The Alpha King's Contracted Luna by Nelson Claudia

Chapter 172

Chapter 172

-Ava’s POV

| didn’t understand what happened in the span of a second. Grayson had been his usual composed self, though

his death glare at the food vendor had been intense enough to make the poor man shrink. He didn’t seem the

least bit fazed as he caught up toafter | practically skipped away with my dumplings. I'd barely bitten into

one when he grabbed my wrist and pulled me, his grip firm but not rough, draggingaway from the carnival

stalls.

“Grayson... what is-”

| didn’t get to finish.

The sharp crack of a gunshot rang out, loud and startling enough to makestumble. For a fleeting moment, |

thought it might be from one of the carnival games-those old booths with the fake rifles and cheap prizes-but

the sound wasn’t quite right.

Then the screaming started.

A wave of chaos erupted around us. People’s laughter turned into shrieks of panic as they scattered like startled

birds. | froze for half a second, my body reacting slower than my mind.

Grayson didn’t freeze.

He yankedcloser, his hand wrapping protectively around my arm as his body pressed against mine, shielding

me. “We have to get out of here. Now.” His tone was low, urgent, and sharp enough to cut through the noise.

“What's going on?” | yelled over the chaos, but he didn’t answer.

Another gunshot echoed through the air, closer this time. More screams.

“Run,” Grayson growled, pullingharder. He was steeringtoward the edge of the carnival, where the exit

gates stood The crowd was surging in the sdirection, people screaming and shoving in blind panic.

“What the hell is happening?” | screamed again, my voice cracking as the sound of another shot sent my heart

into a frenzy.

He still didn’t answer me. His jaw was clenched, his eyes scanning the area with razor-sharp focus. The crowd

around us was becoming a writhing, chaotic mass.

| tripped over something-a discarded soda cup, maybe-but Grayson caughtbefore | could fall, his arm

wrapping around my waist and haulingupright.

“Keep moving,” he barked.

And then | saw it.

A man collapsed a few feet ahead of us. At first, | thought he'd tripped, but as we pushed closer, | saw the blood

pooling beneath him. My gaze locked on the hole in his forehead, and | froze.

“Oh my Goddess,” | whispered, my stomach lurching.

“Don’t look,” Grayson ordered, his voice harsh as he physically turnedaway from the sight. But it was too

late. The image was burned into my mind.

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Chapter 172

People were shoving past us, their screams filling the air as more shots rang out. | stumbled age, my legs barely

cooperating as my brain struggled to process the chaos. The smell of sweat, fear, and gunpowder was

suffocating.

“Who's shooting?” | demanded, my voice shaky. My wolf was stirring inside me, growling and clawing at my

control, ready to fight. “Where are they shooting from?”

Grayson didn’t answer. He just kept pushing through the crowd, his body a solid shield betweenand the

panic around

us.

“Why is someone shooting people?!” | yelled, my voice breaking.

Finally, he stopped, pullinginto a narrow space between two carnival booths. His hands gripped my

shoulders tightly as his gray eyes locked onto mine. “Listen to me,” he said, his voice low but intense. “They're

after me. And by extension, you.”

“What?” | breathed, my heart hammering in my chest.

“Whoever’s shooting will keep firing until we're out of here. Once we leave, they'll stop targeting random

people.”

| stared at him, my mind racing to keep up. “Why? Who-"

“There's no tfor that,” he interrupted, his tone brooking no argument. “Right now, we need to get out of

here.”

Another gunshot rang out, closer than before. The sound jolted me, and | flinched, my instincts screaming at me

to run or fight. My wolf growled louder, urgingto shift, to attack, to protect.

But Grayson didn’t givea chance to act on it. He grabbed my hand again, pullingback into the crowd.

The crush of bodies was overwhelming. People were screaming, shoving, trampling over anything and anyone in

their way. A woman to my left fell, her face pale with terror as she clawed at the ground, trying to get back up A

man to my right was yelling at someone to move, his voice barely audible over the chaos.

“Stay close,” Grayson said, his voice a steady anchor in the madness.

“I'm trying,” | snapped, nearly losing my balance as someone shoved past me.

Another gunshot cracked through the air, and the crowd surged forward like a tidal wave. | was almost knocked

off again, but Grayson’s grip on my hand didn't falter.

Then, out of nowhere, a man stumbled into our path, clutching his side. Blood seeped between his fingers, his

face contorted in pain. He looked up at us, his eyes wide with fear, before collapsing to the ground.

| froze again, my gaze locked on the growing pool of blood beneath him.

“Ava, keep moving!” Grayson'’s voice snappedout of my daze.

“I_he-"

“There's nothing we can do for him,” he said firmly, pullingforward.

my feet

The exit gates were in sight now, but the crowd was Bottlenecking there, people screaming and shoving in their

desperation

to escape.

“Grayson, this is insane,” | said, my voice shaking. “We're not going to make it out of here like this.”

L

“We will,” he said, his tone leaving no room for doubt.

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Chapter 172

Another shot rang out, and this t| caught a glimpse of the shooter-a figure in black perched on the roof of a

nearby booth, a rifle in hand. My wolf growled louder, demanding to be unleashed.

“They're up there!” | yelled, pointing.

Grayson didn’t even glance in that direction. “Don’t look. Just focus on getting to the exit.”

“But”

“Ava, focus!” he barked, his tone snappinginto silence.

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We pushed closer to the gates, the crush of bodies almost unbearable. A child nearby was crying, clinging to his

mother as

and she screamed at someone to let her through. A man was yelling at another man to move faster, his face

twisted in anger fear.

The air was thick with panic, the screams blending into a deafening cacophony. My head was spinning, my chest

tight with fear and adrenaline.

“Grayson,” | said, my voice barely audible over the noise. “What if we don't-"

“We will,” he said again, his grip on my hand tightening. “I promise.”

| wanted to believe him. | wanted to trust that he could get us out of this. But the chaos around us felt

suffocating, and the image of the man with the hole in his head was still seared into my mind.

We were almost at the gates when another shot rang out, closer than ever. The crowd surged again, and | was

nearly ripped away from Grayson as someone shoved between us.

“No!” | screamed, reaching for him.

He caught my wrist just in time, pullingback to him. “I've got you,” he said, his voice steady despite the

chaos.

We broke through the crush of bodies and reached the gates, stumbling out onto the street. The screams and

gunshots faded slightly as we moved further away, but the tension in my chest didn’t ease.

Grayson didn’t stop until we were a safe distance from the carnival, his hand still gripping mine tightly.

Finally, he turned to me, his expression a mix of frustration and concern. “Are you okay?”

I nodded, though my legs felt like jelly and my heart was still racing. “What the hell was that?”

“It's not over,” he said grimly, his eyes scanning the area. “We need to keep moving. They won't stop until I'm

dead.”

| stared at him, my mind struggling to process his words. “Grayson... who are ‘they’? Why are they after you?”

“I'll explain later,” he said, his tone leaving no room for argument. “Right now, | need you to trust me.”

| wanted to scream at him, to demand answers, but the urgency in his eyes stopped me.

1

My wolf growled low in my chest, her instincts tellingto fight, to protect. But I forced her down, focusing on

Grayson

instead.

“Okay,” | said finally. “I trust you.”

His expression softened for a brief moment, and he nodded. “Good. Let's go.”

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Chapter 172

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I made to follow him, my feet barely hitting the ground, when everything seemed to blur. Onarcond, Grayson was

pullingforward, his grip firm on my wrist, and the next-everything stopped.

Tfelt like it warped. Was it too fast, or was it too slow? My heartbeat hammered in my chest, and | could hear

the chaotic clamor around us dimming in my ears, a rising pressure building.

Then | heard it.

A sharp crack, a sound so jarring it cut through the air like a knife. The shot echoed, and in the sbreath,

something cold splattered across my face. My mind barely had tto register it before | felt the rush of warmth,

the metallic tang of blood soaking into my skin.

| looked up, my vision clearing just in tto see Grayson stumble back, his expression frozen, eyes wide in

shock. A gasp ripped from my throat, my body screaming as | tried to reach out for him. But it was too late.

He collapsed.

His knees buckled first, his body falling in slow motion, his hands outstretched like he was reaching for

something- anything-before he hit the ground with a sickening thud, blood pooling around him, staining the

pavement a dark, crimson red.

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