The Alpha King's Contracted Luna by Nelson Claudia

-Ava’s POV-

The scent of blood still clung to the air, sharp and metallic, even fier we’d left the scene. I tried to push it from my mind, but the image of the man’s twisted face lingered, haunting me. His eyes wide in fear, his mouth agape as if he’d been trying to scream for help, but his voice was lost to the chaos that had erupted around him. The whole thing felt wrong, unsettling in ways I couldn’t fully explain.

Grayson hadn’t spoken a word during the drive back to the mansion. His grip on the steering wheel was so tight his knuckles were white, the tension in his jaw evident even from my seat beside him. I wanted to say something to break the silence, to case the mood, but the words didn’t come.

Maybe because I wasn’t calun either.

What scared me wasn’t the threat scrawled in blood on the ground, though it certainly didn’t help. It was the way a part of me wondered if they were right. If the chaos we were heading in would really pull Grayson down. And maybe, just maybe, if I’d just given in, maybe the fall wouldn’t be so hard.

I didn’t know. I couldn’t know.

Grayson didn’t speak as we entered the mansion, the cold quiet of the halls swallowing us both whole. He didn’t glance my way; he just stormed off, disappearing into the vast expanse of the house like he needed to be alone, to sort through whatever had been set into motion tonight. I wasn’t sure if it was rage or fear that fueled him, but knowing Grayson, it was more likely to be anger. Anger at being threatened, anger at being put in a situation where he didn’t have control.

I couldn’t just sit there, not knowing what was going on inside his head, so I quickly changed into something comfortable and took a long, hot shower. The water didn’t do much to ease the tightness in my chest, but it was something. When I climbed into bed, the weight of the night was too heavy to ignore I tossed and turned for what felt like hours, my mind whirlwind of thoughts that refused to settle.

Eventually, I couldn’t take it anymore. I slipped out of bed and made my way down the hallway, my feet silent on the plush, carpet as I approached Grayson’s room. My hand hovered over the door handle for a moment before I pushed it open.

And there he was, standing right in front of me, hand raised as he’d been about to knock.

He froze, his eyes flickering with hesitation, and for a moment, I wasn’t sure what either of us was doing. He dropped his hand and gave me a quick, unreadable glance. I stood there, frozen myself, trying to gauge his mood, but there was nothing to go on. His expression was closed off, as always.

“Hi,” I said softly, my voice quiet, almost cautious.

Without waiting for a reply, I stepped aside, silently asking him to conte in. He didn’t say anything, but after a long moment, he passed me, walking into the room without looking back. I closed the door behind us and watched him as he glanced around, his posture stiff and deliberate. It wasn’t like him to act this way, like the space was too small for both of us, like it was a battlefield we were both walking into.

I didn’t know how to fix this, how to break the tension between us. But I knew I had to try.

“You know,” I said, trying to make my voice light, “I never got the chance to thank you for the built–in closet. It’s… perfect. It’s every girl’s dream, really. Everything fits just the way I wanted.”

He didn’t respond immediately, and I could feel the silence dragging on. I tried again, this time adding a teasing tone. “How did you know my size? Do you have some sort of magical ability to size people up?”

He didn’t look at me, his jaw tightening slightly, but the hint of something flickered in his eyes. A smirk, maybe, or something close to it.

08:52 Tue, Dec 17

Chapter 83

“I know people.” he muttered, his voice low,

I raised an eyebrow. “Is that all! No secret fashion expertise or some connection to the clothing gods?”

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of his mouth, but he didn’t answer, and that left the awkward silence between us hanging in the air like

walls he’d built up around himself again, Grayson was a master at this–shutting down, retreating

somehow find a way to dissolve

I thought he might just refuse. But then, slowly, he lowered himself onto the edge of the bed, his movements slow and deliberate. I followed, sitting beside him. The mattress shifted under my weight, and still, he didn’t speak. The silence stretched between us, thick and

I said breaking it. “Let’s play

me a skeptical look. “A

simple one: It’ll help us get to know each other a little better. It’s just surface stuff,

idea. But I pressed on. “Here’s how it works. I’ll say two things–like ‘pencil‘ or ‘pen–and you

wasn’t the type to engage in anything that seemed…

was a

together. “Okay,

Grayson answered immediately,

but smile. “Okay, that’s easy. Next: Coffee

“Coffee.”

I said, leaning against the dresser. “Are you one of

on the day,” he muttered.

that might make him laugh,

smiled touched

something a little more serious: Risk taker or play it

expression, like he was considering

“Hmm.” I smiled. “Figured.”

long before the game started to feel less awkward. With each question, he warmed up a little more, the tension in his posture starting to loosen. And, to my surprise, he even

Chapter 83

questions became more playful, even

I said, trying to hold back a laugh. “Chocolate or vanilla

without a

said, grinning, “It’s like, a given. What about this

he said quickly. “Though it’s too

sensing the moment shifting. “Alright,

resting his hands on the bed behind him. There was a flicker of something in his eyes–curiosity, maybe even

“Okay. Sweet or savory?”

“Savory,” he replied instantly.

“Savory.

“Cats or dogs?”

said

an eyebrow. “No pets? Not even as a

his jaw tightening slightly. “No pets,” he said firmly, his tone making it clear he

light, “Fine. Moving on–rain