The Alpha King's Contracted Luna by Nelson Claudia

Chapter 78

-Grayson’s POV-

Trouble at home?”

Rickon’s voice sliced through my thoughts, laced with that irritating edge of amusement he seemed to always carry. My eyes snapped up from the laptop in front of me, fixing him with an unamused glare.

“Don’t start. I’m not in the mood.”

He raised his hands defensively, though his smirk didn’t falter. To his credit, he didn’t say another word. The room fell into silence, save for the faint hum of the air conditioner and the occasional creak of his chair as he shifted. It was a strained silence, filled with anticipation for the information we were waiting on. The lead he had dragged me into his office for- blowing up my phone with promises of a breakthrough–had better be worth the disruption.

As much as I hated to admit it, I was running out of options. Ricardo’s death was a sharp reminder of how little control I had over the situation. Carter hadn’t been able to find anything concrete, and if someone powerful enough to take out Ricardo was still out there, I needed to pay attention, even if it meant dealing with Rickon’s antics.

Unfortunately, my mind wasn’t entirely on the case.

Ava’s voice played on a loop in my head. “Kiss me.”

It had been all I could think about since the moment she said it. My wolf growled, demanding I give in, to claim her in ways that terrified me with their intensity. She wasn’t my mate–I knew that–but there was something undeniable between us, something that felt primal and unrelenting

Yesterday night had been hell. I’d forced myself to stay away, but even that hadn’t spared me. Her scent lingered in the air, pulling me in, refusing to let me sleep. By the time dawn broke, thought I’d managed to wrestle back some control. A cold. shower had seemed like the perfect antidote.

Until I stepped out and heard her.

A soft moan, breathy and broken, slipped through the thin walls My name followed.

My wolf snapped to attention, growling with satisfaction as her body shuddered and fell silent. The realization hit me like a truck, and when her eyes opened–wide and horrified–and locked with mine, I did the only thing I could think of.

I walked away.

But the image refused to leave me, replaying over and over in vivid detail, even now,

“I know you indirectly told me to shut up,” Rickon’s voice yanked me out of my spiraling thoughts, “but in case you haven’t noticed, I have a problem staying shut. So I have a question to ask ”

a glare. “The answer is

the reason I hated dealing with him. Everyone seemed drawn to it,

yes or no question,” he replied, leaning back in his

me? You’ve already wasted twenty minutes of

widened as if I’d told him a joke. “That’s what my question is about, actually. Do you have, like,

anary all the time?”

08:51 Tue, Dec 1,

Chapter 78

unsure if I’d heard him

continued, nodding as though he’d solved a great mystery, “like a mental image

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about how incompetent some of the Alphas under me are. How they waste my time

as he cleared his throat and shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Before he could

he called, his voice slightly higher

gaze flickering to me briefly before she turned her attention to Rickon. “Should I

have

do,” she replied hesitantly. “And he is

as already ready to leave anyay but the moment the door opened again, my wolf bristled. The scent hit

as he stepped

inclining his head in politeness the second our eyes

something close to panic. “I swear, this wasn’t planned. The meeting was supposed to be tomorrow,” he snapped, shooting a pointed look at his assistant, who shrank under his

stammered,

Rickon. “If this is a bad time, I can

too thin. “You can have

screen, and his expression shifted into something slightly smug. “The file just came through,” he announced, then glanced up at me with what he probably thought was an apologetic smile.

speak, he added quickly, “This won’t take long. I promise. I just need to finalize

made me pause, my movements

snapped to Dylan, then back to Rickon. Forcing down the flicker of surprise and irritation tightening my chest. I exhaled through my nose and nodded curtly, retaking my seat. Dylan, doing his best to avoid looking directly at me, shuffled into the room and sank into the chair opposite Rickon, next to me. The subtle scent of his unease drifted in the

he weren’t playing a dangerous game by aligning himself with someone like Dylan. I leaned back in my chair, forcing myself