Rejected by Her Fated Mate

Synopsis

I jolted awake to the sound of Emma's whimpers. The digital clock on my nightstand glowed 2:17 AM, casting an eerie blue light across my empty bed. Michael hadn't come home again. "Mommy," Emma's voice was barely audible through our connecting door. My heart lurched as I rushed to her room, my bare feet cold against the wooden floor. The moment I touched her forehead, fear gripped me. She was burning up, her small body radiating heat that no eight-year-old should produce. Her normally rosy cheeks were flushed crimson, her nightgown soaked with sweat. "It hurts, Mommy," she whimpered, her eyes glassy with fever. "My bones feel funny." My stomach dropped.