Chapter 232

Ava’s POV

I blinked at him, my mind scrambling to make sense of his words. Had I heard correctly? My lips parted, ready to speak, but before I could, he stepped back, creating distance between us.

“And the disbelief,” he murmured, “the fact that you don’t know if you heard me right, or if you can even believe I’d say that… that’s exactly why we can’t end, Ava.”

His chest rose and fell as he closed his eyes, his jaw tightening. He stood there, unmoving, silent, and the seconds stretched unbearably. When he finally opened his eyes again, they held something raw, something I wasn’t sure I was ready to face.

“The realm finding out I didn’t have my wolf felt like an attack,” he admitted, his voice thick with emotion. “And I didn’t handle it well. Then, immediately after, I saw all those messages, and I just… I didn’t think past my anger. And you suffered for it.” He exhaled sharply, shaking his head. “I am sorry. I am so sorry, Ava. And these past weeks… I’ve been miserable without you.”

His eyes fluttered shut again, his whole body tense as if the words were painful to say.

I didn’t wait for him to finish. I closed the distance, pressing myself against him, my arms winding around his waist. “We can’t keep doing this,” I whispered, my voice breaking. “Please.”

His hands hesitated before settling on my back, pulling me closer, holding me against his chest as if afraid I’d slip away. “I know.”

I squeezed my eyes shut, breathing him in. The scent of him, the warmth, the familiarity—it hurt.

“I’m still so mad at you,” I murmured. “I know.” “I don’t forgive you yet.”

A soft kiss landed on my head; his arms tightened around me. “I know.”

We stood there for a long time, wrapped in silence, neither of us willing to let go. The storm of everything that had happened still loomed, but for the first time in weeks, I could breathe.

“I don’t want to be done with you,” I finally whispered, my voice small and fragile. “I can’t be done with you.”

His grip tightened. “I know.”

I let out a choked laugh, tears slipping down my cheeks as I pulled back slightly to glare up at him. “Stop saying ‘I know.’”

A small, tired smile tugged at his lips, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

“You can’t hurt me like that again,” I continued, my voice trembling. “You can’t do that to me ever again. And if you say ‘I know’ one more time, I swear to the goddess, I will punch you.”

His lips parted, amusement flickering through the storm in his eyes, but he caught himself. Instead, he cupped my face gently, his fingers tracing my jaw, grounding me.

And then he kissed me.

It wasn’t desperate or urgent. It wasn’t the kind of kiss that stole my breath or set my skin on fire. It was soft, careful; a hesitant apology and a quiet plea in one.

It wasn’t enough. But it was something.

I let out a shaky breath, my hands still resting on his chest. “Do you really want this child? I didn’t mean for it to happen. I started taking birth control pills and…”

He exhaled, his thumb brushing over my jaw. “I know I said I didn’t want a child. And when Elaine told me, I still didn’t know if I wanted this child. I didn’t know what to do with it, what it meant for us, for everything. But then at the hospital, when I thought I might have lost you—” His voice faltered, but he steadied himself. “I realized I didn’t just want you back. I wanted the baby too.”

I stared at him, trying to process his words, trying to find the truth in his face.

“Are you sure?” I whispered, searching his face for even the smallest hint of hesitation.

“Yes.” His hands tightened around me, warm and grounding. “I want both of you, Ava. And I will spend every minute showing you how sorry I am for not trusting you in the first place.”

Something in me cracked at his words. The weight of everything—the pain, the betrayals, the longing, the love—pressed down on me all at once, and to my own surprise, I laughed. It wasn’t bitter or humorous; it was soft, almost disbelieving.

Grayson pulled back slightly to look at me, his brow furrowing. “What?”

I shook my head, wiping the tears from my cheeks even as a small smile touched my lips. “It’s just… I always thought us making up would be this grand moment, you know? Some dramatic, cinematic moment where everything just clicks and everything is perfect again.” I let out a breathy chuckle, shaking my head. “But this… this is just messy and complicated, and I don’t know how to feel about it.”

He exhaled through his nose, something like amusement flashing in his tired eyes. “Nothing about us has ever been simple, Ava.”

I nodded, looking away for a moment before meeting his gaze again. “Yeah… I guess that’s true.”

A long silence stretched between us, neither of us willing to let go.

Then, hesitantly, he reached out, his fingers brushing against my cheek before cupping my face gently. “I know I don’t deserve to ask for another chance,” he murmured, his voice so low it was almost lost in the space between us. “But I need you to know that I’m going to try much harder this time.”

I swallowed hard, my fingers curling around the front of his shirt.

“I want to believe you,” I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper. “I really do. But I don’t know how to trust that this time will be different.”

He sighed, his hands sliding down to my waist. “Then let me prove it to you.”

I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to calm the storm inside me, but then I felt his fingers tighten against my waist.

When I finally opened my eyes, he was watching me—waiting, hoping.

And despite everything, despite the anger, the pain, the betrayal… I still loved him. It had only been barely a month, but it felt like so much time.

I opened my mouth, ready to give him my answer, but before I could, he spoke first.

“We already had our grand cinematic moment,” he said suddenly.

I frowned, thrown off by the shift in tone. “What?”

His lips twitched slightly. “Remember? In the rain?”

The memory rushed in, my exact words returning: “Maybe my life wasn’t a story, and maybe I’d never have an epic romance, but I wanted this moment. I wanted to be the girl who met him halfway, kissed in the rain, not the one who walked alone when it started raining!”

It felt like another lifetime, but despite everything, I smiled. “Yes, I remember.”

I sighed, the weight of everything pressing down on me. “So, I’d better mark you then,” I murmured, shifting closer, my fingers brushing against his neck, “so we can break the curse.”

But before I could move any further, he shook his head. “No. Not like this.”

Before I could question him, the door swung open. My mother stepped inside, her gaze sharp, her presence immediately filling the room.

“Not like her marking you back is going to break the curse anyway,” she said, crossing her arms.

I spun toward her, frustration flaring. “You were listening?!”

She scoffed. “Please. I have werewolf hearing.” Then, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, she added, “And you’re going to need more than just marking each other to break a curse placed by the Moon Goddess herself. A spell was done to bind this match, and a powerful spell needs to be performed to cement it and break the curse. That can only be done when we get back home. The Pierces have connections to many powerful witches.”

“Then why didn’t you get one of them to save your husband?” Grayson’s voice was sharp. “Why did you rely on mine? And why are you still relying on her?”

My mother’s eyes darkened. “Because she was available,” she snapped, her voice like ice. “And all of this is happening because of you.”

I felt a headache coming on. I sighed and ran a hand over my face. “Elaine said no more fighting,” I reminded them sharply, not even believing I was saying it. “One last negative statement from either of you, and that’s it.”

Neither of them looked pleased, but they remained silent. The tension thickened.

Then, my mother’s glare intensified. “I do not like you.”

Grayson didn’t miss a beat. “And I cannot stand you.”

I groaned. “Okay, great! Now that that’s out of the way…” I turned to my mother. “Eavesdropping is rude, but I’m not even going to focus on that right now. Maria is coming. I’m sure she can perform whatever spell is needed to break the curse when she gets here.”

My mother exhaled, and for the first time, she looked uneasy.

“Well,” she said carefully, “that will have to wait.”

Something in her voice made my stomach drop. Grayson caught onto it, too. “Why?”

She hesitated, then met my gaze. “Because when I went after Damien… I didn’t actually find him.”

The air shifted.

“What do you mean?” I asked, my heart pounding.

Her expression turned grim. “I did find something else.” She took a slow breath. “I found out why he’s in Italy in the first place.”

Grayson stepped forward, his body tense. “What is he planning?”

She looked between the two of us.

And then, with a seriousness that made my blood run cold, she said—