Chapter 253

Ava’s POV

I didn't waste a second. Ignoring the unfolding chaos, I knew Grayson was back in reality, and so was I. Isabella's exasperated voice trailed behind me, unheard. "I swear, Lilian, if I could go back in time, I'd punch whoever's responsible for all these heart attacks!" I ran.

My legs burned, my breath ragged, but I didn't stop. Outside, bewildered Omegas watched me sprint past, their confused calls ignored. Reaching Grayson was all that mattered. At his grave, I dug, my nails breaking, soil slipping through my bleeding fingers. His suffocation fueled my frantic effort. I ignored the mud, the pain; he was there, he needed me.

"What the hell are you doing?" Isabella's shocked voice cut through the air, but I couldn't stop. The earth was too thick, too heavy. I wasn't fast enough, not strong enough. A frustrated growl escaped me as I struggled, too slow—too slow.

Then, a shift. Something deep, something wrong. The ground moved. "Ava!"

I turned, breathless, my heart hammering. Rickon, Elaine, Monica, Maria, Isabella—they stood a few feet away, staring as if I'd lost my mind. "You need to help me!" I cried, frantic. "He's suffocating!"

Isabella's expression hardened. "You've been unconscious for a day! Don't start acting like a madwoman—Grayson is dead, do you hear me? He is—"

She stopped. A deep, guttural growl rumbled from beneath the earth. Everyone recoiled. I barely breathed.

"What the hell?" Rickon's voice was filled with shock. I kept digging. "Hold on," I pleaded, scraping desperately, "I'm getting you out, just hold on!"

They remained frozen, staring. "Didn't you hear that?" I demanded. "Help me! He's alive!"

Another growl, louder, raw with power and rage. The ground shook violently, the earth alive beneath us. I felt it tremble beneath my knees, heard startled gasps. The wind picked up—a wild, spiraling force, electric and chilling. Before I could blink, the ground exploded.

A deafening crack split the air as the earth burst apart. A massive force erupted, sending debris flying. I shielded my face, barely registering the sight before me: Grayson's wolf, tearing through the dirt, a vicious snarl splitting the air. His fur gleamed like moonlight, his massive form pulsing with raw power.

For a moment, everything stopped. The air thrummed with an immense, electric charge. The invisible, suffocating weight I'd carried cracked. A sharp gasp escaped me as a powerful force surged through me, not pain, but something deep, unraveling something tightly wound within. Then, it snapped.

A tremor rippled through the earth, a resonant drumbeat echoing through the sky. Trees shuddered, the ground hummed. A wave of ancient, unstoppable energy unfurled, racing beyond the horizon. I staggered, my knees buckling as the last thread of something wrong—something that had always been there—was ripped away.

The curse was broken. I felt it—not just in the air, but in me.

Grayson stood, chest heaving, muscles tense, half-covered in dirt. His piercing grey eyes glowed, locked on mine. Trembling, I reached out, my fingertips brushing his fur. Warm. Real. My breath hitched.

This was the first time I'd touched his wolf. A tremor ran through him. "Go," I whispered.

Grayson's ears flicked back. He hesitated. "Go," I repeated, firmer this time.

His lips curled, revealing fangs. He threw back his head and howled—a raw, alive sound echoing across the clearing. The pack felt it, I felt it. Then, he vanished, a blur of silver fur disappearing into the trees.

Silence stretched. Isabella broke it, her voice hoarse, "What. The. Actual. Hell?"

Monica laughed, breathless and hysterical. "What just—what just happened?"

Maria stared at the gaping hole, a hand clamped over her mouth. Elaine looked at me as if I'd sprouted another head. Rickon swayed, muttering, "I think I'm going to have a heart attack."

I still felt the ripple of energy when Isabella rounded on me. "You—explain. Now."

Her sharp demand snapped me from my trance. "I… I brought Grayson back from the dead," I managed, my throat dry.

Isabella stared, her chest rising and falling rapidly, but before she could speak, Rickon let out a sound between a laugh and a groan. He dropped to one knee, revealing a small, black velvet box.

Maria gasped. Elaine gasped. Monica squeaked. Isabella, speechless, stared at the ring.

Rickon chuckled, shaking his head. "I was going to do this later… somewhere nice. But Grayson just came back from the dead, so… life's insane, and I don't want to waste another second." He swallowed hard, his voice steadier. "Before I have a heart attack—marry me."