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?”

than good. But every time we get to this point, where we could actually move forward, you find a way to pull back. To

I intended. “I’m trying to be honest with you.

in her eyes. “False hope? You don’t even

stiffened, my jaw tightening.

Chapter 106

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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 you’re telling me it’s impossible to consider more? To even think

her 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

left my mouth, I regretted them.

hurt in an instant. “Excuse me?” she said, her voice

myself for going too far. “Ava,

ahead,” she said, standing up abruptly, her chair scraping against the floor. “Tell me what you

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

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

want to be a parent after everything you’ve been through,” I said, my frustration boiling over. “Why would you want to risk

someone that they wanted,” she said, her

a blow, but I refused to back down. “And what if that’s not enough, Ava? What if no matter what we do, they end up like us? Angry, broken, fighting battles that aren’t theirs to fight?”

glistened with unshed tears, but she stood her ground. “Then we try. We fight for something better. Isn’t that what we’ve been

to meet her gaze. “You don’t get it,” I

make me understand,” she challenged, stepping closer. “Because right now, it feels like you’re just scared. Scared of something you haven’t

with something as important as this. I won’t risk bringing

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

sway me. “It

stared at me, her eyes searching mine for something–anything–but I gave her nothing.

doing here,” she said finally, her

and I felt something inside me crack. But

voice quieter now,

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