The Alpha King's Contracted Luna by Nelson Claudia

Chapter 246

-Ava’s POV-

“I'm sorry.

| didn’t mean to... I'm sorry.” My voice trembled as | backed away, but | knew it was futile.

It didn’t matter how far | tried to run, how many times | attempted to escape. He would always catch me.

Always.

And, as expected, in the next instant, 1 was slammed against the wall.

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The impact sent a sharp pain shooting down my spine, knocking the breath from my lungs. Before | could regain

my footing, Dylan was already in my face, his breath hot, reeking of anger. His eyes, dark and merciless, bore

into mine, “You're sorry?” He snarled.

His hands wrapped around my throat, squeezing.

Tighter.

Tighter.

| couldn’t breathe. My hands clawed at his grip, my nails digging into his skin, but it was useless. My vision

blurred, black dots creeping in at the edges. A wheezing gasp escapedas | tried to force out words, any

words.

“Dylan... please...”

For a terrifying moment, | thought he was actually going to do it this time. That he would keep squeezing until

there was nothing left ofbut a lifeless, broken doll.

But then, just as suddenly, he let go.

| collapsed to the ground, my hands clutching my throat as | gasped, trying to force air back into my lungs. My

entire body chest burned. | coughed, choking on the taste of fear, of helplessness, of all the things | would never

be able

trembled my

to say.

Dylan stepped back, watchingwith cold detachment, as if he were disappointed | was still alive. Then,

without warning, he turned and disappeared through the door.

For a moment, | thought it was over. That maybe-just maybe-he was done for the day.

But seconds later, he returned.

He tossed a file onto the floor beside me, the pages spilling out across the cold, unforgiving ground.

“The Alpha King just announced he’s opening a spot for a single alliance,” Dylan said, his voice eerily calm now,

“Go through

1. it. Make sure you write a damn good proposal that will guarantee my pack gets that alliance.”

| barely had tto process his words before he crouched down, gripping my chin between his fingers and

forcingto

look at him.

His nails dug into my skin.

“And one more thing,” He murmured, his voice dropping to something even colder, deadlier, “If you ever so

much as question my authority again, | will kill you.”

Then, just as quickly, he was gone.

The door slammed shut behind him, the sound reverberating through the empty room.

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Chapter 246

For a moment, | couldn't move.

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| stayed there, my body curled in on itself, my breath still coming in ragged, uneven gasps. My fingers trembled

as | reached out for the file, my vision still blurred with tears.

I knew he would be back to check.

I knew that if | wasn’t finished in time, he'd have another excuse to hurt me.

So | did what | had always done. | wiped my tears away, forced my hands to steady, and opened the folder and

the first thing | saw was the Alpha King’s nin bold, black letters.

Grayson Blackwood.

My breath caught.

| stared at the name, transfixed, my mind blank.

Grayson Blackwood. The entire realm knew his name.

They knew of his power. His ruthlessness. His cold, unyielding nature. My parents had despised his lineage, had

refused to even acknowledge his existence, had always warnedto stay far away from anything related to

him.

And | had obeyed so | had never met him or seen him.

Because | was Ava Lilian Pierce-the perfect daughter. The one who always did as she was told. The one who

upheld the family’s reputation. The one who smiled in public even when she was breaking inside.

But as | stared at his non the page, something insideshifted.

Grayson Blackwood was the most powerful man in the realm. His word was absolute.

If I could get him to chere... if | could make him listen to me...

Then maybe-just maybe he could end this.

Maybe Grayson Blackwood could be my salvation.

And even though | had no idea what | was walking into, Grayson Blackwood was my salvation.

| didn’t know that when | fell at his feet, begging for his help, he wouldn't turnaway.

1 didn’t know he would offera contract.

That he would change my life forever.

That | would learn how to fight.

That he would teachhow to be

strong.

That | would fall hopelessly, irrevocably in love with him.

That he would becthe father of my children.

That he would becmy world.

And | never-never-would have imagined that after all of that...

| would be placing flowers at his grave.

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08:38 Tue, 4 Mar

Chapter 246

The cold wind bit at my skin as | knelt before the tombstone, my fingers tightening around the bouquet of white

lilies in my hands.

| couldn't breathe.

I couldn't think.

I couldn't do this.

Grayson Blackwood.

His nwas carved into the stone, bold and unforgiving-just like he had been.

But he wasn’t supposed to be here. He wasn’t supposed to be gone.

This wasn’t how our story was supposed to end.

The tears cbefore | could stop them, hot and silent, sliding down my cheeks as my entire body trembled. My

legs gave out beneath me, and I collapsed onto the damp earth, my hands pressing against the ground as if |

could somehow reach him, somehow bring him back.

| let out a broken sob, my shoulders shaking as grief consumed me.

“This can’t be it,” | whispered. “This can’t be how it ends.”

But it was.

We had lost.

Despite everything, Damien had escaped, and my father-Goddess, my father-was never going to wake up.

Even though the spell he had been under had somehow protected his heart from being fully destroyed, it didn’t

matter. He -would never open his eyes again.

And my mother-my strong, untouchable, never-showing-emotions mother-had broken the moment she realized

i)

She had cried. Uncontrollably. And that was the first t| realized that she actually did love him. She actually

did love my father.

This was supposed to be the part in the story where the director yelled cut, where Grayson walked out of the

shadows and we would go back to our life-our real life-where he wasn’t a king, and | wasn’t broken.

We were just normal people playing parts in a story but we loved each other still.

“...Right?”

| waited.

Waited for someone-anyone-to call cut.

Waited for the illusion to shatter, for this nightmare to end.

Waited for him.

But all that answeredwas the howling wind and the weight of silence pressing down on my chest like a vice.

| squeezed my eyes shut, forcing back another sob, gripping the bouquet so tightly the stems snapped between

my fingers. | wasn’t ready. | would never be ready.

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Chapter 246

A world without Grayson Blackwood was not one | knew how to live in.

And then-

A whisper.

A shift in the air behind me.

A presence. My heart stilled. My breath caught in my throat.

“Ava.”

My head snapped up, my pulse a wild, erratic drumbeat in my ears. It wasn’t possible. It couldn't be. But that

voice-

“Ava.” It cagain.

A shudder ran through me, every muscle locking in place, fear and hope clashing violently in my chest.

I turned.

Slowly. Desperately and then...

I saw him.

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