The Alpha King's Contracted Luna by Nelson Claudia

Chapter 174

Ava’s POV

Grayson died.

For eight agonizing seconds, his chest was still, his breath completely gone. My world stopped with him. And then, on the ninth second, his chest rose again, faint but alive. Relief hit me like a wave, but it was fleeting, swallowed almost instantly by the chaos around me..

I don’t remember much of what happened next. Everything blurred. Hands pulled him from me, voices shouted orders, and I barely registered the sight of his body being placed on a stretcher and rushed inside.

I had thought of my father because had saved lives before in ways that felt almost miraculous. Despite his flaws–his coldness, his disdain for Grayson–I knew one thing with certainty: he would never turn a patient away, no matter who they

were.

I stumbled out of the car, my legs unsteady, my mind reeling. Somehow, I followed the stretcher into the hospital, but when they wheeled him into the operating theater, I stopped. As much as I wanted to run in after him, I knew better. I might be consumed by fear right now, but I was still a doctor. I knew that crossing that line would only waste time.

The doors swung shut with a finality that made my chest tighten. I caught a brief glimpse of my father’s face as he entered the room–calm, focused, and professional. That was all I needed to see.

The strength in my legs gave out, and I sank to the floor, leaning back against the cold, unforgiving wall.

Why was this happening?

We were happy. Just a few hours ago, we were happy.

Why did I ask him to take me to that carnival?

A choked sob escaped my lips, and I buried my face in my hands. I couldn’t stop the tears. They came fast and hard, shaking my whole body as I sat there on the cold, sterile floor..

“Please,” I whispered, closing my eyes tightly, my voice breaking. “Please, Moon Goddess, don’t let him die. I’ll do anything. Just don’t take him from me.”

I didn’t know how long I sat there, consumed by my fear and guilt, when a voice finally broke through the haze.

“Mrs. Blackwood?”

I looked up, my vision blurry from the tears. A nurse was standing in front of me, one I didn’t know from the time I had spent working here, her expression soft but professional. Her badge read “Rachel,” and her scrubs were already stained from the rush to stabilize Grayson.

I croaked, my voice raw.

mean your father–is leading the surgery. It’ll

whispered, shaking my head. “I need to be here. I

Mon, 280 2

Chapter 17

to help him from here,” she interrupted softly but firmly, crouching down teet my gaze. “I’m sure you already know your father is

registering. “He wasn’t breathing.” I murmured. “He stopped breathing. What if he doesn’t make it?”

and that’s what we’re holding on to.

process her words. “Can you–can you tell anything?”

hesitated, glancing down the hallway toward the operating theater. “I can’t give you specifics yet,” she said carefully. “But from what I’ve seen, the bullet missed his heart by a narrow margin. That’s a good sign. There’s still a lot of blood loss, though, and his vitals were unstable when he came in. He’s in the best hands now, Mrs. Blackwood. That’s all I can

and I already knew all of that, trying to force myself to take a deep breath, but my chest felt too

to the waiting room,” she said again. “There’s no point in exhausting

help me to my feet. My knees wobbled beneath me, but Rachel steadied me with a firm grip. She led me down the hallway even though I already knew the hospital by heart, the harsh fluorescent lights overhead making the

we reached the waiting room, I sank into a chair, my hands trembling as I clutched my knees. Rachel handed me a bottle of water, and I took

you as soon as there’s an update,” she promised. “But if you need anything before then–anything at all–you cart ask for

managed, my

me a small, reassuring nod turning to leave when I spoke again, “Is my mother in today?”

Pierce isn’t. in today”

leave. stared at the bottle of water in my hands,

once.

He’s

how

I sat there, my mind cycling through every worst–case scenario, my stomach twisting in knots. Every creak of a door or shuffle of footsteps made my head snap up anxiously, desperate

would either save or

my

tiled floor. My head turned instinctively, and I froze when I saw another nurse

met, I braced myself. I expected the usual look of distaste from her–anger, judgment, anything but what I saw. Instead, she sighed heavily, exhaustion etched into

spoke at first. The silence between us was heavy,

力

Jan

Chapter 174

not unkind.