The Alpha King's Contracted Luna by Nelson Claudia

Chapter 72

-Ava’s POV-

I let out a sharp gasp as my eyes snapped open, blinking rapidly trying to force my senses to catch up with the shock of waking. For a moment, everything felt disorienting, my vision blurred, my mind groggy, but as I took in my surroundings. I felt a chill settle over me. I pushed myself up slowly, feeling the mugh, cold ground beneath me, and realized that I was standing in the middle of an empty street. The street stretched endlessly in either direction, bordered by houses lined up in neat rows. But these weren’t pist any houses–they looked identical to my parents‘ mansion. Each one was a perfect replica, from the tall windows to the finely manicured bushes, lined up like ghostly memories from my past

As

A cold groan escaped my hips Really? My subconscious couldn’t have dropped me somewhere with a car waiting for me, or at least some other way to move through this endless nightmare?

looked down the street, the houses stretched out as far as I could see, irlentical facades disappearing into the distance

With a sigh, I started walking, my footsteps echoing softly against the empty street. Each step seemed to take an eternity, my progress feeling agonizingly slow. The houses blurred into each other, perfectly maintained yet empty, like shells. I didn’t even know where I was going, just that I had to keep moving forward.

Then, after what felt like hours, something caught my eye–a faint detail that broke the monotonous perfection. One of the houses had a small dent at the corner of its exterior, so subtle it was barely noticeable. But I saw it immediately. Growing up. Td been trained to notice details, to catch imperfections, and that training kicked in automatically, honing my focus on that small, imperfect mark. I’d passed this house five times now, and every time, I’d seen that dent. My heart sank as a realization washed over me–I’d been walking in a loop.

So… either my subconscious wanted me to enter that house, or something was keeping me trapped.

I couldn’t think of any other explanation, so I took a deep breath, turned, and walked toward it. My steps felt heavier as I approached the front door, the eerie silence pressing down around me. I raised my hand to knock, half–expecting the butler from my childhood–the one who’d always looked down at me with that sneer of disdain–to answer. But the knock echoed back at me unanswered.

No movement, no sound.

Was I really that alone? Not even a memory of my family here to greet me even though I didn’t really like them? At the very least, I would have expected Isabella or Uncle Damien or someone who made this place feel like home.

Pushing the door open, I called out, “Hello? Is anyone home? Mother? Father? Ava Ugly–nose butler?” My voice sounded small, almost swallowed up by the empty house

Silence greeted me, followed by a soft slam as the door closed behind me. I took a few tentative steps forward, glancing around. The place looked exactly as I remembered it–the same furniture, the same paintings on the walls. Every inch of the space seemed frozen in time.

like a tug on my heart, I thought of my room. If there was anything to find inside my head, surely it would be there moved quickly up the staircase, my hand gliding over the polished banister, familiar yet foreign. I threw open the door to my room… only to

two small beds, toys scattered around I froze, confusion blooming into unease. Why would my subconscious take me here, to an

Td

small figure in one of the cribs suddenly, staring up at me with wide, curious eyes. I moved closer, peering down. It was a baby–but not me seen pictures of myself as a baby, and this child

to touch her, when suddenly everything started to shake violently. The ground seemed to tremble beneath my feet, the walls and ceiling swaying as if caught in an earthquake. I stumbled backward, watching as the room seemed to crack and peel away ke the

Chapter 72

impact, throwing my hands

then, in an

2

darkness around me was thick, oppressive, and when

you just showed yourself?” I shouted into the sharlows. “Then we could merge or whatever, and I could get on with

silence pressed down on me, almost mocking in its stillness. I

surface.

on, help me out here!” I yelled, feeling my frustration grow. “You’re

creak sounded from behind me, like a branch bending under pressure. I spun around, eyes scanning the shadows. For a moment, there was nothing.

blinked, my mind stumbling over the sight of her. She looked exactly like me, down to the last detail, but there was something darker,

back

she asked, her voice a low, mocking echo of my own. “I took one step toward you, and you flinched. I could smell your fear from miles away. Maybe that’s why she refuses to come out. Maybe that’s why she’s stayed hidden your whole life…

to stand my ground. “You don’t know what you’re talking

took another step forward, and again, I took a step back. It was instinctual, a reflex I couldn’t control, and the look of disgust on her face grew sharper. “Deep down, you know it. She knows it. Just like you know you

voice was shaky, my confidence unraveling under the weight of her

slashing across my face. Pain exploded, hot and searing, and

back on the ground. “I should end your miserable existence right

broken tree branch. I grabbed it and swung, driving it into her leg. She let out a snarl of pain, her eyes flashing with fury, but it

stumbled through the dark forest, her footsteps echoing close behind, relentless and quick. “Running away,