The Alpha King's Contracted Luna by Nelson Claudia

Chapter 174

Ava’s POV

Grayson died.

For eight agonizing seconds, his chest was still, his breath completely gone. My world stopped with him. And

then, on the ninth second, his chest rose again, faint but alive. Relief hitlike a wave, but it was fleeting,

swallowed almost instantly by the chaos around me..

| don’t remember much of what happened next. Everything blurred. Hands pulled him from me, voices shouted

orders, and | barely registered the sight of his body being placed on a stretcher and rushed inside.

| had thought of my father because had saved lives before in ways that felt almost miraculous. Despite his flaws-

his coldness, his disdain for Grayson-I knew one thing with certainty: he would never turn a patient away, no

matter who they

were.

| stumbled out of the car, my legs unsteady, my mind reeling. Somehow, | followed the stretcher into the

hospital, but when they wheeled him into the operating theater, | stopped. As much as | wanted to run in after

him, | knew better. | might be consumed by fear right now, but | was still a doctor. | knew that crossing that line

would only waste time.

The doors swung shut with a finality that made my chest tighten. | caught a brief glimpse of my father’s face as

he entered the room-calm, focused, and professional. That was all | needed to see.

The strength in my legs gave out, and | sank to the floor, leaning back against the cold, unforgiving wall.

Why was this happening?

We were happy. Just a few hours ago, we were happy.

Why did | ask him to taketo that carnival?

A choked sob escaped my lips, and | buried my face in my hands. | couldn't stop the tears. They cfast and

hard, shaking my whole body as | sat there on the cold, sterile floor..

“Please,” | whispered, closing my eyes tightly, my voice breaking. “Please, Moon Goddess, don’t let him die. I'll

do anything. Just don’t take him from me.”

| didn’t know how long | sat there, consumed by my fear and guilt, when a voice finally broke through the haze.

“Mrs. Blackwood?”

| looked up, my vision blurry from the tears. A nurse was standing in front of me, one | didn’t know from the time

I had spent working here, her expression soft but professional. Her badge read “Rachel,” and her scrubs were

already stained from the rush to stabilize Grayson.

“Yes?” | croaked, my voice raw.

“You should cwith me,” she said gently. “We've moved him into the operating theater, and Dr. Pierce-I mean

your father-is leading the surgery. It'll be a while before we have an update, but you shouldn't stay here on the

floor. Lettake you somewhere more comfortable.”

“I can’t,” | whispered, shaking my head. “I need to be here. | need to-"

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Chapter 17

“You won't be able to help him from here,” she interrupted softly but firmly, crouching down teet my gaze. “I'm

sure you already know your father is the best and has the best team working on him right now. You need to take

care of yourself, too.”

| swallowed hard, her words barely registering. “He wasn’t breathing.” | murmured. “He stopped breathing. What

if he doesn’t make it?”

Rachel's expression didn’t falter. “He’s in critical condition, but he’s alive right now, and that’s what we're

holding on to. The fact that you got him here in tis everything.”

I nodded slowly, my mind struggling to process her words. “Can you-can you tell anything?”

She hesitated, glancing down the hallway toward the operating theater. “I can’t give you specifics yet,” she said

carefully. “But from what I've seen, the bullet missed his heart by a narrow margin. That's a good sign. There's

still a lot of blood loss, though, and his vitals were unstable when he cin. He’s in the best hands now, Mrs.

Blackwood. That's all | can tell you.”

| nodded again even though | was right and | already knew all of that, trying to force myself to take a deep

breath, but my chest felt too tight.

“Lettake you to the waiting room,” she said again. “There’s no point in exhausting yourself out here.”

Reluctantly | let her helpto my feet. My knees wobbled beneath me, but Rachel steadiedwith a firm grip.

She leddown the hallway even though | already knew the hospital by heart, the harsh fluorescent lights

overhead making the walls feel even colder, more sterile.

When we reached the waiting room, | sank into a chair, my hands trembling as | clutched my knees. Rachel

handeda bottle of water, and | took it without a word.

“Ill cfind you as soon as there's an update,” she promised. “But if you need anything before then-anything

at all-you cart ask forat the desk. My name’s Rachel.”

“Thank you,” | managed, my voice barely audible.

She gavea small, reassuring nod turning to leave when | spoke again, “Is my mother in today?”

“No. Dr. Pierce isn’t. in today”

| nodded then she turned to leave. stared at the bottle of water in my hands, my mind racing with a thousand

thoughts at

once.

Grayson'’s still alive. He's still alive.

But for how long?

I don’t know how long I sat there, my mind cycling through every worst-case scenario, my stomach twisting in

knots. Every creak of a door or shuffle of footsteps made my head snap up anxiously, desperate for my father to

appear and deliver the

shatter world. verdict that would either save or

my

Then | heard the sharp clinking of heels against the tiled floor. My head turned instinctively, and | froze when |

saw another nurse leading Elaine into the waiting room.

The moment our eyes met, | braced myself. | expected the usual look of distaste from her-anger, judgment,

anything but what I saw. Instead, she sighed heavily, exhaustion etched into her features, and without a word,

she lowered herself onto the chair next to me.

Neither of us spoke at first. The silence between us was heavy, uncomfortable but familiar. Finally, she broke it,

her tone

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Chapter 174

sharp but not unkind.

“What happened this time?” she asked, her voice steady but laced with something | couldn't quite place.

86%

1 swallowed hard, my throat dry. “We were at a carnival,” | said, my voice barely above a whisper. “Someone

started shooting. and Grayson...” My voice cracked, and | forced myself to continue. “He got shot.”

Silence fell again.

“What are you doing here?” | asked after a moment, my voice tinged with confusion. The last tI'd seen her,

she'd made it painfully clear where she stood. That Grayson was dead to her and we could both rot in hell.

She leaned back in her chair, her hands resting on her still-flat stomach, her gaze fixed on the far wall. “The

hospital called me,” she said simply, her tone devoid of emotion. “I'm still his only surviving family, after all.”

| wanted to respond, to say something-anything-but before I could, my stomach growled loudly, breaking the

tension. Embarrassed, | closed my eyes and tried to ignore it, but the sound was impossible to miss.

To my surprise, Elaine reached into her bag and pulled out a small bar of chocolate. She handed it to me

wordlessly, her movements casual.

| stared at the bar, unsure.

ooooao

She rolled her eyes. “It's from a store. It's not poisoned, if that's what you're worried about.”

Reluctantly, | took it from her. “Thanks,” | mumbled, unwrapping the bar. The gesture was so unexpected, so

unlike her, that

| couldn’t help but wonder why she wasn’t yelling ator blamingfor what had happened this time.

As | tore the wrapper open and brought the chocolate to my lips. | heard footsteps approaching. My heart

jumped, and | raised my head to see my father striding toward us.

Elaine and | shot to our feet at the stime.

My father paused when he saw me, his gaze narrowing as it swept over my face, then down to my outfit, taking

in every detail.

“Well, is he okay?” Elaine asked abruptly, cutting off what | knew was about to be a scolding from him, even

under these

circumstances.

His sharp glare shifted to her, but only for a moment before his eyes returned to me, “Unfortunately,” he began,

his voice dripping with irritation, “the bastard..”

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