A lump formed instantly in the center of her throat. Roxy stared down at the little wolf pup nestled against her side, her violet eyes closed as she trusted the next words that were about to fall out of Roxy's lips.
Roxy wanted to lie.
She wanted to weave another beautiful, magical fairytale about the Fox King going on a long journey across the cosmos, returning one day with pockets full of stardust and a wicked smirk on his lips.
But she couldn't. To lie to Iris now would only plant a seed of false hope that would eventually violently tear the little girl's heart apart all over again.
Roxy forced herself to swallow the agonizing lump, her jaw trembling. She tightened her arm around Iris, pulling the small, warm body closer to her ribs.
"Oh, my sweet girl," Roxy whispered, her voice cracking. She pressed a desperate, lingering kiss to the top of Iris's dark hair. "Papa Ren… Papa Ren is never coming back."
