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…

“Too clever for them. Too wild for them. She didn’t throw tantrums. She didn’t scream or cry when they told her

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Chapter 220

and something about the sound made my grip tigen.

not the way she wanted to be. She had been sneaking outside for weeks, finding little cracks in their perfect little

that day… that day, they caught her.”

I could almost

her more afraid in her life–not of him, not of the punishment,

a pause, heavy and

in front of them–her parents, the council, the people who would one day dictate her every move–and they told her, in front of all of them, that she was not meant to

was not meant for her, that her duty was more important than her desires. They told her that she was too fragile to survive outside of their protection. That she was lucky they kept

softened, just

was mourning

બનાવવાન

herself so still, so perfectly composed, while they chipped away at the fire inside

then, something

again, something dark and knowing curling around his words.

no choice. That she would learn to listen. That she would be what they needed her

Another pause.

what she

answer. I

I already knew.

doesn’t reach her eyes. And she said, ‘Okay.”

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

shifted again,

I

taste settled in

my

mouth.

Wed, Feb

Chapter 220

3

C

They find their way home, o matter how far

at the floor, my jaw locked