The Alpha King's Contracted Luna by Nelson Claudia

hapter 189

Chapter 189

-Ava’s POV-

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I felt a sudden rush of cold sweat, my heart pounding in my chest. Pregnant? How could that be? I mean, I knew how, but how?

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And then, before I could even process it, laughter bubbled up from somewhere deep inside me. It was shaky, out of control, a sound that didn’t even feel like mine. But I couldn’t stop it. I laughed, a sharp, hollow laugh that echoed through the room, bouncing off the walls like it belonged to someone else. It was the kind of laughter that came when there was nothing else left–when crying wouldn’t cut it anymore.

My mother’s frown deepened, her eyebrows furrowing in a mix of confusion and frustration. “What’s so funny?” she asked, her tone low, clipped, like she was trying to hold back some unspoken irritation.

But I couldn’t stop laughing.

It was all too much. Isabella’s words played on repeat in

repeat in my mind, as clear as the day she said them: “From all the sex you’ve been having.” And there had been a lot of sex–more than I’d ever imagined I’d have in such a short time. Especially after Grayson took my virginity. It hadn’t been the focus of anything before, at least not until I wrote that list.

Now I was pregnant. With Grayson’s child.

The laughter cracked and died in my chest, leaving behind a hollow ache that I couldn’t fill. My throat tightened as my eyes dropped to my stomach, my trembling hands hovering just above it. A child. A human being.

Grayson’s child.

Grayson. The man who didn’t want me. The man who wanted nothing to do with me anymore. The man who never wanted a child in the first place.

“No.” My voice was barely above a whisper, trembling like the rest of me. My fingers hovered over my abdomen as though touching it would somehow confirm the truth I was desperate to deny. “No, I can’t be pregnant.”

had been waiting for someone else to

couldn’t let it

my

way to escape, a way to undo all of this. “Where

lost my mind. “You’ve been here for three days, and now you’re asking about your father?” Her hands flew to her pearls, clutching them like

I froze. “What?”

Ava,” she snapped, exasperated. “He’s overseas. His expertise was needed for a procedure.”

I nodded slowly, as if her words made perfect sense. Then, without another thought, I climbed off the bed, heading

Feb 3

Chapter 189

do you think you’re going?” my mother demanded, her voice

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needs help, and I can help him.” I nodded again, my

made me stop dead in my tracks. “I have tolerated this behavior for three days, but I will tolerate it no longer.” Her voice was

me like a slap to the face. My entire body tensed, and something inside me snapped. All the anger, the frustration, the helplessness I had been holding in came pouring out in a scream so raw it

force of it, my voice echoing long after I had stopped speaking. My breath came in

bitter laugh slipped out, sharp and ugly. “How could this happen to me”

them. “Why did this happen? Who did this? Why won’t he just believe me? Why didn’t he listen?

up my throat. “What am I going to do?” I whispered, my hands shaking uncontrollably. “I can’t- I don’t want to be pregnant. I

heaved as I clutched at it, my vision narrowing. “I can’t breathe” gasped, stumbling back against the wall. “I can’t- I

of me, her expression sharp with alarm. “Ava,” she said, her voice steady but urgent. “Ava, look

sides. My legs gave out, and I slid to the floor, clutching my chest as

“I can’t,”

She crouched in front of me, her hands gripping my shoulders firmly. “You are going to be fine. Just breathe. You hear me? In through your nose. Out

and I didn’t know how to stop it. I didn’t know how to handle any of this. All knew was

And my entire world

was consuming me. My vision blurred, dark spots creeping into the edges as my chest tightened to the point of pain. My heart pounded so loudly it drowned out everything else, and I could feel

shallow, fast, erratic, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t pull in enough air. My fingers clawed at the floor beneath me, desperate for

in my mind, a