Lily Evans POV
Emma's scream cut through the quiet house like a knife.
Lily dropped the dishes she was washing and ran up the stairs two at a time. Her heart pounded as she burst into Emma's bedroom.
Her daughter was thrashing in bed, her small body burning hot to the touch. Emma's face was bright red, and she was mumbling words that didn't make sense.
"Emma! Baby, wake up!" Lily shook her gently, but Emma's eyes stayed closed. Her breathing was fast and shallow.
Lily pressed her hand to Emma's forehead and gasped. The little girl felt like she was on fire from the inside out.
"Grandma!" Lily yelled down the hallway. "Something's wrong with Emma!"
Her mother came running, still wearing her apron from cooking dinner. She took one look at Emma and her face went white.
"Oh no," Grandma whispered. "This isn't a normal fever."
"What do you mean?" Lily's voice shook as she tried to cool Emma down with a wet cloth.
"Call Dr. Martinez. Right now."
Lily grabbed her phone with trembling fingers and dialed. The doctor answered on the second ring.
"Dr. Martinez, it's Lily Evans. Emma has a really high fever and she won't wake up properly. Can you come over?"
"I'll be right there," the doctor said. "Keep her cool, but don't put her in cold water. I'll be there in ten minutes."
Those ten minutes felt like hours. Emma kept mumbling and her fever seemed to get worse instead of better. Lily had never felt so scared in her entire life.
When Dr. Martinez arrived, he checked Emma quickly. His face was serious as he checked her temperature and listened to her heartbeat.
"How high?" Lily asked.
"104.8 degrees," he said grimly. "That's dangerous for any child."
"Then why aren't you telling me to take her to the hospital?"
Dr. Martinez sat down heavily in the chair next to Emma's bed. "Because this isn't a regular fever, Lily. I think this is Alpha show fever."
"Alpha what?"
"It happens to werewolf children with very strong Alpha blood. Usually around age four or five. Their bodies try to awaken their wolf side, but it's too much for them to handle alone."
Lily felt like the room was spinning. "What does that mean? Is she going to be okay?"
"Not without help," Dr. Martinez said softly. "Children with Alpha presentation fever need energy from their Alpha parent to survive it. The fever won't break without that connection."
"Their Alpha parent?" Lily's voice came out as a whisper.
"Dominic," Grandma said from the doorway. "She needs Dominic."
"No," Lily said immediately. "There has to be another way. Medicine or something."
Dr. Martinez shook his head. "I'm sorry, Lily. This is werewolf biology. Emma's body is trying to connect with her Alpha heritage. If she doesn't get help from Dominic soon, the fever could..." He didn't finish the sentence, but Lily understood.
Emma could die.
"How long do we have?" Lily asked, her voice barely audible.
"A few hours at most. Maybe less."
Lily looked down at her daughter, who was so small and helpless in the big bed. Emma's cheeks were bright red and she was breathing too fast.
"Mommy?" Emma's eyes fluttered open for a moment. "I don't feel good."
"I know, baby. Mommy's going to fix it."
Emma's eyes closed again and she went back to mumbling words that sounded almost like growling.
Lily's hands shook as she picked up her phone. She found Dominic's number that Maya had given her and stared at it for a long moment.
This was the last thing she wanted to do. After everything that had happened, after running away from him, after keeping Emma a secret for so long. Now she had to call him and ask for help.
But Emma was more important than her pride.
She pressed the call button.
Dominic answered immediately. "Lily?"
"Dominic, I need your help." The words came out in a rush. "Emma's sick. Really sick. The doctor says she has Alpha presentation fever and she needs you."
There was silence on the other end for a moment. Then Dominic's voice came through, sharp and worried. "How high is her fever?"
"Almost 105 degrees."
"I'm on my way. Right now."
"Dominic, wait. I need to tell you something first."
"Tell me when I get there. Emma needs me now."
The line went dead. Lily sat there holding the phone, feeling like she'd just opened a door that she could never close again.
Dr. Martinez checked Emma's fever again. "105.2 now. We need him here fast."
Fifteen minutes later, Lily heard a truck screech into the driveway. Heavy footsteps pounded up the front stairs and Dominic burst through Emma's bedroom door.
He was breathing hard like he'd been running. His hair was messy and he wasn't wearing a jacket even though it was snowing outside.
"Where is she?" he asked, then saw Emma in the bed. His face changed completely.
Dominic walked over to the bed slowly, like he was afraid Emma might disappear if he moved too fast. He looked down at his daughter - really looked at her for the first time since he'd learned she existed.
"She's so small," he whispered.
"Can you help her?" Lily asked desperately.
Dominic sat down on the edge of Emma's bed and gently placed his hand on her forehead. Immediately, something changed in the room. The air felt different, charged with energy.
Emma's breathing started to slow down. Her face wasn't as red.
"It's working," Dr. Martinez said, sounding amazed.
Dominic closed his eyes and seemed to concentrate. Lily could actually feel power moving from him to Emma. It was like watching magic happen.
After a few minutes, Emma's eyes opened. She looked up at Dominic with clear, curious eyes.
"Who are you?" she asked in a small voice.
Dominic's face was full of feeling as he looked down at her. "I'm your daddy, Emma."
Emma studied his face carefully. "You look like me."
"Yes, I do."
"Are you going to take me away from Mommy?"
Dominic looked at Lily, then back at Emma. "No, sweetheart. I would never take you away from your mommy."
Emma smiled for the first time in hours. "Good. I like Mommy."
Dr. Martinez checked Emma's fever again. "98.6 degrees. Perfect."
Lily felt tears of relief rolling down her face. Emma was going to be okay.
But as Dominic continued to hold Emma's hand, sharing his Alpha energy to keep her stable, Lily's phone buzzed with a text message.
She looked down and felt her blood turn to ice.
The message was from an unknown number: Now that the Alpha has claimed his child through the healing bond, pack law says she belongs with him. You have 24 hours to bring Emma to the pack house, or we'll come get her ourselves. The council has decided.
Lily looked up at Dominic, who was still focused on Emma. He had no idea that by saving his daughter's life, he had just given the pack council the legal right to take her away forever.