Chapter 204
-Ava’s POV-
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“Damien, what is the meaning of this?” My mother’s voice finally broke the heavy silence that had followed Uncle Damien’s entrance. I was still trying to piece together what was happening
Why was my father–who was supposed to be overseas assisting with a medical procedure–here, tied up and bloodied?
Why was Uncle Damien here?
And why was he looking at me like that?
“I can practically see the wheels turning in your head, Little Dove,” Damien said smoothly. “And because you’ve turned out to be somewhat tolerable, I’ll do you a favor and answer the questions you’re asking yourself.”
I blinked at him. He sounded different–strange, even. Like this was the first time I was truly hearing him speak.
A muffled sound from my father filled the air, yanking my attention back to him. His hands and legs were bound, his face bloodied.
“Damien-”
“If I were you, Evelyn, I’d get off that high horse and watch what you say. One wrong word, and Luther will suffer the consequences.” His tone turned ice–cold, his gaze sharp and unforgiving.
“Uncle Damien?” I whispered.
His eyes flicked to me, softening just a fraction before a slow, unsettling smile spread across his face.
“Right. The only one I can actually stand.” He gestured toward two chairs I hadn’t noticed before. “Let’s start with the basics. Both of you–sit.”
My mother and I exchanged a glance. I could sense her tension, the unspoken thoughts racing through her mind. Then, for the first time, her voice touched mine through our psychic link. don’t know what’s going on, but for your father’s sake–sit down.‘
It didn’t sound like a command. It was a plea. Despite the calm facade she wore, she had no idea what was happening–or how to handle it.
I turned my gaze back to my father. He had stopped struggling and was simply looking at my mother. Were they speaking through their link? Whatever passed between them, she nodded slightly before stepping forward and sitting down. I followed her lead,
Uncle Damien watched us, his usual jovial smile in place. But now, I saw it for what it was–an edge had always been there. The same expression, yet it felt entirely different in this moment
“Great. Now that we’re all settled–well, except me, because I’ll be doing most of the talking. I know that’s strange for you Pierces–you talk, and everyone else listens.” His gaze slid to me again, and, once more, it softened.
“It’s truly unfortunate that you have to be involved in this.”
He sounded so… distant.
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Chapter 204
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Finally, I found my voice. “What-”
His eyes turned black, and his expression hardened. “I said I’ll be doing the talking.”
Something about his tone made me clamp my mouth shut.
He turned to my father. “Luther here has been keeping me company for the past two weeks. There was no medical procedure.” His lips curled into a smirk. “I simply wanted to spend some quality time with my best friend.” His voice dripped with mockery. “That’s what we are, right, Luther? Best friends. And best friends are supposed to be there for each other–not go behind the other’s back and tell their father that they’re unfit to lead a pack.”
What was he talking about?
My mother’s voice cut through the air, firm and unyielding. “Why don’t you stop with the theatrics and get to the point? Why are we here? What do want?”
you
Almost immediately, my father let out a sharp cry of pain, his body convulsing. My eyes widened in shock, while my mother went pale
Damien’s expression darkened. “Every word spoken without my permission, every question asked without my consent, and I increase the pain threshold. Now, where were we?”
He took a step
toward me, and my wolf stirred inside me, growling in defense. Then, for the first time, I really smelled him.
A scent so familiar–one I had noticed before but never placed.
And just like that, it clicked.
That day in Liam’s office. That scent I had picked up but couldn’t trace but it had smelt so familiar.
It was him.
Uncle Damien.
As if he could read my thoughts, his lips twitched. “I’ve always admired how smart you are, Little Dove.”
My breath caught.
“Yes, it was me,” He continued. “I orchestrated the chaos that has unfolded over these past months. The first attack on Grayson? I arranged it. I killed those Alphas. I ordered the shooting. Every single thing–you can thank me for it.” His voice dropped lower, like he was about to share a secret.
“But you want to know what my finest work yet i
He leaned in, his next words chilling.
“I stole the other twin.”
is?”
If shock had a physical form, it would have been the weight that crashed down on my chest in that moment.
My mother, my father and I. We all froze.
“Oh yes,” Damien continued, tilting his head slightly looking at my father, “We hadn’t gotten to that part yet, had we? I suppose I was too preoccupied with my grievances–the ones I never got over. The truth I discovered decades ago.
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Chapter 204
His voice hardened.
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“Our father asked Luther to help him choose who was better suited to lead the pack. And Luther, being the perfect man he is, the one who never makes a wrong decision–who did he choose?”
He scoffed.
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“We all know who ended up leading the pack. My brother; Dylan’s father. But what I didn’t know, what I found out later, was that Luther had been the reason-” his voice rose, laced with venom “-my best friend–decided I was unfit to lead.”
He let out a breath, his smirk returning.
“So I did what any rational person would do.” His eyes gleamed. “I took something precious from him. I took one of you.”
My mother’s voice broke, raw with emotion. “Where is my daughter?”
She wasn’t just asking–she was pleading.
But Uncle Damien–no, Damien because this man wasn’t my Uncle–only smiled.
The man who had once comforted me, the one I had secretly wished was my father, the man who had always told me that one day, I would be free from the weight of my family name–he had been a lie.
A monster, hiding in plain sight.
He had stolen sister.
my
Damien tilted his head, “That,” He said smoothly, “is something I’ll never tell you. But rest assured–she’s had a good life. I raised her well. Raised her with the truth about who her real family is. How they were willing to let one of their daughters“– his eyes flicked to me-“die.”
“You cannot begin to understand the sacrifices we’ve made, you bastard-”
My father’s agonized scream cut my mother off, and she instantly fell silent.
Damien smiled moving even closer to me, staring at me like I was the most important thing in the world.
“You see, Little Dove, I was wrong. When I heard that one of you had to be stripped of your essence because only one could be fated to the man who carried the most power in the realm–the one who could break his curse–that was the moment it all began.”
“Why be just an Alpha when I could be king of the realm? And I knew if that bonding ever happened, the Blackwood bloodline would never fall. So, I had to stop it from happening.
“That’s why you took her. Not just for revenge.” The words spilled from my mouth before I could stop them, and I froze but my father didn’t thrash in pain this time.
Damien’s eyes twinkled with dark amusement. “I like you, Little Dove. I’ll give you a pass. And yes, you’re right. With the powerful twin gone, I could control things, make sure they never met. The curse would destroy him, and I would swoop in and take the throne. But before that, I knew I had to start crippling the realm. There’s so much the unseen can do, and with each passing year, I accumulated more power until it was enough to begin. And like you know, I’ve always been one for fun, so you all had to be aware that someone was coming for you. Like pawns on a chessboard, you’ve all been moving to my #will.”
He paused for a moment, then shifted his gaze to my mother.
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Chapter 204
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“We made the same mistake. You made Ava feel like she was worthless because you thought she was. And like you, I didn’t realize until recently that I had taken the wrong twin. But anyone would have made the mistake.” He looked back at me, eyes sharp with intent. “You were so feeble–looking. I didn’t even think you were the one with the full essence. You were barely grasping onto life. And it wasn’t until I felt that power at the ball that I knew. I finally understood why it hadn’t manifested in your sister all this time, Little Dove.”
Stop calling me that, I wanted to scream, but I kept my mouth shut.
“But there’s something I don’t quite understand,” He continued. “You are his fated mate. Why, then, does the curse still hang over his head, even though the connection between the two of you can be felt from miles away?”
I said nothing. Because I had thought about it. And I didn’t know the answer. And this was the wrong time to be thinking about it. But the truth, the conviction–it clicked.
It was true. I was his fated mate. Grayson and I, in a twisted form of magic and fate, were actually made for each other. “I’ve given you permission to speak,” Damien reminded me, his voice low and smooth. “Just you, Little Dove.”
“Stop calling me that. Just stop it.”
“Now, don’t go ruining all our memories,” He said, his tone almost mocking. “I practically raised you, didn’t I? Who did you come to when they both made you hate yourself? Me, Little Dove. Who got you through all those years? Who did you wish was actually your father?”
Tears slid down my face, and I shook my head. “You are a monster. You pretended from the start. You stole my sister, and you lied about everything. You are an evil, manipulative, cruel person. And I hope you rot in hell for everything you’ve done.”
“Ah,” Damien sighed. “I see our bond cannot be resolved, then.” He shook his head like he was actually sad about it. “Then I guess tonight, you die with the rest of them.”
