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I gulped, torn between getting closer to him, and staying away. Would he even notice I was here? Could he see me?
"Pierce?" I called out tentatively.
Teenage Pierce sniffled loudly. "Hate him," he muttered. "I hate him. I fucking hate him!"
Him, meaning his father. So this was before he killed his old man in an official challenge.
"Why can't he leave me alone?" Pierce asked to nobody in particular, but it felt like it was directed at me. "Why can't he just go away?"
"I wish I knew," I muttered under my breath. I held no love for my wicked stepfather. I always knew he was with my mother for our territory. Without an actual alpha to rule, Pierce's Father was able to come in and take control without a hitch.
"I hope he dies," I heard Pierce say in a shaky breath. His raised his head, revealing the bruises across half his face as he bared his teeth, and screamed, "I want him to die!"
My eyes squeezed shut as my fists clenched at my side. The pain in his voice. The bruises on his face. The loneliness he must've felt.
"There's a lot of darkness clouding his heart." I heard Clotho say from the open doorway.
"Nolan was a monster," I growled. "And he worked to make Pierce into one as well."
"And he succeeded, didn't he?"
"Yes." There was no way to deny it. Pierce became just as heartless as his father. Alpha Nolan never believed in kindness, or compassion. All he cared about was being the best, and would attack anybody who stood in his way. I wish I could ask my mother why she stayed with him, knowing what kind of man he was. I wish I had dealt with Nolan myself.
"You've seen what he was doing to Pierce, and you did nothing," Clotho stated clearly, and the truth of it stabbed me in the back.
I ground my teeth in frustration. "There was nothing I could've done. I was a kid."
"But you believe you could've done something."
I did believe that, and that was what haunted me all this time. The unknown. Of never knowing that maybe I could've done something to have prevented Pierce from falling down this dark path of hatred, and his quest for power.
"You still did nothing, Joaquin!"Pierce's words came back to me in full force."You did nothing, your mother did nothing, nobody in the fucking pack did anything until I did something. I pushed through because I wanted revenge. I wanted him dead at my feet, to feel even a sliver of the pain he inflicted on me. I. Wanted. Justice!"
"Clotho, you and your sisters can see into our lives, right? That means Pierce too. Do you think his life would've been different had I interfered back then?" I asked, but was also afraid to know the answer. If she told me that I could've prevented all this, had I just been brave enough to stand up for Pierce, then I didn't deserve to be one of Rosie's mates. I didn't deserve to be part of a pack.
Clotho was silent as she contemplated her response. Waiting for it was agonizing, but I stood still and waited for it.
"It's hard to say, Mr. Santiago," Clotho finally declared. "Pierce Underwood is where he's meant to be right now, fighting for the laws of Fate. I don't believe anything you could've done would change that, but as we've seen from you, your mate, and your comrades, you have the power to defy Fate's path for you. There's no telling if you would've changed his or not."
"Is there anything I can do for him now, or am I too late?" I didn't know why I wanted to save him now, after everything he'd done to me. After everything he'd done to all of us. But if there was a way to save him, if it could be done, I wanted to at least know about it.
"I don't think so," Clotho responded. "There's too much hate in his heart, and I don't think it can be mended. He's too deep in darkness to turn back now, I'm afraid. Like I said, this was always meant to be his fate."
But why? I wanted to ask. Why was it this his fate? Why did he have to suffer so much? Why was this his fate?
"Besides," Clotho added. "I'd be worried less about him, and more on someone else. Someone close to you, who could follow the same path as Pierce, or worst."
That got my attention. I whipped around, and asked, "What? Who?"
"Someone who's also consumed by the sins of his past. Someone whose errors could spell the end for not only you, but everyone you know. Including your mate."
Icy terror ran down my spine at her warning. But who was she talking about? Who was also drowning in his past mistakes, and why would it spell the end for us?
"Your mate, Ms. Mendoza, has already been warned about the possible end for you all. If you want answers, you can ask her about it. There are many factors that could lead to either your victory, or your defeat. How it plays out is a mystery even to us. If you hope to successfully win this war against Fate, you and your comrades will have to face the demons of your past and find the strength to move forward. Otherwise, Fate's path to your demise will come true."
There was a lot to digest in those words, and I wasn't sure what to focus on first. "Why are you telling me all this? You're one of the Moirai, shouldn't you want us to fail? Why tell us a way to fight against Fate?"
Clotho smirked. "I believe Ms. Mendoza asked Atropos the same question when she visited her. We have no control over what Fate deems to be so. We merely conduct Fate's wishes. We warn your pack the obstacles to give you all a fair chance. Just because you have the knowledge doesn't mean you'll be able to use it to achieve victory. We don't take sides, and we can't interfere in the war. All we can do is show you the path that lies in front of you, nothing more. Ms. Mendoza has been given a glimpse into the future, while you know how the past is affecting you. What you do in the present is dependent on you."
