The Alpha King's Contracted Luna by Nelson Claudia

Chapter 85

-Grayson’s POV-

“I think it’s time for you to go home.”

The words cut through the silence like a knife, dragging my attention away from the glowing laptop in front of me. I snapped my gaze upward, my annoyance flaring before I could even process who was speaking. Liam stood in the doorway, watching me with a look that said he wasn’t going anywhere until I acknowledged hirri

I tried to ignore him, but his next words made it impossible. “It’s been five days.”

I raised an eyebrow, keeping my voice controlled but not quite masking the irritation that crawled through me. “And how would you know that?”

“Elaine told me,” he said casually, as though his point were already clear. “And, well, given the recent circumstances. I’m sure your rotten attitude has something to do with Ava. I didn’t want to say anything, but it’s starting to affect my work. Everyone’s on edge because of you. They’re putting in effort to do things right, but everything’s falling apart. Eliza was crying when I came up here.”

My jaw tightened, and I resisted the urge to stap back with something bitter. Instead, I let my gaze darken, my tone low and hard “She’s fucky she’s not fired. No one can do anything right

“Have you ever thought that maybe you’re the problem?” Liam voice was unwavering, despite the sharpness in mine.

The ice in my stare froze him in place, but he wasn’t done. “I mean, you’re clearly upset about something that happened. with Ava, and now everyone else is suffering for it. Why don’t you go home, figure this out, and give us all some breathing room? It’s bad enough that you’re angry about something on a normal day, but now that it’s related to her, it’s just another level Go home, fix it, and tone down the broodiness.”

I opened my mouth, ready to tell him to watch his tone, but he cut me off, waving his hand dismissively. “Yeah, yeah. I know. I should watch my tone because you’re all–powerful and scary. He didn’t wait for me to respond, turning on his heel and leaving without another word, leaving me with nothing but the silence of my office.

“I killed then”

The words rang through my mind as if I were still standing in that room. It was bad enough that this sentence haunted me in memories that I would never forget. Not the part where I drove a silver blade through my father’s chest, the part where I stared at my mother’s blank eye knowing I was responsible.

I don’t know why I said it. Maybe I needed her to understand the darkness I carried, the horrors of what I was capable of. Maybe I wanted her to know just how deep the monster inside me ran, to see if she would stay despite it–or because I didn’t want to hide that part of anything anymore.

It wasn’t a spur–of–the–moment thought; the words had formed before I even thought them, and her shock mirrored. everything I needed to know about how she saw me now.

That’s why I’d been avoiding her. As much as Liam irritated me he was right. My anger was a fire that would consume everything around me until I did something reckless. I didn’t want to burn her, too.

mansion, my first instinct was to find her. The need to seek her out was stronger than the urge to retreat. She was in the kitchen, I was told,

something | couldn’t name–something that pulled me to her despite the chaos inside me. But what I found there was a conversation Chadn’t expected, one

disrespect–pecially

thing I

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Chapter 85

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old man who was so clearly

voice–soft and questioning, cutting through the tension. “Who

me away from what was happening. But before I could react, she grabbed my hand, pulling

of boy gaze still burning a hole through the old man’s back.

i

expected. Instead, she was smiling

by her smile. But the weight of the conversation

were you doing in the kitchen?” I demanded, my

meet the Omegas. It was going

flared up instantly.

only irritated me further. “The one you and I will be attending this evening. It’s so you can meet your pack

will be no feast. My voice was low and dangerous, the anger inside

“You’ll what? Threaten someone? Kill them? Just like you were ready to kill that old man back there if I hadn’t stepped in?” She crossed her arms,

speak, but she cut me off, her tone unwavering “Things were going well until you showed

blinked, stunned. “My

mine, unflinching. “You have a terrible attitude. Let’s start with the fact that you’ve been disappearing for five days, without a word. Don’t even tell me you texted me. She pulled out her phone and started scrolling. Tuesday: I won’t be coming back. Full stop Wednesday: Dealing with

with asking about your past. But you need to understand something. You can’t keep acting like this. Elaine punishes Omegas for staring at her, but you’re too busy hiding on your high horse to notice that.

with feelings. You act like you find reasons to be angry when there’s no reason to be You’re like a storm waiting to break, and everyone else

make things right with the pack. Tim going to show them what it means to be a leader–one who carts respect, not through fear, but through understanding. There will be a teast, and I’ll make sure it happens. You can

me with a finality that left no room for argument. “And you tell Elaine to