“Are you gonna cry?”

I shook my head. “Not today.”

“Good.” She smiled. “Because the fox needs someone strong to help her find her voice.”

My throat tightened. “Then I’ll be that someone.”

She made me voice a frog king who only spoke in rhymes and outlawed all orange vegetables.

“Carrots are suspicious!” I croaked. “They plot in silence and strike when least expected!”

She burst out laughing. “What about pumpkins?!”

“Traitors,” I cried. “The worst of them all.”

She collapsed in a heap, giggling until she hiccupped. “You’re so weird.”

“You love it.”

“I really do.”

We were both silent, it didn’t last long and it wasn’t the bad kind tho.

It was the kind theat filled your chest with warmth.

I looked down and brushed her curls behind her ear.

“I love you too, Sisi.”

She blinked up at me. “Do you think Daddy would play with us?”

I hesitated. “I think he wants to. But maybe he forgot how.”

“Can you help him remember?”

“I’ll try.”

She curled into my side, sighing like a wolf cub after a long run. “I want all of us to laugh. Like this. Together.”

“Me too, little wolf.”

She went quiet again. Her fingers toyed with the fraying hem of my shirt. Her brows furrowed as though she were thinking very hard about something. Then—

“Selena?”

“Yeah?”

“If I get better… can I call you Mummy forever?”

The world stopped.

No birdsong. No heartbeat. Just her words repeating inside my head like a vow I wasn’t ready for but already needed.

I looked at her. Her lashes fluttered. Her hand rested on my arm like a plea. Like a prayer.

My throat burned.

“You can call me that,” I whispered, my voice thick, “for as long as you want.”

She smiled

It wasn’t bright

It was a small, sleepy, sure smile. Like she already knew I’d say yes.

“Good.”

She yawned, curling tighter and hugging me even more.

“I hope you stay forever.”

I didn’t answer.

Didn’t make a promise I wasn’t sure I could keep.

Didn’t say what my heart screamed.

I just held her tighter. Buried my face in her hair. Let her heartbeat soothe the storm inside me.

Because deep down…

I hoped for the same.