I felt my breath catch in my throat. Phoenix. A name of rebirth, of rising from the ashes. A name that spoke of new beginnings, of hope.
Valerie's gaze met mine, and I saw the unspoken story in her eyes. After losing her first mate, after the grief that had threatened to consume her, she was rising again. She was building a new life, a new family, from the ashes of her old one.
"That's a beautiful name," I said, my own eyes welling up with tears. "Phoenix. It's perfect."
Liam, oblivious to the deeper meaning, scrunched up his nose. "Phoenix? Like the bird?"
"The very same," Valerie said, a tired but genuine smile gracing her lips. "A bird that's reborn from fire."
He thought for a moment, then nodded decisively. "Cool. Can I hold him now?"
I was about to intervene, to remind him of t
