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?”

We 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. Right now, I needed the burn of the

for the next year, and my father’s going to follow through on his threat. I don’t know what to do,

don’t you just stay out of

blinked, turning to

is because of their egos. Why are you getting involved? Let them sort it

can’t. There are death threats flying

your problems. Throw your

13

Chapter 14

get some

a tiny part of me that agreed

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

phone started ringing. I let out the loindredth sigh of

muttered, answering the

abandoned your husband, but now you’re associating with a man with a vile

groaned inwardly, biting back the urge to snap. My mother was even worse than my father, and right now, the last thing I wanted was another lecture from her. But it didn’t matter what I wanted.

silence?” she demanded. “You had plenty

hung up. No room for arguments. No concern

with irritation. “What’s the worst that could happen? They disown

was just frustrated with how much control my parents had over me, how I kept letting them pull me into their toxic world.

stood up, walking over to the wardrobe. “I need to

actually going to see her,” she snapped, her voice hard. “Lilian,

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 letting them

I groaned, but she

acting like it. You’ve been running around in circles since yesterday. You almost died in a fire, and instead of taking care of yourself, you’re

need

wanted to admit, but they were the same words she’d been telling me for years. And yet, I still couldn’t break free of the

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

the small smile that crept onto my face despite the exhaustion weighing me down. “Yeah, I understand.” “Good,” she smiled, her

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Chapter 14