The Alpha King's Contracted Luna by Nelson Claudia

Chapter 200

Chapter 200

-Grayson’s POV-

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A tiny smile tugged at my lips as Elaine exaggerated her movements, trying to mimic some Disney princess I couldn’t even guess. She raised her hand dramatically, twirling in place and then jumped a little, shaking her head in mock frustration.

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“Come on, jumping? Frogs? Tiana,” she laughed, collapsing onto the floor opposite me. Her hair stuck to her damp forehead, her cheeks flushed from the exertion, but there was a brightness in her expression that somehow managed to keep me grounded. “You know what? I think you’re the problem. You suck at this game, Grayson. And don’t think I haven’t noticed- you refuse to take a turn.”

I didn’t reply, but the corners of my mouth twitched again. This was… easier. Sitting here with her, distracting ourselves. How long had we been doing this? Hours? Days? I didn’t know anymore. And for the first time, I didn’t care. With something else to focus on, I’d stopped counting the minutes and the ways this could end.

Elaine shifted, lying back down on the cold floor. The sweat on her skin made her slide slightly as she stretched out. I glanced at her, feeling a faint pang of guilt. We’d been trying–I had been trying–to find a way out of here. But without my wolf and without hers, we were essentially powerless. The drugs that had kept us immobile had worn off, but even with her movement restored, her connection to her wolf was still gone. We were hurt, vulnerable, and out of options.

I’d tried everything. Every damn thing. But no amount of clawing at the vault door or searching for weak spots in the walls had made a difference. Eventually, I had to accept the harsh truth: there was nothing I could do. Elaine had suggested I stop stressing and wasting energy. She’d said if this was how it ended, we might as well make the time we had left bearable.

“Like when we were kids,” she’d added with a small smile. “You remember? The imitation game.”

And I’d agreed. Because acceptance, no matter how daunting, felt lighter than the crushing weight of failure.

Elaine sighed, breaking the silence. “You know what would be epic?” She turned her head to look at me, her brown eyes bright with that spark of mischief I had forgotten she used to carry. “One of us realizing we have, like, superpowers. You know, just out of nowhere and we can bend metal.”

I frowned at her. “What?”

She rolled her eyes and sat up. “Oh, right. I forgot you became you and stopped watching cartoons. Anyway, there’s this series where people can bend the four elements–water, earth, fire, air.”

“So where does metal bending come from?”

But earthbenders? They’re the coolest. They can control sand, rocks, metal… even lava. There’s this character who thought he was going to die, and then–bam–he

looking at her. Her playful expression faded slightly, replaced with something softer, more uncertain. “What?” she

could stop myself. The words hung in the air

but it was tinged with sadness. Before either of us could say more, a sharp hiss filled the room. Gas. Again. Elaine sighed heavily, sitting back against the wall as the acrid sell filled the

more of it in each time,” she muttered, brushing her hair out of her

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Chapter 200

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can’t believe I fell for it. I’m so stupid.”

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is your fault. Do you hear me?” I waited until she looked at me, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. “If anyone’s to blame, it’s me. made bad choices, Elaine. For fifteen

a moment before smiling again, that same sad smile that made my chest ache. “I just… I wish it

door, still locked, still impenetrable. I had no idea how to get us out of here. My eyes fell to the jacket

An idea.

it over in my hands, inspecting the seams and fabric. Maybe… maybe I could use it to block the vent where the gas was coming in. It wasn’t much, but

doing?” Elaine

her as I climbed onto a nearby crate to reach

in a sports bra. She tossed the shirt toward me. “Here. Use this too.”

bare shoulders and the sweat glistening on her skin. I turned my head quickly, focusing on the vent. “Elaine… what the hell are you

prude,” she said, laughing lightly. “It’s just

focused,” I muttered, shoving the jacket into the vent opening and adjusting it to block the flow

back on the floor, brushing her hair out of her face. “So…

barrier I’d created over the vent, “I

vault door, her smile fading as a quiet stillness settled over

hope, but I couldn’t. I shook my head

for me. If I hadn’t pushed her away, if I hadn’t ruined everything, she would have come. But I had no right to think about her now. I shoved the thought aside, focusing on the faint

echoed through the small space, and the jacket and Elaine’s shirt–my last, desperate attempt to block the vent–were blasted out with a violent force. The fabric crumpled to the floor, useless. Elaine’s eyes widened, and she scrambled back against

of gas began pouring into the room, far more than before. The hissing grew louder, suffocating, and the acrid smell burned my nose