The Alpha King's Contracted Luna by Nelson Claudia

Chapter 29

-Grayson'’s POV-

Little Dove?

What kind of ridiculous nicknwas that? And more importantly, why was she so familiar with the uncle of the

man who'd abused her? The irritation surged, gripping my chest. | knew exactly who Damien Cross was.

I'd done my research on Dylan who had just walked in when | had deemed him worthy enough to align with and

when | first met Ava, | never thought I'd end up involved with people | considered so beneath me. Yet here | was,

right in the middle of

i)

Dylan's eyes locked onto Ava as soon as he walked in, hardening with every step he took toward her. But | had to

give her credit-she didn’t cower or flinch. No, she glared right back, full of fire, while the woman glued to his

side-the sone he’d cheated on Ava with-smirked like she’d won the damn lottery,

| wrapped my arm around Ava’s waist, pulling her closer. “The entrance is getting a little crowded with

desperation. Let’s go inside.”

Damien chackled softly, then quickly covered it with a cough. My dislike for him ticked down a notch. Maybe he

wasn't as insufferable as the rest of them. As | guided Ava away, | didn’t miss the way the mistress’s smile

faltered, her confidence crumbling.

Ava groaned beside me, clearly feeling the tension too. “Why is the universe doing this to me?” she muttered,

shaking her head.

“Maybe it's because you agreed to let someone call you Little Dove.”

She laughed. “You have a split personality, you know that? One minute you're scowling like you want to burn the

whole room down backingup against my parents and it’s a cute nickname. Also stop glaring at people, well

except my parents... and Dylan. And Barbie wanna be over there.” Her lips twisted as she glanced toward

Crystal. “Other than that, try not to look like you're planning everyone's demise.”

A smile tugged at my lips, despite myself. Before | could respond, a waiter approached with a tray of champagne

flutes. Ava grabbed two glasses, thanked him politely, and downed both in quick succession.

“Don’t judge me,” she said, looking up atwith a sheepish grin. “With the people in this room? There's no way

I'm getting through the night sober.”

| couldn’t help it-my smile widened. | wasn’t used to smiling this much. Or at all, really. Her expression shifted,

like she was momentarily stunned, but | turned away before she could callout on it.

“Con,” | cleared my throat. “Let's find our seats.”

| led her toward the table that had been set aside for me. Fairy lights hung delicately above, giving the place a

soft, romantic glow. It was obvious Rickon had gone overboard with the decorations-likely a subtle attempt to get

under my skin. The overly sentimental display was ridiculous, but Ava giggled beside me.

“It's so pretty,” she laughed, pullingtoward the seat next to her.

We sat, and as soon as we did, | felt the weight of the room's stares. It wasn’t subtle. People’s eyes tracked our

every move, most of them zeroing in on Ava. | could sense the judgment, the whispers..

It was irritating.

Ava noticed it too, her posture stiffening slightly as | spoke before their judgment settled on her, “The first t|

attended a social event like this after my coronation, everyone stared atand | considered having all their

eyes removed. | believe

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Chapter 29

now that | should have gone through with it so all this irritating taring could have been avoided.”

870%

Ava’s lips twitched, understanding the unspoken message. “What about the ones who didn’t attend that event?”

she asked, playing along.

“Then this would have been the second round of eye removal.”

Her grin spread, and she lifted the drink in front of her. “Thank you,” she whispered softly, a little more at ease.

I didn't know what possessedto keep talking, but the words slipped out before | could stop them. “You

shouldn't let their opinions get to you. They're always going to judge. It doesn’t matter what you do, it’s

inevitable.”

Her eyes widened, clearly surprised by my attempt at... reassurance. Hell, even | was surprised. Either the

temperature in hell was dropping, or my soft spot for Ava Pierce was getting dangerously softer. And | wasn’t

sure which one was worse.

Before the moment could settle too much, the sound of glass clinking caught our attention. We turned, both of

us focusing on Rickon, who stood in the center of the room. With a charming grin plastered on his face, he

launched into a speech, thanking everyone for coming. It was all typical nonsense until he mentionedby

name.

“And a special thanks to the Alpha King for gracing us with his presence tonight,” Rickon continued, a gleam of

mischief in his eyes. “And, of course, congratulations to him on his upcoming wedding to the beautiful Ava

Pierce.

| felt Ava tense beside me. The air around us thickened immediately, and | could hear her sharp intake of breath.

Before either of us could react, her mother’s voice sliced through the crowd like a knife.

“Leave Pierce out of her name!” her mother snapped, loud enough for everyone to hear. “The Pierce family

doesn’t act without dignity, and Ava is no longer a Pierce.”

A heavy murmur rippled through the crowd, eyes flicking between Ava and me. Her face flushed crimson, and |

could feel the rage building in my chest. My wolf growled low, itching to rip something-or someone-apart. |

clenched my fists under the table, forcing myself to stay seated. If | stood now, if | reacted the way | wanted to,

her mother wouldn’t be walking out of here with her dignity-or her head-intact.

Ava’s eyes darted to me, panic written all over her face. | could feel her pain, her embarrassment. She didn’t

deserve this. None of it. And | couldn't just sit there while she was torn down

I leaned in, my voice low and calm despite the storm brewing inside me. “Ignore her. She's looking for a

reaction.”

Ava blinked, looking like she was on the verge of breaking, but she held herself together. Barely.

“And if | stand up right now?” | added, keeping my tone deadly quiet. “I'll make sure she never speaks to you

that way again.” Her eyes widened, a mixture of shock and something else flashing in them. But instead of

speaking, she reached for another glass of champagne, downing it quickly. | could see her hands trembling

slightly as she set the empty glass down.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she whispered, her voice shaking just a little. “She’s not worth it.”

My jaw tightened. Every instinct inscreamed to do something-anything-to put that vile woman in her place.

But Ava’s words heldback, tetheringto my seat when every part ofwanted to rise and deal with the

situation the way | knew best.

Then cthe unmistakable clink of glass again. A hush fell over the room, heads turning in the direction of the

sound. Dylan stood up, his eyes cold, mouth twisted into a smirk that didn’t reach his eyes. Beside him, Damien

was already leaning in, his voice low but firm. “Dylan, whatever you're about to do, don’t.”

Dylan ignored him, brushing off his uncle’s warning like it was nothing more than a breeze. His gaze swept

across the room before landing squarely on Ava, his expression darkening.

“Well, since we're on the subject of congratulations,” he began, the tone in his voice turning bitter, almost

mocking. “I'd like

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Chapter 29

to offer mine to my wife His words hung in the air for a moment before he added, with a humorless chuckle, “Oh

I'm sorry my ex-wife. Sometimes the tdifference gets a liule hurry.

Beside me, Ava went rigid. Her whole body tensed like she was made of stone, and for a split second, it felt like

the world had stopped spinning.

“Dylan, stop it,” Damien growled under his breath, his hand gripping Dylan’s arm. But Dylan wasn’t about to

back down. He had the room’s attention now, and he was reveling in it.

0ooooooooo

He snorted, his next words sharper, cutting through the silence like a blade. “It’s not much of a tdifference,

is it? Considering she’s engaged to another man barely five days after our marriage ended. Things haven't even

been legalized

between us.

| could feel my blood simmering under the surface, every muscle in my body coiled tight. This bastard was

pushing, and | wasn’t sure how long | could hold myself back from ripping him apart.

Ava’s breath caught, her face a shade paler, her eyes still locked on Dylan as if she were waiting for him to stop-

hoping he would stop. But he didn’t, instead he dropped a bomb.

“But you know,” His smile grew crueler, “I'm not all that surprised considering the fact that she has been

sleeping with the Alpha King while we were married.”

SEND GIFT