The Alpha King's Contracted Luna by Nelson Claudia

Chapter 106

-Grayson’s POV-

Her lips parted slightly, as if she wanted to say something but couldn’t quite find the words. Her eyes, wide and filled with something I couldn’t place–hope, frustration, or disbelief–locked onto mine. She was trying to process what I had just said.

And I knew. I knew exactly what I had said. It wasn’t something I’d arrived at lightly. It was a decision I’d cemented years ago, a vow made to myself in the dark moments when I swore I’d never become my father. Nothing was going to change my mind.

“Not even one?”

Her voice was quiet, almost tentative, but there was a wishful note beneath it that twisted something deep inside me. I sighed, dragging my hand through my hair, feeling the weight of the conversation pressing down on me like the crown I wore every day.

I’d heard her say those words before, though she hadn’t meant for me to. When I was unconscious, teetering on the edge of life and death, her whispered confessions had reached me in ways she could never understand. She had spoken of a different life, a quieter one, filled with hope, with love–and with children.

I’d been meaning to address it since then, but everything had gotten in the way. The killings, the attacks, the endless fires that needed putting out. And if I were honest, I’d been using those distractions as an excuse. Because I’d been scared.

For the first time in years, I’d felt fear.

But I’d faced it. Confronted it. Buried it. I was still Grayson, still the man who commanded armies and wielded influence like a weapon. Still the man who could make the world bend to his will if I so desired. And yet, here I was, caught in the crossfire of the one person who could unravel me without even trying.

“I’ve thought about it,” I admitted, my voice low. “More than I care to. But no, Ava. Not even one.”

Her brows knit together, her frustration simmering just beneath the surface. “Why?”

I let out a bitter laugh, shaking my head as I leaned back in my chair. “Because in so many ways, I’ve already become the man my father wanted me to be. The power, the control, the sacrifices… it’s all there, whether I like it or not. And I’ll be damned if I bring a child into this world to put them through the same hell I went through.”

“You’re not your father,” she said quickly, her voice firm, like she was trying to convince me–or herself.

I looked at her, the words weighing heavy on my tongue. She meant well, but she didn’t understand. “Ava…” I sighed, rubbing a hand over my face. “Can we not do this? Just drop it. Please.”

Her expression shifted, her lips pressing into a thin line. And then, in a voice sharp with frustration, she said, “There you go again.”

I frowned, my patience thinning. “What are you talking about?”

Grayson. Better than good. But every time we get to

tone harder than I intended. “I’m trying

shook her head, anger flashing in her eyes. “False hope? You don’t even know what hope looks like, do

my jaw tightening.

Chapter 106

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this. You didn’t think you’d ever have this with me, did you? You never thought you’d let someone in. But look at us. Look at what we’ve built. And

off. “Nothing is ever going to change my mind about this. I don’t want children. Not now, not ever. And honestly, I don’t even know why we’re arguing about this. It’s not like you’ve had any luck with your parents

left my mouth, I regretted them.

an instant.

already cursing myself for going too far. “Ava,

ahead,” she said, standing up abruptly, her chair scraping against the floor. “Tell me what you meant, Grayson. Since you seem to think

I said,” I snapped, standing to face her. “Don’t twist my words.”

parents,” she shot back, her voice rising. “What the hell

don’t see why you’d even want to be a parent after everything you’ve been through,” I

to be molded into a version of someone that they wanted,” she said, her voice breaking. “And I would do everything in my power to make

“And what if that’s not enough, Ava? What if no matter what we do, they end up like us? Angry,

we try. We fight for something better. Isn’t that what

away, unable to meet her gaze. “You don’t get

stepping closer. “Because right now, it feels like you’re

my voice cold. “I’m realistic. And I won’t gamble with something as important as

moment, I thought she might let it go. But then she said, quietly but firmly, “You’re not your father, Grayson. And I’m

my fists, feeling the weight of her words but refusing to let them sway me. “It doesn’t matter,” Lsaid. “This isn’t

her eyes searching mine for something–anything–but

we’re doing here,”

I felt

I said, my voice quieter now, almost

her movements slow and deliberate, and for the first time since I’d met her, I