The mansion's dining room felt like a tomb. Alexander sat at the head of the table, his jaw locked, while Elias picked at his food, his fork clinking against the plate. Ava stood by the window, watching snow fall, her fingers twisting the locket around her neck—Eleanor's locket, the one that had started it all.
"Eat something," Alexander said, his voice rough.
Ava didn't turn. "I'm not hungry."
Elias sighed. "She's upset. Can you blame her?"
Alexander's gaze shot to his father. "After 28 years of silence, you want to play family therapist? Spare me."
"Alex—"
"Don't." Alexander stood, his chair scraping the floor. "You faked your death. Let me believe you were dead. Let me grieve. And now you waltz in, expecting—what? Forgiveness? A hug?"
"For starters." Elias stood too, his posture mirroring Alexander's. "I made mistakes. Terrible ones. But I did it to protect you. The Coven would've torn you apart for your bloodline—"
"Our bloodline." Ava finally turned, her voice sharp. "You knew, didn't you? About Eleanor. About me. That's why you stayed away. Because you were scared I'd figure it out."
Elias's shoulders sagged. "Yes."
"Figure what out?" Alexander asked, his eyes narrowing.
Ava walked to the table, slamming the locket down. "That Eleanor wasn't just your ancestor. She was your mother, Elias. My great-grandmother was your sister."
The room went silent.
Alexander's face paled. "No. That's impossible. My grandmother's name was Clara—"
"Clara was her sister. Eleanor changed her name after the fire. To protect Thomas. To protect you." Ava's voice broke. "We're not just related, Alexander. We're family. Cousins. And you—" she turned to Elias "—you knew. This whole time."
Elias ran a hand through his hair, his eyes red. "Your father would've killed me if he knew. He hated Eleanor. Blamed her for the fire, for the shame she brought on the family. I couldn't—"
"Couldn't what? Tell the truth? Let me know I wasn't alone?" Alexander's voice rose, his hands slamming down on the table. "All those years, I thought I was protecting your legacy, and you were just… hiding. Coward."
"Alexander—"
"Get out."
Elias stared at him, hurt flashing in his eyes. "Alex, please—"
"Get out."
Elias left, his footsteps heavy, the door clicking shut behind him.
Alexander sank into his chair, his head in his hands.
Ava walked to him, her heart aching. "I'm sorry."
He looked up, his eyes red. "For what? Being related to me? For this fucked-up mess?"
She knelt beside him, taking his hand. "For keeping secrets. For not seeing it sooner."
He laughed, bitter. "You and me both. All this time, I thought we were fighting for something new. Turns out we're just repeating history."
Ava squeezed his hand. "No. We're not. Eleanor was forced to choose. We're not. We can fix this."
"How? By pretending we're not cousins? By ignoring the blood between us?"
"By choosing each other. Despite it."
He pulled her close, his face buried in her hair. "I can't lose you, Ava. Not now."
"I'm not going anywhere."
But even as she said it, doubt gnawed at her. Could this work? A love built on lies, on bloodlines that screamed they shouldn't be together?
The next morning, Ava found Elias in the library, staring at a portrait of Eleanor—young, smiling, her eyes full of fire.
"Beautiful, isn't she?" he said.
Ava nodded. "You loved her."
"Like a sister. She was fierce, stubborn—reminded me of you." He turned to her, his gaze soft. "I'm sorry I hurt you. Both of you."
"Why didn't you tell us?"
"Fear. Cowardice. Take your pick." He pulled a journal from his pocket, handing it to her. "Eleanor's. I found it after the fire. Thought it should stay buried. But you deserve the truth."
Ava opened it, her hands shaking. The first entry was dated 1925:
Thomas asked me to marry him. I said yes. But the Council knows. They'll never let me be happy. Not while I have moon-blood.
She flipped through the pages, tears blurring her vision. Eleanor's fears, her love for Thomas, her 绝望 when the Council threatened her son—Ava's great-grandfather.
And then, the final entry:
They're coming. I can hear them. Thomas, if you're reading this, run. Take our son and run. And tell him—I loved him. Always.
Ava closed the journal, her chest tight. "She knew they were going to kill her."
Elias nodded. "She sacrificed herself. For her son. For all of us."
Ava stood, determination hardening in her. "Then we owe it to her to make this work. To prove that love isn't a curse. That blood doesn't have to bind us."
Elias smiled. "That's the spirit. Now. Let's go talk to your cousin."
Alexander was in the training yard, beating a punching bag to a pulp, when they found him.
"Enough," Ava said.
He turned, his knuckles bloodied. "What do you want?"
"To talk. To listen."
They sat on the porch, the snow melting around them, as Elias told them everything—about Eleanor's childhood, about the Council's blackmail, about the fire that had destroyed everything.
"She never stopped fighting," he said. "Not even at the end."
Alexander stood, pacing. "What do we do now? The pack will never accept this. A Alpha mating with his cousin—"
"Fuck the pack," Ava said. "Fuck the Council. We love each other. That's all that matters."
Alexander stopped, staring at her. "You mean that?"
"With every fiber of my being."
He kissed her, hard, in front of Elias, in front of the world.
Elias cleared his throat. "As touching as this is, we have a problem. The Coven's not gone. Morrigan's alive, and she's got allies. Ones we don't even know about."
Ava pulled away, her brow furrowed. "How do you know?"
"Because I used to be one of them. And I know what they're capable of. They'll come for you, Ava. For your blood. For Alexander. For all of us."
A howl echoed through the mansion, sharp and urgent.
Alexander was on his feet, shifting, before the sound faded.
Ava grabbed her knife, silver light flickering. "Let's finish this."
They ran to the gates, where the pack was already fighting—wolves clashing with figures in black robes, their faces hidden, their magic crackling in the air.
Morrigan stood at the center, her raven (a new one, Ava noticed) perched on her shoulder, a smile on her face.
"Hello, lovebirds," she said. "Miss me?"
Ava lunged, silver light blazing. "Not even a little."
Morrigan dodged, her magic slamming into Ava's chest. She flew backward, crashing into a tree, her vision blurring.
Alexander roared, tackling Morrigan, his jaws closing around her arm.
She screamed, her magic exploding, sending Alexander flying.
Ava struggled to stand, her chest burning. "Leave him alone!"
She unleashed a wave of silver light, stronger than ever, washing over Morrigan.
Morrigan screamed, her skin smoking, as the light burned through her robes.
"Kill her!" she shrieked, but her followers were already fleeing, terrified.
Ava stepped forward, light pulsing, as Morrigan collapsed, her body shrinking, her skin wrinkling, until she was nothing but dust.
The pack cheered, wolves howling, as Alexander ran to Ava, pulling her into his arms.
"You okay?" he asked.
Ava smiled, wincing. "Better than okay."
Elias walked to them, his face grim. "It's over. For now."
Ava looked at Alexander, at the pack, at the future stretching out before them—uncertain, messy, but theirs.
"Good," she said. "Because I'm just getting started."