The Alpha King's Contracted Luna by Nelson Claudia

Chapter 94

-Ava’s POV-

The moment Grayson toldabout the attack, | texted Isabella. Rickon was the target this time, and from the

panic in Isabella's reply, | knew she was already on her way to his house. That alone toldhow bad things

were.

Unrelated to the current chaos, | made a mental note: *Play matchmaker.* Isabella and Rickon were practically

made for each other-if only they could see it. As confident as Isabella liked to appear, deep down, she was a

hopeless romantic who longed for a true mate bond. Maybe it was my duty to nudge fate in the right direction.

And fate being Rickon. She hated womanizers so he needed to learn how not to project that that was who he

was.

We arrived at Rickon’s mansion, and | had to stifle a groan. Why do all the Alphas get the mansions? Seriously,

was it writte into sunspoken rule that power had to cwith sprawling estates?

Before I could dwell on the injustice of it all, Grayson took my hand and ledinside. The warmth of his grip

made it impossible not to smile, even as | reminded myself that this wasn’t the tfor inappropriate grins. This

was serious.

As we walked through the grand hall, heads bowed respectfully in Grayson’s direction. He pulleda little

closer, and my stomach fluttered despite the gravity of the situation.

Focus, Ava. Serious situation, remember?

But the smile slipped from my face entirely when we stepped into the living room. Rickon sat on the couch,

covered in bruises, arguing with Isabella, who was pressing an ice pack to his arm.

“I told you, I'll heal on my own!” Rickon groaned, shifting uncomfortably.

“And | told you,” Isabella snapped, her glare sharp enough to make even Rickon flinch, “that until then, this will

help with the pain. But if you don’t want my help-” She tossed the ice pack at his leg, making him wince.

“My whole body hurts!” Rickon protested.

“Which is why | told you to use the ice pack in the first place!”

| glanced at Grayson, unsure if we should intervene. “Should we step in?”

Grayson surprisedwith his response. “Is that what we look like when we argue?”

| laughed, unable to help myself. “No, that’s what I look like. Rickon seems to enjoy the banter. You, on the other

hand, always look like you're five seconds away from committing murder.”

Grayson'’s lip twitched, almost as if he wanted to smile. | nudged his hand playfully. “Don’t worry, I've decided to

put up with it.”

Without waiting for a response, | moved toward Rickon and Isabella. “Rickon, I'm really glad you're okay” Then |

turned to Isabella, grinning. “And there she is my favorite best friend who somehow magically reappeared here

first.”

Isabella glared at me, narrowing her eyes.

“Now you see how annoying you are when you

do that.”

She opened her mouth to argue, but Grayson stepped forward, cutting her off. “Why did you callhere?”

Okay, clearly someone needed a lesson in compassion. | sighed. What Grayson meant to say was that he’s glad

you survived the attack, and now he would like to know why you asked him to come. Right, Grayson?”

Grayson

shota glare, his default reaction whenever | spoke for him, but then his expression softened. He sighed.

“Yes.”

1/4

09:20 Wed, Dec 18 @

Chapter 94

Q

Rickon’s grin stretched wide, despite the obvious pain it caused him. “Smiling hurts like hell right now, but this is

so for the day | finally made Grayson Blackwood get-"

“Don’t finish that sentence,” Grayson warned, his voice cold as ice.

Rickon rolled his eyes but pushed himself to his feet, grimacing Con, I'll show you.”

Isabella and | instinctively moved to follow, but Rickon turned, fixing us both with a stern look. “I was talking to

Grays You two stay here. Especially you,” he said, pointing at Isabella.

| opened my mouth to protest, but Grayson’s voice cut through the air like a blade. “Stay here.”

| huffed as the two of them disappeared down the hall. “What do you think you're doing?” Isabella asked, arching

a bro

me.

“They told us to stay here,” | replied, though even | could hear the reluctance in my voice.

She rolled her eyes. “I almost forgot-you were the queen of doing as you are told and trying to change these

days. Con on, we're following them.”

“But”

“Right now, Lilian,” she snapped, already moving toward the hall.

| groaned but sprang to my feet. “Yes, ma’am.".

The mansion was even larger than I'd realized. “This place is huge,” | whispered as we tiptoed down the hall.

Isabella smirked. “Of course it is. Alphas and their oversized egos always need oversized houses.”

| grinned despite myself. “You know, Rickon was just attacked, and you still rushed here. Maybe his oversized ego

isn’t suc a bad thing.”

She glared at me, her cheeks tinged pink. “Don’t start.”

We fell silent as we approached a door left slightly ajar. Rickon’s voice drifted through the gap.

“Are you sure about this?” he was asking.

Isabella grabbed my arm, motioning forto stop. We pressed ourselves against the wall, listening.

Rickon sighed. “We managed to catch three of them this time. Two killed themselves before we could question

them. The third... bit out his own tongue.”

My stomach twisted at the thought. Isabella’s grip on my arm tightened, and | could feel the sdread | was

experiencing reflected in her tension.

“What the hell are they so afraid of?” Rickon continued, his voice heavy. “What's this person offering-or

threatening-that makes them so desperate to stay silent?”

I swallowed hard and whispered to Isabella, “Maybe we shouldn't be here.”

But before she could respond, Rickon’s voice rose. “You two do realize we have werewolf senses, right? That

includes hearing.”

My heart leapt into my throat as Isabella and | exchanged wide-eyed looks. Caught

My heart stopped, dread pooling in my stomach as my eyes flicked to Isabella. She was frozen, her lips parted in

a silent curse. Before | could scramble for an excuse or a clever retort, the door swung open, revealing both

Rickon and Grayson

09:20 Wed, Dec 18

Chapter 94

staring down at us.

G

Grayson'’s glare was as icy as ever, his expression a mixture of irritation and mild exasperation. Rickon, on the

other han looked more amused than angry, though the tight set of his jaw hinted at his lingering frustration.

“Really?” Rickon drawled, folding his arms across his chest. “This is what you two decided to do? Sneak around?”

| scrambled to my feet, brushing imaginary dust from my jeans in an effort to appear composed. “We weren't

sneaking,” said quickly, though even I could hear how unconvincing | sounded.

“No?” Rickon arched a brow, his gaze shifting to Isabella, who still hadn't moved from her crouched position.

“Then what exactly were you doing?”

Isabella huffed and stood, her chin tilted defiantly. “We were... looking for the bathroom.”

Rickon opened his mouth to reply, but Grayson cut him off, his voice low and commanding. “Enough.” His eyes

locked or mine, and for a moment, | forgot how to breathe. “You shouldn't be here.”

| swallowed hard. “We were just-"

“Just go back. We are leaving soon,” Grayson said, his tone leaving no room for argument.

But before | could turn away, something caught my eye. A glimmer of movement beyond the two men, behind

the mirrored glass in the room they had been standing in.

I froze.

Not because of Rickon’s and Grayson'’s glares, but because of the scene unfolding in the reflection behind them.

Blood.

So much blood.

It was splattered across the walls in violent, jagged streaks, as if someone had taken a brush dipped in crimson

and lashed out in a fit of rage. Two bodies lay lifeless on the floor, their twisted forms illuminated by the harsh

overhead light. One of them was sprawled on his stomach, his arms bent at unnatural angles. The other was

slumped against the far wall, his eyes staring blankly into the void.

But it was the third figure that truly held my gaze.

ropes dug into his wrists and ankles, the A man, still alive-barely-sat bound to a chair at the center of the room.

Thick fibers stained dark with blood. His head lolled to one side, and fresh blood dripped from the corner of his

mouth, pooling on the floor beneath him,

My stomach churned, a wave of nausea threatening to overtake me.

“What in the hell?” Isabella’s voice broke the silence, sharp and horrified.

Rickon turned his glare on her, his expression darkening. “Is this what you both wanted to

see?”

| couldn’t answer. | couldn't even move. My feet felt rooted to the spot as my mind tried to process the horrific

scene before:

me.

quiet, but there was an edge to it that made my skin prickle. “This isn’t something you should be involved in.

Either of you.”

Grayson stepped forward, blocking my view of the glass. His voice was

But | wasn’t listening. My gaze shifted back to the mirror, drawn once again to the bloodied man in the chair. His

face was barely recognizable, scarred and cut so deeply that patches of raw skin glistened under the harsh light.

But there was something familiar about him, something that tugged at the edges of my memory.

09:20 Wed, Dec 18

Chapter 94

“Ava,” Grayson’s voice snappedback to reality, his hand gripping my arm firmly. “We're leaving.”

Q

| barely registered his words. My attention was locked on the man in the chair, on the faint spark of recognition

that was slowly solidifying into something more.

Where had | seen him before?

86

The thought clawed at my mind, refusing to be ignored. | took a step forward, my pulse pounding in my ears. The

more | stared at him, the clearer it became. And then it hit me.

The gasp escaped my lips before | could stop it.

“I know that man.”

The room fell deathly silent.

My voice trembled as | continued, my words spilling out before | could think them through. “He's... one of my

father’s men

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