bChapter /bb172 /b

    Zion squeezed my shoulder before slipping out. “I’ll be back once you’re done here,” he said quietly. “Tilly, the nurse is just down the hall if you need her, and Theo should be in soon.” His gaze lingered on Felix for a moment, something heavy flickering there, before he turned and left. The door clicked shut, and for a beat the room was quiet but full, candies crinkling, the steady beep of the monitor, Felix’s slow, measured breaths. Then Felix cleared his throat, eyes dancing as he looked at the three little bodies perched at the end of his bed. “Well now,” he said, his voice hoarse but teasing. “How are you lot nning to entertain an old man like me today?”

    Elliot perked up instantly, his spine straightening with a spark in his eye. “A y,” he dered. “We’ll put on a y. With a little bit of magic.”

    Felix chuckled, low and warm, the sound rough but full of delight. “A y?” His gaze softened as it swept across them. “Perfect. I always loved the theatre.”

    “Then you’re in luck!” Macey announced, puffing out her chest. “Because we are amazing at ys.”

    Elias grinned shyly but nodded, already tugging Elliot toward the open space near the foot of the

    bed.

    I sank into the chair beside Felix, close enough to hear every little rasp of his breath. He looked thinner, paler, but in that moment, he glowed, watching the kids like they were the brightest thing left in the world.

    “They’ll make you proud,” I said softly, leaning just a little closer.

    Felix’s eyes didn’t leave the three of them as they scrambled to set up magical props, Macey bossing the boys around with dramatic ir. “They already have,” he whispered back.

    Elliot raised his hand, and with a quick flick of magic, a shimmer of light rippled across the wall, forming the rough outline of a castle. Elias gasped, pping his hands, while Macey swooped in, tossing her hair like the princess she’d clearly decided to be. Felixughed until it turned into a cough, covering it with a hand, but when he looked back at me, tears were shining in his eyes. “This,” he murmured. “This is the best curtain call I could ask for.”

    So I sat with him, my hand resting lightly over his, and together we watched as our children turned a sickroom into a stage, theirughter ringing bright enough to banish shadows, for a little while.

    Felix leaned back against his pillows, his eyes on the kids but far away at the same time. His fingers drummed faintly against mine, a rhythm of remembering.

    “They remind me,” he murmured, voice roughened by age and whatever time was stealing from him, “of when you all were small. Gods, Theo was forever turning everything into a sword, Wooden spoons, fire pokers, once he tried to brandish a bloody fish like a sabre, nearly pped Zion across the face with it.”

    Iughed softly, unable to help it, and Felix’s mouth curved as though just telling the memory gave him life again.

    “He swore he was practising to be a knight,” Felix went on, shaking his head. “But really, I think he just liked an excuse to wave things around and shout.”

    From the doorway, a familiar voice cut in, warm and teasing. “Hey, in my defence, that fish was

    enormous. It could have been a sword.”

    We all turned, and there was Theo, leaning against the frame, a lopsided grin tugging at his lips. His eyes went straight to his father’s, bright with love and just a flicker of worry beneath it.

    Felix chuckled, shaking his head. “Still defending yourself after all these years.”

    Theo pushed off the frame and strode into the room, reaching down to sp his father’s shoulder gently. “Someone has to set the record straight. Can’t have you telling these kids I was all chaos and

    no charm.”

    “You were both,” Felix said, his voice tired but his smile proud.

    Theoughed, squeezing his father’s shoulder, then looked at the kids still acting out their y, oblivious to the weight hanging in the air. His expression softened, mirroring the same quiet joy that lingered in Felix’s eyes. For a moment, the years fell away. It wasn’t a hospital room. It wasn’t life and death pressing at the edges. It was just family. Then. Now. Always.

    After a while, I noticed Felix’s eyes growing heavier, hisughter quieter, his hand loosening on mine as the y carried on. His smile was still there, soft and faint, but the strain was catching up

    with him.

    I reached out, brushing my fingers lightly across his arm. “We should probably let you rest,” I said gently.

    He nodded once, though his gaze lingered on the children as if he could bottle the moment and hold it forever. When I leaned down to kiss his forehead, he gave me the smallest, sweetest smile. “Thank you,” he whispered. “For bringing the light in here.”

    :

    I swallowed against the lump in my throat and pressed my lips to his skin one more time before standing. The kids waved furiously, shouting their goodbyes, and Felix’s tired chuckle followed us out the door.

    In the hallway, their voices dropped to curious whispers, all three sets of eyes turning up at me. “What are we doing now?” Elias asked, still buzzing with leftover excitement.

    I smiled, slipping my hands into theirs. “Well,” I said with a yful tilt of my head, “how about we go and annoy Uncle Mchi, Julius, and Arztec?”

    That earned a round of giggles.

    “And,” I added, “we should probably go see Queen Nanna too. Something tells me she’ll want to hear everything about our day.”

    Elliot grinned widely. “Even the y?”

    “Especially the y,” I said, tugging them gently down the corridor, theirughter echoing ahead of ollius. /li/ol

    We stepped through the portal, the air changing instantly to the grandeur of the Royal Family’s kingdom. The kids froze for a moment, wide–eyed at the sheer size of the ce. Far ahead, the double doors to the council chamber stood open, voices echoing faintly from within. But then Elliot’s grin stretched ear to ear, mischievous and wild, and Macey and Elias caught on immediately. They huddled together in a little knot, whispering like conspirators.

    “What are you plotting?” I asked, arching a brow though I already knew the answer.

    “Scaring them,” Macey whispered, her eyes dancing. “We’re gonna scare your brothers!”

    Elliot puffed up proudly. “They think they’re scary. Wait till they see us.”

    Elias pped his hands, bouncing on his toes. “Yes! We can hide and jump out, like….RAH!” He threw his hands up, nearly toppling himself over, which made the other two giggle harder.

    I bit my lip to keep fromughing, shaking my head. “You do realise these are Alpha Kings? Lycans the size of mountains?”

    “That’s why it’s funny,” Elliot shot back, his eyes gleaming with challenge.

    They gave me matching grins before darting off toward the council chamber doors, crouching behind

    the pirs to get into position.

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