The Alpha King's Contracted Luna by Nelson Claudia

Chapter 276

-Ava's POV-

Grayson.

It was Grayson.

The massive blur of fur, the weight that had slammed into Dylan-it was him.

I could barely process it. My heart pounded so hard it hurt, my body frozen where Dylan had just almost killed me. Everything around me was chaos. The ship rocked beneath me, the wind howled, and the ocean crashed against the sides.

And then-

Footsteps. Heavy. Rushed.

Men poured onto the deck from both sides, their movements sharp, purposeful. I hadn't even thought about it-if there had been anyone else on the ship-not with everything happening. But Dylan's wolves were here.

A deep growl rumbled from somewhere ahead, then another, and another. My breath caught. The scent of wolves filled the air, thick and suffocating. My body tensed on instinct.

I tried to move, tried to think, but I was still reeling-Grayson and Dylan fighting, the fear clinging to my skin, the exhaustion dragging me down like dead weight. My limbs wouldn't cooperate, my mind struggling to keep up-

Then suddenly-a hand grabbed me.

I screamed.

My body jerked back, my pulse exploding in my ears. My hands scrambled against the slick deck, ready to fight, to claw, to do anything to get away.

"Ava! It's me!"

Rickon's voice.

I blinked, breath still coming in sharp, uneven gasps. My eyes locked onto his, the icy blue of them grounding me for just a second. He was crouched beside me, his hand still gripping mine, his expression tight with urgency.

I shook my head, trying to clear the panic, but my body wouldn't stop trembling. Everything was happening too fast, too loud-

"Come on," Rickon urged. "We have to move."

I nodded-shaky, unsteady-but I pushed against the deck, trying to make it easier

for him to pull me up. My legs wobbled beneath me, my grip on his hand tightening as the world around me spun.

More growls. More movement. Dylan's wolves were closing in. Men were firing at them.

And Grayson-Grayson was still fighting.

around Rickon's as

"Grayson-"

and it's to get you to the powerboat. He's going to be fine, so what I need you to do is stop looking back

"But

snapped, pulling me

91%

up the chaos-dark figures moving, wolves snarling, bodies crashing against the deck. The ocean churned violently

feel it-Grayson was winning. Every time I glanced back, even for

was that sliver of relief that kept me moving forward, pushing through the storm. The wind whipped against my skin like

almost at

could see the powerboat, the rope still tied, bobbing wildly

below.

Then-

A gunshot fired.

close I

me-white-hot and searing-ripping into

knees buckled and I hit

dropping beside me. My breath came in ragged gasps, my hands pressing

voice

It missed.

We both turned-

Crystal.

to her face, her eyes wild with fury. She gripped

have had it with

every line. He didn't hesitate. He grabbed me, hauling me into his arms, lifting me like I

teeth against the pain-but

breath caught as I looked down, watching in shock as my

ever healed in my

around me for a second, his breath hitching but there was no

Another gunshot fired.

grunted, his body jerking as the bullet tore through

scream before

He fell

Straight into the water

lunged forward, my arm outstretched, fingers barely brushing his

"No-no, no, no-

the rain pounding, against my skin.

time to process it before another

stack of wooden crates near the ship's railing, My breath came fast and sharp, my fingers

the moment everything,

ship rocking so violently that the fighting wolves lost their footing, I could barely see through the rain and darkness, but the moment stretched, slow and terrible. Dylan's wolves-some still in human form, others fully shifted- slipped over the edge, their bodies swallowed by the raging sea. Grayson and Dylan-locked in brutal combat-stumbled toward