The Alpha King's Contracted Luna by Nelson Claudia

Chapter 152

-Grayson'’s POV-

61%

I had always seen myself on top. In the world of power, | was untouchable. Every t| saw a towering building. |

imagined myself at the top, looking down on everyone below, knowing | was in control.

But lately?

Lately, things had changed.

| didn’t feel untouchable anymore. It wasn’t just about being above the rest-now, it was more about survival. |

felt like | was on a much lower level than | was supposed to be. And maybe | wasn’t on ground level with the

common people, but in this moment, | felt more like one of them than | ever had.

Deep down, | knew | had to climb back to the top. To get back on my feet and reclaim the power that was

slipping away. But the first step was getting out of here, finding a way out of whatever mess we were in.

I had made the mistake of putting Carter on it, but once we got out, | was going to tell him to stop looking for my

mate and figure out another loophole to ending that dreadful curse once and for all because Ava was right; no

more of this back-and- forth, this constant gof tug-of-war, it was tiresand exhausting and it was time

to put an end to all of it.

| was Grayson Blackwood and | was going to fix every single thing and have the woman | wanted by my side

afterwards.

The world just needed to remember what that nmeant. But that didn’t mean | was going to tell Ava the

truth-not yet. | wasn’t going to bring up anything that would form cracks because from now henceforth, we

would only take steps forward and she and | were stamped, sealed and cemented.

“Look, it's like they stopped moving.”

Ava’s voice snappedout of my thoughts. | turned, catching her as she looked around, the oversized shirt she

was wearing -taken from one of the hunters-hanging loosely on her. It was unflattering, but still, somehow, she

looked beautiful in it.

| had to admit, she’d managed to break through every last wall I'd put up, and now, as she stood there with her

flushed cheeks and those wide, swirling eyes, | couldn't help but feel something unfamiliar stir in me.

| couldn’t help myself. My gaze lingered, studying her like she was the only thing that mattered in this strange

place we'd been thrust into.

A blush spread across her cheeks as she shifted uncomfortably. “Stop looking atlike that.” She fidgeted,

looking around, trying to escape my stare. “Wait, no. | was wrong, they just moved again.”

| blinked, refocusing on the trees that surrounded us. There was an unsettling stillness to the air, like we weren't

meant to be here, like we didn’t belong. But | wasn’t going to let that show. Ava didn’t need to see any more

cracks in my armor than she already had.

“Do you have any idea how we got here?” she asked, breaking the silence again, her voice laced with curiosity.

{

| shifted, stepping closer to her, trying to keep my own thoughts in check. “No. No idea. | don’t even know where

‘here’ is.” The reality of our situation was hitting harder now, but | kept my tone level, trying not to let her see

how unmoored I truly felt

Ava’s eyes

scanned the area, her focus shifting from one thing to another as she processed what I said. Then she froze, and

| saw her eyes widen slightly, a realization dawning on her. “Wait, she murmured. “It’s still night. You-" She

turned to me, her brow furrowing. “told| was unconscious for a very very long time. So why is it still night?”

| hadn't thought of that. She was right. The whole twe'd been here-however long that had been-it was still

dark. There should have been daylight by now, especially with how much thad passed since she'd been

knocked out.

13:53 Thu, Jan 16 GB.

Chapter 159

@x61%0

“Time's moving differently here,” | muttered, more to myself than to her. “Whatever's going on, it’s not normal.

Nothing about this is normal.”

She looked up at the sky, her expression shifting as she observed the unnatural stillness of the night. “And why is

the night so bright? And why do the stars look like that? And why is it so... don’t even know,” she asked, almost

rhetorically, as if the question didn’t fully make sense to her either.

| watched her closely as she stared into the dark, as if waiting for something to change.

“I should probably stop talking,” she added after a moment, shaking her head with a half-hearted laugh. “I'm

just rambling now.”

“Maybe,” | said, my voice a little softer than | intended. “But I'm listening”

Her eyes met mine, and for a moment, there was a flicker of something-something between us, but | didn’t have

tto focus on it. We were still trapped here, and whatever was happening to us wasn’t over yet.

There was a rustling sound, and | instantly tensed, scanning the area for any threat. | stepped closer to Ava

instinctively, keeping my voice low. “Stay alert.”

But when nothing appeared, the tension slowly melted away. Ava shifted, her gaze fixed on the sky again, but

this time, her posture was more relaxed.

“Are you sure we shouldn't make weapons to defend ourselves?” she asked quietly, the worry creeping into her

voice.

Leould have smiled at that and then there it was again. That feeling | couldn't shake. Protecting her. | didn’t care

if it madevulnerable-it felt like the only thing | could do. | wasn’t going to let anything happen to her.

“We are getting out of here, | promise you.”

She looked at me, her lips parting as if she wanted to say something more, but the words never came. Instead,

she just nodded, her shoulders relaxing as she took a small step closer. Her trust, no matter how small, made a

difference.

Suddenly, the night sky above us began to shift. The stars twinkled in patterns | couldn't quite make sense of,

and the trees around us began to creak and groan, as if the whole forest was alive. Ava stiffened next to me, and

I turned to look at her.

“What's happening?” she whispered, her voice barely audible.

Before | could answer, the ground beneath our feet began to tremble, a deep rumble that seemed to echo

through the woods.

“We're not alone,” | muttered, bracing myself. “Get ready. Whatever's coming, it’s not going to be friendly.”

word

word

mmMwWLIII0fiflo&1

mmMwWLIII0fiflo&1

mmMwWLIII0fiflo&1

mmMwWLIII0fiflo&1

mmMwWL1i10f1ifl0&1

mmMwWLIII0fiflo&1