The Alpha King's Contracted Luna by Nelson Claudia

Chapter 200

Chapter 200

-Grayson'’s POV-

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A tiny smile tugged at my lips as Elaine exaggerated her movements, trying to mimic sDisney princess |

couldn’t even guess. She raised her hand tically, twirling in place and then jumped a little, shaking her

head in mock frustration.

FD

“Con, jumping? Frogs? Tiana,” she laughed, collapsing onto the floor opposite me. Her hair stuck to her

damp forehead, her cheeks flushed from the exertion, but there was a brightness in her expression that

somehow managed to keepgrounded. “You know what? | think you're the problem. You suck at this game,

Grayson. And don’t think | haven't noticed- you refuse to take a turn.”

| didn’t reply, but the corners of my mouth twitched again. This was... easier. Sitting here with her, distracting

ourselves. How long had we been doing this? Hours? Days? | didn’t know anymore. And for the first time, | didn’t

care. With something else to focus on, I'd stopped counting the minutes and the ways this could end.

Elaine shifted, lying back down on the cold floor. The sweat on her skin made her slide slightly as she stretched

out. | glanced at her, feeling a faint pang of guilt. We’d been trying-I had been trying-to find a way out of here.

But without my wolf and without hers, we were essentially powerless. The drugs that had kept us immobile had

worn off, but even with her movement restored, her connection to her wolf was still gone. We were hurt,

vulnerable, and out of options.

I'd tried everything. Every damn thing. But no amount of clawing at the vault door or searching for weak spots in

the walls had made a difference. Eventually, | had to accept the harsh truth: there was nothing | could do. Elaine

had suggested | stop stressing and wasting energy. She’d said if this was how it ended, we might as well make

the twe had left bearable.

“Like when we were kids,” she'd added with a small smile. “You remember? The imitation game.”

And I'd agreed. Because acceptance, no matter how daunting, felt lighter than the crushing weight of failure.

Elaine sighed, breaking the silence. “You know what would be epic?” She turned her head to look at me, her

brown eyes bright with that spark of mischief | had forgotten she used to carry. “One of us realizing we have,

like, superpowers. You know, just out of nowhere and we can bend metal.”

| frowned at her. “What?”

She rolled her eyes and sat up. “Oh, right. | forgot you becyou and stopped watching cartoons. Anyway,

there's this series where people can bend the four elements-water, earth, fire, air.”

“So where does metal bending cfrom?”

“It's an extension thing! Like waterbenders can blood-bend, firebenders can control lightning, and airbenders

can fly. But earthbenders? They're the coolest. They can control sand, rocks, metal... even lava. There's this

character who thought he was going to die, and then-bam-he discovered he could lava-bend.”

She trailed off, noticing the way | was looking at her. Her playful expression faded slightly, replaced with

something softer, more uncertain. “What?” she asked. “Why are you staring atke that?”

“Because it's been a really long tsince I've seen you like this, | said before | could stop myself. The words

hung in the air between us, heavy with meaning | wasn’t sure she’d want to acknowledge.

Elaine smiled, but it was tinged with sadness. Before either of us could say more, a sharp hiss filled the room.

Gas. Again. Elaine sighed heavily, sitting back against the wall as the acrid sell filled the air.

“He’s pumping more of it in each time,” she muttered, brushing her hair out of her face. “Goddess, | still can't

believe he’s

14:58 Tue,

Chapter 200

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doing this. | can’t believe | fell for it. I'm so stupid.”

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| shook my head, leaning closer to her. “Hey, none of this is your fault. Do you hear me?” | waited until she

looked at me, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. “If anyone's to blame, it's me. made bad choices, Elaine.

For fifteen years, | lost sight of everything | used to care about. | becsomething | hate.” My voice cracked

slightly, and | took a deep breath, forcing myself to continue. “If I'd been stronger, smarter, better... maybe we

wouldn't be here.”

She stared atfor a moment before smiling again, that ssad smile that made my chest ache. “I just... |

wish it wasn’t too late.”

I didn’t know what to say to that. My gaze drifted to the vault door, still locked, still impenetrable. | had no idea

how to get us out of here. My eyes fell to the jacket I'd discarded earlier, and something clicked.

An idea.

| stood abruptly, grabbing the jacket and turning it over in my hands, inspecting the seams and fabric. Maybe...

maybe | could use it to block the vent where the gas was coming in. It wasn’t much, but it was something.

“What are you doing?” Elaine asked, watchingcuriously.

“I'm trying something,” | muttered, not looking at her as | climbed onto a nearby crate to reach the vent.

Elaine rolled her eyes and peeled off her shirt, leaving her in a sports bra. She tossed the shirt toward me. “Here.

Use this too.”

| froze, suddenly aware of her bare shoulders and the sweat glistening on her skin. | turned my head quickly,

focusing on the vent. “Elaine... what the hell are you doing?”

“Oh, don't be such a prude,” she said, laughing lightly. “It’s just a shirt. We're literally dying here, Grayson.

Focus.”

Despite the situation, | felt weird. | knew she was grown but it all just felt really weird. “I am focused,” |

muttered, shoving the jacket into the vent opening and adjusting it to block the flow of gas. Elaine handed me

her shirt, and | added it to the makeshift barrier. It wasn’t perfect, but the hissing sound dulled slightly.

Elaine sat back on the floor, brushing her hair out of her face. “So... now what?” she asked, her voice edged with

tired humor.

| stared at the makeshift barrier I'd created over the vent, “I have no idea.”

She laughed softly, though there was no real joy in it then she glanced toward the vault door, her smile fading as

a quiet stillness settled over her. “Do you think anyone’s coming for us?

I didn’t respond immediately. | wanted to lie, to give her ssliver of hope, but | couldn’t. | shook my head

slowly. “No,” | said finally, the word heavy in my throat.

Elaine nodded as if she'd expected that answer, but the sadness her eyes cut deeper than | thought it would. |

looked away, swallowing the bitter thought that crept in uninvited. She wouldve cfor me. If I hadn't pushed

her away, if | hadn't ruined everything, she would have come. But | had no right to think about her now. | shoved

the thought aside, focusing on the faint sound of gas still hissing through the vent.

Suddenly, a sharp pop echoed through the small space, and the jacket and Elaine’s shirt-my last, desperate

attempt to block the vent-were blasted out with a violent force. The fabric crumpled to the floor, useless.

Elaine’s eyes widened, and she scrambled back against the wall. “What's happening?”

Before | could answer, a thick cloud of gas began pouring into the room, far more than before. The hissing grew

louder, suffocating, and the acrid smell burned my nose and throat. Elaine coughed, pressing the sleeve of her

arm against her face

14:59 Tue, Feb 11 BE

Chapter 200

as her wide eyes darted around the room.

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FD

The sound of metal creaking filled the air, sharp and grating, and the walls seemed to tremble slightly. My chest

tightened with panic as | realized something was shifting-something big. Without thinking, | grabbed Elaine and

pulled her close to me, shielding her as best as | could.

“What the hell is going on?” she choked out, her voice muffled against my

shoulder.

“I don’t know,” | said, my heart hammering in my chest. The creaking grew louder, building into a deafening

groan that echoed through the vault. The floor beneath us seemed to vibrate, and then-

Boom.

The explosion ripped through the room with a force so powerful it knocked the air out of my lungs. Heat and light

engulfed us, and the sound was deafening, a roar that drowned out every thought and then | felt myself

slammed backward, the impact jarring every bone in my body.

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