The Alpha King's Reluctant Bride (Ava and Grayson) novel Chapter 177

Chapter 177 Chapter 177

-Ava’s POV

I wasn’t even going to pretend I wasn’t panicking or scared. This person–whoever they were–had killed Alphas. They’d slaughtered multiple people just to get to Grayson. And now, after shooting him, I was next. The thought churned in my stomach, making me feel sick.

I didn’t want to die.

“Ava, are you even listening to me?”

His calm but firm voice pulled me out of my spiraling thoughts. I blinked, turning my gaze to him. For a second, I considered lying, but there was no point. “No,” I admitted softly, my voice barely above a whisper.

That was when I noticed my hands trembling uncontrollably in my lap. We’d left the hospital an hour ago and were now sitting in the back of one of Grayson’s cars. The driver was silent, focused on the road, while the soft hum of the engine filled the space between us.

Grayson reached out, his larger hand covering mine. The warmth and steady pressure grounded me, and I looked up to find his sharp, piercing eyes on mine. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you. Do you understand?” His voice was low, but it carried a weight that settled in my chest.

For some reason, I believed him instantly. Maybe it was the certainty in his tone or the way his touch steadied my hands. I nodded, murmuring, “Okay.”

But the next words out of his mouth threw me off completely. “When we get back to the estate, we’re grabbing your things. I’m transferring you to my safe house.”

I whipped my head toward him so fast it made me dizzy. “What

“You heard me,” he said evenly, leaning back against the seat. His expression didn’t falter, calm and composed as ever, like this was already decided and I had no say in the matter.

“No,” I said firmly. The trembling in my hands was gone now, replaced by something fiercer-determination. “I might be scared, Grayson, but I’m not going to let some psychopath with a vendetta force me into hiding like some kind of animal. I’m not running away.”

He sighed, a long, slow exhale as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Ava, listen to me-”

“No, you listen to me,” I interrupted, the words spilling out before I could stop them. “I know this situation is dangerous. I know you’re just trying to protect me, but I can’t-I won’t-be locked up in some safe house like a prisoner.”

His jaw tightened, and I could see the muscles in his neck tense as he struggled to maintain his composure. “This isn’t up for debate,” he said, his tone steady but unyielding. “I cannot risk it. If they’re willing to kill random people just to get to me, what do you think will happen if you go back to work? You’d be putting yourself in harm’s way, and you’d be endangering everyone at that hospital.”

His words hit like a punch to the gut because I knew he was right, Deep down, I knew going back to the hospital would put more lives at risk. But the thought of being hidden away, cut off from the world, was unbearable. “I understand where you’re coming from. I do. But I can’t-”

“You can,” he cut in, his voice hardening. “You just don’t want to. And I get it, Ava, I do. But this isn’t about what you want. It’s about what’s necessary. You think I want to hide you away? You think I want to take you away from your life and make you

feel trapped? No. But I’ll do it if it means keeping you alive.”

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I stared at him, my chest tightening at the resolve in his voice. “You don’t understand. If I’m locked up in a safe house, I’ll go mad. I can’t just sit there, waiting for something to happen, wondering if the next knock on the door is going to be someone coming to finish the job.”

“And what do you think I feel every second you’re out there, knowing you could be next on their list?” His voice didn’t rise, but there was an edge to it now, a quiet intensity that made the air between us feel heavier. “Do you have any idea what it’s like to know that someone out there wants you dead and not be able to do anything about it?”

“I don’t want to hide,” I said softly, my voice breaking just a little

“And I don’t want to lose you,” he replied, his gaze steady and unwavering.

The car grew silent, the tension between us thick and suffocating. I looked down at my hands, his words replaying in my head. I didn’t want to admit it, but he was right. If I went back to work, I wouldn’t just be putting myself at risk—I’d be endangering the patients, the staff, everyone in that hospital. I couldn’t live with that on my conscience.

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We finally arrived at the estate, the long drive having left the air thick with tension. The car rolled smoothly up the long driveway, past the towering iron gates, and toward his mansion. The estate felt strangely empty, despite the bustle of warriors and guards that seemed to be scattered around the perimeter. It felt like everything had slowed down. The moment we pulled to a stop, Grayson was out of the car in an instant, his presence commanding and unwavering despite the strain of his injury.

He circled the car, moving fluidly despite the bandage on his side, and opened the door for me. “Careful,” I said, my voice a little softer than I intended, as I extended my hand to him. “You need to take it easy. That injury isn’t something you can just brush off.”

He flashed me a brief, reassuring smile, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I’ll be fine,” he said, his tone steady, as if he’d heard it a thousand times before. “I’ve handled far worse.”

I could tell he wasn’t going to listen, so I didn’t push it any further. He helped me out of the car, and we walked toward the mansion side by side. It loomed over us, grand and intimidating, yet somehow comforting in its

familiarity.

Once inside, Grayson turned to me, his expression suddenly more serious. “Go get changed. I’m calling for a pack meeting. We need to make some things clear about how things will be moving forward from now on.”

I nodded without hesitation, already feeling the weight of his words settling in but just as I was about to turn and leave, Grayson called me back. His tone was different now, more subdued, like the gravity of what he was about to say was finally catching up to him.

“Ava,” he called quietly, his voice steady but filled with an underlying heaviness. “About the war you were talking about….. the one we thought we were supposedly to be at the center of. This is it. This is the war. You need to understand that more people are going to die.”

He paused for a moment like he wanted to make sure I understood what he was about to say, “There will be a lot of sacrifices to be made and no matter how horrible, we will have to make them or we will end up dead like

the rest of them.”