By the time I finished the letter, I was sobbing into Anna’s tiny shoulder. I couldn’t control it. My whole body shook as I held her closer and whispered over and over again, “I promise. I promise. I promise I’ll take care of you. You’re mine now. I’m your mommy now, okay? I’m your mommy.”
Anna didn’t say anything, but she touched my wet cheeks with her little hand and rested her head on my shoulder like she understood.
Mrs. Amanda was crying too. She sniffled and said, “After her mother passed, the nurse called us at the orphanage to come pick the baby up. We didn’t know how to find you, but while going through her things, we found this letter and her phone. Your name was saved as ‘Liana My Only Sister.’ That was how we knew who to call.”
I wiped my eyes and nodded. “Thank you. Thank you so much for reaching out. I swear, I’ll take care of her. As if she were my own. I mean it.”
She nodded slowly, then looked at me a little more seriously. “Not that I don’t trust you, dear, but I heard you’re getting married soon… I’d like to meet the man who’s going to be raising Anna too. You know, just to be sure everything’s in order before we finalize the paperwork.”
“Of course,” I said immediately. “You’re right. Please, give me a few minutes. I’ll call him.”
I picked up my phone and called Killian. “Hey, baby. Can you come to this address right now? It’s important.’
He sounded concerned right away. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” I said quickly. “I’ll explain everything when you get here. Please just come.”
Ten minutes later, Killian pulled up in his black SUV, and the second he stepped inside the café, I could see the worry all over his face. He rushed toward us, stopping only when he saw me holding the baby and the other woman sitting beside me.
“Liana,” he said slowly. “What’s going on?”
I stood up, still holding Anna, and motioned for him to sit down. “Please, just listen for a moment.”
He nodded, sat, and looked between me and Mrs. Amanda with confusion.
I took a deep breath. “This is Anna. She’s Betty’s daughter, my best friend from college. The one who helped me during those horrible years. She’s gone, Killian. She died. And so did her husband. There’s no one left. She left me a letter asking me to take care of Anna. To be her mom.”
I watched his expression shift as I spoke, saw his eyes soften with each word. By the time I finished, he looked at Anna like she was the most delicate thing he’d ever seen.
He swallowed hard and reached out to touch her little hand. “She’s beautiful,” he whispered.
And then, God, I saw the tears. The Alpha King, my Killian, the strongest man I knew… he cried. He wiped his eyes quickly, like he didn’t want me to see, but I saw it.
He stood up, walked to Mrs. Amanda, and said quietly, “I’ll treat her like the daughter I never had. You have my word.”
Mrs. Amanda nodded with a trembling smile. “That’s all I needed to hear.”
We signed the paperwork. Everything was official now. Anna was ours.
The woman stood to leave, giving Anna one last gentle pat. “Be good, sweetheart,” she whispered.
And then she left, and Anna stayed.
When we got home, I was still holding little Anna in my arms like she was a piece of me I never knew I’d been missing. She hadn’t said much the whole ride back, just clung to me with her tiny hands, her head resting quietly against my shoulder like she already knew this was her new home. Killian was the one who opened the door and stepped aside for us to enter, his hand brushing my back in that protective way of his, like he was reminding me he was here. Always here.
“Ryan,” I called softly the moment we stepped inside, my voice just loud enough to carry through the house.
He came running down the stairs a few seconds later, his pajamas still rumpled and his hair sticking out in all directions. The moment his eyes landed on the little girl in my arms, he slowed down and blinked, his head tilting a little like he was trying to figure out what was going on.
“Who’s that?” he asked, his voice curious and a little cautious.
Killian stepped forward and knelt beside him, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. “This is Anna,” he said calmly. “She’s going to be your little sister from now on.”
Ryan’s brows pulled together. “But… how?” he asked, looking from Killian to me. “Your stomach wasn’t big like other mommies’ stomachs when they have babies.”
I let out a small laugh, even though my throat still felt tight from everything that had happened today. Before I could even think of what to say, Killian reached for Anna and took her from my arms. He cradled her so easily, like he’d done it a thousand times before.
“You’re right,” he told Ryan, nodding. “She didn’t grow in Mommy’s tummy, but she’s still your sister now. We’re going to take care of her together, okay?”
Ryan looked at Anna again, his face still unsure, like he wasn’t quite convinced. But then something changed. He stepped forward, reached for Anna’s tiny hand, and held it gently between his fingers.
“Hi,” he said shyly. “I’m Ryan.”
Anna giggled, a soft, delicate little laugh that somehow filled the entire room, and her tiny teeth showed as she smiled up at him. And then, out of nowhere, Ryan said something I’d never heard him say before, not even about the girls at school who had a crush on him.
“She’s really pretty.”
Killian and I both turned to look at him, stunned. I couldn’t help the small gasp that escaped me as I watched the way Ryan stared at her, like he already knew this little girl was going to be a part of his world now.
Killian blinked and then laughed under his breath, shaking his head in disbelief.
Anna giggled softly at his words, her tiny teeth showing as she stared up at him with wide, shiny eyes.
And Ryan… he didn’t take his eyes off her.
After everything that had happened, from the day Killian came back into my life, to the chaos of my father disowning me, to Cynthia being thrown in prison, to the heartbreak of losing Betty and taking in her beautiful daughter Anna, after all the pain and healing and growing, it was finally our wedding day.
Anna was already so deeply loved by everyone in our family. Mother spoiled her like she was her own granddaughter. Father adored her and always made her laugh. Even Ryan was protective over her like a big brother who took his role very seriously. She wasn’t just someone we were taking care of anymore. She was our daughter now. She was our reality.
And now, so was this. Me. Killian. Standing in front of each other as bride and groom.
It was a royal wedding, and everything about it looked and felt like something out of a movie. Everyone was there. Logan. Steve. Richard, with his human girlfriend Olivia who was glowing beside him. Even Simon came, and he brought his new girl too. I wasn’t even mad. In fact, it just felt good knowing we were all moving on with our lives.
Every member of the pack territories was present, the councils too.
And Killian…
God, Killian looked like he walked straight out of a dream. He stood tall at the altar, wearing the royal Alpha King uniform tailored perfectly for his build, his silver embroidered jacket gleaming under the lights. His hair was pushed back, his eyes fixed on me like I was the only thing he could see.
The crowd went silent the second I stepped into the hall. All eyes turned to me, but I only had eyes for him.
Mother was crying in the front row. Father had a proud but teary look in his eyes. Ryan stood beside Omega Agnes and Anna who was clutching a rose and beaming at me like she understood what today meant.
I walked slowly toward Killian, and he didn’t even try to hide how emotional he was. His hands trembled slightly as he took mine. His eyes were glistening.
The priest began the vows, just like they always do.
“Do you, Liana Rivers, take Killian Wolfe to be your lawfully wedded husband? To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for richer, for poorer, to love and to cherish, until death do you part?”
My voice shook, but I didn’t even hesitate. “Yes,” I said. “Yes, I do.”
He took a deep breath when the priest turned to him.
“And do you, Killian Wolfe, take Liana Rivers to be your lawfully wedded wife?”
“I do,” he said, his voice deep, raw, and shaking. “I’ve always done. Since the day I laid eyes on her.”
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