Chapter 233

Grayson’s POV

Few things shocked me. I’d been raised in a world where betrayal was expected, death commonplace, and the supernatural not myth but lived reality. But this… this stopped me cold.

Daughter?

The High Priestess was Evelyn Pierce’s daughter.

Evelyn stiffened beside me. Her delayed reaction was colder than ice. She turned, locking eyes with the older woman, her expression hardening, suggesting she'd been here before. Many times.

“You didn’t raise me to be a liar,” Evelyn said, her voice devoid of warmth. “So I can’t say I feel the same.”

The woman didn’t flinch. She smiled, as if expecting this. Then, ignoring Evelyn, she turned to me.

“The infamous Grayson Blackwood,” she said, amusement lacing her voice.

My jaw tightened. What the hell is going on? And more importantly—who the hell is Lily?

“Raina,” the woman introduced herself, stepping forward and extending her hand as if this were a formal meeting, not the most confusing encounter of my life. “Raina Waters. And I see, after all these years, my daughter is still embarrassed by me, if she hasn't told you that the High Priestess you seek…”

She trailed off, letting the words hang. I didn't understand.

Evelyn Pierce was known for many things: secretiveness, ruthlessness, unshakability. But watching her stand there, rigid and silent, I saw something unexpected: discomfort.

Raina must have noticed, because her knowing gaze shifted back to me, as if reading my thoughts.

“Why don’t I save you the trouble, Grayson Blackwood?” she said, teasingly, yet with underlying gravity. “I’ve always been free-spirited. A long time ago, as a little girl, I wandered. Some might say it was the wrong place, but something happened that night. I saw the Moon Goddess.”

She exhaled, as if recalling something long unspoken.

“Sometimes I still think it was a dream,” she admitted. “But that night, I was touched by her. It gave me the ability to be more than a werewolf. Years later, I discovered I could practice magic. Then, like all good stories, I met a man, fell in love, and had Lily’s sister.”

Beside me, Evelyn scoffed, but Raina barely reacted.

“Evelyn’s sister,” Raina corrected, smiling slightly. “But, like all love stories, he left me. I found my way to the Pierce pack, met another man, and had my beautiful Lily. But even as a child, she never approved of my free-spirited lifestyle, especially after I had another child… unfortunately, he didn’t survive.”

Evelyn’s posture stiffened, her fingers curling.

“You slept with everything that moved,” Evelyn bit out, her tone sharp with resentment. “I was eleven, and I had to teach you about birth control. You made Rosaline follow in your footsteps, and she became just like you.”

Raina finally turned her full attention to Evelyn, her gaze unreadable.

“And it must have killed you,” she said smoothly, “that you had to descend from your high horse to come all the way to Italy to ask for your sister’s help. And now, my help.”

Evelyn breathed sharply, her jaw clenching.

“I didn’t come for your help,” she shot back. “I came to make sure you didn’t do something stupid—because you never think things through.”

I stood silently, watching them, as realization dawned. Evelyn wasn’t just angry or irritated; she was afraid. Not of Raina—Evelyn feared no one. But of Ava becoming her mother.

Suddenly, it all made sense. The way she’d caged Ava, controlled every aspect of her life, stripping her of freedom under the guise of protection. She’d spent her life ensuring Ava wouldn’t become this woman. Yet, in doing so, she’d mirrored her in a different way.

And now? The friend Evelyn had sought out, the person she'd crossed the world to see, was her sister? Just how many secrets did Evelyn Pierce have?

Raina’s gaze flickered back to me, her smile returning, light and amused.

“Come,” she said lightly. “You must be exhausted. Sit with me.”

Then, without looking at Evelyn, she added, “I wasn’t inviting you, honey.”

“I wasn’t coming,” Evelyn snapped.

Raina smirked, then turned and walked away. I looked at Evelyn, expecting her to stop me, to warn me.

She didn’t. She stood, still as stone, lips pressed together. She wasn’t going to stop me because she wanted me to see, to hear what her mother would say, because maybe then, I’d understand. And I was too curious not to follow.

Chapter 235

So I did.

Raina led me through the winding market, the scent of burning incense and old magic heavy in the air. We stopped at a fabric stall. Raina spoke to the woman in an unfamiliar language. The woman nodded, stepping aside, and Raina sat on a woven mat.

She looked at me expectantly, her gaze sharp yet unreadable, waiting for my reaction. Then, slowly, she reached into her shirt and produced a cigar.

She rolled it between her fingers, testing its weight, before bringing it to her lips. Her tongue moistened the end, and with the same unhurried grace, she produced a silver lighter. It clicked open, the flame casting flickering shadows on her weathered face.

For a moment, she held it above the tip, letting the flame kiss the tobacco as she rotated it, allowing the embers to catch. A wisp of smoke curled into the air before she inhaled slowly.

The cigar glowed, pulsing with life, and she held the smoke before exhaling in a long, steady stream. The scent—rich, bold, with a hint of sweetness—filled the space between us, curling around us like a ghost of the past.

She exhaled again, watching me through the haze. “Well?” she said, amusement in her voice. “Are you going to sit and ask what you want to know?”

I shook my head. “I prefer to stand.”

She laughed. “Of course you will. Too much pride to sit on the floor, hm?”

“No,” I said dryly. “Just not interested in inhaling whatever the hell you’re smoking.”

That made her laugh harder. “Smart man.”

I exhaled, crossing my arms. “I have many questions, but the first… Why do you call her Lily?”