The Alpha King's Contracted Luna by Nelson Claudia

not like this.

| scrambled to my feet, my body protesting every movement as adrenaline surged through my veins. My eyes

darted around, searching for anything I could use. The hallway was narrow, lined with old pipes and wires, but

nothing that would helptake him down.

The man recovered quickly, his eyes glowing with a predatory light as he stalked toward me. His claws flexed,

the sound of them scraping against each other making my stomach churn.

“You should've stayed away,” He sneered, lunging atagain.

I ducked under his swipe, my back hitting the wall as | reached up and grabbed a loose pipe hanging from the

ceiling. With a burst of strength, | yanked it free and swung it at him with everything I had.

The pipe connected with his side, and he let out a snarl of pain, doubling over. | didn’t wait for him to recover. |

bolted down the hallway, my footsteps echoing loudly in the confined space.

I could hear him behind me, his growls growing louder as he gave chase. My heart was pounding, my mind

racing as | turned a corner and spotted a stack of crates. Without thinking, | shoved one of them over, sending it

crashing into the narrow passage behind me.

The man cursed loudly as the crate smashed into the ground, buyingprecious seconds.

| didn’t waste them. | sprinted down the hallway, my wolf screaming atto move faster, to find Grayson

before it was too late.

The hallway opened up into another room, this one smaller and lined with strange equipment. My eyes darted

around, searching for any sign of the vault but | couldn't find it.

But before | could take another step, a low growl rumbled from behind me.

| turned just in tto see the man burst into the room, his claws extended and his eyes blazing with fury. Blood

trickled from the corner of his mouth, and his lips curled into a feral gri

“Nowhere to run, little wolf,” He said, his voice dark and taunting

My grip tightened on the pipe in my hand, my knuckles turning white. My heart pounded as my wolf clawed at

the edges of my control, desperate to shift and take over. It would be so easy to let her out, to tear through this

man standing in my way. But | couldn't. If I shifted, the others would hear, and that might trigger them to blow

up the vault. | couldn't risk Grayson'’s life like that.

The man stepped closer, his lips curling into a cruel smile. His claws flexed, and | knew he was ready to strike

again. My wolf surged forward, and | was seconds away from letting her take over when his expression shifted.

His eyes widened, his body tensing like he'd just realized something was wrong.

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Chapter 202

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Then | heard it—a sharp crack that echoed through the air. Before | could process what was happening, the man

collapsed in front of me. My mouth fell open in shock as | saw my mother standing behind him, holding his still-

beating heart in her bloodied hand.

She dropped the heart onto the ground with a sickening thud, reaching into her suit jacket for a white

handkerchief. She wiped her hands with precision, her face twisting in irritation as she looked at the blood like it

had personally offended her.

My mouth opened, but no words cout. My mother had just killed someone. She'd saved me.

She spoke, her tone dry and clipped, as if she were discussing a mundane task. “We need to get moving. Your

lousy friend and Rickon are standing by. If we get caught, the wolves will storm this place, but until then, let's

find the vault and finish this.”

| stared at her... | just stared.

“Ava,” she snapped sharply, her eyes narrowing at me. “Con

The authority in her voice snappedout of my daze. | nodded quickly, following her through the dim hallway.

My mind was racing, still trying to process what I'd just seen.

We moved in silence, our footsteps echoing faintly. | glanced at her, half-expecting her to break the tension, but

she was focused, her eyes scanning every corner like she was waiting for the next threat to appear.

Then, without warning, she stopped abruptly.

“What are you doing?” | whispered, my voice barely audible.

She let out an annoyed huff and reached down to unbuckle her heels. Straightening up, she tossed them to the

side and muttered, “They're too loud.”

| blinked at her, startled. Never in my life, not even once had | seen her without heels. Had | seen her not

dressed to perfection.

She rolled her eyes like she knew exactly what | was thinking, “I don’t wear heels all the time. And right now,

they're making too much noise. We're trying to sneak through a goddamn steel factory, not prance around in a

ballroom.”

She straightened up, now walking with the sprecision, but without the clack of her heels echoing behind us.

| had to quicken my pace to match hers as she moved forward, her gaze sharp and focused.

We continued down the corridor, her every step calculated. | could sense something was about to go down, but

before | could figure it out, a low growl rumbled in the distance.

Without warning, my mother stopped, holding up a hand. We froze. Her eyes darted around, and | instinctively

followed her lead, staying low and silent. We stayed frozen, waiting for something to happen, but the silence

stretched on. My mother tilted her head slightly, her sharp gaze scanning the shadows. | held my breath, every

nerve in my body on edge.

After a moment, she straightened up, her expression calm but tense. “False alarm,” She muttered. “Let's keep

moving.”

Relief mixed with unease as | nodded and followed her. My steps were quick, matching her brisk pace as the

hallway stretched on endlessly.

And then | saw it. The vault.

A gasp escaped me, and before | could stop myself, | rushed toward it. My mother was right behind me, her

sharp voice cutting through my excitement. “Ava, wait-

14:59 Tue, Feb 11 BB

Chapter 202

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“It’s here!” | said, practically throwing myself against the massive steel door. My hands ran over the cold metal,

searching for any mechanisin to open it. “We found it! Helpopen it!”

She hesitated, her eyes narrowing as she studied the vault. “Something about this feels wrong. Why would it just

be here? Unprotected and-

“Mother,” | said, cutting her off, my voice urgent. “Helpopen it. Grayson is in there!”

Her lips pressed into a thin line, but she didn’t argue. She stepped forward, her hands joining mine as we

searched for a way to unlock it. The mechanisms were complicated, but together, we worked as quickly as we

could.

Finally, with a low groan of metal, the vault began to open.

| barely waited for the door to swing fully open before | stepped inside. But the moment my eyes landed on the

figure inside, | froze.

It wasn’t Grayson or Elaine.

It was my father. He was tied to a chair, his face bloodied and swollen. His mouth was gagged, but his eyes were

wide with panic. He shook his head furiously as if trying to warn me.

Behind me, | heard my mother gasp, “Luther?”

Before | could process any of it, the vault door slammed shut behind us. My mother and | spun around at the

stime, and my blood turned to ice as | saw the man standing there.

His lips curved into a slow smile. A smile I'd seen a thousand times before-only now, it was nothing like the one |

had grown up loving, “It’s nice of you to join us, Evelyn.”

Then his eyes landed onand the smile deepened, “Little Dove.”

AD

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