The Alpha King's Contracted Luna by Nelson Claudia

hapter 194

Chapter 194

-Grayson’s POV-

“Anyone can be a king, but not everyone can be a king.”

I looked up at my father from where we stood on the balcony, staring out at the endless expanse of land below. His words always felt heavy, like they were meant to anchor me to the ground or chain me to an idea I couldn’t escape. Most of the time, I tuned him out, knowing that every lesson was a thinly veiled command or warning about power and weakness. But this time, his words lingered.

“What does that mean?” I asked, half out of curiosity and half out of a need to fill the silence.

He turned to look at me, his gaze sharp and calculating, as though he were measuring every word before speaking. For a brief moment, I thought I saw pride flash in his expression–a rare softness in a man who seemed incapable of tenderness. But my hope was fleeting. He wasn’t proud. He was never proud.

“It means,” He began, voice low and deliberate, “that anyone can wear a crown and call themselves king, but to be a true king, you must own everything that comes with it. You are not ordinary, Grayson, and you wouldn’t need a crown for people to know it. But remember this: even though an actual crown doesn’t exist, people will do anything to take it from you. Anything. Sometimes, even those closest to you.”

His words should have struck something deep within me, but instead, I felt my attention drift. Why did he have to turn everything into a power struggle?

“Grayson, hey! You ready?”

The sound of Liam’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts. I looked down from the balcony and saw him waving at me from below. A wide grin spread across my face, and without thinking, I moved to head downstairs.

“Where do you think you’re going?” my father’s voice cut through the air like a blade.

I stopped mid–step, sighing. “To play with my friend.”

“Kings don’t have friends,” he said sharply. “They have competition. And if you keep showing that boy your weakness, one day he’ll be the one to rip the crown right out of your hands.”

I glared at him, or as much of a glare a ten year old could muster as I turned back to him. “You’re wrong. Liam is my friend, and Mum said I could play if I spent some time with you–even though I didn’t want to.”

His eyes flashed with anger, but he didn’t argue. Instead, he let out a heavy sigh. “One day, you’ll see that I’m right.”

But I was already running down the stairs, his words fading into the background as I chased after the freedom Liam’s presence always seemed to bring.

The memory dissolved as I stirred, my body heavy and uncooperative. My head throbbed, and my eyes felt like they were weighed down by lead, but I forced them open. Everything came back to me in a rush–the image of Elaine crumpled on the floor, the sound of my own voice struggling to call her name, and the feeling of helplessness as everything went dark.

Now, as I struggled to lift myself, the sharp, metallic scent of the vault hit me. My arms shook as I propped myself up, and my gaze landed on Elaine, lying still just a few feet away. My throat burned as I rasped out her name.

“Elaine,” I croaked, my voice barely audible.

She didn’t move.

Chapter 194

I gritted my teeth and dragged my body toward her, my arms trembling with the effort. “Elaine,” I tried again, louder this time, but there was no response.

Before I could reach her, the vault door creaked open, and the sound of approaching footsteps echoed in the small, confined space. My vision blurred, but I focused on the shoes stepping into view–shoes I recognized all too well.

Liam.

you would,” He said in a tone so neutral it made my stomach turn.

up at him, too exhausted to muster anger or even surprise. Maybe I would’ve felt betrayed if I had the energy to feel anything

is it?” I rasped. “Your big reveal?”

curved his lips. “Or maybe I just missed us spending

“Why don’t we skip the theatrics? Just tell me why you brought us here, what your plan is, and all the

become so empty, haven’t you? I do all of

I didn’t respond.

have to wait for her to wake up. I didn’t go through all this effort for the big moment to go to waste because you’re dead on the inside.”

tilted his head. “Stay comfy, Grayson. I’ll be back in

vault, the door slamming shut

against the cold, unforgiving floor. My limbs refused to cooperate, and my mind felt like

it anymore, and let myself drift away. My thoughts unraveled, and I slipped into a dream so vivid that it almost

middle of a sunlit meadow. The sky stretched wide and blue above, with clouds lazily drifting by. A

Ava.

her white dress catching the sunlight as she ran through the

going to stand there all day, Grayson?” She teased, her

a laugh bubble up in my chest, the kind of laugh that didn’t weigh me down but lifted me instead. “I’m trying to figure out if I’m dreaming,” I said, half–joking as I

placing her hands on

stop the smile from spreading across my face. “Yeah. It’s a damn good one.”

traded * tell hall, wird die tagged me dom to a

of gut on there, SAN by she

been carrying too much? die weid sedly whier a

him of

reality creezing in the edge my ben “We nothing

to face me, her hand resting on my arm. “Crajum, de ska, her voice gente box

murmured, looking down at my hands. “That’s the role 1 was born into

reached up, cupping my face and forcing me to meet her true, “Shaybe that’s what they told you, but it’s not true. You’re not just a title or a responsibility. You’re so much more than that?

I expected, and 1 felt my throat then. “I don’t know

that it made my chest ache. “You

her how much those words meant, how much she meant to me, but before I could, the edges

reaching out for her.

dream dissolved. “You’ll find your

“Grayson!”

the dim light around me. For a moment, I

body heavy and sluggish, and saw her

asked, her voice trembling with confusion and fear.

sucked in a deep breath, trying to steady myself, trying to piece together an explanation despite the haze in my mind. Before 1 could answer, the sound of the vault door creaking open sliced through the

his presence cold and

W/A

Chapter 194

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hand to me. “Then stop wasting time and come