Chapter 145

Grayson’s POV

That phone call with Isabella was the moment everything changed—the moment I could no longer deny what had been before me all along. Her words hung heavy in the air, inescapable, echoing in my mind like a haunting refrain: “Lilian is in love with you.”

Even now, I feel the weight of those words pressing against my chest, suffocating yet liberating. I’d spent so long running—from my feelings, from her, from the very idea of love. But yesterday, something shifted.

Ava. In love with me.

It was like a floodgate opening, a deluge of emotions I’d buried for too long. Memories rushed back—the way she’d always looked at me, as if I were more than my flaws, more than the darkness I carried. The sound of her laugh, bright and full of life, echoed in the spaces I’d thought irreparably broken. The way she believed in me.

And I realized, with startling clarity, that while I might not fully understand the feeling, if this is what it felt like, then I loved her too.

I wasn’t sure when it happened, when she’d breached my defenses. Maybe it was inevitable, like a tide pulling me in despite my resistance. But it was there, undeniable and overwhelming. Ava had my heart. Just as Alaric had said, but I’d refused to acknowledge it until now.

That’s why, without hesitation, I booked the next flight home. Somewhere between the departure gate and takeoff, I called Isabella again, seeking her advice. Her words were simple: “Just show up.”

So I did.

I’d once told myself Ava Pierce was beautiful, but it was a sentiment I barely acknowledged. I’d convinced myself it didn’t matter—couldn’t matter. But even then, I knew I was lying. I could lie no longer.

Ava wasn’t just beautiful. She was breathtakingly beautiful. The kind of beauty that stopped the world. The kind that left me speechless. I couldn’t even remember the last time I’d been so lost for words. When I saw her tonight, standing there with quiet confidence and ethereal elegance, the only words I could muster were,

“Happy birthday.”

Utterly pathetic.

I hated how things unfolded with Elaine, but for once, I was almost thankful she intervened. She became the buffer I desperately needed because, in that moment, I wasn’t sure what I would have said to Ava.

Worse was the secret I carried. I hadn’t decided whether to tell her about her twin—the sister she didn’t know existed. The sister who, wherever she was, happened to be my fated mate. The weight of that truth gnawed at me, growing heavier with every interaction, every stolen glance, every heartbeat that drew me closer to Ava.

After Evelyn’s interruption, I let Ava go, watching her retreat into the hall, knowing I would never let her walk away from me.

Monday,

Chapter 145

My feet carried me to the mansion’s balcony, seeking the cool night air to calm the storm in my chest. I leaned against the railing, staring out at the sprawling land.

My mate was out there somewhere. Finding her, being with her, was the only way to break the curse that had haunted my bloodline for generations. It was simple. Logical. Necessary.

And yet, I didn’t want to.

I exhaled, the sigh heavy with frustration, and decided to shove the thought aside. I would deal with it only when absolutely necessary. For now, my focus was Ava. It always came back to her.

“You’re never going to let her go, are you?”

The voice startled me. I turned to find Evelyn a few feet away, her expression unreadable but her eyes piercing. She was the beginning of it all—the woman who birthed my fated mate. If anyone knew her daughter’s whereabouts, it would be her. But I didn’t answer her question; she already knew the answer. Instead, I asked a question I already knew the answer to:

“Does Ava know she’s a twin?”

Evelyn paled—not the mild discomfort she’d shown when I told her Ava had regained her wolf at the restaurant. This was deeper, visceral. Her lips parted, and for the first time, I saw the resemblance between her and Ava. Her silence spoke volumes, confirming my thoughts.

Ava didn’t know.

“That’s why you know about the curse,” I said, my voice low. “That’s why you hate me. Birthing a child fated to me is why you made that choice.”

Evelyn regained her composure, her eyes hardening as she spat, “I have no idea what you’re talking about. Ava is my only child, and—”

“Do you ever stop lying?” I interrupted sharply. “We both know you birthed two children, and only one could survive.”

“They could both survive,” she snapped, her voice rising. “One would just never be whole.”

“That’s why you treat Ava the way you do, isn’t it?” I pressed. “Because the one you chose was taken, and you were left with the one who would never measure up in your world. So you spent years forcing her to be perfect when she’s always been everything she was meant to be.”

Her anger flared. “Don’t you dare lecture me about raising my daughter. If it weren’t for your cursed bloodline, I wouldn’t have had to make that choice! My daughters would have been normal. One wouldn’t have been born with so much power that she became a target and was stolen from me.” Her voice cracked, the pain evident.

I stared at her, letting the silence stretch. She continued:

“And as if it wasn’t enough that your family’s curse took one of my children, you went and took the other. You might not have been responsible for the first—we can’t fight fate—but you’re responsible for what Ava has become.”

“I only gave her the chance to be who she was always meant to be. And for someone who lacks a heart, it’s sad—even to me—that you can’t see Ava is the best thing that could have ever happened to anyone.”

I turned to leave, but she stopped me:

10:44 PM, Monday, January 13

Chapter 145

“I don’t know where my other daughter is, but I will never stop looking for her. And when I find her… do you know what will happen then?”

She didn’t wait for my answer.

“You’ll be drawn to her by the mating bond. You’ll have your mate and the key to breaking the curse… or Ava—the one you’ve fallen for. Either way, you’ll lose her. She was never meant for you, so do yourself a favor and make it easier.”

I had no response. All I knew was that Ava was mine. Fated mate or not.

A slow smile tugged at my lips. “I don’t care how long it takes. I’ll find a loophole to break the curse, and maybe you should worry about how much Ava will hate you when she finds out the truth.”

Evelyn’s eyes flashed with worry. “You can’t tell her about this.”

I hadn’t planned to, but I asked, “Why not?”

“Because Ava thinks with her heart, not her head. She’ll want to do the right thing. She’ll leave you so you can be with her sister.”

I almost laughed at her twisted attempt to make it seem like she was doing me a favor. “We both know that’s not the reason. But I couldn’t care less about your lies. Ava and I were meant to be, and after this ball, do yourself a favor and stay out of our lives.”

I turned to leave, but paused and looked back.

“In case no one’s ever told you this, you’re a horrible mother, Evelyn Pierce.”

I didn’t wait for her reaction. My feet carried me down the hallway, back toward the grand hall where Ava was. I knew exactly what I wanted to say to her, and oddly, I felt a strange, bittersweet sense of relief.

The moment I reached the entrance, the scene before me stopped me cold—but only for a heartbeat. Rage surged through my veins, driving me forward. In five strides, I was in the center of the hall. My hand closed around Dylan’s neck; his gasp barely registered. Every ounce of fury and strength I possessed surged through me as I lifted him effortlessly, my vision red with fury, and hurled him straight through the wall.