The Alpha King's Contracted Luna by Nelson Claudia

Chapter 35

-Ava’s POV-

The news that Grayson was missing spread faster than wildfire, with every news channel running the story.

Different forms, different languages, different words-but none of them had used the word: dead.

missing, and the wreckage to his car was so bad that it would take a miracle from the Moon Goddess for

Yes, his body was n him to have survived.

But he couldn't be dead. He was Grayson Blackwood. He was too powerful, too important for death to take him

so easily. No matter how inevitable death was for all of us, | refused to believe it.

They would find him. Alive.

“Anything yet?” Isabella’s voice broke into my thoughts. She had cinto the room withoutrealizing, her

eyes Liam, who stood just inside the doorway. The look on his face toldeverything | needed to know.

fixed on

“Nothing yet.” He replied, his voice steady. “But | have everyone looking. They will find him.” His gaze shifted

toward me, holding steady. “They will find him.”

1 nooded, my throat too tight to respond. What else could | do? What else could anyone do? The only thing

keepingfrom storming out of the house to join the search was Liam's calm logic. There was no point in me

going out there. No point in panicking. The best thing was to stay here, as he'd reminded Isabella andwhen

we'd first arrived at Grayson’s

estate.

Let the professionals handle this.

The sharp clicking of heels followed, and Elaine entered the living room, followed closely by Monica. Isabella's

eyes narrowed immediately, and | gave her a warning look, silently pleading with her not to start anything.

Not now.

Elaine crossed the room, her arms quickly wrapping around Liam. “I just heard the news. Have they found him?

They'll find him, right? He can’t be dead. He's Grayson.”

For the first time, we actually agreed on something.

Liam gave her the sresponse he'd given us. “They will find him,” he repeated, his voice unwavering. Then

he turned to Monica, his expression hardening. “You shouldn't be here.”

Monica’s lips tightened into a thin line. “Seriously, Liam? This is not the tfor that. Grayson is missing. We can

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continue with the ban once he’s found.”

Liam stared at her for a long moment but said nothing else. Monica glanced atbriefly before quietly moving

to sit in the corner of the room, folding her arms across her chest. | exhaled releasing sof the tension in my

shoulders.

“Let’s turn on the news. See what's happening.” Isabella suggested already reaching for the remote.

“No!” Elaine cut in, her voice cold and clipped. “Don’t turn on any news. | don’t want to hear what all those idiots

are saying about Grayson. They don’t know him. They don’t know anything!”

Isabella's hand froze, her gaze swinging toward Elaine, her temper sparking “They’re covering the facts! The

facts that he’s missing and the wreckage-

Just because the media feeds you ssensational garbage doesn’t mean they know the real Grayson. Just how

powerful he is. We don’t need to listen to them speculate.”

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“They're reporting what they know!” Isabella shot back, her eyes narrowing in frustration. “This is bigger than

whatever ridiculous issues you have right now. Grayson is—*

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“Don’t you dare lectureabout Grayson!” Elaine spat, stepping toward her, eyes blazing. “I know him better

than anyone else. You think turning on the news will help? Will that make him magically appear? No. So just sit

down and stop acting like

1 had enough. My patience snapped.

“Both of you, shut up!” The words exploded frombefore | could stop myself. The room went silent. My heart

pounded in my chest, but | didn’t care. “This isn’t about you or your petty arguments. Grayson is missing, and if

you can’t wait here quietly then you both need to leave. Now.”

Elaine’s eyes flashed with fury, and she took a step toward me. “Who the hell do you think-

“Seriously, Elaine,” Monica interrupted, her voice sharp but low. Her gaze settled on Elaine, cutting through the

tension in the room like a knife. “This isn’t the tto argue. Please, just stop.”

We all turned to stare at her, surprised. Elaine opened her mouth to argue, but one look at Monica's expression

and she snapped it shut.

And in that moment, something clicked inside me.

| didn’t know Monica well. | didn’t know her at all and | had pegged her as manipulative or conniving. But now, in

her gaze, | saw something real. Concern. Fear. She cared about Grayson.

Really cared.

The room was thick with tension, the kind that made it hard to breathe. Liam's phone rang, cutting through the

silence like a knife. His jaw clenched as he stepped away, answering the call with a calm that didn’t match the

storm brewing in the room. | watched him closely, hoping for a sign-anything-that might indicate good news.

Isabella folded her arms tightly, glaring at the floor as if it were to blfor everything. I let out a soft sigh,

trying to find the right words to calm her down. “You know | love you, Bels, but sometimes... you don’t know

when to stop.”

She huffed in response, her irritation simmering just beneath the surface. | moved closer, lowering my voice.

“I'm sorry | yelled at you. Really, | am. But picking a fight with her right now? It's pointless even though she’s

annoying”

“Extremely annoying.” Isabella sniffled, the fight slowly draining out of her. | wrapped my arms around her,

offering a small smile. “I know. And I'm sorry. Chere.”

She leaned into me, her grip tightening and | whispered, “Just don’t engage with her anymore, okay?”

“As if | even want to talk to her in the first place,” cElaine's voice from the other side of the room. Isabella

and | both looked up, meeting her cold stare. “Werewolf hearing, remember? And if anyone here is annoying, it's

the both of you.”

| let out another sigh, silently pleading with Isabella not to react Elaine thrived on confrontation, and feeding into

it would only make things worse. We had bigger problems right now. Picking fights with each other wasn’t going

to help anyone.

Just then, Liam returned, his face unreadable. “Turn on the news

Elaine opened her mouth to protest, but Liam cut her off sharply “I'm not asking.”

She snapped her mouth shut, and | reached for the remote, turning on the TV. The screen flickered to life, and

the reporter's face appeared, framed by the dark woods behind her, My heart pounded in my chest as she began

to speak.

“We are live from the outskirts of Silvermist Forest, where a calin has been discovered burned to the ground.

Among the wreckage, investigators have found fragments of burnt clothing and what appears to be an expensive

wristwatch. While the owner has not yet been identified, the proximity of the wreckage to the recent car accident

involving billionaire Grayson

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Chapter 35

Blackwood has raised suspicions,”

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The camera cut to a close-up of the charred remains. My stomach twisted as | spotted the wristwatch lying in the

ash.

“That's Grayson’s!” Elaine gasped, her hand flying to her mouth

The camera switched back to the reporter, her tone grave as she continued. “While authorities have yet to

confirm the identity of the person or persons-who may have been in the cabin at the time, they have reason to

believe that the watch. a Patek Philippe, belongs to billionaire Grayson Blackwood. However, a body has still not

been found.”

My hands clenched into fists, tension running through my entire body.

“If they're going to talk about the watch, they should at least get the brand right.” A bored voice suddenly

filtered through

the room.

Just then, Elaine shouted his name, her voice full of disbelief and relief, before she bolted across the room. My

head snapped in the direction of her gaze, my heart nearly stopping as | saw him.

Grayson.

He stood there, at the other entrance to the room, like he hadn't just been the subject of every headline in the

country. He looked immaculate, not a single wrinkle in his suit, his expression as cold and composed as ever. He

was staring right at me, those gray eyes piercing through the chaos that had been spinning in my mind for

hours.

Elaine threw herself into him, her arms wrapping tightly around his neck. He stiffened under her touch, his

posture rigid, before he reluctantly-so reluctantly-placed his hands on her back. It was barely an embrace, more

a matter of obligation

than comfort.

| blinked, my brain trying to catch up with what my eyes were seeing. Grayson was here. Alive. Standing right

here, like he hadn't just been the focus of a nightmare report.

The relief that floodedwas so sudden, so overwhelming, that | almost felt dizzy from it.

A second passed-just one-and then his voice cut through the room again, calm, even, and ice-cold and it was

directed straight at me, “Grab a coat. You and | are going to see your father.”

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