The Alpha King's Contracted Luna by Nelson Claudia

Chapter 69

-Grayson’s POV-

“The grand gesture under the rain worked, didn’t it?” Isabella’s voice cut through the silence, filled with that triumphant tone that was too annoying for my liking. Not like I actually ever liked anything She was leaning against the counter, casually munching on her chips, each loud crunch a reminder of how much she’d enjoyed orchestrating this entire situation

I exhaled, glancing toward the hallway. I was counting down the seconds until Ava came out so we could leave Sure, Isabella’s advice had been helpful, but she’d been insistent on this whole “romantic under–the–rain” idea. When she called and told me to stand outside in the drizzle, I thought she’d lost it There was no way I was going to stand there and get soaked like some love–struck fool. Yet twenty minutes later, there I was–drenched, humoring Isabella’s ridiculous suggestion. And as cliché as it felt, it worked. The moment 1 saw va’s silhouette at the door, everything faded into the background.

But now, my patience was wearing thin. Ava Isadn’t come out yet and Isabella’s loud, crunching chewing was grating on

every nerve.

“Oh, so that’s how it’s going to be?” she said, feigning offense. “I help you fix things with her, and you just ignore me!”

I shot her a glare. “Do you have to chew so loudly? And talk with your mouth full?”

She smirked, her eyes glinting with mischief. “No, I don’t. But I noticed it bothers you, so I’m definitely not stopping.

I narrowed my eyes, deadpan. “You’re lucky Ava likes you.”

“Oh, please. You like me too, and you know it.”

I scoffed, choosing to ignore her. The longer I stayed quiet, the sooner she’d give up and leave me in peace.

“Fine,” she sighed, finally relenting. “Don’t talk to me, then.”

Seconds ticked by in a rare silence as I checked my phone, looking for any distraction. Then she broke it with, “Oh, did you hear Lilian felt her wolf?”

The words caught me off guard. “What? When?”

She arched a brow, a sly smile playing on her lips. “Thought we weren’t speaking?”

A thought suddenly registered and I smiled, “Fine. How is Rickon?”

a nerve, her grin vanishing as she glared agme. “I’m going

smirked to myself. Petty, sure, but it felt like a win. I couldn’t believe I was even entertaining these kinds of conversations; I

know she was there; the faint click of her shoes and the quiet rustle of fabric was enough to jolt my awareness. I turned, and there she was, pushing a stack of suitcases

greeted her voice barely

unfamiliar. I cleared my

before speaking. “Uh. Isabella wanted me to tell you she thinks you’re petty

Mon, Dec 16

Chapter 09

Isabella’s voice rang–out from

looking almost anused. “And… she says you’re ungrateful for not acknowledging her help,

grabbing two of her bags.

watched her say her goodbyes to Isabella. She waved, thanked her, and finally joined me, slipping into the passenger seat. The moment she settled in thick tension filled the space between us. I turned on the engine,

she began just as I

“You go first. The quiet was just.. making me uncomfortable. I’m not sure I actually have

sighed, gripping the steering wheel. “Honestly, I

of the engine. I tried to think of something, anything that would break this tension. Finally, an idea came to me. “Are

quiet car. “I’m almost scared to answer that, just in case you try flying me somewhere across the country for some specialty dish. But

would be, that maybe we could go somewhere crowded, somewhere public where this Tension wouldn’t feel so suffocating. I didn’t know how to process all these feelings, all the emotions I’d buried for so long, I’d spent years walling myself off, building layers

cleared her throat, her voice softening. “Isabella told me she told you that I felt my wolf to

“So it’s true?”

wound on my shoulder started burning, then it healed up, like magic. I heard her voice, but only for

noticing her shoulder sooner, for being so consumed in my own thoughts that I hadn’t even asked her how she was healing. Still, knowing there was a wolf inside her was

exactly did this happen? The day, the

exact time, but it was the day before the

“Anything more specific?”

twenty to thirty minutes before

at the same time Maria was casting the spell to link us. Somehow, even

another word, I shifted gears, making a