The Alpha King's Contracted Luna by Nelson Claudia

Chapter 220

-Grayson’s POV-

Silence.

Absolute silence for exactly twenty seconds..

And then, like I could almost see the smile I always hated–the one he directed at Ava like he owned a piece of her–Damien finally spoke.

“I guess we can skip the pleasantries. We’ve met enough times, Yur Highness.”

I didn’t say anything.

‘His voice carried that irritating, easy confidence. That smugness like he knew something I didn’t, like he held all the cards.

“Can I share a story with you?”

Still, I didn’t speak.

He chuckled under his breath, unfazed, “Okay then, I’ll take your silence as a yes.”

There was a pause, a small breath of quiet, and then he cleared his throat. And I don’t know why, but I could picture him leaning back in his chair, completely relaxed, one arm draped over the side, a ghost of a smile curving his lips.

A smile filled with triumph.

Because right now, he was in control. And he knew it.

“You see, Grayson,” He began, his tone smooth, almost nostalgic, before Ava ever became the woman you know today, before she learned to keep her chin high and her guard higher, she was just a little girl. Just a child who wanted to fly.”

He exhaled softly, like the memory itself was something precious to him.

“She was five,” He murmured, “Barely tall enough to reach the bookshelves in the library, but stubborn enough to try anyway. That was always Ava–relentless, even when the odds were against her. But that day… that day was different.”

There was a pause, a shift in his voice, like he was seeing it play out in his mind.

“It was the first time she told me she wanted to leave,” He said quietly, “Not in the way children say it when they don’t get. their way. Not in a fit of frustration or childish rebellion. No, she told me in a whisper, as if even the walls had ears. ‘I want to fly, Uncle Damien,‘ She said. ‘I want to see the world! And I remember looking into those bright swirling little eyes of hers and knowing, right then and there, that they were going to try to break her.”

He let out a soft laugh, almost bitter.

“And they did, didn’t they? They held her down. Not with chains, not with ropes, but with expectations, with duties, with the crushing weight of who she was supposed to be. Her parents–oh, they loved her in their own twisted way, but love like that? It was never meant to let her soar.”

kept

in a memory, “Too clever for them. Too wild for them. She didn’t throw tantrums. She didn’t scream or cry when

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Chapter 220

the sound made

it really sank in for her–that she wasn’t free. That she was never going to be free, not the way she wanted to be. She had been sneaking outside for weeks, finding little cracks in their

day, they

could almost see the scene through his words.

was Luther who found her first. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her more afraid in her life–not of him, not of the punishment, but

a pause,

been too easy. They made a lesson out of it. They made her stand in front of them–her parents, the council, the people who would one day dictate her every move–and

meant for her, that her duty was more important than her desires. They told her that she was too fragile

softened,

like he was

બનાવવાન

Holding herself so still, so perfectly composed, while they chipped away at the fire inside her. And I remember thinking–this is how it starts. This is how they turn her into something

something

something dark and knowing curling around his

she would learn to listen. That she would be what

Another pause.

what she did,

answer. I didn’t have

I already

one that doesn’t reach her eyes.

waiting for her moment. Because that’s the thing about Ava–you can cage her, you can hold her down, but she

shifted again, lighter

why I call her Little Dove.”

bitter taste settled

my

mouth.

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Chapter 220

3

C

fragile little bird. Delicate. Breakable. But I knew better. Doves aren’t just symbols of peace. They’re survivors. They find their way home, o matter how far they’re taken. No matter how many times you try to keep

floor, my jaw locked so tight it