The Alpha King's Contracted Luna by Nelson Claudia

Chapter 38

-Ava’s POV

He tookto Italy!

Italy!

I was still trying to wrap my mind around it as we landed. Not just on any ordinary flight either-his private jet.

Grayson h driven straight to his private hangar, orderedonto the jet, and now, here we were.

In Italy.

For pizza.

| stared at the breathtaking view of the Italian countryside as the jet slowed to a stop, my mind racing. | was just

going to order in. Who takes someone all the way to Italy for pizza?

Grayson Blackwood, apparently.

He didn’t even ask if | had plans, or work to do. He just... decided. And the most ridiculous part was that | had

actually followed him. | could have stood against him even what the order. | didn’t. The man exuded this

unshakable confidence, and | found myself caught in it like a wave. Was this how he always operated?

Just throwing his weight-and wealth-around like it was no big deal?

| wasn’t exactly dressed for this either. The simple jeans and sweater instead of a coat I'd thrown on earlier felt

completely out of place as he leddown the steps of the plane and into a sleek black car waiting for us.

Everything he did was effortless-powerful-and the way people scrambled to open doors for him, clear pathways,

it was like watching a lion movi through a field of sheep.

The ride was quiet, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. | caught myself glancing at him every few seconds, trying to

make sense of this man who could terrify and fascinatein equal measures. His face was unreadable, as

usual-cold, calculating. The kind of cold, like he could shut out the entire world without blinking.

Yet here we were, on what felt like... a romantic getaway.

No. It wasn’t a romantic getaway. It couldn’t be. There was nothing between us like that.

Right?

Stop dreaming Ava.

We finally pulled up to a restaurant that oozed elegance. One of those places where just the scent of food in the

air screamed “expensive.” My eyes scanned the exterior, and immediately, insecurity washed over me. There

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was no way | was dressed for this.

Before | could stop myself, the words tumbled out. “I’m not even dressed for this place

Grayson paused, turning towith that cool, detached expression that always made my heart jump. “It doesn’t

matter what you wear,” he said, his tone so final, like he was stating the most obvious fact in the world. “You

always look stunning.”

1 blinked, taken aback. It wasn’t just what he said, it was how he said it-like my beauty wasn’t even a question.

Like he had decided, and that was that. | swallowed, heat rushing to my checks.

Was he even aware of how his words affected people?

He continued walking without another word, and | had no chole but to follow, still trying to process the fact that

Grayson

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Chapter 38

Blackwood had just complimented me.

Even more baffling?

The fact that it hitso hard.

We stepped inside the restaurant, and immediately, all eyes turned to him. People whispered, and heads turned

like magnets dr to steel, but Grayson? He didn’t even blink. He moved through the restaurant like he owned the

place- which, starting to know him, he probably did.

As we approached a table, a man | assumed was the chef hurried over, his face breaking into the broadest grin

I'd ever seen.

“Signor Blackwood! It's been too long!” The chef practically kissed Grayson’s hand, his enthusiasm borderline

ridiculous. | stood there, dumbfounded, as Grayson nodded curtly, barely acknowledging the man’s presence.

Then, the chef turned to me, his eyes widening as if he was seeing something unbelievable. “Che bellezza!” he

exclaimed, “Welcome: Welcome. What can | make for you? Anything you desire, it is yours.”

1 blinked. “Uh... pizza?” | muttered awkwardly.

He gasped, tically waving my suggestion off. “Nonsense! | will make you something far more worthy of

your beauty. Leave it to me!”

| wasn’t sure what to say, so | just nodded, blushing under the weight of his flattery. Grayson, meanwhile, had

already seated himself, looking completely unbothered by the attention. Like flying someone to Italy for pizza

and having people fawn over him was just another Thursday.

Was this real life?

I slid into the chair across from him, my thoughts still swirling. Everything felt surreal-the atmosphere, the

people watching us, and most of all, Grayson How could he sit there, completely unfazed by all of this?

“So...” | began, trying to break the silence that had settled between us. He had gone quiet again, his focus

entirely on his phone now. “Do you, uh... do this often?”

Grayson glanced up at me, eyebrow raised. “Do what?”

1 gestured around. “This. Flying to Italy on a whim, being treated like royalty... that sort of thing.”

His lips curled into a smirk, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I am royalty and if | want something. | get it,” he

said simply. “It’s as straightforward as that.”

| swallowed, unsure of how to respond. What kind of answer was that?

And yet... it fit him. It fit the image of who he was. Cold, ruthless, completely in control. | guess it was just

strange to experience it firsthand.

The chef returned moments later with plates of food | couldn't even name, placing them in front of us with

flourish. My stomach growled at the sight of it all, but | felt a little guilty eating something so lavish when I'd only

asked for a simple pizza.

“Grazie, la chiamerd se avra bisogno di qualcos’altro.” (“Thank you, I'll call you if she needs anything else.“)

Grayson chef, Interrupting my thoughts:

Of course he spoke Italian.

The chef smiled at me, | returned it and then he left. Grayson turned to me. “Eat. You wanted pizza, so you'll

eat.”

I glanced at him, realizing how ridiculous that sounded. This wasn’t pizza. This was an entire gourmet spread.

But

told the

09:01 Fri, Dec 13

Chapter 38

something about the way he said it made it impossible to argue. He wasn't just tellingto eat. He was

commanding it.

So, | picked up my fork, taking a bite of what looked like skind of pasta. And, unsurprisingly, it was delicious.

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The foc melted in my mouth, rich and flavorful in a way that simple pizza couldn't compare to.

As | ate, | tried to steal glances at him, wondering what on earth was doing here with him. There was something

magneti about him, something that drewin even though every instinct toldto keep my distance.

“Why did you bringhere?” | blurted out suddenly, the question burning on my tongue.

Grayson leaned back in his chair, studyingwith those unreadable eyes. For a moment, | thought he wasn’t

going to answer, but then he said, “Because | can.”

Three simple words. But the weight behind them... it was staggering.

Because he could. Because he had the power, the wealth, the influence to do whatever he wanted, whenever he

want Including flying a woman halfway across the world on a whim.

It wasn’t an answer. At least, not a satisfying one. But | didn’t press him. Instead, | finished my meal in silence,

trying not to think about how surreal this whole experience was.

People were still glancing our way, whispering. And Grayson? He remained completely composed, like this

attention was hi natural habitat. He didn’t care that people stared, didn’t care that the chef had practically

worshipped him, didn’t care abou anything except... what? His control? His dominance over every situation?

As the meal ended, | found myself feeling oddly... out of place. Like | didn’t belong here with him. My family was

rich but it still felt like we cfrom two completely different worlds, and this, whatever this was, wasn’t meant

to happen.

And yet, here we were.

The plates cleared as quickly as they had arrived, but Grayson didn’t even look up from his phone. He was still

typing away. the faint blue glow of the screen reflecting off his sharp features. The silence between us stretched

out, feeling more suffocating than ever I'd been too distracted by the grandeur of the evening to notice earlier,

but now it struck me-I hadn‘ even asked if he was going to eat.

| cleared my throat, trying to break through the wall of silence. “Aren’t you going to eat?”

Grayson'’s eyes flickered up from his phone, cool and distant as usual. “I'm not hungry right now. I will eat when

we get back to the hotel.” Then, without missing a beat, his gaze returned to the screen, like | had already been

dismissed.

Wait, what?

| blinked once, then twice, feeling the weight of his words settle in my chest. “What hotel?”

Grayson looked back up at me, his expression entirely unfazed. The hotel you and | will be staying at,” he

replied, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “We're staying in Italy until Saturday.”

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