The Alpha King's Contracted Luna by Nelson Claudia

Chapter 145

-Grayson’s POV

That phone call with Isabella had been the moment everything graveled the moment | could no longer deny

what had been right in front ofall along.

Her words had lingered in the air, heavy and inescapable, echoing in my mind like the haunting refrain of a

songs

“Lilian is in love with you.”

Even now, | could still feel the weight of those words pressing against my chest, suffocating yet liberating. I'd

spent so long running-running from my feelings, from her, from the very idea of love. But yesterday, something

shifted.

Ava. In love with me.

It was like a floodgate opening, a deluge of emotions I'd kept buried for far too long. The memories crushing

back-the way she'd always looked at me, like | was more than my flaws, more than the darkness | carried. The

sound of her laugh, bright and full of life, echoing in the spaces I'd thought were irreparably broken.

The way she believed in me.

And I'd realized, with a startling clarity, that | might not fully comprehend the feeling but if it was supposed to

feel like this then I loved her too.

| wasn’t sure when it had happened, when she’d slipped past my defenses. Maybe it had been inevitable, like a

tide slowly pullingin no matter how hard | fought against it. But it was there, undeniable and overwhelming.

Ava had my heart.

Just like Alaric had said but | had refused to focus ok then until now.

That was why, without hesitation, I'd booked the next flight home. Somewhere between the departure gate and

takeoff, I'd called Isabella again, seeking her advice one last time. Her words had been simple: “Just show up.”

So, I did.

I had once told myself that Ava Pierce was beautiful, but it was a sentiment | had barely cared to acknowledge.

At the time, i had convinced myself it didn’t matter-it couldn't matter. But even then, | knew | had lied to myself.

| could lie no longer.

Ava wasn't just beautiful. She was out-of-this-world beautiful. The kind of beauty that made the world pause.

The kind that leftspeechless. And | couldn’t even remember the last t| had been rendered so utterly lost

for words. When | saw her tonight, standing there with her quiet confidence and an elegance that felt almost

ethereal, the only words | could

muster were,

“Happy birthday.”

Utterly pathetic.

| hated how things had unfolded with Elaine, but for once, | was almost thankful she had stepped in. She became

the buffer | desperately needed because, in that moment, | wasn’t sure what | might have said to Ava.

What was worse was the secret | carried. | still hadn't decided whether to tell her about her twin-the sister she

didn’t even know existed. The sister who, wherever she was, happened to be my fated mate. The weight of that

truth gnawed at me, growing heavier with every interaction, every stolen glance, every heartbeat that drew me

closer to Ava.

After Evelyn's interruption pulled Ava away, | let her go, watching her retreat into the hall knowing that | would

ever let her walk away from me.

Mon,

Chapter 145

My feet carriedto the balcony of the mansion almost on their own accord, seeking the cool night air like it

could calm the storm brewing in my chest. | leaned against the railing, staring out at the sprawling land

stretching before me.

My mate was out there somewhere. Finding her-being with her was the only way to break the curse that had

haunted my bloodline for generations. It was simple. Logical. Necessary.

And yet, | didn’t want to.

| exhaled, the sigh heavy with frustration, and made a silent decision to shove the thought aside. | would deal

with it only when | absolutely had to. For now, my focus was Ava. It always cback to her.

“You're never going to let her go, are you?”

The voice startled me, pullingfrom my thoughts. | turned my head to find Evelyn standing a few feet away,

her expression hard to read but her eyes piercing.

She was the beginning of it all-the woman who had given birth to my fated mate. If anyone knew where her

daughter was, it would be her. But | didn’t answer her question. She already knew the answer. Instead, | asked

the question even though | was already sure of the answer.

“Does Ava know she’s a twin?”

The reaction was immediate. Evelyn paled-not the mild discomfort she'd shown when I told her Ava had gotten

her wolf back at the restaurant. This was something deeper, something visceral. Her lips parted slightly, and for

the first time, | saw the resemblance between her and Ava. But her silence spoke louder than any words and it

confirmed my thoughts.

Ava didn’t know.

“That's why you know about the curse,” | said, my voice low. “That's why you hateso much. Giving birth to a

child fated towas the reason you had to make that choice.”

Evelyn seemed to regain her composure, her eyes hardening as she spat, “I have no idea what you're talking

about. Ava is my only child, and-"

“Do you ever stop lying?” | interrupted, my tone sharp. “We both know you gave birth to two children, and only

one could survive.”

“They could both survive,” she snapped, her voice rising with a sudden anger. “One would just never be whole.”

chose was taken, and you were left with “That's why you treat Ava the way you do, isn’t it?” | pressed. “Because

the one you the one who would never measure up in your world. So you spent years forcing her to be perfect

when she has always been everything she was meant to be.”

Her anger flared. “Don’t you dare stand there and lectureabout how to raise my daughter. If it weren't for

your cursed bloodline, | wouldn't have had to make that choice! My daughters would have been normal. One

wouldn't have been born t hold so much power that she beca target and was stolen from me.” Her voice

cracked at the end, the pain bleeding through her words.

I didn’t respond immediately. | just stared at her, letting the silence stretch between us. She continued before |

could speak.

“And as if it wasn’t enough that your family’s curse took one of my children, you went and took the other. You

might not have been responsible for the first because we cannot fight fate, but you hold every ounce of

responsibility for what Ava has

become.”

“I only gave her the chance to be who she was always meant to be. And for someone who lacks a heart, it's sad

—even to-that you can’t see Ava is the best thing that could have ever happened to anyone.”

| turned to walk away, but her voice stoppedin my tracks.

10:44 Mon, Jan 13 MGB

Chapter 145

“I don’t know where my other daughter is, but | will never stop looking for her. And when I find her. | will bring

her hDo you know what will happen then?”

She didn’t wait forto answer.

“You'll be drawn to her by the pull of the mating bond. You'll have your mate and the key to breaking the curte,

or Ava-the one you've fallen for. Either way, you'll lose her. She was never meant for you, so why don’t you do

yourself a favor and make it easier?”

| had no response to that. All | knew, with every fiber of my being, was that Ava was mine. Fater mate or no fated

mate.

A slow smile tugged at my lips. “I don’t care how long it takes. I'll find a loophole to break the curse, and maybe

you should concern yourself with how much Ava will hate you when she finds out the truth.”

Evelyn's eyes flashed with worry. “You can’t tell her about this.”

I hadn't planned to, but | asked anyway. “Why not?”

“Because Ava thinks with her heart, not her head. She’ll want to do the right thing. She'll leave you so you can

be with her sister.”

| almost laughed at how she twisted it, trying to make it seem like she was doinga favor. “We both know

that’s not the reason. But | couldn't care less about your lies. Ava and | were meant to be, and after this ball, do

yourself a favor and stay out of our lives.”

With that, | turned and walked away. But before | left, | stopped and looked back at her.

“In case no one’s ever told you this, you're a horrible mother, Evelyn Pierce.”

I didn’t wait for her reaction. My feet carrieddown the hallway, back toward the grand hall where Ava was

because | knew exactly what | wanted to say to her and weirdly, | felt a strange, bittersweet sense of relief.

The moment | reached the entrance, the scene beforestoppedcold-but only for a heartbeat. Rage

surged through my veins, faster than thought, drivingforward. In five long strides, | was in the center of the

hall. My hand closed around Dylan’s neck, his startled gasp barely registering. Every ounce of fury and strength |

possessed surged throughas | lifted him effortlessly, my vision red with fury, and hurled him straight through

the wall.

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