Marked By Destiny: Claimed By Three Alpha Brothers

Chapter 192: Never left my heart

Delia shook her head fiercely as she didn’t believe what Grayson told her."You’re lying! My mother would never do that," she cried. Her grandmother never told her such a thing.

Grayson remained calmed at the young lady’s reaction. "The Moon Descendants was not an ordinary pack. The wolves of my bloodline were directly bound to the Moon Goddess herself. Any ritual that took their lives would empower the witches. Your grandmother kept the truth from you."

Delia’s lips parted as they quivered.

"He isn’t lying," Lucien cut in. "But your grandmother did." He stepped closer, his eyes beginning to gleam with a crimson glow. "Get your facts straight, Delia. You stand here alive only because of Leia. If not for her friendship..." his voice deepened as his fury increased, "death would already have claimed you."

"You shouldn’t have betrayed my daughter. You two grew up together. As friends, you should’ve found out the truth first. I know it’s hard to believe that your own mother did something so terrible within my pack, but it’s the truth. And I didn’t kill her. She was caught, then pack elders decided to execute her along with the other witches. As an Alpha, I had to protect my people too," Grayson asserted.

Leia studied Delia’s expression. "I told you to believe me," she murmured.

"Where’s your grandmother? I would like to see her," Grayson asked.

"She’s no more," Delia answered.

Lucien’s brow furrowed. "Why do you want to see her grandmother?"

Grayson’s eyes darkened. "Because I believe she separated me from Leia’s mother, by hiding the mark I gave her. And I don’t think Ashina died from an illness." He shifted his gaze toward Leia.

Leia blinked, confusion written on her face. "Please... be clear."

"Your mother was an exceptional omega," Grayson explained. "Her healing ability surpassed even that of most alphas. For someone like her to die from a simple illness is unthinkable. Delia’s grandmother knew about me, and she never wished you well. That’s why she fed lies to her granddaughter, to sow chaos in your life."

Delia’s brows knitted as fragments of memory surfaced. She recalled her grandmother brewing a herbal tonic for Leia’s mother, six months before Ashina was first admitted to the hospital with mild stomach pain.

"Do you know anything about this?" Lucien’s voice cut through her thoughts, startling her.

"Uh... I-I..." Delia stammered.

"You should tell us the truth," Grayson pressed.

"I think... I do know," Delia admitted, her eyes darting anxiously. "But I swear I didn’t realize it then. And I’m not sure if it’s connected."

"What do you mean?" Leia asked, her voice trembling.

Delia swallowed hard. "Do you remember the first time your mother was admitted to the hospital? For that mild stomach ache?"

"Yes," Leia whispered. "What about it?"

"My grandmother prepared a herbal tonic for her. I saw her brewing it at home, but I don’t know if she ever actually gave it to her."

"She did," Leia said, her voice breaking. "She gave it to my mother for a long time."

Hot tears spilled from the corners of her eyes before she could stop them, trailing down her cheeks.

"But... Maybe my grandmother gave it with good intentions," Delia stammered. "She always loved your mother. She treated her like a daughter."

"Are you serious?" Lucien let out a bitter chuckle, his eyes narrowing. "Your grandmother lied to you, Delia. She fed you poison words so you would avenge her grudges on Leia before she died. Do you really think she cared for Leia’s mother? No." His voice hardened, fury simmering beneath. "She gave her something to weaken her... to slowly break her down until—" He stopped, the rest of the words choking in his throat.

"Leia..." Delia’s tears spilled freely now. "I’m truly sorry. I-I didn’t know. I swear I didn’t."

Grayson stepped closer, his large hand resting gently on Leia’s trembling shoulder. With his thumb, he brushed away her tears.

She tilted her face to him and managed a broken smile through her sobs. "My mother was innocent. She didn’t deserve any of this," she whispered.

"I know," Grayson murmured with guilt. "It’s my fault. I failed to protect her."

Leia’s gaze fell, her chest tightening as grief clawed through her. "If I had taken her to a werewolf hospital, she might have been saved. They would have recognized the foul play. Instead, the doctors kept saying they’d never seen anything like it. One day she would show improvement, and the next she’d collapse again." Her voice shattered, and she broke down, covering her face as sobs wracked her.

Delia trembled to hear Leia’s sobs. She could hardly breathe at the thought that her grandmother, the woman she trusted and admired, had harbored such hatred for Leia and her mother that she chose a revenge no one had expected it.

Grayson held Leia close, his hand gently caressing the back of her head as her sobs quieted. When at last she steadied, she drew back from his embrace.

"Lucien," she whispered, her voice hoarse but resolute, "free Delia. Don’t kill her."

She turned, fixing Delia with a glare. "But don’t ever come before me again. I—I can’t forgive you. Even if none of this was your fault, my heart refuses to forgive." Her voice broke again, and fresh tears clouded her eyes. It was getting unbearable to even stand before Delia now.

Delia’s knees trembled as she nodded, her own tears spilling at last.

Without another word, Leia turned and walked out of the house.

Grayson followed, unwilling to leave his daughter’s side. Lucien, however, stayed behind.

"You should leave," he said coldly, his back turned to her. "Never show your face here again. I don’t need you anymore. My beta will escort you to the border today."

Delia’s voice broke as she pleaded, "Please... please tell Leia to forgive me. I-I can’t even explain what I’m feeling right now."

Lucien stopped, his shoulders stiffening, then slowly turned his head just enough for his crimson eyes to glint. "And how could you think I’d carry such words to her?" he asked, his tone laced with contempt. "Your grandmother was dear to Leia. You lived together as sisters. Yet you—" his voice deepened, heavy with scorn, "you chose betrayal. You chose to cling to half-truths, knowing deep down they might be lies. You knew how good Leia was. Yet, you broke her trust. Don’t expect her to forgive you in this life, Delia."

With those words, Lucien stepped out of the house, pulling his phone from the pocket of his trousers. He dialed Caleb.

"Come to the house where Delia resides," Lucien ordered. "Escort her to the border. Make sure she leaves the pack today, without exception."

"Understood, Alpha," Caleb replied.

Lucien ended the call and lowered the phone, his gaze shifting to his car parked outside. The seats were empty. Leia and Grayson hadn’t gotten in. .

Lucien made no move to pursue them. They needed time to breathe, to mourn, to shoulder the weight of truths that had been buried for too long. Right now, father and daughter had only each other.

Returning to the car, Lucien drove the car elsewhere. He reached the pack’s prison house, where, Aaron Rudwig was kept as a captive.

And Lucien was ready to interrogate him.

~~~~

Leia wandered aimlessly down the quiet road until her steps slowed beneath the shade of a tall tree. She stopped there, her fingers brushing the rough bark as if searching for an anchor. Grayson halted beside her, studying her profile, wondering what thoughts weighed so heavily on her.

"Mom used to plant so many trees," Leia murmured. "She always said planting them gives you a longer life." At last, she turned her head toward him, her eyes shimmering with memory.

Grayson’s lips curved into a wistful smile. "Ah, yes. One of her greatest joys was planting. When you were born, we planted a tree together in your name, right in the garden. Within four months it had already grown tall." His gaze drifted upward to the branches above, as though seeing her spirit there, even though it wasn’t the same tree. "Everything about her was... Magical."

Leia felt the truth of his words. She could feel the love he still carried, the grief wound tightly around it.

"How did you survive all these years without her?" she asked. "Mates aren’t meant to live apart... Then how did you bear it? Didn’t it kill you every single day?"

Grayson reached up, fingers loosening the top button of his shirt. From beneath, he drew out an emerald pendant, its silver frame glinting faintly. He opened it, revealing a tiny picture of him and Ashina together.

"This," he said. "This is what carried me forward. Your mother was far from me, but she never left my heart, Leia." He lifted the chain over his head and gently placed it around her neck.

Leia’s eyes widened. "Dad, you shouldn’t—"

"Keep it," Grayson interrupted softly with tenderness. "I never gave you anything before. Let this be the first. It’s the most precious thing your mother left behind... And now, it belongs to you, my precious daughter."

His warm smile reached his eyes as he patted Leia’s head with a fatherly affection.