The Alpha King's Contracted Luna by Nelson Claudia

Chapter 234

-Grayson’s POV-

“Ava is carrying twins.”

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I paused for only a fraction of a second before continuing forward, my shoes crunching against the uneven stone beneath me. The crowded alley was alive with murmured conversations, the scent of herbs, burning incense, and something metallic lingering in the air. Around us, people moved through the marketplace, bartering, whispering, vanishing into corners.

Evelyn Pierce’s voice cut through it all like a blade again, “Did you hear what I said?”

I exhaled through my nose, resisting the urge to snap, “It is very hard not to hear you, considering how blatantly annoying you sound,” I said flatly, not breaking stride, “And I know exactly what you’re trying to do. It won’t work. We agreed to do this without speaking to each other. Stop speaking to me.”

“It is this disrespectful attitude of yours-”

I stopped abruptly, turning to face her, my patience thinning faster than I liked, “Do you ever stop?” My voice was quiet, but the frustration was there, buried beneath forced composure, “After all this time, do you not just stop?” I studied her, the way she held herself, chin high, shoulders squared, a woman who had never once considered that she could be wrong.

She waited, her lips pressing into a thin line, but I wasn’t finished.

“I started all of this as a completely different person. I didn’t see past the hate, the walls I had built around myself. And then I met Ava. She made me want to be happy. She made me want to see the world the way I used to, before my father–before all of it turned me into this.” I gestured vaguely to myself. “But you? You had her for twenty–four years with her, and still— nothing changed.”

Evelyn clicked her tongue, the condescending sound grating against my nerves, “I raised my daughter properly in those twenty–four years.”

“No,” I said, shaking my head as I stared at her, “You caged her. You controlled her. And you made her miserable.” I saw it now, clearer than ever. And as much as I hated to admit it, Damien had been right about that. “And in many ways,” I exhaled, the weight of it settling on my chest, “I’ve done the same.”

Evelyn’s eyes narrowed slightly, something flickering across her face, but it was gone before I could name it, “You and I are not the same, Grayson.”

I scoffed, “No?”

smoothed a hand down the front of her dress, as if this was merely a polite debate

head. “That’s the thing about you, Evelyn. You always think you know best. But tell me–who exactly were you protecting her

kinds moving through the thick air. The dim, flickering lanterns cast long shadows against

apologize,” Evelyn said finally, her tone void of remorse. “As if I should feel guilt for raising my daughter the way

for what? Because you thought keeping her locked away in that estate would make her stronger? That it would make her like you?” I stepped closer, my voice low. “You’re a woman who

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Chapter 234

Then, with deliberate precision, she reached up and adjusted the clasp of the

were not mistakes,” Evelyn said finally, her voice measured, “I shaped Ava into the woman she is today. A woman strong enough to carry the weight

“That’s just it, Evelyn. She was already strong.” I turned away, scanning the market, my eyes searching for any sign of the High Priestess we were after. And yet, here I was, wasting breath arguing with a woman who

kept pace beside me, undeterred, “You seem awfully defensive for someone who’s so

I ignored her.

had been so destructive, then why does Ava still seek my approval?” She tilted her head slightly, “Why does she still want to

I clenched my jaw.

knowing curve of her lips. “You think love alone is enough, Grayson. That’s where you and I differ. Love is fleeting. Love is fragile. But power?” She gestured around us. “Power is the only thing

just like my

and of all the Blackwoods I have

are,” I said, meeting her gaze, “with no one who actually loves you because

I thought I saw something crack in her expression. But then she smoothed it away, that practiced, unshakable mask

lightly, as if the conversation bored her, “But I suppose you already know

wanted to provoke me. She wanted to get under my skin. And I wouldn’t let

on