The Alpha King's Reluctant Bride (Ava and Grayson) novel Chapter 193

Chapter 193 Chapter 193

-Ava’s POV-

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The silence stretched between us, heavy and suffocating. Eighteen long seconds passed before Monica finally broke it with a sigh, her gaze shifting from Isabella to me. Her eyes flickered down to my stomach, and she spoke, her tone surprisingly soft. “I guess congratulations are in order?”

The words caught me off guard-not just their content but the sincerity in her voice. I blinked, stunned, unable to respond for a moment.

Isabella, however, didn’t miss a beat. “I know you have an obsession with Lilian,” she shot back, her voice sharp as a blade, “but following her here? That’s just another level of crazy, even for you.”

Monica’s irritated expression hardened as she turned her attention to Isabella. “Do you always have to be so aggressive?”

“Do you always have to be a bitch?” Isabella snapped.

I opened my mouth to intervene, to put an end to the back-and-forth before it escalated, but I just couldn’t summon the strength. Whatever Monica was here for, whatever plan or scheme she had in mind, I didn’t have the energy for it. “I have to get back to the food truck,” I said instead, turning to leave.

“Oh no, you don’t,” Isabella said quickly, stepping forward to block my path. “We’re not done talking, and we’re definitely not done discussing the fact that you’re-❞ she waved a hand vaguely toward my stomach, “with child.”

Eliza, still chewing on a muffin she’d somehow procured, chimed in, “Saying ‘with child’ is just plain weird.” Isabella turned to glare at her. “When did you take that from me, and why are you eating it?”

Eliza shrugged, completely unfazed. “Because you dragged me from work all the way here. You’re lucky Grayson-” The air seemed to crackle the moment his name slipped out. The tension in the space tightened like a coiled spring. Eliza stopped mid-sentence, her face turning pale as she looked at me apologetically. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to-”

“It’s fine,” I cut her off quickly, though my voice wavered. I forced myself to take a steadying breath, then turned to Isabella “I really am sorry, but I can’t do this right now. I promise I’ll call you once I’m done with the day. Please, I just can’t handle all of this right now.”

Isabella opened her mouth, probably to argue, but then she stopped. Her jaw tightened, but she nodded reluctantly.

I turned to Eliza, gave her a small nod, and began walking away.

“Excuse me?” Monica’s voice called after me.

“Can you not see that we’re ignoring you?” Isabella said, spinning on her heel to face her. “We’re pretending like you don’t exist.”

I heard Monica click her tongue, then she spoke again, her voice softer. “I need your help with something, Ava.”

That made me stop in my tracks. I didn’t turn around, though, not yet.

“I didn’t come here to fight,” Monica continued, her words quick and rushed like she was trying to get them all out before Isabella could cut her off. “I really didn’t. I know I’ve done some terrible things to you-”

“Terrible is an understatement,” Isabella interjected, crossing her arms. “I made a list. Do you want me to read it out loud?”

I finally turned back to face them, my eyes narrowing at Monica, “You need my help?”

Isabella threw her hands up. “Lilian, you cannot seriously be considering helping her with whatever this is. This is probably a scheme from The Threesome of Evil. Or wait–what did we call them again?”

“The Threesome Alliance of Doom,” Eliza supplied, stuffing the last bit of muffin into her mouth. “Eliza!” Isabella groaned, looking downright betrayed. “You didn’t even save me a bite?”

An argument broke out between the two of them. Monica sighed and stepped closer to me, her voice low so only I could hear, “Something bad happened to Elaine and Grayson and no one will listen to me.”

My heart clenched at his name. It had been so long since I let myself think about him, since I’d even spoken his name aloud I had locked all of it-him, the pain, the heartbreak-into a box and shoved it into the deepest recesses of my mind.

I backed away from her, shaking my head firmly. “That’s not my business anymore.”

“Ava, please-”

“No,” I said sharply. “It’s not my problem, Monica.”

Without another word, I turned on my heel and walked back to the food truck. The line had grown longer in my absence, and I rushed inside to help Tessa.

In between, I turned to her, guilt gnawing at me. “I’m really sorry about earlier. Isabella is just…” I trailed off, not even sure how to explain it.

Tessa smiled knowingly. “A friend who would follow you to the ends of the earth, no questions asked?”

I nodded, the words echoing in my mind. A friend who would follow me to the depths of the earth. That is what Isabella really was.

The rest of the day blurred as I threw myself into work. The hustle and noise of the food truck became my sanctuary, a place where I could shove everything–Grayson, my mother, and Monica’s bizarre arrival–to the back of my mind. I focused on each customer, each order, each second that passed, ignoring the gnawing ache inside me.

Tessa moved with practiced ease beside me, but I could feel her curious glances. Not until the rush finally died down, and the last customer walked away with a smile and a bag of food.

I stepped outside to take a breather. The cold air hit my skin, and I took in a deep breath, hoping it would cleanse me, ease the heaviness in my chest. But I barely had a moment of reprieve before my wolf growled in warning.

“I’ll be back tomorrow,” she said simply.

I didn’t respond. I didn’t want her to come back, but I knew she would anyway. She walked away, and for a moment, the four of us stood in silence.

Then Isabella turned to me, her expression urgent. “I didn’t want to listen to what Monica had to say earlier, but then Eliza said… Grayson.” She paused, apologetic. “I’m sorry, Lilian, but Grayson had barely stepped out of his office for two weeks. Then Elaine showed up, and they both left. No one has seen them for three days.”

“Bels-”

“Please, just listen, Lilian.”

I fell silent, though I didn’t want to hear it. Grayson was missing again. He always reappeared eventually. It wasn’t my problem anymore.

Isabella took my silence as permission to continue. “Remember when Ivan said the mole was Elaine? Well, Monica says Elaine has been acting weird for months. Like, something’s been… off.”

15:01 Thu, 6 Eeb ww

I sighed, tired of the intrigue. “So, Elaine really is the mole?”

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It was Monica who answered, “I don’t know about any mole, but I’ve known Elaine a long time. She’s opinionated, sharp, and manipulative. Most of the things we did to you were her idea. But lately, she’s been… different. Like she’s under someone’s control. Not to mention the pregnancy. Almost four months in, she should at least have a bump, or at least symptoms or something.”

I frowned. “What are you saying?”

Monica stepped closer. “I took a sample of her blood and had it tested. Elaine isn’t pregnant.”

I blinked, “What?”

Isabella cut in, clearly irritated. “And I still think that is really creepy, by the way, but listen to this. Ivan thought she was the mole, but maybe someone else was making her act that way. Who’s the perfect person no one would suspect? Who has enough power to eliminate Alphas subtly and no one would suspect that he has that power? And if the King were to fall… She trailed off, letting the implication hang in the air.

“If the King falls,” Monica picked up, “who’s positioned to take over as the perfect replacement, especially if Grayson doesn’t have an heir?”

I shook my head, but the name still slipped out before I could stop it.

“Liam?”