The Alpha King's Contracted Luna by Nelson Claudia

Chapter 224

Chapter 224

-Grayson’s POV.

I didn’t move.

I didn’t speak.

I just watched.

The moment the word sister left Crystal’s mouth, I knew nothing would be the same. The air in the room shifted, charged with something raw, something electric. Ava clung to me, her grip like a vice, but I didn’t comfort her. I didn’t whisper

reassurances.

Because this wasn’t a moment for comfort. This was a reckoning

I saw it in the way Ava’s body tensed, in the way her breath hitched like she had been struck. The realization crashed into her, one revelation after another, like waves dragging her under with no chance to breathe.

And I let her drown.

Not out of cruelty. Not because I didn’t care. But because she needed this. She needed to feel every ounce of it, to understand exactly what kind of game was being played around her.

Crystal was enjoying this. I could see it in her eyes–the sharp gleam of amusement, the way she performed for an audience, dangling the truth in front of Ava like bait.

Damien was worse.

He barely had to lift a finger, and yet, he controlled the entire room. Every shift of his expression, every calculated chuckle, every glance toward Ava was like a string being pulled in a game only he knew the rules to.

I hated him for it.

Hated the way he spoke to her, like she was some fragile thing beneath his control. Hated the way he indulged Crystal’s venom, the way he encouraged it.

And still, I waited.

Because right now, I wasn’t the one in the line of fire. Right now, I was just an observer, a ghost at the edge of their war.

But then I felt when the truth became too much for her to bear so I finally acted, pulling her back. Away from Damien. Away from Crystal. Away from the nightmare they had dragged her into.

But Damien-

Damien was waiting for that.

I saw the flicker of satisfaction in his eyes the second I stepped into focus, the way his smirk curled just a little wider then the arrows revealed themselves like a trigger at his words and then they came right at her.

I didn’t hesitate.

The second the arrows shot toward her, my body moved before my mind could even process it. My arm wrapped around Ava, pulling her against me, shielding her as the sharp projectiles sliced through the air.

Pain seared through my shoulder, hot and immediate. One of the arrows had grazed me, a shallow wound, but it didn’t

matter.

1/4

Fri, Feb

Chapter 224

Ava mattered.

hitched, and I could feel her trembling against me, her fingers gripping onto my jacket like she was holding on for dear

my voice firm but low,

the device strapped beneath my sleeve the

erupted into chaos.

immediate response–Damien’s men who emerged like he had been two steps ahead and had expected this sprang into action, and within seconds,

through the air, deafening, a violent symphony of power struggles

I didn’t flinch.

as I felt the impact of another hit–this time on my side. A sharp sting, the warmth of blood seeping through my shirt, but I shoved the pain

was my

behind me as I moved with precision, blocking her from sight. She gasped, her

Her voice was barely a whisper, shock, confusion and disbelief tangled

assured her, my eyes scanning

on his lips, that infuriating, calculated gleam in his gaze. He’d orchestrated this moment. He knew I’d move to

hissed under my

was nowhere to

against me, maneuvering us toward the nearest exit. My men provided cover, keeping the enemy forces occupied as we

slightly, her breathing

my grip on her

see the doorway,

Then-

A gunshot.

Loud. Too close.

out, and

heart stopped.

sharply, just in time to see one of Damien’s men aiming

Instinct took over.

Chapter 224

13

line of fire without a second thought, firing my own gun before he could take another shot. He

Another hit.

my teeth, swallowing the pain.

go

Didn’t stop moving.

but fight to

through the doors and into

edges,

I had

me, her wide eyes taking in the blood soaking through my jacket, her hands reaching up like she didn’t know where to touch, what to

She breathed, her voice laced with

A lie, but

me, chest heaving, hands still half–raised like she didn’t know whether to reach for me or push me away. And then something shifted in her expression. Like she suddenly

hands dropped, her body tensed, and she took

put real distance between

beneath me. I fought against it, against the weakness overtaking me, but my body refused to cooperate. My breath hitched as I swayed,

me was too much and we both went

pavement, her arms bracing against my chest. She barely had time to react before

saw it the moment realization dawned in her expression–the way her