The Alpha King's Contracted Luna by Nelson Claudia

Chapter 68

– Ava’s POV-

I hated the concept of death.

How could someone be here one moment, breathing, laughing, living–and the next, just gone? Their voice, the warmth of their touch, the familiarity of their presence, all erased as if they never been there at all. I’d seen it too many times in the sterile, indifferent walls of a hospital, and every single time, it tore at something deep inside me. It was like staring into an abyss, a darkness so complete and uncaring that it made me shiver.

As I looked at Mikayla carlier, the fear in her eyes had shattered me. She was so close to losing her mother. I could see how it was eating away at her, even though Tessa had survived the scare But the shadow of death had lingered, hanging over us like dark cloud, a noose barely kept at bay. It was a reminder that any one of us could be pulled into that silence at any time. It felt so cruel, so utterly senseless, and I despised it.

The exhaustion hit me like a wave, a heavy weight dragging me down. I kicked off my shoes and let myself fall back onto the bed, sinking into the mattress, staring up at the ceiling as if the answer to life’s fragility was hidden somewhere in the patterns of paint above me.

The note crept into my mind, unbidden.

The note that Grayson had left behind. My mind went back to Tessa and I wondered if, lying there, uncertain of whether she’d see another sunrise, she’d had any regrets, any wishes left unfulfilled. Did she have any “what ifs” that haunted her. moments or choices she’d replayed in her mind? I imagined the weight of those regrets, pressing down on her chest as she clung to life. Because as much as I wanted to be optimistic, I couldn’t ignore the reality staring us in the face. Things were looking bleak.

Would I end up having what ifs too when my time came?”

Pushing myself up, I wandered over to the window, staring out at the horizon where dark clouds were beginning to gather. 1 watched as the clouds swirled and shifted, darkening until the world outside looked almost monochrome, shades of gray bleeding together. I knew the rain was coming, and it would be more than just a drizzle; it would be a torrential downpour, the kind that blankets the earth and drowns out all other sounds

life was too fragile, too fleeting, to leave things unsaid. She

some clean clothes and decided to take a shower, hoping it might wash away some of the weight clinging to my skin. I stepped into the bathroom, peeling off my clothes slowly, feeling the exhaustion in my limbs, the heaviness in my heart. I turned on the water, letting it run until it was almost scalding, and stepped under

me, hot and relentless, enveloping me in a cloud of steam. It was a shock at first, almost too hot, but as it soaked into my skin, 1 felt myself begin to relax, inch by inch. The heat seeped into my muscles, unwinding the knots of tension that had twisted through me all day. I closed my eyes, tilting my head back, letting the water beat down. on my face, feeling it

it down the drain until I felt like I was slowly coming back to myself, piece by piece. I ran my hands over my skin, feeling the warmth, feeling alive, and for a brief moment, I was able to let go of everything–of death, of worry,

a towel. feeling the contrast of warmth and chill, and padded over to the window. The rain had started, just as I’d expected, soft at first,

09:29 Mon, Dec 16.

Chapter 68

window

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and reached for the note then climbed into bed, pulling the comforter up around me, letting its warmth cocoon me as the rain continued to pound against the roof, the

tighter. A strange fear bubbled up in me, an irrational but powerful urge to leave its contents unknown. But I knew I couldn’t avoid it forever. After what felt like an eternity. I exhaled slowly, fingers trembling as I unfolded it, the paper crinkling softly

stared back at me, ink smudged slightly

“Kings do not apologize.”

learned this sentence but understood it. In my early days, his teachings came only as words, but as time went on, the lessons he taught came with physical hits to ensure that when I saw the marks, I would always remember. From the moment I was born, he made me understand that I was to be king. Kings were not weak; kings bowed to no one.

my

father molded me into what he deemed fit to rule, the more I hated the responsibility. I just wanted to be normal. Many times. I wished I was. I wished I didn’t have to hide the fact that liked watching Disney princesses with my little cousin, that I wanted to spend the day just helping my mom prepare meals instead of constantly training, that sometimes I