The Alpha King's Contracted Luna (Ava and Grayson)

-Grayson's POV-

I didn't react.

Not outwardly, at least.

1 kept my expression as neutral as stone, but inside, the beast raged, clawing to the surface. He was testing me. He knew exactly what he

Luther sauntered to an empty chair, took his time making himself comfortable, leaning back like he owned the place. The tension in the room they could feel it too, the silent war simmering just below the surface.

Liam cleared his throat, stepping in before the situation could spiral further. “Well, now that we are all here, let's t meeting."

the

I remained silent, eyes fixed on Luther as Liam tried to proceed with the agenda. I wasn't listening to the words. My focus was on Luther, ca I wasn't going to give it to him.

Liam was speaking, trying to salvage what he could of the tension in the room, moving quickly through the reports. The department heads n Luther, still lounging in his seat, cut in with a smug tone. "Interesting strategy with the overseas investments, but I think you're playing a risk I didn't respond. My silence, my cold stare, was my answer. I could see the slight flicker of satisfaction in his eyes. He thought he had won Liam coughed again, this time a bit more urgently, and I realized he was waiting for me to respond. I tore my eyes from Luther and turned to Liam visibly relaxed, quickly moving the meeting along, steering the conversation away from Luther's provocations. But the air was still thic The meeting dragged on, with Luther chiming in here and there, throwing subtle jabs, always careful to keep his tone just on the edge of po But I stayed quiet, cold. Observing. Planning.

When the meeting finally wrapped up, the department heads filed out, one by one, each of them stealing nervous glances at me, as if expec "Tll be in touch," he said, that smug grin still plastered on his face. “After all, as an investor, I have a vested interest in how things go here Ididn't respond, just watched him walk out, every step delibera, contident.

Liam sighed heavily once the door shut behind Luther. “That was..... tense,” he muttered, glancing at me cautiously. “You okay?”

I didn't answer immediately, My mind was still on Luther, on the game he was playing. He thought he had the upper hand. He thought he co

But he was wrong

Very wrong.

“I'll handle him.” I said finally, my voice low, controlled. “He just made one of the biggest mistakes of his life.”

Liam nodded, though he still looked uneasy. He knew better than to push me when I was like this.

I watched the door for a long moment after Lanther left, my jaw clenched, eyes fixed on the spot he just vacated. He wanted to provoke me. called superiority, would get under my skin.

I'd let him believe that for now.

Because the next move would be mine.

The rest of the day blurred, one meaningless meeting after another, but Luther lingered at the back of my mind, festering like a wound that r the audacity to show up here was the final straw, I needed to remind him of exactly who I was.

Later that afternoon. I found myself back in my office, sifting through the files brought to me about Luther Pierce. I'd only known the Pierce just enough to recognize their power when it came to medical treatments. The man had built an empire, sure, but I hadn't bothered digging

That had been my mistake.

Luther Pierce wasn't just a doctor. He was something much worse. His claws dug deep into powerful places–

places no one knew about unless they were looking. The file in front of me detailed

his connections, his hidden assets, and the real source of his wealth. He wasn't just a threat anymore-

he was the kind of problem that needed to be dealt with carefully.

1 closed the

file and leaned back in my chair, my fingers already dialing a number I knew by heart. The phone rang once before a voice, casual and taun “Grayson,” he greeted, his voice smug. “Didn't expect to hear from you this soon. What's the occasion?"

"I'm not in the mood for your games, Carter,” I snapped.

Carter laughed, a deep, low sound that grated on my nerves. “You're never in the mood. It's part of your charm."

I ignored him, getting straight to the point. "I need you to take care of someone for me. I've sent everything you need to know to your email.noveldrama

There was a pause, and I could practically hear him grinning on the other end. "You know, Grayson, I really like it when you give me orders

1 growled his name, my patience hanging by a thread. “Carter.",

“Relax,” he chuckled. “I'm just messing with you. Fine. Who's the target?”

I clenched my list. "I don't want him dead. Just hit him hard. No physically, but where it hurts

the most. He just bought shares in my company-I want those gone. Buy

them out, and do it as soon as possible."

There was a beat of silence, Carter was smart-

he was already pulling up the files I'd sent him, piecing together what I needed before speaking again.

"Luther Pierce?" he asked, "Isn't that your fiancée's father?"

"That's why he's still alive. I paid sharply, “For now"

회 93%

Another laugh escaped him, this one less amused and more incredulous. "Jesus, you really are something. Alright, I'll get on it. But you kno

"I don't have time for your jokes, Carter,” I muttered, already prepared to hang up

when I heard a female voice in the background.

“Come back to bed," she cooed, her words muffled but clear enough to piss me off further.

Carter was the one I called when I needed things to get a lot dirty and he was the only one that could get it done and he was as dangerous up the facade of a man you will never see coming until the moment he slit your throat.

That was the reason I kept him around and he knew how much his humor irritated me and he made it a point of our every interaction to capi He was lucky he was good at what he did but one day. Just one day.

“Give me a minute, sweetheart,” Carter replied smoothly, before his voice returned to me, all casual again. "Grayson, you still there? I've go got rather distracted."

"I don't care about your distractions," I snapped. "What is it?"

He sighed, and for the first time, his tone grew serious. "Remember that other job you had me handle?

The one in Rome? I think we've got a problem."

My hand tightened around the phone. “What kind of problem!”

“The kind that bites back if we're not careful,” Carter said, his voice low. "I've been digging, like you asked, and there's more heat on this tha

1 exhaled slowly, running a hand through my hair as I leaned back in my chair. "Clean it up. I don't care how."

"I figured you'd say that,” Carter replied with a chuckle. "Already working on it. But, just so you know, this is going to cost

extra."

"I'll double your fee. Just make sure it's done."

“Consider it handled,” Carter said, his tone switching back to its usual cocky rhythm. “You know, for someone who's always so uptight, you'ı

I sighed, my irritation reaching its limit, "Just get it done."

I could hear the grin in his voice when he spoke again. “Luther Pierce is going to regret the day he crossed you, isn't he

“He will,” I replied coldly, my voice dropping to a near-growl. “He has no idea what's coming for him

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