The Alpha King's Contracted Luna by Nelson Claudia

Chapter 200

Chapter 200

-Grayson’s POV-

63%

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.

+5

“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?”

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 discovered

slightly, replaced with something softer, more uncertain. “What?” she asked. “Why are you staring at me

been a really long time since I’ve seen you like this, I said before I could stop myself. The words hung in the air

of us could say more, a sharp hiss filled the

in each time,” she muttered, brushing her hair out of her face. “Goddess, I still can’t believe

14:58 Tue,

Chapter 200

3

believe I fell for it. I’m so

3

Elaine. For fifteen years, I

before smiling again, that same sad smile that made my

My gaze drifted to the vault door, still locked, still impenetrable. I had no

An idea.

I could use it

doing?” Elaine asked,

as I

off her shirt, leaving her in a sports bra. She tossed the shirt toward me. “Here.

on her skin. I turned my head quickly, focusing on

don’t be such a prude,” she said, laughing lightly. “It’s just

felt weird. I knew she was grown but it all just felt really weird. “I am focused,” I muttered, shoving the jacket into the vent opening and adjusting it to block the flow of gas. Elaine handed me her shirt, and I added it

hair out of her face. “So… now

the makeshift barrier I’d created

was no real joy in it then she glanced toward the vault door, her smile

some sliver of hope, but I couldn’t. I shook my head slowly. “No,” I said finally, the word

if she’d expected that answer, but the sadness her eyes cut deeper than I thought it would. I looked away, swallowing the bitter thought that crept in uninvited. She wouldve come 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

out with a violent

I could answer, a thick cloud of gas began pouring into the room, far more than before. The hissing grew louder, suffocating, and the acrid smell burned my nose and throat. Elaine coughed, pressing the sleeve of her arm