The Alpha King's Contracted Luna by Nelson Claudia

Chapter 218

Ava’s POV-

It took seeing his face for every horrible thing he had done and hid to me to come crashing back. All the pain, all the sleepless nights where I cried until there were no tears left. All because he’d kicked me out–thrown me away–when all I did was love him.

And it was because of that love that I had convinced myself I hadn’t done enough, that maybe if I’d been better, stronger, it wouldn’t have ended like this.

That I needed to do more like I had told Mikayla and that was why I went after him.

But I had done enough. I had forgiven him more times than I could count, opened up to him, let him into the fragile parts of myself I rarely let anyone see. I’d trusted him with the broken pieces of me, and in one single moment, he had taken that trust, that love, and thrown it back in my face.

The anger bubbled up inside me, fierce and hot, as the silence stretched between us. I could feel it burning in my veins, rising to a fever pitch, and I was ready to explode, to lash out and tell him to get the hell out of my way

But then… it faded.

Like someone had poured cold water over me, the fire was extinguished, leaving behind nothing but a dull ache, an emptiness that swallowed everything else. The anger was gone, replaced by a hollow feeling I couldn’t even begin to describe.

So I walked away.

And as I did, with each step I took, I felt a strange sense of liberation. The weight of carrying that anger, that hurt–it was exhausting. Letting it go didn’t fix anything, but at least I could breathe again.

The hallway seemed to stretch forever, my footsteps echoing in the silence. Ricardo’s mansion was vast, and despite its opulence, I felt like a ghost drifting through its halls. My mother was still out with her “friend,” and a part of me felt guilty for the harsh words I’d thrown at her earlier. Dislike was one thing, but hate?

Hate was a powerful, consuming force, and as much as I wanted to blame her for everything, I knew I didn’t hate her.

“Are you still going angry lioness on everyone?”

I stopped, turning my head to find Isabella seated by a window, staring out at the darkening sky.

A sigh escaped me, and I moved towards her, each step feeling heavier than the last, “I didn’t… I wasn’t angry at you. Or maybe I was. I don’t know. I’m just so angry at everything. Theres so much happening all at once, and I don’t know what to do with it. I’m sorry.”

She didn’t turn to look at me, her gaze fixed on something far beyond the glass, “There’s been a lot of that word between us lately. Before, you’d say it because you couldn’t sneak out, couldn’t defy your parents. Now we’re both saying it because we keep hurting each other–intentionally or not.”

I paused, absorbing her words, letting them settle into the cracks of my weary heart.

Then she added, her voice softer, “He looks so lost.”

Curiosity and a reluctant concern propelled me forward, and I leaned to see what–or rather, who–she was talking about. Grayson stood outside by the fountain, still staring at the water where the mother duck and her ducklings floated serenely.

The sight of him, shoulders hunched, eyes distant, twisted something inside me. I looked away quickly unwilling to let that

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Chapter 218

pang of emotion take root.

“I called Rickon. He’s arranging for a flight back, I’ll leave tomorrow morning.” Isabella stood, casting one last glance at Grayson, “Maybe things are just too different now.”

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She walked away, leaving me standing there, and I watched her treating figure, feeling that familiar sting of abandonment.

Just like I had walked away from Grayson.

I let her go, sinking into the seat she vacated. My eyes drifted back to Grayson, still unmoving by the fountain. He was like a statue, carved from stone, unable or unwilling to leave the spot where I’d left him.

Then, finally, he shifted.

His steps were slow, almost hesitant, as he moved closer to the fountain. He knelt beside the water, dipping his hand into it. The ripples spread out, disturbing the serene surface.

squirmed in his grasp, its mother letting out an alarmed quack. For a moment, a dark thought crossed my mind–what if he hurt it? What if

lowered the duckling back into the water. His hand lingered, watching as it paddled away, hurrying to

the coolness of it. His face was unreadable from this distance, but I

flicker of something else. Something softer. A sliver of pity, maybe, or the embers

the fountain, it hit me all over again–how much had been lost, how much we had

Isabella was right. Maybe things were too different now.

No.

me. My body moved before my mind fully caught up, my feet carrying me down the hallway in a

hovered over the handle, but then

from the faint glow of the moon

then I

curled up in bed, hugging a pillow tightly to her chest, her back to the door. She

I climbed into bed beside her, wrapping my arms around her from behind. She stiffened for a second, then slowly relaxed into me, but neither of

Not yet..

pressing my forehead against her back, and after a long

Chapter 218

go

to

and she turned slightly, just enough for me feet her shift in my arms. “Lilian. She started, but her Advip let it

my grip tightening like I could come hold onto her, keep her from

a long momern before she exhaled, almove she’d been holding something in for too long. “It’s not that

because I did. Nothing about our

fully now, facing me, her eyes glistening in the dim light. “You hurt me, Ava. Her voice

throat tightened. “I

was trying to find something–maybe proof that I really understood. That

past the lump in my throat. “Yeah.”

the same air. Then I whispered the words,

she let out a soft, broken laugh. “I think now we’ve both said that enough times to fill an

still ached. “Maybe. But I

time, and nudged her forehead against mine in the way she used to,

“No more hurting each

just as quiet.

that for a moment, wrapped in silence, the warmth of our embrace making it feel like, just for a second, nothing else mattered.

wasn’t a luxury I could afford. With a quiet sigh, I shifted away from Isabella and reached into my pocket, pulling out my phone.

on the screen

Damien.

fingers tightening around the

noticed immediately. She turned fully toward me, eyes narrowing,

picking up,

my stomach dropped.

Pictures of us.

in the garden where I had left him.

Wed, Feb 19

Chapter 218

go.”

80%

sigh left her, and she turned slightly, just enough for me to feel her shift in my arms. “Lilian…” She started, but her

it,” I murmured, my grip tightening like I could somehow hold onto

+38

moment before she exhaled, almost like she’d been holding something in for too long.

I admitted, because I did. Nothing about our lives had ever

in the dim light. “You hurt me, Ava.” Her

tightened. “I

find something–maybe proof that I really understood. That I meant it. “And I

you,