The Alpha King's Contracted Luna by Nelson Claudia

Chapter 183

-Ava’s POV-

My eyes widened, and my entire body froze. It was as if the world itself had paused, holding its breath, waiting

for something to happen. My heart pounded in my chest, loud and frantic, drowning out every other sound.

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Of all the things | could have let slip out of my mouth, it had to be that. The words hung in the air, echoing in my

mind like a taunt | couldnt escape. My lips parted, as though | might say something to fix it, but nothing came

out. What could | say?

| just told him I loved him.

| knew it already, of course. I'd known for a while now. But saying it-saying it out loud-made it real in a way it

hadn't been before. It was as though my heart had spoken for me, betraying the secret I'd tried so hard to keep

hidden.

And now, everything was different.

My chest tightened with uncertainty, and a thousand thoughts swirled in my mind, each more chaotic than the

last. Did he feel the same? Would he ever feel the same? Or did | just ruin everything between us?

What was | supposed to do?

. happen?

Should I brush it off like it did

Laugh it away as a joke?

Should | take it back and lie, saying | didn’t mean it?

Or should | just admit it and let the chips fall where they may?

The silence stretched on, suffocating and unbearable.

And then, his voice shattered it.

“I would've waited for you to finish whatever discussion you're having with yourself in your head,” he said, his

tone light and teasing, “but I'm not sure you're actually breathing anymore.”

His words joltedback to reality. | sucked in a sharp breath, realizing that | hadn't been breathing. My lungs

burned, my chest heaving as | tried to steady myself.

| was terrified to look at him. Terrified of what | might see in his eyes. Would it be rejection? Confusion? Pity?

But when | finally dared to meet his gaze, | was met

He was smiling.

With something entirely unexpected.

My heart skipped a beat, the rhythm faltering as | tried to make sense of his reaction.

His eyes flicked down to the half-finished bandage I'd been working on, and he spoke again, his tone casual,

almost amused. “I don’t know much about medicine, but I'm pretty sure a fresh wound like this shouldn't be left

open for too long. Something about microorganisms in the air or whatever.”

His words snappedback into action. My hands, which had been hovering uselessly, remembered their task. |

grabbed the gauze and antiseptic, trying to focus on the wound instead of the man in front of me.

18:04 Fri, Jan 31 BB

Chapter 183

But my mind wouldn’t stop spinning.

Why was he so calm?

Why wasn’t he freaking out like | was?

Why wasn’t he... repulsed?

Why was he smiling?

Why?

“Ava,” he said again, breaking through the storm of thoughts in my head, “you're not breathing again.”

| snapped.

“Damn it, Grayson! Stop being so calm about this. You're makingfreak out even more!”

“Why are you freaking out in the first place?” he asked, tilting his head slightly, his tone infuriatingly calm and

collected.

| let out a shaky breath, my fingers trembling as | set down the gauze. “Because,” | began, my voice barely

above a whisper, “I just said | love you.”

The words felt heavier this time, weighed down by the truth | couldn't take back. My voice cracked as |

continued, “And | didn’t mean to say it, but that doesn’t mean | don’t mean it.”

I glanced at him, expecting skind of reaction, but he just watched me, waiting forto finish.

“And now | don’t know what to do!” | exclaimed, throwing my hands in the air. “I’m scared that you're going to

be mad, or that this will ruin everything between us, and then I'll have no choice but to move to Alaska. And

then I'll get eaten by bears, and | don’t even know what I'm saying anymore!”

| sniffled, my voice trembling as tears welled up in my eyes. “And now I'm crying, and | don’t even know why.”

Before | could spiral any further, his hands reached out, gentle but firm, tilting my chin up so I had no choice but

to look at him.

And then he kissed me.

It wasn't like the other kisses we'd shared before. This one was different. This one was... everything.

It was tender and warm, carrying all the things he didn’t say aloud. It was reassuring, groundingin a way

words never could. It was a promise. A silent acknowledgment of feelings he wasn’t ready to put into words.

Even though he had but | knew clearly now that he hadn’t known he said them.

Tseemed to blur as the kiss deepened, and for a

wasn't terrifying. It was perfect.

ment, it

felt like the world had stopped again-but this time, it

When we finally pulled apart, | searched his eyes, and what | saw there mirrored the unspoken words in the kiss.

He didn’t have to say it. | already knew.

| nodded, letting him know | understood, and he smiled.

Raising a hand, he gently wiped away a tear | hadn't realized had slipped down my cheek. His smile turned into a

grin, his voice laced with amusement. “Alaska, huh?”

Chapter 183

“That's not funny,” | grumbled, swatting at his chest.

He laughed, the sound rich and warm, and | couldn't help but smile despite myself. Shaking my head, | returned

to the bandage, focusing on finishing the task at hand.

When | was done, | stepped back and crossed my arms, looking at him critically. “Are you sure you're okay?”

“I'm fine,” he replied, his tone light, but there was a mischievous glint in his eyes that madewary.

| turned to clean up the supplies, but before | could take a single step, his hand shot out, grabbing my wrist and

pullingback to him.

“We're not done yet,” he said, his voice low and teasing.

Before | could ask what he meant, he leaned in, trailing soft kisses down my neck. A giggle escaped my lips, and

| tried to scoot away, but his grip on my waist tightened.

“Grayson, stop!“. | protested, laughing. “You're injured, remember?”

“Lucky for me, I've got a tough wolf by my side,” he murmured against my skin, his lips brushing over the spot

where he’d markedbefore.

| shivered, my protests faltering. “We are not having sex after you just got shot,” | said firmly, though my resolve

was quickly - crumbling.

He ignored me, his teeth grazing the sensitive skin of my neck. | gasped, a soft moan escaping before | could

stop it.

Then, he pulled away abruptly, his eyes gleaming with amusement.

“What are you doing?” | asked breathlessly, my heart racing.

He smirked, shaking his head. “I should be asking you that. Have sself-control, Ava. | just got shot,

remember?”

My jaw dropped, and | gasped, swatting his arm. “You're impossible!”

He laughed, leaning back with a satisfied grin as | glared at him, my cheeks burning.

But despite my embarrassment, | couldn’t help the smile that tugged at my lips. Because in that moment,

everything felt right.

But then his phone rang, snapping us both back to reality. He groaned, his hand reluctantly leavingto grab it,

and | shifted my focus back to the task at hand. | should have been done with this by now, but my hands faltered

as | felt the shift in his energy.

His entire body tensed, a stiffness radiating from him that sent a chill down my spine. | glanced at him, noting

how his relaxed demeanor had evaporated in an instant.

| had learned to block out my heightened senses when it cto things | wasn’t meant to hear, so | didn’t try to

tune in to the voice on the other end of the call. But | didn’t need to.

Whatever was being said, it wasn’t good.

The lightness in his eyes dimmed, replaced by something sharp and cold. He didn’t say a word to whoever was

on the line. Just silence. Heavy, suffocating silence.

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Chapter 183

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When he ended the call, he lowered the phone, his grip tightening around it as his jaw clenched. | stared at him,

waiting- hoping-he’d tellwhat had happened. But before | could form the words, before | could even begin to

ask, he cut me

off.

“A fire,” he said, his voice flat, too calm. “One of my buildings. And... they found something strange.”

| swallowed hard, my heart sinking as | waited for him to continue.

“Another message,” he added, his tone sharper now, as though the words themselves were a bitter taste in his

mouth.

He didn’t wait forto respond. His movements were quick, almost frantic, as he gently pulledto my feet. |

could see the urgency in his every action.

But | couldn't ignore the creeping dread that began to wrap itself around me, cold and suffocating.

“Was it about me?” | asked, the fear seeping into my

words.

He shook his head, his lips pressing into a thin line. “No,” he said, his voice low and grim. “It said, ‘It's tto

bring back the old days when witches were burned at the stake.””

My stomach dropped, and my breath hitched.

“Maria,” | whispered, the ntrembling on my lips, “They're going after Maria.”

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