The Alpha King's Contracted Luna by Nelson Claudia

Chapter 187

Chapter 187

-Ava’s POV-

1 didn’t move.

And he didn’t count.

We continued staring at each other then | took a shaky step forward, my voice trembling but still desperate,

repeating the words again because maybe if | said them over and over, then he would finally allow himself to

hear and believe what | was saying, “Grayson, please. | didn’t do this. You know me. You know | would never

betray you like this.”

His jaw clenched so hard | thought he might shatter his teeth, but his eyes...those beautiful, piercing eyes | had

memorized every inch of-they were dead. Hollow. And that emptiness guttedmore than his words ever

could.

“Do 1?” He said coldly, his voice cutting throughlike a blade. “Do | know you, Ava? Because everything |

thought | knew about you....” He let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head. “It was all a lie, wasn't it?”

“No!” | cried, my voice cracking. “It wasn’t a lie! Grayson, | love you! I-”

“Stop.” He held up a hand, his tone sharper now, like a whip lashing at me. “Don’t. Don’t you dare say that word

toagain. Love? You don’t know the first thing about love. If you did, you wouldn't have stabbedin the

back!”

Tears were streaming down my face now, hot and relentless, but | didn’t care. | stepped closer, desperate to

reach him, to break through whatever wall he had thrown up between us. “I didn’t stab you in the back, Grayson.

| swear on everything | am, | didn’t do this. | didn’t send those messages. | didn’t feed anyone information.

Please, just letexplain-"

“Explain what?” he roared, his voice shaking the very walls of the study. His fists slammed against the desk, and

| flinched involuntarily. “Explain how you wormed your way into my life? How you stood by my side, lookedin

the eyes, and lied toevery single day?!”

“Grayson, please,” | choked out, barely able to speak through the sobs that wracked my body. “I didn’t lie to you.

You have to believe me. You have to!”

“Why?” He demanded, stepping closer now, his presence looming overlike a storm cloud. “Why should |

believe you, Ava? After everything I've seen, after everything I've found, why should I believe a single fucking

word that comes out of your mouth?”

“Because you love me,” | whispered, my voice barely audible, yet the words seemed to echo in the silence that

followed.

For a moment, | thought | saw something flicker in his eyes-pain, hesitation, maybe even regret. But it was gone

as quickly

it came, replaced by a coldness so absolute it madeshiver.

as

“I did love you,” He said finally like he couldn't even believe he was actually saying the words, his voice

breaking, and for the first time, | saw the cracks in his armor. His hands clenched into fists at his sides, and he

turned away from me, as if looking athurt him too much. “I loved you so much it terrified me. You were the

one thing that made this....this life bearable. | would have given you everything, Ava. My trust. My protection. My

heart.”

| stepped closer, my hand reaching out toward him even though | was trembling. “Grayson, you still can. I'm

here. | love you. Please, don’t do this.”

He spun around, his eyes burning with unshed tears, and for a moment, | thought he might break. But instead,

he shook his head, his voice trembling with barely-contained fury. “Do you know what it feels like, Ava? To give

someone everything, only to have it thrown back in your face? To realize that the one person you thought would

never hurt you was the one holding the knife the entire time?”

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Chapter 187

“Grayson-"

R

029%°

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“Do you know how many nights | stayed awake, thinking about you? Wondering if | was enough for you?

Wondering if you would stay by my side despite everything I've done, everything | am?” His voice cracked, and

he laughed bitterly. “And all that time, you were just playing me, weren't you? Just another game, another pawn

for you to manipulate!”

His words hitlike a physical blow, each one slicing through my heart until | thought | might collapse under

the weight of it all. “That's not true,” | said, my voice barely above a whisper. “I never played you, Grayson. |

loved you. | still love you.”

“Stop saying that!” he yelled, his voice raw and broken now. He ran a hand through his hair, pacing the room like

a caged animal. “Do you know what the worst part is? Even now, after everything, a part ofstill wants to

believe you. A part ofstill wants to pull you into my arms and pretend this never happened. But | can’t. |

can’t because every t| look at you, all | see is betrayal!”

His voice cracked on the last word, and | saw the tears glistening in his eyes. My own heart shattered at the

sight.

“Grayson,” | whispered, taking a step closer, my voice trembling. “Please, just givea chance to prove it to

you. Letshow you that I'm telling the truth. You don’t have to believeright now, but don’t throw this

away. Don’t throw us away.”

He stared atfor a long moment, his face a mask of conflicting emotions-anger, pain, sorrow. For a brief

second, | thought he might relent, that he might letin. But then his expression hardened, and he shook his

head.

“There is no ‘us,’ Ava,” he said quietly, the finality in his tone cutting deeper than any blade ever could. “Not

anymore.”

| felt my knees go weak, but | forced myself to stand, even as the tears blurred my vision. “You don’t mean that,”

| said, my voice trembling. “You're just angry. You're scared. | know you, Grayson. You don’t mean it.”

He looked atthen, really looked at me, and for the first time, | saw the depth of his pain. “I wish | didn’t,” he

said softly. “But | do. Leave Ava. Just go.”

With that, he turned away from me, his shoulders hunched as if the weight of his own words was too much to

bear then he walked pastthen out of the study.

And | stood there, frozen, my heart breaking into a million pieces as the man I loved walked away from me.

Still, | stayed, frozen in place, staring at him as if somehow my silence would fix this, as if staying would undo

the damage. My wolf growled this time, the words clear in my mind, a sharp command.

“Go, Ava.”

My chest tightened as | glanced around the study, taking in every detail. This place had been the beginning of

us, the foundation of what we had built together. Now, it was where it all ended. This time, | knew | would never

see it again.

| wiped the tears from my eyes with trembling hands, forcing my feet to move. Every step felt heavier than the

last as | walked past the men who had been hired to guard him. For once, they didn’t follow me. They didn’t say

a word, didn’t meet

my eyes.

The cold air hitas | stepped outside, but it did nothing to numb the ache in my chest. | walked to the gates,

my head held high despite the devastation inside me, and found Ivan stationed there. The moment he saw me,

he rose to his feet.

“Luna-" he began, but | shook my head, cutting him off.

“It's Ava,” | said firmly, my voice hoarse.

His brows furrowed, his mouth opening to speak, but | interrupted him again. “Please, just takesomewhere,”

| whispered, my voice breaking at the end.

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Demance

15:11 Sun, 2 Feb RR

Chapter 187

*29%8

He nodded immediately, no questions asked, and ledto his car. | climbed in, staring straight ahead as he

started the engine.

“Isabella’s?” he asked tentatively, glancing atin the rearview mirror.

| smiled faintly, shaking my head. “No,” | said softly, giving him a different address. My voice sounded far away,

as if it didn’t belong to me.

The drive was a blur. | wasn’t sure if | thanked him when we arrived, or if he said anything at all. My legs felt like

lead as | stepped out of the car and walked through the gates,

Voices rose around me, people calling my name, offering greetings, but | didn’t stop. | didn’t even look at them.

My focus was on the door ahead of me, the one I never thought I'd approach again.

| raised my hand and knocked.

The door swung open with startling efficiency, and my eyes clashed with my mother’s. She stood there, silent,

her expression unreadable. | braced myself for her rejection, for her to shut the door in my face.

Instead, she stepped back, her arms opening wide.

“Chere, Ava,” She said softly.

The tears | thought had dried up burst forth, unstoppable. Without thinking, | ran to her, crashing into her

embrace.

Her arms wrapped aroundtightly, holdingtogether when | felt like | was falling apart. For the first tin

twenty- five years, my mother was touching me, but | couldn't even process it.

All | could do was cling to her and cry.

People would call this feeling a broken heart, but they would be wrong. Grayson hadn't just broken my heart.

He had brokenentirely.

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