The Alpha King's Contracted Luna by Nelson Claudia

Chapter 158

Chapter 158

-Ava’s POV-

“She lost the baby.”

That was the sentence | had braced myself for, the cruel inevitability lingering in the back of my mind. But what

Isabella said next shattered that expectation but still | didn’t know if hee words made it any better.”

“There was a major complication that night... but the baby survived.” Her voice trembled slightly, her expression

a mix of relief and uncertainty. “Crystal healed strangely fast, faster than even a normal werewolf should. But...”

She hesitated, her eyes flickering away for a moment, like she was searching for the right words. “The news is

that there's a possibility it's not over. | don’t really understand all the medical terms, but apparently, the baby

was affected by the fall. The impact—it... it wasn’t without consequences.”

| closed my eyes, the wave of guilt that had been building since returned hittingfull force. My chest

tightened, and my hands clenched into fists on my lap. It felt like no matter what | did, chaos and harm followed

in my wake.

Isabella must have noticed the shift in my energy because she reached out, her warm hand wrapping around

mine. “Lilian,” she said softly, her grip firm yet comforting, like she was trying to tetherto the moment.

“Everyone saw that it was an accident. No one blames you for what happened that night. And with the news that

the Alpha King had gone missing, whatever happened at the ball was instantly overshadowed. You know how

things get in the moment-people focus on the next big thing. I'm sure by now it’s already forgotten by most of

the realm.”

Her fingers tightened around mine, as though she were afraid | might disappear again if she didn’t hold on. “But

you-“Her voice broke, and | could feel the raw emotion behind it. “I was so worried, Lilian. | was scared out of my

mind. | didn’t know what to think. Two months-two,whole months, and no one could find you. No one knew

where you were.”

| placed my free hand on top of hers, swallowing the lump in my throat. “I'm sorry, Bels. | don’t know how any of

this happened. Everything just feels... unreal. Like a bad dream | can’t wake up from.” My voice cracked, and |

looked down, unable to meet her eyes. “I didn’t mean to worry you.”

She managed a small, shaky smile, though her lips quivered slightly. “You're here now. That's what matters.” Her

voice. softened, soothing the tension that had settled overlike a heavy cloak. “But you should get srest.

It's almost one in the morning.”

I shook my head. “I can’t sleep, Bels. Not when | don’t understand what's going on-or even how to process any

of this. What happened while | was gone? Was there another attack? Did anyone try to take the throne?” My

voice sped up, the questions tumbling out like water from a broken dam. “I need answers. And honestly...” | let

out a bitter laugh. “I need a drink. I'm not sure | can take any more of this sober.”

Isabella let out a surprised chuckle, her shoulders relaxing slightly for the first tsince she huggedin the

woods, “I didn’t think you'd actually say that.” She tilted her head, a mischievous glint appearing in her eyes.

“Con, then. Let's go raid Grayson’s bar.”

| stood, the thought of a drink suddenly more appealing than anything else. But before | could take a step,

Isabella's gaze flickered up and down my frame, her nose scrunching slightly.

1

“Wait,” she said, raising a hand to stop me. “I was trying to be polite, but... you should probably take a shower

and change out of that first.”

Her words madepause, and | glanced down at myself. | was still wearing the oversized shirt Grayson had

taken from the hunters, its fabric now wrinkled and smeared with dirt and grfrom everything that had

happened. She was right-I Jooked like | had just crawled out of a grave.

“Fair point,” | muttered, rubbing the back of my neck.

She nodded, crossing her arms. “I'll wait here while you get cleaned up.”

| arched an eyebrow at her. “You don’t have to wait. | can meet you down there.”

“Nope,” she said firmly, shaking her head. “I'm not letting you out of my sight again. Not yet. I'll listen for the

shower running and check on you at intervals if | have to.”

Despite the gravity of the situation, | couldn't help but laugh. “You're ridiculous.””

a

“And you've been gone for two months,” she shot back, her tone teasing but her eyes serious.

With a small smile, | turned toward the bathroom, shaking my head. “Fine, I'll make it quick.”

The bathroom was quiet, almost too quiet, as | stepped inside and closed the door behind me. | stripped off the

grimy shirt, letting it fall to the floor with a soft thud, and turned on the shower. The sound of the water hitting

the tiles filled the room, and for a moment, | just stood there, staring at the steam rising from the stream.

When | finally stepped under the water, the heat was almost scalding, but it was exactly what | needed. | let it

wash over me, scrubbing away the dirt, the sweat, anti sof the tension that had been building since the

moment | got back here. But no amount of hot water could scrub away the thoughts racing through my mind.

How was | supposed to explain any of this to Dr. Griffin? To anyone? Two months of my life, just... gone. No

explanation. No answers. Only fragments of memories that didn’t make sense and the knowledge that

everything | thought | knew was no longer the same. Because how could a place exist where two days turned

into two months?

The guilt weighed heavy on me, especially when I thought about Crystal and her baby. Even though | despised

Crystal and even though Isabella had said it wasn’t my fault, | couldn't shake the feeling that my absence, my

actions, had set off a chain reaction I couldn't control.

By the t| stepped out of the shower, | felt physically cleaner but no less burdened. Wrapping a towel around

myself, | rummaged through Grayson'’s closet and grabbed one of his shirts, slipping it on. It was long enough to

reach just above my knees, and | knew it would be decent enough for walking around his mansion, even though

most of the omegas and warriors were likely asleep.

When | returned to the room, Isabella was waiting patiently, scrolling through her phone. She glanced up as |

entered, her eyes softening when she saw me.

“Feel better?” she asked.

“Marginally,” | admitted.

She smiled faintly and stood, gesturing forto follow her. “Con, let's get that drink.”

We made our way through the quiet hallways, the soft glow of moonlight streaming through the windows. The

mansion felt cerie at this hour, its usual hustle and bustle replaced with an almost oppressive silence. But

having-Isabella by my side made it bearable.

When we reached Grayson'’s bar, she headed straight for the shelves, pulling down a bottle of whiskey and two

glasses. “This should do the trick,” she said, pouring generous amounts into each glass.

| took the glass she handed me, the amber liquid catching the light. To surviving the unimaginable,” | said,

raising my glass slightly

“To finding our way back,” Isabella said softly, her voice holding mixture of relief and hope as she clinked her

glass against mine.

| followed her lead, tipping the glass back and downing the fiery liquid in one gulp. The burn was instant,

spreading warmth through my chest and groundingin a way | hadn't felt in months. | closed my eyes,

savoring the sensation, letting the taste linger as if it could dull the chaos in my mind.

When | opened my eyes, Isabella was watchingcarefully. “I think I'm ready to hear everything that's

happened.”

She hesitated, swirling the amber liquid in her empty glass. “I don’t even know where to start,” she admitted

with a nervous laugh.

“Anywhere,” | urged her. “Just start somewhere.”

Her brows furrowed in thought, and then she said, almost reluctantly, “I don’t know why this is the first thing |

think of, but... Elaine.”

“Elaine?” | repeated, my brow arching in confusion.

“Yeah,” she said, looking down at her glass as though it held the key to explaining everything. “While you were

gone... Elaine and Liam mated.”

| blinked, stunned for a moment. “I mean, | knew they were dating, but still...” | trailed off, shaking my head as a

wry smile tugged at my lips. “Why would anyone want to bind themselves forever to Elaine?”

Lwas about to say more when | noticed Isabella’s expression shift. She glanced around nervously, her eyes

darting to the corners of the room as if checking for eavesdroppers. Then, without warning, she laughed-a quick,

awkward sound-and lifted a hand to sweep her hair back.

My eyes widened as | caught sight of it: a mark just below her ear, faintly glowing under the dim light.

“I probably should have started with this,” she said sheepishly, her fingers brushing over the mark, “Rickon

marked me.”

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