The Alpha King's Contracted Luna by Nelson Claudia

Chapter 272

-Ava’s POV-

Darkness.

Cold.

The ocean swallowedwhole, its icy fingers clawing at my skin, draggingdeeper into the abyss. The salt

burned my throat, my lungs screamed, but no air came. The weight of the water pressed in from all sides,

crushing, endless.

| kicked, thrashed, fought. But the surface was too far. My limbs were slow, heavy, the cold stealing the last of

my strength.

| was drowning.

And all | could think of was everything | was about to lose.

| would never see my children. Never hold them in my arms, never hear their laughter.

| would never see Grayson again.

His eyes. His touch. The way he looked atlike | was his whole world.

| would never see Isabella. | would never see anyone ever again.

A fresh wave of panic surged through me, but my body was failing. My chest burned, my vision blurred. The fight

inwas slipping away.

No. No, not like this.

| forced my arms to move, kicking weakly against the pull of the ocean, but the current was too strong. My lungs

convulsed, desperate for air, and my lips parted against my will.

Saltwater rushed in.

Agony tore through my body as | choked. My mind screamed, but the ocean did not care. The ocean did not

listen.

This was it.

This was how | was going to die.

| reached for my wolf.

Nothing.

| reached for something-the essence-anything-insidethat could help, that could fight, but there was only

silence.

| was truly alone.

The realization settled deep in my chest, heavier than the water pressing in around me. My body knew before

my It knew that this was the end.

The fight bled out of me.

My limbs stopped thrashing.

The panic faded.

A did.

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Chapter 272

For the first time, the water wasn’t the enemy. It was quiet Peaceful

The ocean cradled me, heldin its arms like a mother soothing a restless child.

This was it.

| closed my eyes.

And then something shifted

A deep, powerful hum rippled through the water, a pulse that wasn’t from the ocean. My chest tightened, but not

from lack of air. My skin tingled, a warmth blooming in my core, spreading, through my veins, stronger than the

cold, stronger than the weight of the ocean and | gasped.

The water rushed around me, moving, swirling-not to dragdown but to carry me.

My eyes snapped open and for the first time, | saw.

The water obeyed.

It wasn’t crushinganymore. It wasn’t drowning me. It was lifting me. Helping me.

Bubbles rushed past as the current shifted, no longer a force of destruction but something else entirely-

something ancient, something connected toin a way | had never understood before.

Tears burned my eyes, but they didn’t fall.

They merged with the ocean and the ocean listened.

A final push, a surge of power, and | moved.

Up.

Faster than | should have.

Faster than anything natural.

The surface exploded aboveas | broke through, gasping, choking, coughing up saltwater. The air hit my lungs

like fire, my entire body shaking as | struggled to stay afloat. My vision blurred, spots dancing in front of my

eyes.

The wind howled. The ship loomed in the distance. My body trembled but the moment had passed.

I was alive.

| was breathing.

I pulled in ragged gulps of air, my limbs aching, my mind spinning.

And then | saw him.

Dylan stood at the edge of the ship, his face filled with shock, his body rigid. His mouth moved, but | couldn't

hear the words over the crashing waves. He took a step closer, eyes locked on me.

Panic surged through me.

No. Stay away.

| forced my body to move, dragging myself through the water, but | was weak, my arms trembling, my legs

barely keepingafloat.

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Chapter 272

Dylan started moving like he was coming down to finish the job himself.

“Stay back, | choked out, my voice raw

He didn’t stop.

“I said stay away! | screamed it this tand it tore from my throat, raw, desperate-different

The air aroundshifted. The ocean moved. And then a shockwave burst outward from me, an invisible force

cracked through the air and sent Dylan flying backward. His body hit the railing of the ship with a sickening

theard before he crumpled onto the deck, motionless.

The world seemed to pause, the only sound the ragged gasps tearing from my lips. My heart thundered in my

chest, my limbs still shaking from the ocean’s grasp, but I didn’t stop. | couldn't.

Move

My brain gave the order, but my body wasn't listening. Everything was screaming-my lungs, my muscles, my

head pounding like a war drum. But | had to move. | had to get away.

With a deep, shuddering breath, | forced my arms to drag through the water, my legs kicking weakly beneath

me. The ship loomed above, the slick metal hull stretching high, impossible to climb. My fingers scraped against

its cold surface before 1 turned my attention to the deck.

Dylan groaned. He was stirring,

No. No, no, no.

Panic clawed up my throat. He was going to get up. He was going to cdown here and-No. | wouldn't let him.

The adrenaline gavea burst of strength. | clawed forward, my hands gripping onto the metal steps of the

ship’s side ladder. My body trembled, my fingers barely able to hold on, but | forced myself upward. One rung.

Then another. Then ...another.

| didn’t feel the pain anymore.

1 didn’t feel the cold.

All | felt was survival.

By the t| reached the deck, my entire body was shaking. My breath cin ragged gasps, my fingers barely

able to support my weight as | dragged myself forward. Every movement was agony, but | didn’t care.

| would not die here. | was going to give birth to my children and it was going to be at the end of this madness.

Dylan groaned again, louder this time. | turned my head just enough to see him shift. His hand gripped the floor,

his body tensed, and | knew-he was waking up.

My thoughts scattered.

| wasn’t strong enough to fight him. | wasn’t fast enough to outrun him and there was nowhere to run but | was

going to bite him.

| would tear into his skin if he touchedagain.

The thought sent a rush of something wild through my veins, something deep and primal. My lips curled, my

nails digging into the deck as | crawled forward, inch by inch, my mind repeating the sdesperate command.

Survive. Survive.

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Chapter 272

And then-I saw it.

The lifeboat.

It was secured just a few feet away, hanging from the davits, bobbing gently against the ship’s side. My heart

lurched.

That's my way out.

With everything | had left, | pushed forward. My knees scraped against the rough deck, my arms trembling under

my weight, but | kept going. My breath cin sharp, ragged gasps, my vision tunneling in on that one thing-

escape.

| reached the lifeboat and gripped the ropes holding it in place. My hands fumbled, weak and trembling, but |

forced them to work. | tugged at the release, my fingers slipping against the slick metal.

Con, con.

A sharp sound behind me.

Footsteps.

My entire body stiffened.

Dylan was getting up.

| turned my head, and my blood ran cold.

He was on his feet, swaying slightly, his head bleeding from where he had hit the railing. But his eyes-his eyes-

they were locked ontowith a darkness that sent pure terror through my veins.

“You fucking little bitch!” He rasped, taking a step forward.

My hands scrambled faster. My vision blurred with exhaustion, but | could not stop.

| yanked on the release. The lifeboat jerked, ropes creaking as it started to drop-freedom within reach. But

before | could jump, a hand clamped around my wrist and yankedback with brutal force.

| hit the deck hard, pain shooting through my spine as Dylan loomed over me, his chest rising and falling with

ragged breaths. Blood dripped from the wound on his head, trailing down his temple, but his eyes burned with

pure fury.

“If you won't die quietly,” He rasped, his voice like gravel, “I will just have to kill you myself.”

His claws extended with a sickening crack, gleaming under the stormy sky. My breath caught in my throat. There

was no escape now. No running, no fighting back. | was too weak. My body screamed in protest as | tried to crawl!

away, but Dylan was faster.

He raised his hand, claws glinting in the lightning as they cdown-

Thunder cracked.

A deep, deafening growl split the air.

And then something massive lunged and all | saw was a blur of fur, teeth as it slammed into D crashing into the

ship's railing with a bone-rattling force.

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