The Alpha King's Contracted Luna by Nelson Claudia

Chapter 136

Chapter 136

-Grayson'’s POV-

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Alaric’s words struck like thunder, leaving an eerie silence in their wake. My chest tightened, my instincts

screaming that whatever | was about to hear would change everything | thought | knew. Without a word, |

followed him deeper into the chamber, each step echoing against the cold, unyielding stone walls.

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The air grew heavier, thick with an ancient tension that pressed down on my chest. We stopped in front of a

massive mural, its edges bathed in an otherworldly blue glow that seemed to pulse like a heartbeat. The mural

was intricate and dark, its center dominated by a figure cloaked in shadows, its form blending with the chaos

around it.

“This,” Alaric began, his voice low and deliberate, “is where the story of the Blackwood legacy takes its darkest

turn.”

| stepped closer, studying the intricate carvings. The figure stood surrounded by wolves with their heads bowed,

not in reverence but in unmistakable fear. Around them, the forest was aflame, the trees twisted and scorched,

their branches like skeletal hands reaching out for mercy.

“What happened?” | asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

Alaric’s usual smirk was gone, replaced by a solemn expression that made my stomach churn. “As you must

know by now, Grayson, no lineage is without its blemishes. Even the strongest have their weaknesses.” He

paused, letting the weight of his words settle.

“The Blackwood lineage,” he continued, his tone grave, “becthe beacon of unity and strength, keeping the

wolves together under a shared vision of peace. But power,” he said, his voice sharp and bitter, “can corrupt

even the noblest of intentions. And so it did.”

He gestured to a section of the mural where the shadowed figure now stood atop a mountain of bones, its claws

dripping with blood. Around it, the wolves who had once knelt in unity had turned against each other, their snarls

and howls frozen in chaotic disarray.

“One of your ancestors,” Alaric said, his voice laced with disdain, “decided that being the Alpha King wasn’t

enough. He saw himself not as a protector, but as a ruler—one above all, even the goddess who made us.”

His words aligned eerily with the words Maria had told me, but | held my tongue, letting him continue.

Alaric moved his hand across the mural, guiding my eyes to a figure | instinctively recognized as my ancestor,

“Darius Blackwood was arrogant beyond measure. He openly questioned the existence of the Moon Goddess,

mocking the idea of bowing to what he called a ‘superficial female. In his mind, women were inherently inferior,

and the idea that his strength and power cfrom a goddess was an affront to his pride.”

The carvings told the story even as Alaric spoke. Darius, standing tall and defiant, his sneer etched into the

stone. Around him, wolves cowered or snarled, caught between fear and rebellion.

“The Moon Goddess,” Alaric continued, his voice dropping to a near whisper, “did not let such blasphemy go

unpunished. But her response was not one of anger-it was one of lessons. She descended, cloaked in light, and

laid a curse upon Darius. Since he believed women to be inferior, his very survival would depend on one. She

decreed that his lineage would be bound to their fated mates, chosen solely by her. They could only find true

strength through this bond. Without their mate, their power would diminish, leaving them vulnerable and weak

and it is a curse which would not be spoken of.”

The weight of his words settled heavily in my chest. “So this... curse,” | said slowly, “it's why...”

“Why you are just now learning of it?” Alaric finished for me. “Yes. That's part of it. The curse was designed so

that the truth could not simply be told-it had to be discovered through experience and suffering. Even your

father couldn't tell you, Grayson. He wasn't allowed to.”

Alaric continued, his voice taking on a more urgent tone. “Darius, in his desperation, sought a way to break the

curse. He

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Chapter 136

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turned to a pack known for their connection to the Moon Goddess-a pack with unparalleled healing abilities. A

pack that is now led by...”

“Luther Pierce,” | said, the pieces falling into place. “That's why they're the best healers. That's why Ava is so

good at what she does.”

Alaric nodded. “Even they couldn't undo the Moon Goddess'’s decree. But they did strike a pact with Darius. They

promised that when the tcame, a wolf of pure blood from their lineage would be born-a wolf who could bind

the fate of the Alpha King’s bloodline and break the curse. But there was a condition: the Alpha King’s

descendant would have to find her, recognize her, and form the bond willingly. The pact passed down through

generations, growing stronger with each new Alpha King.”

He stepped closer to another section of the mural, this one depicting two infants. “By the tyou were born,

Grayson, the curse had reached its peak. And when Evelyn Pierce took in with child, the prophecy was set into

motion. You were the descendant chosen to undo it before your line vanquished. But fate was cruel because she

was pregnant with twins and the essence wasn’t meant to be shared. The Pierces were forced to make an

impossible choice: save one twin by transferring the pure blood entirely into her, or lose both.”

| stared at the carving, my chest tightening at the sight of the two babies. One was glowing faintly, her form

etched with light and divine energy, while the other lay shadowed and fragile, her outline barely visible against

the stone.

“They chose to save one,” Alaric said, his voice heavy with the weight of the story. “The essence was transferred

into one of the Pierce twin, the one born with the strength to carry it. But the other twin...” He hesitated, his

expression softening for a brief moment, “...she was left weak, her survival hanging by a thread. She lived, but

she would never be whole-not in the way her sister was.”

| didn’t understand.

If Ava was the twin that survived and the child Evelyn and Luther raised, didn’t that mean she was my fated

mate? That would explain the connection | felt with her-the undeniable pull, the fire in my veins every t| was

near her. But then, what about the other twin? And did Ava even know she had a twin?

Alaric smiled faintly, his expression tinged with sympathy. “I can sense your confusion, Grayson, but I'm afraid

there's little | can do to clear the fog entirely. The story isn’t finished.”

He stepped closer to the mural, gesturing toward a particular section. “Losing one of their daughters becan

unthinkable reality for Evelyn and Luther and to cement that reality even more, that night... one of the twins was

stolen.” His finger hovered over a faint outline etched into the stone-an image of a child surrounded by shadow.

Above it was a symbol, a question mark carved into the wall.

“And who took her?” | asked, my voice sharp with desperation.

Alaric shook his head. “That is an answer we still don’t have to this day” He paused, his gaze lingering on the

symbol. “The stolen twin was the one chosen by the Moon Goddess, the one the essence was transferred to. She

is alive-of that, we are certain-but her whereabouts remain a mystery.”

| felt the blood drain from my face as his words sank in. “And Ava?” | forced the words out, though | wasn’t sure |

wanted the

answer.

“She was the weaker twin,” Alaric said gently. “She survived, but he was never the right one. Luther and Evelyn

raised her, trying desperately to shape her into what they had lost. But no matter what they did, she could never

truly be what they wanted her to be.”

My head started to spin. The room felt suffocating, the air thick with a truth | wasn’t ready to face. That was why

Evelyn and Luther hatedso much. Their bitterness ran deeper than mere disdain. It was the curse. It had

taken one of their children and left them grasping at the shards of what remained.

Different thoughts swirled in my mind, colliding into a storm of confusion and anger. But Alaric wasn’t finished.

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“Fate is a cruel thing,” he sighed, his voice low and steady. “I believe you feel a connection to Ava because her

sister's essence still lingers within her. It’s a shadow of what was meant to be, a fragment of what her twin

carried. But make no mistake, Grayson-Ava Pierce is not the one made for you.”

My wolf growled in protest, the sound reverberating through my chest. It didn’t want to hear this. | didn’t want to

hear this. But deep down, | felt the truth in his words.

“That's why marking her didn’t undo the curse,” I said, my voice hollow as the realization strucklike a

physical blow.

Alaric nodded, his expression grim. “The bond you share with her is strong, yes, but it is incomplete. Ava Pierce

holds your heart, but she was not made for you. Her sister-the twin who was taken-is your true fated mate.”

The words gutted me. Ava wasn’t my fated mate. She never was. And as much as | wanted to deny it, to fight

against the inevitability of it all, | couldn't.

“And being with her means...” | couldn't finish the sentence, the weight of the truth suffocating me.

Alaric, however, didn’t hesitate. “That the curse will remain unbroken. No matter how hard you fight, no matter

what you sacrifice, it will bind you. And if you're not careful...” His voice dropped, heavy with warning. “It will

destroy you.”

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