The Alpha King's Contracted Luna by Nelson Claudia

Chapter 14

-Ava’s POV

My head was pounding. Every inch of my holy felt like it had been dragged through hell, and I could barely think straight. Everything was just crashing down on the all at once, and the presstire was unbearable. I wanted to scream, but all I could do was sit there, frozen in place, as if somehow doing nothing would make the storm swirling in my mind stop.

I had walked out on my father, and I had no intention of speaking to him anytime soon.

Not that it would matter. He never listened to me anyway,

“This place is freaking huge!” Isabella’s voice snapped me out of my trance, her laughter echoing through the room Grayson had given me. I blinked, confused by her presence. I hadn’t even heard her come back in.

“I thought you left, I said, staring at her with a frown.

Isabella paused halfway to the bed, looking at me like I’d grown a second head. “I left?” she echoed, clearly puzzled.

“Yeah,” I replied, rubbing my temples. “Remember? You were supposed to go home, and I was going to talk to Grayson Then I’d call you afterward to tell you how it went?”

She burst out laughing. “Oh, that. Totally forgot about that.” She lifted her hand, revealing a bottle of wine. “Look what I found in the bar.”

sighed, exasperated. “Bels, you can’t just go rummaging through people’s houses and stealing their wine. And wait–there’s a bar in this place?”

She grinned, knowing exactly how to push my buttons. “Yup. Well, I was going to leave, but I kind of got lost, and then I decided to explore. You know, this place has, like, everything. I guess that’s what happens when you’re a billionaire.”

“Excuse me? Billionaire? Who?”

She shot me a look. “Grayson Blackwood. Did you seriously not know?”

I stared at her, my mind struggling to process that bit of information. Sure, I knew Grayson was rich, but I had no idea he was billionaire–rich. My thoughts drifted back to him, and I let out a deep sigh, feeling the weight of everything all over

again.

Isabella sat down on the bed, her face softening

ng with concern. “Take it the talk

talk didn’t go so well?”

both knew it wasn’t a good habit, but it was one of those things we did–our not–so–classy, unspoken ritual. I didn’t care.

at the wall. “He won’t let me go, at least not for the next year, and my father’s going to

just stay out of it?” she asked, casually taking

blinked, turning to

shrugged. “Lilian, this whole mess is because of their egos. Why

threats flying around, Bels. My father could end up

maybe that’d solve half your problems. Throw your mother in the mix, and

13

Chapter 14

finally get

at her, though there was a

mock surrender, laughing “Okay, okay, hard timing for that joke. But come on,

the loindredth sigh of the

I muttered, answering the

was cold, disapproving as always. “Not only have you abandoned your husband, but now you’re associating with a man with a vile reputation who insulted your father? Have you no

my father, and right now, the last thing I wanted was another lecture from her. But it didn’t matter what I wanted. She always found a

demanded. “You had plenty to say

she hung up. No room for arguments. No concern

with irritation. “What’s the worst that

parents had over me, how I kept letting them pull me into their toxic world.

over to the wardrobe. “I need to go,” I said, ignoring the look on

tell me you’re actually going to see her,” she snapped, her voice hard. “Lilian, are

don’t, it’ll just get worse. It’s better

so tired of this. You almost died tonight, and the first thing out of her mouth wasn’t “Are you okay?‘ but ‘Come see me now? It’s after 10 p.m. for Goddess sake, and you’re still

but she

since yesterday. You almost died in a fire, and instead of taking care of yourself, you’re letting your parents run your life. You still need to get checked out, and you need

need

were the same words she’d been telling me for years. And yet, I still couldn’t break free of the hold my family had on me. I didn’t

maníacs, talk crap about that asshole Dylan, and yeah, we’ll even talk about how hot Graysons–because let’s be honest, he’s hot, how you’re going to survive this year without one of us jumping him and how you are going to stop letting them control you then I’ll cuddle you to sleep.

onto my face despite the exhaustion weighing me down. “Yeah, I understand.”

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Chapter 14