Chapter 246

Ava’s POV

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, my voice trembling. “I didn’t mean to…” I backed away, the gesture futile. No matter how far I ran, he’d always find me. Always.

And, as expected, I was slammed against the wall. The impact sent a sharp pain down my spine, stealing my breath. Before I could recover, Dylan was in my face, his hot breath reeking of anger. His dark, merciless eyes bored into mine. “You’re sorry?” he snarled.

His hands tightened around my throat. I couldn’t breathe. My nails dug into his skin, but it was useless. My vision blurred, black dots encroaching. A wheezing gasp escaped me. “Dylan… please…”

For a terrifying moment, I thought he would kill me. But then, just as suddenly, he released his grip.

I collapsed, clutching my throat, gasping for air. My chest burned. I coughed, the taste of fear and helplessness bitter on my tongue. Dylan watched me with cold detachment, as if disappointed I still lived. Then, without warning, he vanished through the door.

For a moment, I thought it was over. But seconds later, he returned, tossing a file to the floor beside me. The pages scattered across the cold ground.

“The Alpha King announced an opening for a single alliance,” Dylan said, his voice eerily calm. “Go through it.”

I barely processed his words before he gripped my chin, forcing me to look at him. His nails dug into my skin. “And one more thing,” he murmured, his voice even colder, “If you ever question my authority again, I will kill you.”

He vanished. The door slammed shut, the sound echoing in the empty room.

For a moment, I couldn’t move. My body curled, my breath ragged. My fingers trembled as I reached for the file, my vision blurred with tears. He would return to check. If I wasn’t finished, he’d find another reason to hurt me.

So I did what I always did. I wiped my tears, steadied my hands, and opened the folder. The first thing I saw was the Alpha King’s name, in bold, black letters: Grayson Blackwood.

My breath caught. Grayson Blackwood. The entire realm knew his name, his power, his ruthlessness. My parents despised his lineage, forbidding any contact. And I had obeyed. I had never met him.

I was Ava Lilian Pierce – the perfect daughter, upholding the family’s reputation, smiling while breaking inside. But as I stared at his name, something shifted.

Grayson Blackwood was the most powerful man in the realm. If I could get him to listen… maybe he could end this. Maybe he could be my salvation.

And even though I had no idea what I was doing, Grayson Blackwood was my salvation. I didn’t know that when I begged for his help, he wouldn’t turn me away. I didn’t know he’d offer me a contract, change my life, teach me to fight, and that I would fall hopelessly in love with him. That he would become the father of my children, my world. And I never imagined… I would be placing flowers at his grave.

The cold wind bit at my skin as I knelt before the tombstone, my fingers tightening around the white lilies. I couldn’t breathe, think, or do this. Grayson Blackwood. His name was carved into the stone, bold and unforgiving – just like he had been. But he wasn’t supposed to be here. This wasn’t how our story was supposed to end.

Tears streamed down my cheeks. My legs gave way, and I collapsed onto the damp earth, my hands pressing against the ground as if I could reach him, bring him back.

“This can’t be it,” I whispered. “This can’t be how it ends.”

But it was. We had lost. Damien had escaped, and my father… my father would never wake up again. Even though the spell had protected his heart, he would never open his eyes. And my mother—my strong, untouchable mother—had broken. She had cried. Uncontrollably. And that was the first time I realized she truly loved him.

This was supposed to be the part where the director yelled “cut,” where Grayson walked out of the shadows, and we’d return to our real life, where he wasn’t a king, and I wasn’t broken. We were just normal people playing parts, but we loved each other still.

“…Right?”

I waited. Waited for someone to call “cut.” Waited for this nightmare to end. Waited for him. But only the howling wind and the weight of silence answered.

I squeezed my eyes shut, gripping the lilies until the stems snapped. I wasn’t ready. I would never be ready.

A world without Grayson Blackwood was not one I knew how to live in.

Then—a whisper, a shift in the air, a presence. My heart stilled. My breath caught.

“Ava.”

My head snapped up. It wasn’t possible. But that voice…

“Ava.”

A shudder ran through me. I turned slowly, desperately. And then… I saw him.