The Alpha King's Contracted Luna by Nelson Claudia

Chapter 243

Chapter 243

-Grayson'’s POV-

“How did you know exactly this was going to happen?” Rickon asked as | dragged him through the chaos, his

arm slung over my shoulder, his weight slowingdown more than I liked, “Actually, the better question is, why

was | the one that had to take the hit?”

| turned to glare at him, my patience already wearing thin, “Keep your whining until we're out of here or, better

still, keep quiet.”

But, of course, this was Rickon. And quiet wasn’t in his vocabulary.

“I'm actually touched you're helpingout instead of shoving Ava into your skin and carrying her out of here.

And now that | think of it, you and 1- we haven't really gotten any one-on-one bonding tsince all of this

started. | guess congratulations are in order and | call dibs on being the godfather.”

| let go of him without hesitation. He hit the ground with a groan, rolling onto his side with a curse as |

straightened and started walking ahead. Men rushed past me, charging into battle. The clash of bodies, the

sharp, metallic scent of blood in the air, the gunfire, the snarls, the unmistakable sound of bones snapping-it all

formed a symphony of war behind me.

Rickon groaned from the ground, trying to prop himself up, “I was joking. Grayson, con. | won't say anything

else. | promise.”

| stopped, exhaling sharply, and turned back to him, “You break that promise, and | swear, I'm leaving you here.”

He grinned despite his injuries, and | grabbed his arm, yanking him back onto his feet. We kept moving, this time

with him limping less and cooperating more. Evelyn and Maria, who | had ordered to leave first, should be out by

now. Elaine would soon be joining them, and then Ava and Isabella were supposed to follow.

Raina who had been in on it, had smirked before everything went down and said, “I'm a woman of spirit,

Grayson. I'll find my way.”

The truth was, | didn’t know exactly how this would play out. Not down to the details, at least. But | had the

general picture, and | had gotten the idea after Liam's visit. Damien wanted Ava. He was watching all of us. And

if there was one thing | had learned about Damien after everything he had done to this realm over the last few

months, it was that he liked to play games. He was unpredictable. So if | was going to win, | had to stop being a

piece on his board and beca player.

After Raina revealed the truth, | told her to let herself be captured. If Damien had her, his next move would be

predictable- he would go after Ava. And if he had a habit of watching all of us, of proving his superiority, then he

would cfor us, too. | needed to control the battlefield, to ensure | knew where to send my men. So | had

Ricardo, a slimy enough bastard that no one would question his sudden change of loyalty, get in touch with

Damien and arrange an attack on Ava.

Rickon and | were meant to wait and watch, adjusting to whatever Damien threw our way, while our people set

up the perfect strike. And | made sure we had numbers. | didn’t care how many men Damien brought to this

fight-he wasn’t getting away this time.

More of my men would keep pouring in. There would be nowhere for him to run.

That was why | didn’t bother chasing him myself. We had taken him by surprise, and Raina had already dealt him

a blow. The walls were closing in on him, and for once, he wasn’t the one in control.

And then there was Isabella. Because Rickon had blabbed about everything-much to my irritation-she had

insisted on being part of it, and, as much as | hated to admit it, that had been a good call.

I didn’t tell Ava about the plan. If it was going to work, it had to be real. Someone might have had to get hurt.

And Ava even as much as | loved her would have messed toys up... she was too good. She would have tried to

stop it.

I'loved her.

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Chapter 243

The thought echoed back atand it was strange-too light for a battlefield, for a moment like this-but it settled

in my chest in a way that nothing else did. And, for a second, it almost madesmile.

Rickon must have noticed, because he buffed, “You know, if you're going to stand there smiling about how

perfectly all of this is working, you might as well-

Before he could finish, movement caught my eye. Isabella and Elaine appeared, stepping into view just ahead of

us, their expressions tight.

They weren't supposed to be here.

My stomach turned cold.

Where was Ava?

Isabella answered my unspoken question the moment she reached for Rickon, shifting his weight off ofand

onto herself and Elaine. Her voice was steady, but | could see the flicker of urgency in her eyes.

“We have a problem,” she said, “Lilian went back.”

The ground beneathmight as well have shifted.

She what?

Isabella’s next words cut even deeper, sharp and unforgiving, “Crystal has their father-her father. She's

threatening to kill him. You need to go.”

For a second, all I could do was stare.

If | wasn’t on what | would call probation with her | would have gotten angry on just how stubborn she was but |

fight have tto think. I just moved.

“What direction?” My voice was already colder, sharper, my body shifting back into battle mode as | scanned the

area.

Elaine pointed toward the west corridor.

“Through the east wing, down past the lower level. There's an opening in the back of the compound-Thstd where

Crystsl asked her to come. Ava went before we could stop her.”

I didn’t wait for another word.

| was already running.

The sounds of battle beca blur behind me. The gunfire, the growls, the chaos-it all faded to the background.

My heartbeat was a steady, relentless pulse in my ears. My shoes hit the ground hard, each step pushing me

forward, faster, faster, faster, until | was sprinting through the dimly lit halls, dodging fallen bodies, vaulting over

debris.

| should have expected this..

| should have known Ava would do something like this. Not exactly this, but still. She had a habit of running

headfirst into the fire, thinking she could put it out with sheer determination alone. It was one of the things that

made her who she was- one of the things | loved about her. But right now, love didn’t matter. Right now, | was

angry.

The frustration rose hot in my chest, but | shoved it down. There wasn’t tfor anger, not when she was out

there, making reckless decisions that could get her killed. | pushed forward, my mind already calculating the

fastest way to the lowe

I should have accounted for this.

els.

My shoes hit the stone floor hard as | made my way down, my breath steady despite the chaos around me. The

sound of fighting echoed from above-gunfire, snarls, bodies slamming against walls-but | kept moving. My hand

tightened around

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Chapter 243

the grip of my gun. Ava was my priority now.

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The stairwell was dark, the flickering emergency lights casting long shadows against the damp concrete walls.

My shoes barely made a sound as | took each step carefully, muscles coiled tight, senses on high alert. The

second | stepped onto the lower level, | felt it.

A shift in the air.

A split second of warning.

And then-pain.

FD

A sharp, tearing bite to my leg. | stumbled, my knee slamming against the cold floor, my vision flaring white for

a moment. | twisted, my gun already coming up, my teeth clenched against the pain, and | saw him.

Liam.

I knew him instantly. The massive black wolf loomed over me, saliva dripping from his snarling jaws, his golden

eyes burning with rage. | had been there the first the transformed, and many times after. | knew his

movements, his instincts -but that didn’t mean I could predict him.

And even worse, | was wolfless and his intention was clear. He was out for blood and before I could I had tto

get back on my feet, he bared his teeth and lunged again.

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