Chapter 236
Chapter 236
-Grayson’s POV-
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“That’s her first name,” Raina said simply, “Lily Evelyn Waters. But she’s always hated it. Said it made her sound too delicate. Too soft. She wanted something with more power–so she made everyone call her Evelyn. She was seven when she decided that. And I knew, without a doubt, that she was destined to hold power.”
I frowned, “I’m not sure I’m following anymore.”
Raina leaned back slightly, taking a slow, deliberate breath before exhaling, as if measuring how much of the story she was willing to reveal. Her eyes, sharp and gleaming with something ancient, something far beyond my understanding, locked onto mine.
“It is a complicated story,” she began, her voice carrying the weight of generations past. “The curse that bound your bloodline was never meant to be broken easily–it was sealed in blood, written in fate, and could only be undone by a descendant of the Pierce bloodline. Not just any descendant, mind you. It had to be one whose destiny was intertwined with the Alpha King of their time. The Moon Goddess…” She let out a quiet, knowing laugh, shaking her head. “She has a way of weaving lives together, binding destinies in ways none of us could ever truly understand. That night, when I was just a child, I wandered where I shouldn’t have, and I saw her. Or maybe I dreamed her. But what I do know is that I was touched by something greater than myself, something beyond the limitations of mere mortals. That touch gave me more than just the ability to practice magic as a werewolf–it set me on a path that led me straight into the Pierce pack. And there, in that place, I had Evelyn. And as fate would have it, her predestined mate turned out to be an original Pierce himself.”
The pieces fell into place so quickly that I almost felt breathless. The connection, the inevitability of it all, suddenly seemed glaringly obvious. “That’s why Evelyn was the one to carry the child–or children–who would break the curse,” I murmured, more to myself than to her.
That’s where Ava’s middle name came from. Lily. Lilian.
Raina nodded slowly, her gaze never wavering. “Exactly. It was never random, Grayson. None of this ever was. If your father had been the Alpha King during the time my grandchildren were born, then he would have been the one bound to them. And if it had been a generation before him, or before that, the pattern would have remained the same. One way or another, the bloodlines would have been forced together.”
A cold shiver ran down my spine. “So, you’re saying I just happened to be born at the right time?”
“As unsettling as that might be to think about, yes,” she said, a wry smile playing at the corners of her lips. “You should consider yourself lucky, Grayson. Because in another life, in another time, you might not have been the one standing here. And had that been the case, the fate of your entire bloodline might have looked very, very different.”
I exhaled sharply, the weight of her words pressing down on me. “Lucky,” I repeated, the word tasting bitter on my tongue. “That’s one way to put it.”
Raina let out a chuckle, shaking her head. “Oh, come now. You don’t sound very convinced. I would have thought you’d be a little more grateful, considering all the lives that have led to this moment.” Her expression darkened slightly, the teasing note in her voice fading. “But then again, I’ve heard you haven’t been treating my granddaughter well. And the other one- the one who was taken from us–she carries more hate in her heart than any soul should ever bear.”
I tensed. “So you are aware of everything.”
She sighed, flicking a bit of ash from her cigar before meeting my gaze again. “Oh, I am aware of a great many things, Grayson Blackwood. But do not mistake me for someone who knows it all. There are forces at play that even I cannot predict. The Moon Goddess, as wise as she is, does not interfere in the affairs of mortals. She lets them write their own stories, make their own choices. And for the same reason, I do not meddle where I am not meant to. The paths you all walk -you must find them on your own. Some will lead to redemption. Others… to destruction.”
I stared at her for a long moment, absorbing her words. “Does Ava know you exist?” I asked finally, my voice quieter than before. “Or are you nothing more than a ghost in the shadows, watching from a distance?”
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10:26 Thu, 27 Feb
Chapter 236
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Raina inhaled deeply, her expression unreadable, and then she smiled–slow, wistful, filled with something almost like regret. “Now that,” she murmured, “is a very good question.”
“It would have been sacrilegious to Evelyn and Luther. She continued, Lily never really had a childhood–not because I took it from her, but because she was simply never a child in the way others are,” Raina said, her voice carrying an odd mixture of sorrow and acceptance. “I wish she had. I wish she had been carefree, playful, innocent… but she wasn’t. She was born. serious, born with a weight on her shoulders that no child should have to carry.”
She paused for a moment, her gaze distant as if recalling a memory long buried. Then, with a faint, almost wistful smile, she continued, “But all things considered, I’m glad she found someone like her. As much as I might wish otherwise, Luther was her perfect match. They understand each other in ways no one else ever could. They are both… ruthless, powerful, and driven by a purpose larger than themselves.”
Her smile faded, replaced by something more solemn. “She is a perfect Pierce. Every bit of her is carved from the legacy of that bloodline, molded into the person she was always meant to be. But,” Raina exhaled, shaking her head slightly, “I just wish she didn’t fight so hard to erase any part of me that might have lingered in her. She never wanted to be anything like me. Whatever traces of my spirit, my nature, my defiance… she made sure to destroy them before they could ever take root in her.”
“I do hope,” She murmured, almost to herself, “that before my time comes, I get to see them all together. Just once.”
I hesitated.
“That’s why you’re in Italy?” I asked, “To be with your first daughter?”
She nodded. “Rosalina would submerge herself in danger if she weren’t held down. Some might even say she’s worse than me,” Raina admitted, though her face held a proud smile. “That’s why she married into the Mafia.”
I let that sink in for a moment before asking, “Why didn’t you ever try to meet Ava? Tell her who you are?”
Raina met my gaze, her expression unreadable. “Like I said, Grayson Blackwood, it is not my path to intervene in the stories being written. If it was meant to be, I will meet her.” She hesitated just slightly before adding, “Quite unfortunate that the other one is beyond saving.”
I studied her, the weight of everything she had just said pressing down on me, but I forced my voice to stay steady. “So you’re aware that the man behind all this chaos, Damien Cross–he’s looking for you. He wants to transfer the essence.”
“I am aware,” She said simply. Her tone was calm, almost indifferent, as if she had already accepted whatever fate awaited her. “But even if he does find me, I cannot transfer it like I did when they were little.”
“You were the one who did the spell?”
She nodded, “It was one of the hardest things I have ever done. Having to choose between the two of them…” Her voice softened, almost as if she were speaking to herself rather than me. “I didn’t know one would be stolen. But after I transferred the essence to Ava, I placed a spell on her to make her weak. I knew she would grow into her power eventually, but before then, I wanted Evelyn and Luther to have loved the other twin so when Ava’s powers started manifesting, there would have already been a place in their hearts for the other one. I just wanted them to love both their daughters.”
Every single thing had a reason. Every moment of suffering, every unanswered question–it all led back to this.
I barely had time to process it before she spoke again.
“It doesn’t matter if Damien Cross finds me or not,” She continued, her gaze sharpening, “The essence has chosen Ava Pierce as its host, and it will not leave her. But she needs to learn to control it.”
“She has so much power inside her,” Raina murmured, almost reverently. “It is old, and it is ancient. And if she doesn’t learn to master it soon…” She trailed off, her expression darkening as she met my gaze.
“It will consume her from the inside out–until there is nothing left.”
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