The Alpha King's Contracted Luna by Nelson Claudia

Chapter 147

Chapter 147

Ava’s POV

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| let out a heavy sigh, leaning my head back against the cold, stone wall. My eyes drifted shut, and for a

moment, | tried to block it all out-the whispers, the stares, the chaos. | didn’t know how long I'd been sitting

there or how I'd even found my way to this quiet corner. All | remembered was running.

The stares had been everywhere, burning intolike flames, suffocating and unbearable. Everyone had been

watching, judging, and | couldn’t stand it anymore. My feet had carriedout of the grand hall, and now | was

here, trying and failing to steady my breathing,

But | couldn't. | couldn't because of her. Because of what I'd done to Crystal.

| felt the guilt clawing atlike an iron grip around my throat. hated her but | couldn’t shake the image of her

lying on the floor, blood pooling around her, shards of glass scattered everywhere. And then there was the truth-

the truth that | might have hurt her baby.

The thought hitlike a wrecking ball, and a choked sob escaped my lips before | could stop it. | didn’t mean to

cry, but the tears canyway, hot and relentless. | couldn't breathe. My chest heaved as | tried to gulp down

air, but it wasn’t working.

}

Where had all this power cfrom? These abilities | didn’t understand, didn’t want? How could something so

unnatural cfrom me?

“Lilian? Are you out here?”

The sound of Isabella’s voice jolted me, but I couldn't answer her. My throat felt tight, the sobs racking through

my body like waves.

“Oh, Lilian,” she murmured softly, her voice filled with concern. The next thing | knew, she was kneeling beside

me, pullinginto her arms. Her embrace was warm, steady, but it didn’t stop the tears.

“It's going to be okay,” she whispered.

I shook my head, my voice breaking as | tried to speak. “No, it's not. Why does everything have to be so

horrible? Why can’t

| just have peace? Why do | always end up hurting people? Why do | always do horrible things?”

Her arms tightened around me, and for a second, | thought she might have an answer. But she didn’t.

“It wasn't your fault, Ava.”

| jolted again at the sound of Eliza's voice and looked up to see her standing a few feet away. When had she

gotten here? Had she cwith Isabella? She lowered herself onto the floor beside us, her expression calm but

her eyes filled with concern.

| closed my eyes again, tears still streaming down my face. “It’s always something,” | muttered. “I can’t even

host a ball without it turning into... this.”

|

The silence that followed was heavy. Neither of them spoke for a moment, and it was like the weight of the night

was pressing down on me, suffocating me.

Finally, Isabella broke the silence. “I heard your father say Dylan was going to be okay and he was healing.”

And Crystal?” My voice was barely a whisper. “Her baby?”

Isabella hesitated, and that hesitation was enough to twist the knife in my chest. She shook her head slowly, her

lips pressed into a thin line. “I don’t know. Your mother cback and took charge after you... after you ran out,

They've taken Crystal

Chapter 14z

way, and most of the quests have left. Everyone's waiting to he something from your parents. But I'm sure he'll

be fine Evil wiches don’t die easily

Her attempt at humor fell flat. | knew her too well to know her words. She was lying. Whatever news cnext, |

knew it would be bad. If Crystal lost that chikt. | wouldn't just have hurt her | would have killed an innocent life.

| couldn't breathe.

| sucked in a sharp breath, but it wasn’t enough. My chest tightened like a vise, and panic started in claw its way

up my throat

“Lilian?” Isabella's voice was sharp, alarmed now. “What's going on? Ava, look at mer

Eliza's voice cut through the fog next, more frantic this time. “Ava? Ava, what's wrong?”

But | couldn't answer. The air felt too thick, my vision tunneling as 1 clutched at my chest. My breaths cout

in shallow. desperate gasps, and | could hear them shouting, their voices blending together in a chaotic blur.

“She’s not breathing!” Isabella cried, her voice rising with panic

“What do we do?” Eliza snapped. “I don’t know what to do!”

“Try to calm her down! Lilian, look at me! Breathe, dammit, breathe!”

| couldn't. | was suffocating, drowning in my own panic. My hands clawed at my throat as I struggled, my chest

burning with the need for air.

1

And then, deep within me, | felt it—the growl.

It was low, guttural, and vibrating through my entire being. My wolf stirred, angry and restless. She pushed

against the surface, forcing her way through, and before | could fight it, she took over.

A guttural gasp escaped my lips as air rushed into my lungs. My head snapped back, and | felt the shift take

hold, my senses sharpening as my wolf emerged. The cool night air hit me, grounding me, but she wasn’t

satisfied.

Without thinking, without hesitating, | bolted.

| heard Isabella and Eliza shouting behind me, their voices frantic.

“Ava! Lilian!”

But | didn’t stop. My legs carriedforward, faster and faster, as if running would somehow freefrom the

weight of everything. | didn't know where | was going, and I didn’t care. All | knew was that | had to get away.

Their voices grew fainter, the sound of my own ragged breathing filling my ears. | knew she had taken over so |

wouldn't suffocate from the panic attack | was having. The overwhelming weight, the inability to breathe-it had

almost drowned me. But now that she was in control, my wolf had completely taken over, forcinginto the

background.

| could feel her strength in every step, her paws pounding against the floor as she carried us away from

everything, faster than my human legs ever could. The landscape stretched endlessly before us, dark trees and

moonlight blurring into a chaotic, surreal dance.

It wasn’trunning. It was her.

She made another sharp turn, her movements precise and unrelenting, and before | realized it, we had broken

out of Grayson'’s estate.

Grayson. His nhit and echoed through my head. | didn’t know where he went after | went back inside

neither did |

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10:26 Tue, Jan

Chapter 147

know where he was now,

All | knew was that when Crystal's blood had pooled around her and everyone was staring while | was frozen in

shock, all | wanted to do was getting away from there, from everyone.

Him included.

I didn’t have tto dwell on it. My wolf, unbothered by my spiraling thoughts, suddenly veered to the right,

cutting through a narrow stretch of trees. | had no control, no say. | was list a passenger.

“Where are you going?” | asked, trying to reach her through the psychic link we shared.

Her voice echoed through my mind, deep and resonant, reverberating with power. “There is something you need

to see.”

Her words sent a shiver through me, but I didn’t have tto question her. She kept running, her pace

unrelenting, the cool night air rushing past us.

Then it happened.

And | didn’t see it coming.

One moment, we were running through the thick forest, and the next, something sharp and painful pierced her

side-our side. The impact sent us crashing to the ground with a violent thud.

A snare.

0000 00 00

The pain was blinding, radiating throughlike fire. My wolf let out a furious snarl, thrashing against the trap

that had clamped around her hind leg. The scent of blood filled the air, and | could feel her rage bubbling to the

surface.

But before she could tear herself free, voices broke through the night.

“Over here! It’s a big one!”

Humans.

They emerged from the shadows, their flashlights cutting through the darkness. | could see them clearly now-

hunters. Their scent, the gleam of their weapons, the cold determination in their

eyes.

My wolf snarled again, baring her teeth, but she was wounded and outnumbered.

“Careful!” one of them shouted. “It’s a wild animal-it could attack!”

“She's already caught in the snare. Just tranquilize it!”

My wolf growled low in her throat, her fur bristling as she tried to lunge at them, but the trap held her back. Pain

shot through us again, and | felt her struggle weaken slightly.

And then | heard the telltale hiss of a dart being fired.

“No!” | screamed, but it was too late.

The dart struck her shoulder, and the tranquilizer started to take effect almost immediately. | could feel her

fighting it, her instincts screaming at her to keep going, to protect us. But the drug was too strong. Her

movements slowed, her growls faded, and eventually, she collapsed onto the ground.

| felt myself slipping too, my consciousness fading as the tranquilizer dragged us into darkness.

1026” Tue, Jan 14, 6

Chapter 118

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