Night Watch

Lily Evans POV

Emma's eyes rolled back in her head and her small body went rigid.

"Emma!" Lily lunged forward, catching her daughter as she started to fall off the bed.

Dominic was there instantly, his hands steady on Emma's shoulders. "It's okay, it's okay. This is normal after Alpha presentation fever. Her body is still adjusting."

"Normal?" Lily's voice cracked. "She looks like she's having a seizure!"

"Not a seizure. Her wolf is trying to settle." Dominic's voice was calm, but Lily could see the worry in his eyes. "Dr. Martinez warned us this might happen."

Emma's body relaxed after a few scary seconds. She blinked up at them, looking confused.

"Mommy? Why are you crying?"

Lily wiped her tears quickly. "I'm not crying, baby. I'm just happy you're feeling better."

But Emma wasn't really better. Dr. Martinez had explained that children who survived Alpha presentation fever needed constant watching for the first 24 hours. Their bodies could have more episodes as their human and wolf sides learned to work together.

"I'm scared," Emma whispered.

"I know, sweetheart." Lily smoothed Emma's hair. "But Daddy and I are going to stay right here with you all night."

The word 'daddy' felt strange coming out of her mouth, but Emma smiled when she heard it.

"Really? All night?"

"All night," Dominic promised. "I'm not going anywhere."

Dr. Martinez had left an hour ago, saying Emma was stable but needed watching. Lily's mother had gone to bed, exhausted from worrying. Now it was just the three of them in Emma's small bedroom.

Lily sat in the chair beside Emma's bed while Dominic settled into the rocking chair by the window. The room felt too small with his big presence, but Emma seemed calmer when he was close.

"Tell me a story," Emma said sleepily.

"What kind of story?" Lily asked.

"About wolves. Good wolves."

Lily looked at Dominic helplessly. She'd never told Emma werewolf stories before.

"I know a story," Dominic said softly. "About a little wolf who was the bravest in her whole pack."

Emma's eyes lit up. "Was she really little like me?"

"Just like you. And she had the biggest heart of any wolf in the forest."

As Dominic told the story, Lily watched Emma's face relax. Her daughter hung on every word, asking questions about the brave little wolf's adventures. For the first time, Lily saw how good Dominic was with children.

When Emma finally fell asleep, the room got very quiet. Lily could hear her own heartbeat and the soft sound of Emma's breathing.

"Thank you," Lily whispered.

"For what?"

"For coming. For helping her. For..." She motioned around the room. "For this."

Dominic was quiet for a long moment. "She's my daughter, Lily. Of course I came."

"You didn't know she existed until three days ago."

"That doesn't matter. She's mine. She's ours."

The way he said 'ours' made Lily's chest feel tight. She looked down at her hands.

"Dominic, I need to ask you something."

"Okay."

"Why didn't you try to find me? After that night we were together, you just... disappeared."

Dominic rubbed his face with his hands. "I didn't disappear, Lily. You did."

"What do you mean?"

"I came looking for you the next morning. I wanted to talk about what happened between us. But your mother said you'd left town."

Lily frowned. "I didn't leave until three weeks later."

"Three weeks?" Dominic's voice got sharp. "Your mother told me you'd gone back to college early. She said you didn't want to see me."

"I never said that." Lily's heart started beating faster. "I was waiting for you to call or come by. When you didn't, I thought..."

"You thought I was just using you."

"Yes."

Dominic leaned forward in his chair. "Lily, I looked for you. I went to your college, but they said you'd dropped out. I hired a private investigator, but you'd disappeared totally."

"I had to hide," Lily said quietly. "When I found out I was pregnant, I was scared. I didn't know what to do."

"You could have told me."

"How? You were getting married to Victoria!"

"I was trapped into that marriage, Lily. My uncle arranged it before he died. If I didn't marry Victoria, her father would have taken half our land and started a war."

Lily felt tears starting again. "You could have explained that."

"I tried. I came to your mother's house the day before my wedding. I was going to tell you everything and ask you to wait for me. I was going to find a way out of the marriage."

"I wasn't there. I was at my doctor's visit. Finding out about..."

"About Emma."

They sat in silence for a few minutes, both thinking about how different things might have been.

"I built a nursery," Dominic said suddenly.

"What?"

"In the pack house. After I married Victoria, I built a nursery. I kept hoping you'd come back someday with my child."

Lily's breath caught. "Victoria told me about that."

"She knew I never loved her. She knew I was still looking for you."

Emma stirred in her sleep, making a small sound. Both parents looked at her quickly, but she settled back down.

"She's beautiful," Dominic whispered.

"She looks like you."

"She has your smile."

Lily felt that familiar pull toward Dominic, the one that had gotten her into trouble five years ago. But things were different now. She had Ethan, and Dominic had Victoria, and Emma was the most important thing.

"What happens now?" she asked.

"I don't know. But I want to be part of her life, Lily. I want to be her father."

"Even with the mate bond between me and Ethan?"

Dominic's jaw tightened slightly. "Even with that."

Emma suddenly sat up in bed, her eyes wide and scared.

"Mommy, there are people outside."

Lily and Dominic both froze. They could hear car doors slamming in the driveway.

"Stay with Emma," Dominic said, moving to the window.

"What do you see?"

"Three black cars. Men in suits." Dominic's voice was grim. "Pack enforcers."

"At two in the morning? Why?"

Before Dominic could answer, someone pounded on the front door. Hard, official knocks that made Emma whimper.

"Open up! Pack council business!"

Lily grabbed Emma and held her close. "What do they want?"

Dominic's face was pale. "The healing bond. When I shared my Alpha energy with Emma tonight, it made an official connection. Pack law says..."

"Says what? " "Says Emma belongs with the Alpha now. They're here to take her."

The pounding got louder. "We know you're in there, Dominic Stone! Open this door or we'll break it down!"

Emma started crying. "I don't want to go away, Mommy!"

"You're not going anywhere," Lily said furiously.

But as the men outside started shouting orders and car engines revved, Lily realized something terrifying. The text message from earlier hadn't been a threat. It had been a warning.

The pack council wasn't just claiming Emma as Dominic's heir. They were taking her tonight, and there might be nothing anyone could do to stop them.

"Dominic," Lily whispered, "please tell me you have a plan."

But when she looked at his face, she saw the same fear that was tearing through her own heart. Even the Alpha didn't know how to fight pack law when it came to claiming an heir.

The front door splintered downstairs as the police broke it open.