Chapter 69
-Grayson’s POV-
“The grand gesture under the rain worked, didn’t it?” Isabella’s voice cut through the silence, filled with that triumphant tone that was too annoying for my liking. Not like I actually ever liked anything She was leaning against the counter, casually munching on her chips, each loud crunch a reminder of how much she’d enjoyed orchestrating this entire situation
I exhaled, glancing toward the hallway. I was counting down the seconds until Ava came out so we could leave Sure, Isabella’s advice had been helpful, but she’d been insistent on this whole “romantic under–the–rain” idea. When she called and told me to stand outside in the drizzle, I thought she’d lost it There was no way I was going to stand there and get soaked like some love–struck fool. Yet twenty minutes later, there I was–drenched, humoring Isabella’s ridiculous suggestion. And as cliché as it felt, it worked. The moment 1 saw va’s silhouette at the door, everything faded into the background.
But now, my patience was wearing thin. Ava Isadn’t come out yet and Isabella’s loud, crunching chewing was grating on
every nerve.
“Oh, so that’s how it’s going to be?” she said, feigning offense. “I help you fix things with her, and you just ignore me!”
I shot her a glare. “Do you have to chew so loudly? And talk with your mouth full?”
She smirked, her eyes glinting with mischief. “No, I don’t. But I noticed it bothers you, so I’m definitely not stopping.
I narrowed my eyes, deadpan. “You’re lucky Ava likes you.”
“Oh, please. You like me too, and you know it.”
I scoffed, choosing to ignore her. The longer I stayed quiet, the sooner she’d give up and leave me in peace.
“Fine,” she sighed, finally relenting. “Don’t talk to me, then.”
Seconds ticked by in a rare silence as I checked my phone, looking for any distraction. Then she broke it with, “Oh, did you hear Lilian felt her wolf?”
The words caught me off guard. “What? When?”
She arched a brow, a sly smile playing on her lips. “Thought we weren’t speaking?”
A thought suddenly registered and I smiled, “Fine. How is Rickon?”
The name clearly hit a nerve, her grin vanishing as she glared agme. “I’m going to go get Lilian.”
With a huff, she pushed herself off the counter and stormed inside. I smirked to myself. Petty, sure, but it felt like a win. I couldn’t believe I was even entertaining these kinds of conversations; I barely cared about winning arguments like this: But something about the ridiculousness of it felt grounding.
Suddenly, I sensed Ava’s presence in front of me. I didn’t even have to look up to know she was there; the faint click of her shoes and the quiet rustle of fabric was enough to jolt my awareness. I turned, and there she was, pushing a stack of suitcases toward the door. Our eyes met, and a blush crept up her cheeks
“Hi, she greeted her voice barely above a whisper.
I felt something warm, unfamiliar. I cleared my throat, trying to shake it off. “Hi.”
I stepped forward to grab one of her suitcases. She bit her lip, hesitating before speaking. “Uh. Isabella wanted me to tell you she thinks you’re petty for bringing up Rickon.”
Mon, Dec 16
Chapter 09
“And?” Isabella’s voice rang–out from somewhere in the house.
Ava sighed, looking almost anused. “And… she says you’re ungrateful for not acknowledging her help, and that if you screw up again, don’t come crawling to her.”
I shook my head, grabbing two of her bags. “Noted.”
After loading everything into the car, I watched her say her goodbyes to Isabella. She waved, thanked her, and finally joined me, slipping into the passenger seat. The moment she settled in thick tension filled the space between us. I turned on the engine, letting the silence stretch as I navigated us onto the road I could feel her gaze flicker toward me, but neither of us seemed ready to break the silence.
“So….” she began just as I said, “Did you-”
She flushed, looking down quickly. “You go first. The quiet was just.. making me uncomfortable. I’m not sure I actually have anything to say.”
I sighed, gripping the steering wheel. “Honestly, I don’t know what to say either.”
The silence crept back in, punctuated only by the hum of the engine. I tried to think of something, anything that would break this tension. Finally, an idea came to me. “Are you hungry
She laughed, the sound a bit too loud for the quiet car. “I’m almost scared to answer that, just in case you try flying me somewhere across the country for some specialty dish. But no, I’m not really hungry.”
Well, that idea failed. I’d hoped she would be, that maybe we could go somewhere crowded, somewhere public where this Tension wouldn’t feel so suffocating. I didn’t know how to process all these feelings, all the emotions I’d buried for so long, I’d spent years walling myself off, building layers around myself to keep anything or anyone from getting too close. But this -whatever it was that I felt with her–I didn’t know how to act.
She cleared her throat, her voice softening. “Isabella told me she told you that I felt my wolf to get a reaction out of you.”
“So it’s true?”
“Yes.” She glanced out the window, her expression distant. “I felt her after the gunshot wound on my shoulder started burning, then it healed up, like magic. I heard her voice, but only for a moment. Since then… nothing”
I felt a pang of guilt for not noticing her shoulder sooner, for being so consumed in my own thoughts that I hadn’t even asked her how she was healing. Still, knowing there was a wolf inside her was a relief. Her wolf would give her strength, a defense. It cased some of my worry,
Something clicked in my mind. “When exactly did this happen? The day, the time?”
She hesitated, thinking, “I don’t know the exact time, but it was the day before the wedding”
“Anything more specific?”
She frowned, remembering. “Maybe twenty to thirty minutes before your magic note appeared
I clenched the wheel, realization dawning on me. The healing it must have happened at the same time Maria was casting the spell to link us. Somehow, even though the spell hadn’t fully taken, my essence must’ve touched her enough to trigger her healing. But the wolf, that was another mystery, one I’d need help unraveling.
Without another word, I shifted gears, making a hard turn.
Ava looked over, confused “Where are we going?”
I kept my eyes focused on the road, taking a deep, steadying breath. The words I was about to say felt fieavy on my tongue, and I wasn’t sure how she’d react. “There’s something I need to tell you,” I began, glancing over at her before quickly looking
9/3
Chapter 69
back at the road. “I had Maria perform a linking spell on us
She looked at me, curiosity and confusion mingling in her gaze pushed, “The idea behind the spell was that if you were ever in danger, I’d be able to sense it immediately. I could feel it wherever I was, and I’d be able to get to you in time. And if you needed extra strength, you’d be able to draw it from me. It was supposed to be a sort of bond–a connerson between
- US.
There was a brief pause as she absorbed this, her face unreadable. I continued, “The first time Maria tried, the spell didn’t work. But I think. well, I think something did start to happen when your shoulder healed“I glanced at her, my expression apologetic. “But I’m not sure why it’s connected to your wolf. That part, I don’t fully understand yet.”
Her voice was quiet, almost a whisper when she finally asked, “Did it actually work? The linking spell?”
I hesitated, shaking my head. “No, it didn’t fully work. Not then, anyway. Maria said that for the spell to be effective, for us to be truly linked, we needed a deeper bond. A… unity, she called it So I had her do it again at the wedding and it did.”
Her cheeks flushed slightly, and her eyes shifted as she connected the dots. “So, that feeling I had when we kissed?” trailed off, leaving the rest unspoken.
“Yes,” I said, nodding. “I think that was enough to make the connection start to take root.”
Silence settled over us, filling the space with unspoken words and lingering tension. I swallowed, glancing over at her again. “You’re not… mad that I didn’t tell you beforehand?”
She shrugged, her lips curving into a small, almost amused smile. “I think I’m starting to get used to it
Her calm acceptance took me by surprise, and I felt an unexpected wave of relief wash over me. I hadn’t realized just how much I’d been holding my breath until that moment. “But still where are we going now?” she asked, shifting in her seat, her gaze searching
I took another breath, steadying myself. “We’re going to see Maria. I’m going to ask her to help you unlock your wolf fully- to release her, wherever she’s hidden. We’re going to make you a full werewolf.”
