Present Day
Eva stood before the grave of her parents, her eyes locked on the weathered stone that reads: Lucien & Georgina Silverstone. The wind tugged at her hair, but she didn’t move. Tiana stood beside her, the weight of the moment pressing down on them both. It was a place of mourning, a place where the dead were supposed to rest in peace. But Eva couldn’t find peace. Not here. Not with everything that had happened.
“I am a useless Queen,” Eva whispered, her voice barely audible above the wind.
She didn’t take her eyes off her parents’ grave, even as tears pricked at the corners of her eyes.
“I shouldn’t have left that night. Why did I even leave? Just because of a boy who couldn’t spare me a glance.”
Tiana didn’t say anything at first. She just stood beside her, letting the silence speak for itself. But finally, after a long moment, she spoke.
“Stop blaming yourself,” she said softly, her voice steady and full of compassion. “You didn’t know what’s gonna happen. It all happened so fast…”
Eva’s chest tightened at the words. She turned her head slightly, meeting Tiana’s gaze, but there was no warmth in her expression. Only pain. Only regret.
“I failed them, and I almost lost you,” Eva said quietly, her voice hard, as if the words themselves could cut through her. “I wasn’t strong enough to save any of you anyway. And now they call me Queen, just because I came out a few minutes ahead of you.”
Tiana shook her head, stepping closer to her sister. She placed a hand on Eva’s arm, a gesture of comfort, but Eva didn’t seem to notice. Her eyes were fixed on the grave, her thoughts far away.
“Eva, don’t say that. You’re born for this,” Tiana said, her voice firm. “You can’t blame yourself for what happened.”
Eva’s jaw tightened, and she turned away, taking a step back from the grave. “I should have done more,” she muttered, her eyes hard with resolve.”
Tiana stepped forward again, her voice softer now. “This isn’t something you can fix. You can’t change what already happened. All you can do is move forward. The pack needs you. We need you. I need you.”
Eva’s lips parted, and for a moment, it seemed like she was going to argue. But then she closed her mouth, the words dying on her tongue. She couldn’t argue with the truth of it. She couldn’t change the past. She couldn’t fix what had already been broken.
“I will never be weak again,” Eva said, her voice hard, her eyes cold. She lifted her chin slightly, determination flooding her veins. “I will do whatever it takes to protect what’s left. No more mistakes.”
