The Alpha King's Contracted Luna by Nelson Claudia

Chapter 62

-Grayson'’s POV-

| arrived at the office as early as I could the next morning, forcing myself to shove down the anger simmering

beneath the surface. My wolf was clawing for revenge, eager to strike, but | knew that now wasn’t the time. This

needed calculation, not blind rage.

Eliza was already at her desk when | walked in. She didn’t flincher act any different as she rattled off all the

updates | needed. She didn’t even bat an eye, despite the faint smell of alcohol still clinging to her from

whatever escapade she'd had the night before. | had to admit, she was proving to be efficient-maybe even

someone who'd stick around for a while.

Good for her.

| threw myself into work as the day went on, feeling that itch at the back of my mind-the urge to handle what I'd

been trying to ignore. The tapes Carter sent over were waiting for meat the mansion. Id told him to send them

there so | wouldn't get distracted during work hours, but my mind kept drifting back to them, each hour passing

making it harder to resist. Finally, | gave in, packed up my things, and headed home

When | arrived, the mansion was quiet. Almost too quiet, like it was holding its breath. My staff went about their

tasks, but there was an unnatural stillness that prickled at the as | made my way to the study, where the tapes

waited.

Just as | was about to reach the study, a muffled sound cfrom the sitting room, stoppingmid-step. |

turned on my heel and followed the sound, irritation sparking inside me. When | entered, my eyes narrowed as |

saw Elaine seated in front of the TV, which she quickly turned off the moment she sensed my presence. She

fumbled with the remote, her face paling as she looked up at me, a hint of panic flashing in her eyes

| cut her off before she could speak. “I told you not to watch that here.”

My voice cout colder than | intended, and she flinched. “I didn’t know you'd be back so early.”

1 forced myself to take a breath, softening my tone slightly. “I had an entire htheater built for you, Elaine. If

you need

watch it, do it there. Away from me. Understand?”

She nodded, casting her gaze down, and for a moment, something insidecracked. Against my usual

restraint, | reached out, surprising even myself. “Chere.”

Hee eyes flashed with surprise and she hesitated, then stepped forward, slipping into my arms. She rested her

head against chest, and | counted the seconds in my head, giving her the comfort she seemed to crave, until she

was the one to pull away first, murmuring a quiet, “Thank you,” before grabbing her things and leaving the

room.

my

| stared at the blank TV screen, the echo of her presence lingering. Part ofknew it was selfish to treat Elaine

the way | did sometimes, to offer her moments of warmth when | was the one who'd turned her world dark to

begin with. She was only this broken because of me.

When my world becso bleak that even | couldn't bear it, | liked to imagine what we would have been in an

alternaté universe. Maybe she would have grown up with happiness instead of having to go through therapy

sessions that | think screwed her up even more than it did help and maybe if | had been born regular, not with

the burden of a throne that my father was so obsessed with makingfit for, | could have had been happy.

Normal and happy.

Not live in a world where | had to close off everything and everyone because that darkness had festered into

something | couldn't control until it began to controland ended up destroying everything good that crossed

my path.

And right now thinking about it, | wondered if | would have met her.

| hated how much my thoughts always drifted to her.

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Chapter 62

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n

| shook off the thought, reaching for my phone. | sent off a quick text, hoping the after events of it would ease

the ache that had started gnawing at me. With a sigh. | headed to the study, preparing myself for the only thing |

knew how to do now- get revenge, spill blood, and murder.

Hours blurred as | watched the tapes. Person after person appeared on screen, all interacting with the drinks, but

none of them placed anything suspicious in them. Frustration boiled within me, and | was on the verge of giving

up when a knock echoed from the door.

| didn’t need to see her to know who it was. My wolf tensed, growling low within me, a warning | chose to ignore.

“Cin.” | said, voice steady and cold.

The door creaked open, and she entered, her presence filling the room like a gust of wind that rattled everything

in its path She looked at me, the liesitation in her eyes quickly masked.

“You asked to see me?”

“Sit down.”

She moved slowly, each step remindingof the first tshe'd walked into this room, back when I'd offered

her that damned contract. If I'd been smarter, | never would have let things get this far. | never should have lett

in

“The contract will continue as agreed. After the year is up, we'll go our separate ways, just as planned,” | said,

keeping my tone as curt and detached as possible. The words were rehearsed, each one a nail in the coffin of

whatever foolish sentimentality had crept in.

Her face betrayed a flash of pain, but she quickly masked it, nodding. “Okay.”

She started to rise, ready to leave, but | stopped her with a single word. “Wait.”

She sat back down, her expression a mix of anger and hurt, though she stayed silent,

“From now on, | only need you to play the role of Luna on the surface. When your presence is required, I'll let you

know, and we'll attend events together. But beyond that, there’s no reason for us to interact. The other parts of

the contract-your assistance-are no longer needed. You're free to stay here until the year ends, but that’s it. You

may go.”

She looked like she wanted to say something, her lips parting, but then she closed them again, casting one last

look atbefore getting up. She was nearly at the door when she stopped, turning to face me, eyes blazing.

“Do you get ssort of sick satisfaction out of being this cold?

| sighed, rubbing my temples. “Ava, just leave.”

“No. I'm not just leaving.” Her voice cracked, then sharpened, her frustration pouring out. “If you were just going

to do this, why did you even offerthe contract in the first place? No, don’t answer that. Better yet, why even

go through with the wedding?”

| held her gaze, refusing to answer, and the silence only seemed to fuel her rage.

“And now, suddenly, you don’t needto treat your erectile dysfunction anymore? What, were you miraculously

cured. overnight?”

At least she she said the words out loud.

She laughed bitterly. “Or maybe you never had a problem at all, did you? Every tI tried to talk about

treatments, you shutdown. Was this your plan all along? Toying with me? Is this skind of twisted game

to you?”

She let out a hollow laugh, shaking her head. “You know what? I'm done. | signed that contract because | was

desperate, because | was trying to escape from a life that was killingand I hadn't thought things through.

But | don’t need your money, and | don’t need your games. Find someone else to play your pretend trophy Luna

because | won't and screw you. |

09:28 Mon, Dec 16.

Chapter 62

hope you rot in hell”

E

She stormed out, the door slamming shut behind her, and the sence that followed was deafening. | leaned back

in my chair, closing my eyes, feeling the hollowness settle deep inside me, an ache | couldn't quite shake.

| don’t know how | stayed like that until there was another knock on the door. | knew it wasn’t her so | sat

forward, pulling up my walls, “Cin.”

One of my top guards stepped in then bowed his head, “Alpha.”

“What is it?”

“I told I should inform you that your Luna,” He hesitated for a second, “is leaving. With a number of suitcases.”

| blinked. My wolf growled in my head pushingto stop her but | sat still then I looked up at him, saying the

words that | knew would save her frombefore | ruined her.

“Let her go.”

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09:28 Mon, Dec 16

Chapter 63

-Ava’s POV

Screw him.