The Alpha King's Contracted Luna by Nelson Claudia

Chapter 71

-Ava’s POV-

“Are you nervous?” Maria asked, placing a few materials on the table in front of her with a calm, practiced ease.

| hesitated, my eyes on her hands as she worked. “I don’t know, replied finally, trying to keep my voice steady. “I

don’t know if I'm nervous or not. I'm just..trying not to get my hopesp, | guess. I've lived without my wolf all my

life, and even though it’s been hard-really hard sometimes-I've learned to live with it. | don’t want to let myself

hope too much only to be disappointed.”

Maria nodded, an understanding glint in her eyes as she arranged the items carefully. The silence stretched for a

moment, broken only by the sound of her preparations. | glanced toward the door where Grayson had stepped

out to take a call. | knew he’d been rattled by that message he’d received-it was written all over his face even

though he tried to mask it.

A chill ran down my spine. Whoever was behind the deaths was just killing randomly; they were going after

Alphas. And if this was about power-well, then the one with the greatest power of all-the Alpha King-was at risk.

Grayson was a potential target. And if | let myself think too hard, I'd realize my father was, too. A powerful Alpha

in his own right, he might very well be caught in the crosshairs.

| forced myself to shove the thought away, willing myself to focus on what was in front of me. Maria had nearly

finished setting up when she straightened, looking up with a steady, determined gaze “Alright,” she said, “I'm

ready to cast the spell”

| swallowed, feeling a mixture of excitement and dread twist in my stomach. “What do | do?”

“Giveyour hand,” she said softly.

I held out my hand, and she took it, her fingers warm and steady against mine as she closed her eyes. Her lips

began to move in a low murmur, words slipping out in a language | didn’t understand. The air around us seemed

to hum, thickening as if charged with invisible energy. My skin tingled, and a strange sensation started to build

inside me-warm, buzzing, as though something ancient was stirring just beneath the surface

For a few moments, | let myself hope, feeling the magic work its way through me. My pulse quickened, and |

thought maybe, just maybe, it was going to happen. | could almost feel it like something was reaching out, trying

to break through

Then...nothing.

The warmth faded. The tingling stopped. | was left in silence, feeling empty and almost hollow.

Maria blinked her eyes open, her brow furrowed. “Something's blocking the spell,” she said, frowning as if she

hadn’t expected that outcome.

| felt a knot of frustration twist inside me. “You mean someone casting a spell right now to stop this one!”

She chuckled, shaking her head. “Aren't you adorable? No, it's not someone else. Something inside you is

blocking it The magic can’t even pass through. What did it feel like the first time?

1 blinked, trying to make sense of it. “When | felt her the first twell, it was like..she warthiere in my head.

And then | heard her say, ‘Find me, Ava.’ It felt so close, and then it was gon

Maria's face softened in thought, her gaze thoughtful. “She asked you to find her..interesting. She paused, her

fingers tapping lightly on the table. “I think | might have gone about thi the wrong way. The spell isn’t working

because we're trying to force her out. But she wants you to cto her. You heard her voice, so she’s

somewhere deep in your subconscious. If we want to reach her..then | need to send you into your own mind.”

| took a sharp breath, processing what that meant. “You mean..that possible?”

“It is,” she nodded, eyes scanning my face. “I can put you into a deep enough trance, one that could let you

cross into your

08:50 Tue, Dec

Chapter 71

subconscious. That way you might have a chance to find her.” She hesitated, glancing toward the door where

Grayson had disappeared. “But this kind of spell...it's not entirely safe. We should probably talk to Grayson about

it first before-

“No.” | cut in quickly, my voice stronger than I'd expected. “I'm sorry, | don’t mean to interrupt, but if Grayson

knows there's even the slightest bit of danger, he'll never agree to it. And yes, aid | didn’t want to get my hopes

up, but if there's even a small chance this could work, | want to take it. So, please. Just sendin.”

Maria watchedclosely, her expression torn for a moment before she nodded in understanding. “Alright. I'll

need to prepare a few more things. Let's head to the back-there’s a space | can use.”

| followed her through the house, my heart racing. We went out to a secluded part of her yard where the trees

hung low, casting shadows across the ground. She drew a circle in the dirt with a chalk, scattering powders and

herbs around it, her movements swift and precise. She placed candles at each cardinal point, lighting them one

by one as they flickered to life.

When she finished, she gestured toward the center. “Lie down inside the circle,” she instructed.

1 hesitated, glancing around at the shadowed edges of the trees. The reality of what | was about to do started to

sink in, and a chill ran through me. | was about to dive headfirst into my own mind, with no idea what | might

find. But if | waited too long, Grayson might return-and he'd end this without a second thought.

“Are you sure about this?” Maria asked, sensing my hesitation.

Taking a steadying breath, | nodded. “If | don’t want Grayson to stop this, then we need to start before he

realizes what we're doing.”

She gave a slight smile, but her expression was serious as she knelt beside me, beginning to chant again. I lay

back on the cool ground, staring up at the sky as the low murmur of her words washed over me. Her voice grew

stronger, the language dark and rhythmic, almost hypnotic. | closed my eyes, feeling a heaviness settle over me,

like a thick, velvet blanket wrapping around my senses..

A tingling crept over my skin, slowly sinking in deeper, as though the very air aroundwas thick with energy.

My breathing slowed, and | could feel my heartbeat steadying, growing softer and softer until | was barely aware

of it at all. My mind started to drift, thoughts slipping away as | felt myself sinking sinking..into a place that felt

vast and endless.

Suddenly, | felt a tug, as if an unseen force was pullingforward, drawinginto an endless darkness. The

edges of the world aroundbegan to blur and fade, dissolving into shadows. My heartbeat echoed in my ears,

growing louder agains the stillness, until it felt as though it was the only sound in existence. Then, the silence

came-so deep, so complete, it felt like it could swallowwhole.

Out of the void, Maria's voice reached me, sounding distant and oddly fragile. “Grayson might killfor this... |

was going to send you in without telling you, because | truly believe you are capable of doing this and | didn’t

want to worry you but | agree with you, all possibilities should be explored. This spell-it will put you in a state of

almost death. That's the only way you'll be able to access your subconscious.”

My eyes shot open-or at least, | thought they did, but | could barely see anything in the darkness surrounding

me. My heart slammed in my chest as fear gripped me, and | tried to sit up, but it was like my entire body was

sinking, like | was submerged under a heavy weight. My limbs felt leaden, unresponsive, as though | were sinking

deeper and deeper into a thick, invisible sea.

“Maria..”l managed to whisper, my voice sounding distant, even to myself. “Stop the spell.”

“If you're strong enough to get through to Grayson, then you can do this,” she said, her voice laced with

something that sounded like both hope and regret. “I know you can.”

“Stop the spell...” | tried to shout, but the words barely formed in my mind, their echoes bouncing endlessly in

the void. The ugging sensation grew more intense, pullingdeeper, harder as though | was being drawn into

the very core of myself.

“You have to find her,” Maria's voice called out one last time, “before the candles burn out. That's how long the

spell will hold.”

Chapter 71

Dec

Those were the last words | heard before a sudden, violent pull yankeddownward. My mind whirled as if |

was falling into an abyss, Laster and faster, Panic clawed at me, but my body felt numb, beyond my control, as if

my consciousness had been tom from it entirely. A brief, flecting thought passed through my mind-a warning-if

Grayson didn’t kill Maria for this, then | just might.

Then, in an instant, the last bit of awareness slipped away, and everything went black.

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