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

what I’m doing,” I said, my tone harder than I intended. “I’m trying to be honest with you. I don’t want to give

hope? You don’t even know what hope looks like, do you?”

jaw tightening. “Careful,

Chapter 106

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didn’t think you’d ever have this with me, did you? You never thought you’d

Not now, not ever. And honestly, I don’t even know

the words left my

anger to hurt in an instant. “Excuse

myself for going too far. “Ava, I didn’t mean

her chair scraping against the floor. “Tell me what you meant, Grayson. Since you seem to think my past disqualifies me from wanting something better.”

snapped, standing to face her.

shot back, her voice rising. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

don’t see why you’d even want to be a parent after everything you’ve been through,” I said, my frustration boiling over. “Why would you want to

what it’s like to grow up without love, to be molded into a version of someone that they wanted,” she said, her voice breaking.

hit me like 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,

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

unable to meet her gaze. “You don’t

understand,” she challenged, stepping closer. “Because right now, it feels like you’re just scared. Scared

something as important as this. I won’t risk bringing a child

sagged, and for a moment, I thought she might let it go. But then she said, quietly

feeling the weight of her words but refusing to let them sway me. “It doesn’t matter,” Lsaid. “This isn’t up for debate. I’ve

mine for something–anything–but I

we’re doing here,” she said finally,

like a death knell, and I felt something inside

I,” I said, my voice quieter now, almost a

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