The Alpha King's Contracted Luna by Nelson Claudia

Chapter 7

-Ava’s POV-

Tick Tock.

The rhythmic tick of the clock echoed louder in my head as | sat outside my father’s study. Each second felt like

it was draggingcloser to my fate. My heart pounded harder with every passing moment, the fear twisting

tighter in my chest.

Lucas Pierce, my father, would never hurtphysically.

But emotionally? His words cut deeper than any blade ever could

“Miss Ava, he is ready for you”

The low voice snappedout of my thoughts. | looked up to see my father’s right-hand man, his face

expressionless as ever. | gave him a tight, barely-there smile and stood, my legs feeling heavier with every step

as | walked toward the door.

With a deep breath, | entered the study.

Before | could even shut the door behind me, his voice cut through the silence like a blade.

“What is the most important thing I've taught you, Ava?”

My body tensed immediately, freezing in place. | hadn't even crossed the room yet, and the interrogation had

already begun. | was wired to him in a way that was terrifying-my fear always ledstraight to him

My eyes automatically found him standing by the window, his back turned to me. Even without looking at me, his

presence, commanded every inch of the space.

He was immaculately dressed in a perfectly tailored suit, every detail sharp, as though the idea of even a wrinkle

in his appearance was intolerable. For a man his age, he looked sophisticated-years of power etched into every

line on his face.

He turned around, and instinctively, | took a step back..

His eyes-a piercing, icy blue, the most dominant color of mine whenever they didn’t swirl-narrowed as they

locked onto me. His gaze had always been cold, calculating

“You know how much | dislike repeating myself

| swallowed hard. My mouth felt dry as | forced myself to respond.

“Perfection is the only way we exist,” | muttered, the words bitter on my tongue.

“Very good,” he said, his voice devoid of emotion as he moved to sit behind his massive mahogany desk. He sat

with the spoised elegance as always, like nothing could ever make him lose control.

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| stood frozen in place, my hands balled into fists at my sides.

“Now,” he continued,

Suze never leaving mine. “Why was | informed that my daughter not only ended her marriage but

publicly humiliated her husband?”

My heart skipped a beat, and my mind raced. | knew this was coming. It didn’t make it any easier to hear. The

disappointment in his voice was enough to makefeel like a little girl again, one who had failed him for the

hundredth

time.

“Ex-husband,” | muttered, the words spilling out before | could stop them.

21:53 Thu. Dec 12

Chapter 7

His eyes darkened, narrowing even more. The tension in the room thickened, and | braced myself for what was

coming

next.

73%

“And who gave you permission to make it so?” His voice was call, but the underlying threat in it was

unmistakable. “That question, however, is irrelevant now. You are going back to your jack, and you will issue a

public apology. You will ask Dylan to take you back, and you will make sure your statement is flawless.

Understood?”

One... two... three... | counted the seconds in my head, forcing myself to breathe before | spoke again.

“That's not happening, Father, | said, keeping my voice steady despite the fear crawling up my spine. “I'm not

going back to Dylan

His brow lifted, his expression hardening. “And why is that?”

I didn’t answer right away. Instead, | reached up and pulled off the scarf wrapped around my neck-the one that

had been. hiding the fading bruise for days. My father’s gaze didn’t waver as he stared at me, but | saw

something shift in his eyes,

A flicker of something I couldn't quite place.

“Because Dylan hits me. Father,” | answered, my voice trembling He has been hittingsince the second

month we got married. | stayed because | thought | could endure it | thought could be the perfect Luna you

always wanted, hide the marks, pretend everything was fine.”

| paused, my throat tightening as the words continued to spill out.

“And what did he do?” | continued, my expectto go

back to that?”

voice rising. “He cheated on me. She's even pregnant with his child. How do you

For the first tin what felt like forever, | felt a strange sense of release. The weight that had been crushing me

for months lifted, even if just a little.

But my

moment of relief was short-lived.

enough,” my father said, his voice as cold as ever. “You will go back and show him that y

you can be

“Then you weren't perfect e

His words strucklike a physical blow, leavingmomentarily breathless. | stood there, staring at him, trying

to process the fact that he still didn’t care. That he would never care.

The first tear slid down my check, unbidden. But | quickly wiped it away.

“No.” | whispered.

“You will do as | say, Ava,” he repeated, this tmore firmly, though there was no need for him to raise his

voice. His authority was absolute.

But something had changed in me. | wasn’t the sscared, obedient daughter who had always cowered before

him | had tasted freedom, however brief, and | wasn’t going to let it slip away so easily.

“No,” | repeated, louder this time. | straightened my spine, lifting my chin. “I won't do as you say anymore,

Father. | am twenty-four years old. I'm not a child you can order around.”

His eyes narrowed even further, and | could feel the weight of his fury pressing down on me. But | wasn’t backing

down,

Not this time.

“I won't go back to Dylan, | continued, my voice steady despite the storm of emotions swirling inside me. “I

won't pretend you. You don’t get to controlanymore. And do you know why?” to be perfect for him or

| could see the question forming in his eyes, but before he could speak. | answered it for him.

21.53 Thu, Dec 12 OG

Chapter 7

“Because I'm no longer just your daughter, Father. | am the Lung to the Alpha King”

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For the first time, real shock flickered across his face. His usually impassive expression faltered for just a second,

but it was enough to givethe strength | needed to keep going.

“You may be able to control everyone else in your world but not him.”

Suddenly, the room seemed to freeze, every molecule of air in the space becoming colder and heavier. My

breath felt sharp in my chest, like inhaling shards of ice. My father didn’t have to say anything forto know his

temper had hit a dangerous peak, but when he finally spoke, the tone was more frigid than I'd ever heard.

“You got yourself involved with Grayson Blackwood?”

Each word was clipped, colder than any winter storm. | knew I'd stepped into a war zone, but | couldn't take it

back now. Steeling myself, | gave him the truth. “Yes. After | exposed Dylan for who he really is, Alpha Grayson

ended the marriage because he has the power to do so, and then he askedto be his Luna,”

I didn’t bother to mention it was a contracted position, not a real bond. That detail didn’t matter right now.

My father’s silence was sharp, slicing through the space between us. When he spoke again, his words were like

venom, each one meant to wound.

“Do you hear yourself? Not only are you a disgrace and a failure, but you're also throwing yourself from one man

to another in the sbreath?”

It was a dagger. Not the first, not the last, but this one cut deeper than any before. I'd always known my father

was disappointed in me, but now, there it was-he thought I was nothing more than a whore.

Something insidesnapped. Lucas Pierce has never madefeel like he hated me. No. There was something

absolutely different. Like a constant reminder that | was a choice and he had chosen wrong and | was done.

1 locked eyes with him, matching his icy glare. “Glad to know your opinion ofis crystal clear now. If you'll

excuse me, | have somewhere I need to be.”

Without waiting for a response, | turned my back on him. For the first tin my life, | didn’t care what he had to

say. But of course, his voice lashed out, cutting through the air like a whip

“Whatever this relationship is with Grayson, end it. Immediately”

A triumphant smile tugged at my lips, though my chest felt tight. “I won't be doing that, Father.”

“Then if you walk out that door, you are no longer a Pierce,”

The finality in his words madepause, just for a second. There it was, the last threat he could make-my name,

my bloodline.

Hand on the doorknob, | took a deep breath, my resolve hardening Without looking back, | responded quietly,

“Then so be

ie.”

And with that, | slammed the door behind me.

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