The Alpha King's Contracted Luna by Nelson Claudia

-Ava’s POV-

The scent of blood still clung to the air, sharp and metallic, even fier we'd left the scene. I tried to push it from

my mind, but the image of the man’s twisted face lingered, haunting me. His eyes wide in fear, his mouth agape

as if he'd been trying to scream for help, but his voice was lost to the chaos that had erupted around him. The

whole thing felt wrong, unsettling in ways | couldn't fully explain.

Grayson hadn't spoken a word during the drive back to the mansion. His grip on the steering wheel was so tight

his knuckles were white, the tension in his jaw evident even from my seat beside him. | wanted to say something

to break the silence, to case the mood, but the words didn’t come.

Maybe because | wasn’t calun either.

What scaredwasn't the threat scrawled in blood on the ground, though it certainly didn’t help. It was the way

a part ofwondered if they were right. If the chaos we were heading in would really pull Grayson down. And

maybe, just maybe, if I'd just given in, maybe the fall wouldn't be so hard.

I didn’t know. I couldn't know.

Grayson didn’t speak as we entered the mansion, the cold quiet of the halls swallowing us both whole. He didn’t

glance my way; he just stormed off, disappearing into the vast expanse of the house like he needed to be alone,

to sort through whatever had been set into motion tonight. | wasn’t sure if it was rage or fear that fueled him,

but knowing Grayson, it was more likely to be anger. Anger at being threatened, anger at being put in a situation

where he didn’t have control.

| couldn't just sit there, not knowing what was going on inside his head, so I quickly changed into something

comfortable and took a long, hot shower. The water didn’t do much to ease the tightness in my chest, but it was

something. When | climbed into bed, the weight of the night was too heavy to ignore | tossed and turned for

what felt like hours, my mind whirlwind of thoughts that refused to settle.

Eventually, | couldn't take it anymore. | slipped out of bed and made my way down the hallway, my feet silent on

the plush, carpet as | approached Grayson’s room. My hand hovered over the door handle for a moment before |

pushed it open.

And there he was, standing right in front of me, hand raised as he’d been about to knock.

He froze, his eyes flickering with hesitation, and for a moment, | wasn’t sure what either of us was doing. He

dropped his hand and gavea quick, unreadable glance. | stood there, frozen myself, trying to gauge his

mood, but there was nothing to go on. His expression was closed off, as always.

“Hi,” | said softly, my voice quiet, almost cautious.

Without waiting for a reply, | stepped aside, silently asking him to conte in. He didn’t say anything, but after a

long moment, he passed me, walking into the room without looking back. | closed the door behind us and

watched him as he glanced around, his posture stiff and deliberate. It wasn’t like him to act this way, like the

space was too small for both of us, like it was a battlefield we were both walking into.

I didn’t know how to fix this, how to break the tension between us. But | knew | had to try.

“You know,” | said, trying to make my voice light, “I never got the chance to thank you for the built-in closet.

It’s... perfect. It's every girl's dream, really. Everything fits just the way | wanted.”

He didn’t respond immediately, and | could feel the silence dragging on. | tried again, this tadding a teasing

tone. “How did you know my size? Do you have ssort of magical ability to size people up?”

He didn’t look at me, his jaw tightening slightly, but the hint of something flickered in his eyes. A smirk, maybe,

or something close to it.

08:52 Tue, Dec 17

Chapter 83

“I know people.” he muttered, his voice low,

| raised an eyebrow. “Is that all! No secret fashion expertise or sconnection to the clothing gods?”

BK 93% %%

n

A slight smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth, but he didn’t answer, and that left the awkward silence

between us hanging in the air like smoke.

| wanted to say more, but | could feel the walls he’d built up around himself again, Grayson was a master at this-

shutting down, retreating into himself when things got too close, too uncomfortable.

“Er...” | shifted on my feet, glancing around the room as if | could somehow find a way to dissolve the tension.

“Do you want to sit down? You can sit on the bed, if you want.”

He didn’t move immediately, and for a moment, | thought he might just refuse. But then, slowly, he lowered

himself onto the edge of the bed, his movements slow and deliberate. | followed, sitting beside him. The

mattress shifted under my weight, and still, he didn’t speak. The silence stretched between us, thick and almost

unbearable,

“Okay,” | said breaking it. “Let's play a game.”

Grayson shota skeptical look. “A game?”

“Yeah.” | said, forcing a grin. “It's a simple one: It'll help us get to know each other a little better. It's just surface

stuff, don’t worry. | saw it on a tv show and it was fun. You don’t have to think too hard about it.”

He raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying into the idea. But | pressed on. “Here’s how it works. I'll say two things-

like ‘pencil’ or ‘pen-and you just have to choose one. No thinking. Just whatever comes to mind first. Simple,

right?”

Grayson stared atfor a moment, clearly hesitant. He wasn’t the type to engage in anything that seemed...

trivial. But after a beat, he nodded.

“Fine,” he said, though there was a guarded edge to his tone.

“Great!” | clapped my hands together. “Okay, first question: Black or white!”

“Black” Grayson answered immediately, no hesitation.

| couldn’t help but smile. “Okay, that’s easy. Next: Coffee or tea?

“Coffee.”

“Interesting,” | said, leaning against the dresser. “Are you one of those people who can’t function without it?”

“Depends on the day,” he muttered. “Next.”

| paused, looking for something that might make him laugh, something lighthearted. “Okay, here's a fun one:

Werewolves or vampires?”

A smiled touched his lips, “Vampires”

I let out a small laugh, “Alright, something a little more serious: Risk taker or play it safe?”

He didn’t answer immediately. There was a shift in his expression, like he was considering the question more

carefully. Then, finally, he muttered, “Risk taker.”

“Hmm.” | smiled. “Figured.”

It wasn’t long before the gstarted to feel less awkward. With each question, he warmed up a little more, the

tension in his posture starting to loosen. And, to my surprise, he even started giving answers that weren't

completely gruff or curt. It felt like we were actually connecting, if only in small, silly ways.

Chapter 83

Eventually, the questions becmore playful, even ridiculous,

“Okay,” | said, trying to hold back a laugh. “Chocolate or vanilla

“Chocolate,” he replied without a second thought.

“Yeah, | knew that one,” | said, grinning, “It's like, a given. What about this one: Winter or summer?”

“Summer,” he said quickly. “Though it’s too hot sometimes.”

1 grinned, sensing the moment shifting. “Alright, Grayson, next round. No overthinking. You ready?”

He leaned back slightly, resting his hands on the bed behind him. There was a flicker of something in his eyes-

curiosity, maybe even amusement. “Go on, then”

“Okay. Sweet or savory?”

“Savory,” he replied instantly.

“Savory.

“Cats or dogs?”

“Neither,” he said with a shrug.

| raised an eyebrow. “No pets? Not even as a kid?”

He paused for a second, his jaw tightening slightly. “No pets,” he said firmly, his tone making it clear he didn’t

want to linger on the topic.

I nodded, keeping the glight, “Fine. Moving on-rain or sunshine?

“Rain,” he said without hesitation then added, “It's feels peaceful

“Fair enough. Morning person or night owl?”

“Neither. | don’t sleep much,” he admitted.

| frowned slightly at that, but | kept going. “Alright, this one’s important: pancakes or waffles?”

“Pancakes,” he said, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

“Oh, good choice. That's the only acceptable answer,” | teased, feeling the air between us growing lighter.

We kept at it, the questions growing sillier, the atmosphere less sprained:

“Books or movies?”

“Books.”

“Red or blue?

“Red

“Okay, how about this one: mountains or the beach?”

“Mountains,” he said, leaning forward slightly. “The beach is too exposed.”

laughed softly. “You have a way of making everything sound ominous, you know that?“

08:52 Tue, Dec 17 a

Chapter 83

He gave a small huff that could have been a laugh. “It’s a gift.”

93%1

For a moment, | let myself enjoy the easy rhythm of our conversation. Grayson’s usual guarded demeanor

seemed to have cracked, just enough forto glimpse something softer underneath. It was strange, but in a

way, it felt.. natural.

“Alright, last one for now,” | said, my tone turning more thought. “What happened to your parents?”

The words slipped out before | could stop them, and the shift in his expression was instant. His body went rigid,

and his eyes darkened, but before he could put up his usual defenses, he answered.

“I killed them.”

word

word

mmMwWLIII0fiflo&1

mmMwWLIII0fiflo&1

mmMwWLHI0RAO&1

mmMwWLIII0fiflo&1

mmMwWL1i10f1ifl0&1

mmMwWLIiI0fiflO&1