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 quiet…

voice taking on that slow, measured rhythm of someone completely lost in a memory, “Too clever for them. Too wild for

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Chapter 220

chuckled, and something about the sound made

she wanted to be. She had been sneaking outside for weeks, finding little cracks in their perfect little world, slipping past Omegas and guards just to breathe fresh air,

that day… that day, they caught

could almost see the scene

I don’t think I’ve ever seen her more afraid in her life–not of him, not of the punishment, but of what

was a pause, heavy and deliberate.

would’ve 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

place was beside them, behind them. That the world she wanted to see was not meant for her, that her duty was more important than her desires. They told her that she

voice softened,

was

બનાવવાન

just stood there. Five years old. Small. Quiet. 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 she’s not.

then, something

something dark and knowing curling

told her that she had no choice. That she would learn to listen. That she would be what

Another pause.

know what she did, Grayson?”

didn’t answer. I didn’t have

already

hers the one that doesn’t reach her eyes. And she said, ‘Okay.” Silence

knew better,” Damien continued, softer now. “I knew that smile was a lie. I knew the moment she said ‘okay,’ she was already planning. Already waiting for her moment. Because that’s the thing about Ava–you can cage her, you can hold her down, but she will never stop looking for a way out. She

shifted again, lighter

is why I

bitter taste settled in

my

mouth.

Wed, Feb 19

Chapter 220

3

C

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 them caged, they always find

stared at the floor, my jaw locked so