The Alpha King's Contracted Luna by Nelson Claudia

Chapter 175

Chapter 175

-Ava’s POV-

“…Refuses to die.”

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+13)

The words hung in the air for a moment before I felt a wave of relief crash over me. It was so overwhelming that I almost stumbled backward. Beside me, Elaine let out a quiet sigh of relief, though her face betrayed her attempt to mask her worry.

“There’s internal bleeding,” my father continued, his tone flat and clinical. “A lot of it. The bullet missed his heart, but it’s caused serious damage to surrounding tissue. We’ve stabilized him for now, but…” He trailed off, his expression tightening.

“But what?” I managed to whisper, though my throat felt like sandpaper.

His eyes met mine, heavy with the weight of what he was about to say. “It’s critical. He’s not out of the woods yet. The next 24 hours will be crucial.” There was a pause, and then, almost reluctantly, he added, “But I believe he’ll pull through.”

“So he is going to be fine?” Elsine asked quickly, her tone sharper than mine.

“I just said that,” my father snapped, throwing her a look that made it clear he thought the question was ridiculous. His gaze shifted back to me, narrowing in disapproval. “The company you keep,” he muttered, shaking his head before his eyes scanned me again from head to toe. “Clean that blood off your face and change into something more appropriate. If you don’t, I’ll have security escort you out.”

With that, he turned on his heel and walked away without another glance.

“Wow,” Elaine said, breaking the silence. “He takes ‘asshole‘ to a whole new level. Couldn’t even bother pretending to have a shred of humanity while wearing that coat, huh?”

I let out a long sigh but didn’t respond. Grayson was alive. He was alive*. That was all I cared about right now.

I didn’t bother asking my father if we could see Grayson. I knew the answer already: not until he was stable. Instead, I watched as Elaine began gathering her things, tossing her scarf over her shoulder.

“Well,” she said, her voice detached, “I guess that’s it for the day. I’ll be back later, or not. Who knows.” She turned and started walking toward the exit.

“Elaine, wait.”

She paused, turning back to face me. For a brief second, I thought I saw worry flash in her eyes, but it was quickly replaced by her usual irritation, though this time it looked forced.

to her still–flat stomach.

flickering across her face before she muttered a quiet, “Thanks.” Without another word, she turned and walked away, leaving me alone again.

realize I was holding. My father might not have delivered his orders in the kindest way, but he was right about one thing: I needed to clean up and change. I reached into my pocket, intending to grab my phone, only to find it

my breath, I got up and went to find Rachel. She was standing near the nurse’s station, flipping through a

Jan 28

Chapter 175

and she looked up, her

are you

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fine,” I lied, my voice shaky. “I just… I lost my phone. Can I borrow yours? I

and handed

you.” I typed in Isabella’s number from memory, holding my breath as it rang.

on the other end,

to bring me a fresh set of clothes to my father’s

a pause, and I could hear the faint rustling on her end. “I’m on my way,” she said

the phone back to Rachel with

her gaze lingering on me. “You should sit down. You

even though

the glass panel of a nearby door. Blood

the dried blood off my skin and rinsing my face with cold water. The coolness stung, but it helped ground me. When I finally looked up at my reflection again, I looked less

into the hard plastic chair. I tried to numb my thoughts, pushing everything to the back

back, done something. And the reason he didn’t have it? Me. I was the reason. His choice to be with me was

mountain. My mind kept spinning with a loop of “what ifs” and “if onlys.” What if I hadn’t suggested we go to the carnival? What if I had convinced him to do what was best for him as the Alpha King. What if…

wide with panic. She rushed over, her hand covering her mouth as she gasped, “Oh my goddess, what happened to you? Why

her, unable to muster much of a response. “Did you bring the clothes?” I asked

frowned but handed me the bag. “I did, but talk to me, Lilian.

gaze for a moment, gripping the handles of the bag tightly. Then I forced myself to look at her, my throat tightening as I began. “We were at a carnival… and out of nowhere, someone just started shooting.” My voice wavered, but I pushed through. “We wouldn’t have been there in the first place if I

cracked, and I whispered, “This

my

fault.”

Tue, Jan 28 O

Chapter 175