Chapter 236

Grayson’s POV

“That’s her first name,” Raina said simply, “Lily Evelyn Waters. But she always hated it, saying it sounded too delicate, too soft. She wanted something with more power, so she made everyone call her Evelyn. She was seven when she decided that. And I knew, without a doubt, she was destined to hold power.”

I frowned. “I’m not sure I’m following.”

Raina leaned back, taking a slow, deliberate breath before exhaling, as if measuring her words. Her sharp eyes, gleaming with something ancient and beyond my comprehension, locked onto mine.

“It’s a complicated story,” she began, her voice carrying the weight of generations. “The curse binding your bloodline was never meant to be easily broken—it was sealed in blood, written in fate, and could only be undone by a descendant of the Pierce bloodline. Not just any descendant, mind you. It had to be one whose destiny was intertwined with the Alpha King of their time. The Moon Goddess…” She chuckled softly, shaking her head. “She has a way of weaving lives together, binding destinies in ways none of us can truly understand. That night, as a child, I wandered where I shouldn’t have and saw her. Or maybe I dreamed her. But I was touched by something greater than myself, something beyond mortal limitations. That touch gave me more than just the ability to practice magic as a werewolf—it set me on a path leading me to the Pierce pack. There, I had Evelyn. And fate decreed her destined mate was an original Pierce.”

The pieces clicked into place so quickly I felt breathless. The connection, the inevitability, seemed glaringly obvious. “That’s why Evelyn was the one to carry the child—or children—who would break the curse,” I murmured.

Ava’s middle name, Lily, Lilian, came from this.

Raina nodded slowly, her gaze unwavering. “Exactly. It was never random, Grayson. None of this ever was. If your father had been the Alpha King when my grandchildren were born, he would have been bound to them. A generation before him, or before that, the pattern would have remained the same. One way or another, the bloodlines would have been forced together.”

A cold shiver ran down my spine. “So, you’re saying I was simply born at the right time?”

“As unsettling as that might be, yes,” she said, a wry smile playing on her lips. “Consider yourself lucky, Grayson. In another life, another time, you might not be standing here. And if that were the case, your bloodline’s fate might have been very different.”

I exhaled sharply, the weight of her words heavy upon me. “Lucky,” I repeated, the word bitter on my tongue.

Raina chuckled, shaking her head. “Oh, come now. You don’t sound convinced. I’d have thought you’d be more grateful, considering all the lives leading to this moment.” Her expression darkened, the teasing note fading. “But then again, I’ve heard you haven’t been treating my granddaughter well. And the other one—the one taken from us—carries more hate than any soul should bear.”

I tensed. “So you’re aware of everything.”

She sighed, flicking ash from her cigar before meeting my gaze. “Oh, I am aware of many things, Grayson Blackwood. But don't mistake me for someone omniscient. Forces are at play I cannot predict. The Moon Goddess, as wise as she is, doesn't interfere in mortal affairs. She lets them write their own stories, make their own choices. And for the same reason, I don't meddle where I'm not meant to. You must find your own paths. Some lead to redemption. Others… to destruction.”

I stared at her, absorbing her words. “Does Ava know you exist?” I asked, my voice quieter. “Or are you a ghost in the shadows, watching from afar?”

Raina inhaled deeply, her expression unreadable, then she smiled—slow, wistful, filled with something like regret. “Now that,” she murmured, “is a very good question.”

“It would have been sacrilegious to Evelyn and Luther. Lily never truly had a childhood—not because I took it from her, but because she was never a child in the way others are,” Raina said, her voice carrying sorrow and acceptance. “I wish she had been carefree, playful, innocent… but she wasn’t. She was born serious, burdened with a weight no child should carry.”

She paused, her gaze distant, recalling a buried memory. Then, with a faint, wistful smile, she continued, “But all things considered, I’m glad she found someone like her. Luther was her perfect match. They understand each other in ways no one else could. They are both ruthless, powerful, and driven by a purpose beyond themselves.”

Her smile faded, replaced by solemnity. “She is a perfect Pierce. Every bit of her is carved from that bloodline’s legacy, molded into the person she was always meant to be. But,” Raina exhaled, shaking her head, “I wish she didn’t fight so hard to erase any trace of me. She never wanted to be like me. Whatever traces of my spirit, my nature, my defiance… she destroyed them before they could take root.”

“I hope,” she murmured, almost to herself, “that before my time comes, I see them all together. Just once.”

I hesitated. “That’s why you’re in Italy? To be with your first daughter?”

She nodded. “Rosalina would submerge herself in danger if she weren’t restrained. Some might say she’s worse than me,” Raina admitted, a proud smile on her face. “That’s why she married into the Mafia.”

I considered this before asking, “Why didn’t you ever try to meet Ava? Tell her who you are?”

Raina met my gaze, her expression unreadable. “Like I said, Grayson Blackwood, it’s not my path to intervene. If it was meant to be, I will meet her.” She hesitated slightly. “Unfortunate that the other one is beyond saving.”

I studied her, the weight of her words heavy, but I forced my voice to remain steady. “So you’re aware that Damien Cross is looking for you. He wants to transfer the essence.”

“I am aware,” she said simply, her tone calm, almost indifferent, as if she’d accepted her fate. “But even if he finds me, I cannot transfer it as I did when they were little.”

“You were the one who performed the spell?”

She nodded. “It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. Having to choose between the two of them…” Her voice softened. “I didn’t know one would be stolen. But after I transferred the essence to Ava, I placed a spell to weaken her. I knew she’d grow into her power eventually, but before then, I wanted Evelyn and Luther to love the other twin, so when Ava’s powers manifested, there’d already be a place in their hearts for her. I just wanted them to love both their daughters.”

Everything had a reason. Every moment of suffering, every unanswered question—it all led back to this.

Before I could process it, she spoke again.

“It doesn’t matter if Damien Cross finds me or not,” she continued, her gaze sharpening. “The essence has chosen Ava Pierce as its host, and it will not leave her. But she needs to learn to control it.”

“She has so much power inside her,” Raina murmured, almost reverently. “It is old, ancient. And if she doesn’t learn to master it soon…” She trailed off, her expression darkening as she met my gaze.

“It will consume her from the inside out—until there is nothing left.”