The Alpha King's Contracted Luna (Ava and Grayson)

-Grayson's POV-

"I think it's time for you to go home."

The words cut through the silence like a knife, dragging my attention away from the glowing laptop in front of me. I snapped my gaze upwar

was

speaking. Liam stood in the doorway, watching me with a look that said he wasn't going anywhere until I acknowledged hirri

I tried to ignore him, but his next words made it impossible. "It's been five days."

I raised an eyebrow, keeping my voice controlled but not quite masking the irritation that crawled through me. “And how would you know tha

"Elaine told

me,” he said casually, as though his point were already clear. “And, well, given the recent circumstances. I'm sure your rotten attitude has

My jaw tightened, and I resisted the urge to stap back with something bitter. Instead, I let my gaze darken, my tone low and hard “She's fucky she's not fired. No one can do anything right

"Have you ever thought that maybe you're the problem?" Liam voice was unwavering, despite the sharpness in mine.

The ice in my stare froze him in place, but he wasn't done. “I mean, you're clearly upset about something that happened. with Ava, and now I opened my mouth, ready to tell him to watch his tone, but he cut me off, waving his hand dismissively. “Yeah, yeah. I know. I should watch powerful and scary. He didn't wait for me to respond, turning on his heel and leaving without another word, leaving me with nothing but the s "I killed then"

The words rang through my mind as if I were still standing in that room. It was bad enough that this sentence haunted me in memories that I don't know why I said it. Maybe I needed her to understand the darkness I carried, the horrors of what I was capable of. Maybe I wanted h know just how deep the monster inside me ran, to see if she would stay despite it-

or because I didn't want to hide that part of anything anymore.

It wasn't a spur-of-the-

moment thought; the words had formed before I even thought them, and her shock mirrored. everything I needed to know about how she sa

me now.

İ

That's why I'd been avoiding her. As much as Liam irritated me he was right. My anger was a fire that would consume everything around me But as I walked through the door of my mansion, my first instinct was to find her. The need to seek her out was stronger than the urge to re

My feet carried me faster than I intended, driven by something I couldn't name—

something that pulled me to her

despite the chaos inside me. But what I found there was a conversation Chadn't expected, one that instantly set my blood boiling

it was disrespect–pecially from my pack.

If there was one thing I would never tolerate

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I stood in the doorway, storing at the old man who was so clearly afraid of me that he looked seconds from soiling himself

And then, I heard her voice-soft and questioning, cutting through

the tension. "Who is a great king that everyone likes,

I narrowed my eyes at her, already knowing what she was doing. It was a distraction—

a deliberate attempt to steer me away from what was happening. But before I could react, she grabbed my hand, pulling me away from the

I didn't resist as she led me away, though I could feel the heat of boy gaze still burning a hole through the old man's back. I shot him one las

Then. Ava turned to me. her face suprisingly calm, free of the disgust I had expected. Instead, she was smiling softly as if nothing had happnoveldrama

I couldn't stop myself from pausing, momentarily disarmed by her smile. But the weight of the conversation I had just interrupted quickly hit me again. I wasn't in the mood to be distracted.

“What were you doing in the kitchen?” I demanded, my voice more forceful than I intended.

Her smile didn't falter. “I wanted to meet the Omegas. It was going well. They even invited me to their feast later"

My fury flared up instantly. "What feast?”

The fact that she wasn't fazed only irritated me further. "The one you and I will be attending

this evening. It's so you can meet your pack members. They need to see that you're a human being."

A laugh of disbelief almost escaped me. "There will be no feast. My voice was low and dangerous, the anger inside me nsing, “I didn't sign

She interrupted, her smile fading into a sharp look of irritation. "You'll what? Threaten someone? Kill them? Just like you were ready to kill th Her words were like a slap in the face. I tried to speak, but she cut me off, her tone unwavering “Things were going well until you showed up I blinked, stunned. “My bad attitude!”

"Yes, Grayson,” she said, her eyes hard as she met mine, unflinching. "You have a terrible attitude. Let's start with the fact that you've been issues. Won't be returning. Full stop. Thursday."

I opened my mouth to argue, but she held up her hand, silencing me. “Let me finish. I get it. I pushed too far with asking about your past. Bu She was relentless, and for the first time in a long while, I felt exposed. "The people in this pack-the

Alphas in this realm-

they make you king. And they're people with feelings. You act like you find reasons to be angry when there's no reason to be You're like a I tried to speak, but she wasn't done. “I'm not finished, I will make things right with the pack. Tim going to show them what it means to be a l one who carts respect, not through fear, but through understanding. There will be a teast, and I'll make sure it happens. You can choose to She paused, looking at me with a finality that left no room for argument. “And you tell Elaine to stop punishing Omegas, or

I will."

With that, she turned on her heel, walking away, and then shouted back in Italian, “Tu sei assolutamente impossibile!” (You) are absolutely i And just like that, she was gone. Leaving me standing in the hallway, speechless, unsure of what to say- or what to do next.

I let out a frustrated sigh, running a hand through my hair as I tried to shake off the suffocating tension that had built up inside me

still trying to digest all her words. So, I decided to go with the original plan and headed for the exclusive open held on my estate, where I usu

The familiar breeze hit me as I began to undress, the cool air against my skin comforting in its own way. But as I started to stretch, somethin

Nothing.

1 paused, trying to ignore the strange

tug in my chest, brushing it off as nothing. I reached again, this time with more urgency, more focus. Still, nothing. The emptiness stretched his presence- becoming clearer, more distinct.

My breath hitched, my body going rigid as the full weight of the situation hit me. I reached out again, my heart hammering in my chest

Silence

No growl, no sharp, instinctual pull. Just an overwhelming void.

And then it hit me. A cold, paralyzing realization that crashed through me like a wave. I couldn't feel him. I couldn't sense

him

It was like my wolf... was gone.