The hospital is eerily quiet, our steps echoing through the halls. Visiting hours are long over, and night shift reigns.


    Vanessa is unfazed by the creepy quality of the place at a late hour, but I jump when the elevator dings, signalling its arrival in front of us.


    "You okay?" she asks, concern knitting her brows.


    Selene—who''s finally out from beneath my bed, though she refuses to talk about why she avoided me for the rest of the day—leans against my leg in silent comfort. "It''s just so quiet. I''m not used to hospitals without people bustling around."


    There''s a giant machine coming down the hall in our direction, cleaning the floor with whatever algorithm powers its movement.


    I always wondered how hospitals kept their floors so clean. I guess everything''s automated these days.


    Vanessa nudges me onto the elevator, pressing the button for my mom''s floor before we''ve all even made it in.


    Four bodyguards flank us. Massive overkill, considering that there isn''t much we''re expecting to happen on this visit.


    Still, Lucas—and Jericho—are taking no chances on my safety.


    Marcus, at least, is getting a break, and a new guy seems to be the one to shadow me for the night. He''s a little short, but his eyes are black and intense, and I wouldn''t want to be found in an alley with him in the dark.


    He smells like death, Selene says. To me, such words are atrocious, like I should avoid the person. To her? She speaks as though she admires him.


    And that''s a good thing?


    Selene''s ears flick toward me, and I can feel her side-eye even without her eyes moving. He is a capable guard. This is a good thing.


    Right. I guess that''s true.


    "You seem on edge," Vanessa murmurs, looking straight forward as the elevator numbers change from floor to floor.


    "Just a little." I''ve been avoiding thinking about my mom, or her wolf. Avoidance has always been my specialty.


    Healthy? No. But habits are really, really hard to break.


    The walk to my mother''s room feels longer than it should, each step heavy with dread. Selene presses close to my side, her warmth a small comfort in the sterile hallway.


    After a few turns, I realize that nothing seems familiar.


    Each corridor is the same as the last, and yet it feels as though we''re going in the wrong direction.


    "Vanessa, did they move her?" I ask, confusion lacing my voice.


    I focus on my mother''s face, trying to block out the vitriol spilling from her lips. Her features, once soft and warm, are now sharp and twisted with loathing. It''s hard to reconcile this bitter shell of a woman with the mother I remember from my earliest years.


    Back then, her smile could light up a room, and her laughter was infectious. She''d pull me into her lap, tickling me until I was breathless with giggles, and whisper promises of a bright future.


    "You''re going to be the happiest little girl in the world, Ava," she''d say, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. "You''ve been blessed since before you were born."


    The memory rises unbidden, a bittersweet pang in my chest. I latch onto it, desperate for any shred of the mother I once knew.


    "Do you remember?" I ask suddenly, my voice cutting through her tirade. "When I was little, you used to tell me I was blessed before birth, that I''d live a happy life."


    Her eyes narrow into slits. "Why are you dredging up such old, rotten memories?" Her words drip with disdain, each syllable a poison-tipped dart aimed at my heart.


    This time, I don''t flinch.


    I already know this woman is not the mother of my memories.


    That woman never existed.


    "I wanted to know if you remembered. If any part of you still cares about those times."


    A harsh, grating laugh fills the void between us. "There''s no blessing, no happiness. Just the cruel reality of a world that chews you up and spits you out."


    Vanessa, who''s been quietly preparing the injection, steps forward. "That''s enough, Mrs. Grey. It''s time for your medicine."


    My mother''s gaze snaps to Vanessa, her lip curling in a sneer. "You think that will silence me? You''re just as deluded as she is."


    But even as she speaks, Vanessa deftly inserts the needle into her IV line, depressing the plunger halfway. The clear liquid disappears into the tube, snaking its way towards my mother''s arm.


    Within moments, Mom''s eyelids droop, her words slurring together. "You''ll see..." she mumbles, her head lolling to the side. "No happiness... No blessing..."


    Vanessa checks the clock before injecting the rest of the medicine. "There we go."


    Mom''s quiet, her chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm. The sudden silence is heavy, the beeping machines almost welcome in the tense atmosphere.


    It''s not your fault, Selene says, and I latch onto the neutral tone of her mental voice. She lost herself a long time ago.


    I know, logically, that my mother''s hatred isn''t a reflection of my worth. And the distance I feel now might not be there forever.


    But at least I know I have several people to lean on. People in my corner, trying to help me. Making sure I''m safe. Wanting me to grow stronger.


    My found family.


    So much better than the ones who brought me into the world.