The Alpha King's Reluctant Bride (Ava and Grayson) novel Chapter 153

Ava’s POVnoveldrama

The ground beneath my feet trembled again, sending a wave of anic through me. My knees almost buckled as the rumbling grew louder, vibrating through my chest. I reached out my hands instinctively grasping for something stable to hold on to, but before I could even process the fear flooding my system, Grayson’s hand was on my elbow, steadying me. His grip was firm, reassuring, and somehow, despite the chaos, I felt a small flicker of calm from the connection.

“Stay close to me.” His voice was low and steady, but the tension in his tone wasn’t lost on me. The world around us felt wrong. The air was thick, charged with an unnatural energy that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Every instinct in me screamed that we weren’t supposed to be here. But there was no choice. Not now.

The rumbling stopped as suddenly as it had started, leaving behind an unsettling silence. The stillness was suffocating, pressing in on me from all sides. I could hear nothing but the erratic thrum of my own heartbeat. Grayson’s presence beside me was the only thing that kept me tethered to reality.

“Grayson…” I whispered, my voice trembling as I tried to make sense of what had just happened. “What was that?”

He didn’t answer right away. His gaze scanned the area around us, sharp and alert, as if expecting something-or someone- to emerge from the darkness. I did the same, eyes darting to every shadow, every rustle in the trees. But all I saw were the dense woods stretching endlessly before us. Nothing made sense

“I don’t know,” Grayson finally admitted, his voice quiet, but there was no hiding the uncertainty in his tone. “Whatever it is, it’s not normal. And I don’t know what’s coming next.”

His words did nothing to ease the knot of dread tightening in my stomach. But I wasn’t sure if it was his presence or the absolute chaos around us that made me want to stay close, to trust him.

“I’ll be right here,” he said firmly, though his tone softened just a little, as if trying to reassure me. “We’ll figure it out. Just stay calm.”

I nodded, biting my lip to try to steady myself. I wasn’t calm, not at all, but I didn’t want him to know that. “I’m not panicking,” I insisted, though the quiver in my voice said otherwise.

He didn’t call me out on it. He didn’t need to. We both knew the truth.

Suddenly, a rustling sound came from our left, and before I could even react, Grayson stepped in front of me, his body blocking mine. His muscles tensed, and his eyes zeroed in on the movement, every fiber of his being on high alert.

I couldn’t see what it was yet, but whatever it was, it was big. And it wasn’t friendly.

A shadow emerged from the bushes, and I felt my breath catch in my throat. A dark, wolf-like creature stepped into view, its form distorted and unnatural. Its glowing red eyes fixed on us, and its movements were jerky, almost as if it wasn’t fully in control of its body. My first thought was that it might be a werewolf, but no. This wasn’t like any werewolf I’d ever encountered. This thing was something else entirely.

“What the hell is that?” I whispered, barely able to form words.

Grayson didn’t take his eyes off the creature, his jaw tightening as he muttered, “I don’t know.”

The creature’s gaze flicked between us, its lips pulling back to reveal rows of jagged teeth. It was sizing us up, waiting for the right moment to strike. And the way it moved, almost like it wasn’t fully in control of its body… it felt wrong. Like it was something else entirely.

I couldn’t breathe. My mind was racing, trying to process what I was seeing. This couldn’t be real. I was trapped in a nightmare.

19:10 Fri, Jan 17. G

Grayson’s voice cut through my spiraling thoughits. “When I tell you to run, you run,” he said, his tone calm but with a deadly edge. I felt him tighten his grip on my arm, pulling me closer.

“What about you?” I asked, my voice rising in panic.

“I’ll be right behind you,” he said, his words so steady that they almost calmed me. “Just trust me.”

I didn’t want to trust anything in this terrifying place, but I had no choice. I had no other option but to believe in him, to believe in his strength, in his ability to protect me.

Before I could say anything else, the creature let out a low, guttural growl, the sound vibrating through the trees, shaking me to my core. Grayson didn’t waste another second. “Run!” he barked, pushing me forward.

I hesitated for only a moment, the fear freezing me in place. But then my legs were moving before I could think, and I was running, my breath coming in sharp gasps as I tore through the underbrush. My heart raced, my feet pounding against the ground, but I couldn’t help the glance over my shoulder.

Before I could process the shift, I felt a presence, warm and familiar, and a hand touched me. I jumped, panic surging, and then I saw hum. Grayson. His eyes were wide with disbelief, his expression frozen in pure

shock.

“You” His voice trailed off as if he couldn’t even finish the sentence, his eyes searching me like he couldn’t believe I had jumped in front of him.

But before I could respond, a sound broke through the haze. Footsteps. Not just one or two, but dozens. My heart raced as I glanced around, trying to make sense of what was happening. The world around me spun, my wolf stirring again, and then

-before I could make sense of it-someone threw themselves ane.

Isabella’s scent hit me first, overwhelming and familiar, and then she was crying, her voice trembling as she clung to me. “You’re alive. Lilian, you’re actually here.”

I was stunned, my mind reeling, unable to understand. “What? What are you talking about? Bels, what’s going on?” I tried to move away from her iron grip, confusion clouding my thoughts

Grayson stood tall at my side, his eyes darting between me and the group of people now surrounding us and I was still trying to process what and everything that was happening.

It was still night timè so it couldn’t be that long since I had the panic attack and ran into the woods so why was Isabella holding me like she was trying to hook me down to earth and no one had moved or said anything

still.

“Bels? What is going on?” 1

She pulled away looking at me like she was in shock and disbelief, “You….. disappeared and you’ve been gone for two months, Lilian.”