The Alpha King's Contracted Luna by Nelson Claudia

The only silver lining, if it could even be called that, was that Isabella had fully healed. Rickon and Eliza were by

her side, ensuring she had all the support she needed. But | wasn’t a good friend-not to her, not to anyone. My

focus was completely consumed by Grayson.

I had called into work, fumbling through a conversation with Dr. Griffin about Grayson’s “accident.” He had been

understanding, givingthe toff | asked for without question. Tessa, thankfully, was doing well. As for

Crystal, who I'd been forced to tolerate over the last few days-well, she could go to hell for all | cared.

up and Now, | sat in Grayson’s room, the dim light casting long shadows on the walls. The healers had cleaned

him bandaged his wounds, but he still looked fragile in a way | had never imagined possible. The all-powerful

Grayson Blackwood, reduced to this. It felt

unnatural. wrong,

| sighed, pulling the chair closer to his bed and reaching for his hand. His skin was warm, a small comfort, but his

fingers were limp in mine.

“You know,” | began, my voice barely above a whisper, “the first t| saw you, | thought you were insanely

hot.” | let out a shaky laugh, tears pooling in my eyes. “I know | was supposed to be focused on getting out of

that damned marriage with Dylan, but part ofjust kept thinking, Wow, this guy is gorgeous. Ridiculous,

right?”

| sniffled, brushing a stray tear off my cheek. “It feels like forever ago now. Like a lifetime.”

| squeezed his hand gently, willing him to giveskind of response-a twitch, a flicker, anything. But he

remained still, his breathing steady but shallow.

“Please wake up,” | whispered, my voice breaking. “Grayson, you have to wake up. You're... you're supposed to

be invincible. The Alpha King, remember? You're the one who saves everyone else, not the one lying here like

this.”

| swallowed hard, the lump in my throat threatening to choke me. Closing my eyes, | leaned my forehead against

our joined hands.

“You know, | used to have this fantasy,” | said softly, my voice barely audible. “A stupid little daydream about the

life | wanted. And for sreason, over time, you becthe man in that fantasy.”

| paused, taking a shaky breath before continuing. “In that world you weren't the Alpha King. You weren't

burdened with all this responsibility, all this pain. You were just... you. Grayson. And we had this little house-not

a mansion, not sgrand estate, just a cozy little house with a garden in the back. You love working in that

garden, did you know that?” | laughed quietly, the sound tinged with sadness. “You'd plant vegetables, and I'd

tease you about how seriously you took it. But you'd just smile at me, that crooked grin of yours, and say it was

for the kids.”

| looked at him, my tears falling freely now. “Yeah, kids. We had two-no, three. Two boys and a little girl. You were

such a good dad, Grayson. You'd take them out to the park every weekend, and they'd cback covered in

mud and completely exhausted, but so happy

My voice wavered, and | wiped at my cheeks, though the tears kept coming. “And you weren't angry or closed off

in that world. You didn’t have to be. You didn’t grow up with all that pain, all those expectations weighing you

down. You didn’t have to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders. You were free to just... live

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Chapter 103

I let out a shaky breath, my thumb brushing over his knuckles. “We'd have these lazy Sundays where we'd all

pile into bed- me, you, the kids. The boys would fight over who got to sit closest to you, and the little one would

curl up on my lap. You'd tell them these ridiculous stories, and I'd just sit there, watching you, thinking how lucky

| was.”

| paused, biting my lip to keep from breaking down completely. You were happy in that world, Grayson. And | was

happy too. No politics, no battles, no bloodshed. Just us, living a simple, beautiful life.”

The room was silent except for the steady rhythm of his breathing and the occasional rustle of fabric as I shifted

in my seat.

“I know it’s stupid,” | murmured, my voice barely audible. “It’s not real. It’s just ssilly dream | cup with

to escape for a little while. But... | wanted it so badly. I still do. And if you wake up, maybe-maybe we can try to

make something like that real. | don’t care about the title, or the power, or any of it. | just want you. | want us.”

I leaned closer, pressing a kiss to his knuckles. “So please, Grayson. Cback to me. | don’t care how long it

takes or what | have to do-I'll be right here, waiting for you. But you have to wake up.”

My voice cracked, and | pressed my forehead against his hand again, my tears soaking into the bandages around

his wrist.

For a long time, | stayed like that, pouring out every little hope and dream I'd ever had for us, letting the fantasy

unfold in my mind like a movie | didn’t want to end. | talked about the vacations we'd take, the silly arguments

we'd have, the way our kids would roll their eyes at us when we danced in the kitchen.

| talked until my throat was raw and my heart felt like it had been wrung dry.

And then, just as | was starting to drift into a restless half-sleep, | felt it-a faint twitch in the hand | was holding.

My eyes flew open, my heart pounding. “Grayson?”

For a moment, there was nothing. Just the quiet hum of the room and the steady rise and fall of his chest.

And then it happened again-a weak, almost imperceptible movement of his fingers against mine.

I shot to my feet, leaning over him. “Grayson, can you hear me? Please, givea sign. Anything.”

His eyelids fluttered, just barely, and a soft, hoarse sound escaped his lips.

My heart felt like it might burst. “You're okay,” | whispered, tears streaming down my face. “You're going to be

okay.”

His lips moved, but no sound cout. | leaned closer, desperate to hear him.

Finally, in a voice so faint it was almost swallowed by the silence, he murmured, “Ava...”

My eyes widened, the sound of my nhanging in the air like a fragile thread. Grayson. It was him. | could

hardly believe it. He was still here, still with me, even if just for this moment.

| scrambled to my feet, my heart racing in my chest as panic began to seize me. “Grayson?” My voice cracked,

too weak and small for the storm of emotions crashing inside me. “You're awake, you're awake!” | rushed to grab

the healer’s bell by the door, desperate to call for help.

But before | could even lift my hand, his grip tightened around mine. His fingers, weak but steady, wrapped

around my wrist with surprising strength, pullingback down to the edge of his bed.

Ava

His voice was hoarse, a broken whisper, but it still carried the weight of everything | needed to hear. Still, my

instincts screamed atto get help. The healers needed to see him, to make sure he was stable. But | couldn't

ignore the raw vulnerability in his eyes, the way he gripped my hand like he was afraid of something slipping

away

I leaned down, trying to steady my breath. Hold on. | said my nice son but urgent. “I'll go get the headers they

neeli

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Chapter 103

know you're awake, you-

He shook his head, his hand tightening around mine, “No. Don’t call anyone. Just you.”

Before | could say anything, he spoke again, his voice lower now, barely audible. “My wolf.”

| blinked, my heart sinking into my stomach. “What about your wolf?”

10.72%

He closed his eyes for a moment, his breath shallow, almost pained. When he opened them again, they locked

onto mine with a piercing intensity that sent a chill through me. Something was terribly wrong. | could feel it. His

hands trembled slightly, his grip on mine barely holding on,

“I can’t feel him,” His voice cracked, as though the very thougin of it was destroying him. “I can’t feel him, Ava.

He's gone.”

FD

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