The Alpha King's Contracted Luna by Nelson Claudia

Chapter 24

Ava’s POV

“What did you just call us?” Isabella’s voice cut through the air like a blade, sharp and low, snappingout of

the spiral of thoughts swirling in my head. She was already on her feet, her posture tense and ready for a fight.

Meanwhile, my mind was still trying to catch up with the bomb Monica had dropped.

Grayson had almost married her?

Why didn’t it happen?

Why was she back now?

The kiss that | had tried to push out of my mind suddenly felt heavier, more significant. The questions in my

head multiplied, each one feeding my growing frustration. And yet, Monica just stood there, smiling atlike

she had all the answers and was enjoying watchingscramble to find them.

“Are you even sure you are okay? If you insultone more time, you will regret it” Isabella’s angry voice

snappedback to the present. | blinked, realizing that she and Elaine were already deep in a heated argument

while Monica continued to look atwith that infuriating gleam in her eyes.

Everything was starting to make sense. Why she had that look of superiority in her eyes at his office? Why she

knew that our encounters were far from over. Was it how it was going to be? A constant power play where she

would be trying to get him back and then it suddenly hitthat | had only one year and then anything could

happen between them.

I didn’t care. | shouldn't care.

“You need to get something through that airhead of yours,” Isabella continued, stepping toward Elaine. “You

don’t own this house. If anyone is a stray here, it’s you. Lilian is the one who's going to be Luna, not sex-

fiancée.”

Monica let out a low, mocking laugh, joining the conversation like she had been waiting for her moment. “A lot

can change in the span of two weeks. | mean, three days have already turned into two weeks.”

| shook myself out of my daze, finally turning to face her. “Whatever happened between you and Grayson in the

past, whatever reason you broke up-that’s none of my business. But what IS my business is you throwing

yourself at him now.”

Her smile grew wider, more condescending. “Oh, so she speaks.

| clenched my jaw, refusing to be drawn into her game. “I'm not doing this,” | said firmly, my voice steady

despite the anger bubbling under the surface. “Isabella and | were here first. If you want to use the theater, you

can wait until we're done. But this conversation? This whole thing?” | waved my hand between all of us. “It's

over.”

Elaine snickered, turning to Monica as if | hadn't said anything at all. “I told you she had a sense of entitlement.

Like she actually matters here. Giving orders like she’s important, while the other one-" she flicked her gaze to

Isabella, “is just uncultured and doesn’t know when to shut up.”

That did it. Isabella let out a growl, low and primal, the sound sending a shiver down my spine. Before | could

stop her, she launched herself at Elaine, tackling her to the ground. Elaine yelped in surprise, but it didn’t last

long. They hit the floor hard, and Isabella’s claws were out in an instant, swiping at her, landing blows that made

the air crackle with tension.

Elaine struggled beneath her, her eyes glowing as she tried to shift, but Isabella was relentless. Her hands

gripped Elaine’s arms, holding her down as she landed another punch. The sound of flesh meeting flesh echoed

in the room, and for a moment, it looked like Isabella had the upper hand.

But then Monica moved.

| saw her out of the corner of my eye, her stance shifting, her eyes darkening as her wolf threatened to surface.

Panic shot

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through me. | didn’t have a wolf to shift into, no supernatural strength to rely on. But | wasn’t about to let Monica

jump Isabella when she was already dealing with Elaine.

Without thinking, | moved. | crossed the space between us in a heartbeat and yanked Monica back by the arm,

pulling her away from thes

fight before she could pounce on Isabella. She stigmbled, caught off guard, but it didn’t last long. She whipped

around to face me, and for a split second, | saw the wildness in her eyes. Her wolf was dangerously close to the

surface, and | knew | was in trouble.

Her claws shot out, sharp and menacing, and | barely had tto react. Years of being around Isabella had

taughta few things about fighting werewolves, but nothing could really prepare you for facing one head-on-

especially when you didn’t have the luxury of shifting. But | wasn’t helpless.

Before she could shift fully, | tackled her to the ground, throwing my weight against her to knock her off balance.

It worked, and she hit the floor with a thud, stunned for a moment. But | didn’t stop there. | did the only thing |

could think of-I grabbed a fistful of her hair and yanked, hard.

She let out a snarl, her claws swiping at me, but | managed to dodge just in time. Her nails grazed my skin,

leaving a burning sting in their wake. The pain shot through me, but | gritted my teeth, refusing to let her see

how much it hurt.

Monica's eyes glowed with rage as she struggled to pushoff. She was stronger, and | knew | wouldn't be able

to hold her down for long. But | didn’t need long. | just needed to keep her from shifting, keep her from attacking

Isabella.

Suddenly, a voice rang out, cutting through the chaos. “What the hell is going on in here?”

We all froze.

Hooked up to see Liam standing in the doorway, his expression a mix of shock and confusion. His eyes scanned

the room, taking in the scene-Isabella pinning Elaine to the floor,straddling Monica, both of us breathing

heavily, our hair disheveled and our clothes askew.

Elaine took the opportunity to shove Isabella off her, scrambling to her feet and rushing over to Liam, her eyes

wide with fake innocence. “They attacked us!” she cried, pointing an accusing finger atand Isabella. “We just

wanted to watch a movie, and they went crazy!”

Monica, finally able to sit up, wiped at her mouth and nodded in agreement, her face flushed with anger. “We

were just trying to be civil, but they-" she glared at me, “-they started this.”

| could see Liam's confusion deepen, his gaze flicking between all of us. His eyes lingered onfor a moment,

and | saw something shift in his expression-something darker, more calculating. He wasn’t buying their story. Not

completely, anyway.

“Is that true?” he asked, his voice cold, detached. The kind of tone that sent a chill down your spine.

Isabella stood, brushing off her clothes and shaking her head. “They cin here trying to kick us out. We were

just minding our own business.”

Elaine opened her mouth to protest, but Liam held up a hand, silencing her. His eyes were still on me, sharp and

assessing. | could feel the weight of his stare, like he was trying to figure out if | was worth the trouble.

“Why are you here, Monica?” His question was directed at her, but | could feel the ripple of tension it caused.

Monica hesitated for a fraction of a second, but then she straightened, her confidence returning. “I was visiting,”

she said smoothly. “I am Elaine's best friend afterall.”

I ground my teeth. Of course they were best friends.

Liam's eyes flicked toagain, and | could see the question in them but | didn’t have tto process it. Monica

was already moving, stepping closer to Liam, playing the part of the wronged ex. “I didn’t chere to cause

trouble,” she sighed, her voice softening, dripping with faux vulnerability.

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Chapter 24

Elaine’s voice was laced with false innocence as she tried to play the girlfriend card, her fingers lightly brushing

Liam's arm while she wiped at her already dry eyes. “Look at what she did to me,” she whined, trying to sound

pitiful. “She’s completely out of control, just like when she outed us to Grayson. She had to right.”.

She turned toward me, her face twisted in a self-righteous scowl. “I told Grayson she doesn’t belong here, but he

wouldn't listen, and now look at what's happening.”

| swallowed hard, trying not to let her words get under my skin. The anger boiling insidewas barely

contained, but | didn’t let it show. | had to stay composed. But Goddess, it was hard not to snap right back at her.

Liam's expression remained unreadable, but | could see something shifting in his eyes, like he was calculating

his next move, weighing all the pieces. Then his voice cut through the tension, low and commanding, almost

chilling. “To Grayson’s study,” he ordered, his eyes still fixed on me, sharp and unreadable. He didn’t spare

Elaine a glance, not even acknowledging her presence. “All of you.”