The Alpha King's Reluctant Bride (Ava and Grayson) novel Chapter 42

-Ava’s POV-

I could practically hear my mother’s disappointed voice echoing in my head as the fog began to clear.

“This is what happens when you don’t follow the rules. Ava

As much as I hated to admit it, they were right this time. Because here I was-

kidnapped, tied up, and completely at someone’s mercy. The rope tightened around my body, and every inch of me felt heavier by the secor barely adjusted, enough to see Luca moving around the room like a shadow. The stench in the air was thick, pungent-

something rotting, and it made my stomach churn violently. I gagged, trying to keep together.

“You’ll have to forgive the smell,” Luca’s voice drifted toward me casual, almost amused. “I would’ve taken you somewhere nicer, but this wa

I swallowed, trying to wet my dry throat. “Why why are you doing this to me?” My voice cracked, the words slurred as the drug in my system Luca moved closer, tightening the ropes even further, leaving ng room for me to even attempt to struggle. There was no point. I was comple

twisted.

“You did this to yourself, Ava,” he said, his tone flat.

“The moment you decided to marry Grayson Blackwood, you sealed your fate. I’m only doing a job, sweetheart. You’re worth a lot of money

I blinked. Who the hell is that?

Luca let out a sigh, running a hand through his hair like this was all just another inconvenience to him. “You’re lucky. though. He wants you My stomach twisted. All my parts intact? What the hell was happening? Panic gripped my chest, squeezing the air out of my lungs. He was I had royally screwed up.

I took a shaky breath, trying to calm myself down, forcing my thoughts into something coherent. “L-

Look,” I stammered, “whatever this Ricardo person has offered you, Grayson—

Grayson is rich, wey rich. e could pay you double, triple even. I can convince him to-”

Luca cut me off with a sharp, cruel laugh that echoed in the empty space. “Oh, honey,” he drawled mockingly, shaking his head. “You really His insult hit hard, like a slap in the face. I had been stupid. Stupid and reckless. And now look at where I ended up- tied to a chair in some goddess forsaken warehouse, waiting to be sold off like a piece of property.

“Ricardo’s men will be here soon,” Luca continued, his tone shifting from casual to cold. “Do yourself a favor, keep that pretty mouth shut, The dread colled around me like a vice, squeezing tighter with every second. The words flew out of my mouth before I could stop them. “Gr Luca’s smile widened, dark and menacing. He took his time, moving toward a nearby box, rummaging through it before pulling out a gun. H

“Is that so?” His voice dripped with mockery.

I froze. My mouth went dry, the sound of my own heartbeat pounding in my ears. Death. I hadn’t really thought about dying, not seriously. I caged by life’s circumstances-

but death had always seemed like a distant thing. Now it loomed over me, inches away, ready to pounce. The cold reality of it settled over r

“What?” Luca’s mocking voice pulled me from my thoughts. “You lost your nerve? Nothing else to say, sweetheart?”

I closed my eyes for a moment, sucking in a deep breath. If I was going to die, I wasn’t going out a coward. No way. I open my eyes, glaring Luca’s smile faltered for a brief second before he regained his composure, tilting his head. “Brave words, Ava. But you’ll b long gone before A cold sweat broke out on my skin as I tried to make sense of his words. He seemed so damn sure that Grayson wouldn’t reach me in time.

A sudden sound from outside the warehouse made Luca pause. His brows furrowed as he glanced toward the door, his expression hardeni “You hear that?” he muttered to himself, his hand tightening on the gun, “They are here. This will be over soon so you bett behave.

FI

“Screw you.” I spat.

Luca’s eyes flashed with

anger, his jaw tight as he cocked the gun and aimed it directly at my leg. My heart hammered in m chest. The room felt too small, the air too Then, the sound of the shot rang out.

I didn’t want to.

I wanted to see what Grayson Blackwood was capable of. I wanted to see everything

Grayson threw the gun aside like it was nothing, his dark eyes still locked on Luca’s broken form. His voice, colder in l’ ever heard, cut throu I shivered at the finality in his tone.

Luca coughed, blood splattering on the floor. His voice was weak trembling “Please Please, I’m sorry. I needed

the mone Please, have mercy…. He tried to crawl away, his body shaking, blood soaking into the floor.

I wanted to close my eyes. I wanted to look away from the carnage, from the blood, from the man who had terrorized me moments before. E Grayson’s eyes shifted back to their usual stormy gray as he squatted beside Luca’s crumpled form, his face devoid of any emotion. “Reme Before Luca could utter another word, Grayson’s hand shot out, plunging into his chest with terrifying precision. Luca’s eye bulged, a wet ga Luca’s body collapsed in on itself, lifeless.

Grayson tossed the heart aside like it was trash, standing to his full height as the room fell into an eerie silence. Finally, he looked at me.

bort

If I hadn’t been frozen in place, I would’ve turned into stone under his gaze. His eyes

cold, unreadable, dangerous into mine, and for a moment, I couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe. My body was locked in place, my mind struggl with everything that had just happened.

up

He crossed the distance between us in two strides, crouching down to tear through the ropes that bound me with his claws. The sharp snap Reality slammed into me like a freight train, and suddenly, my mind couldn’t process the horror I’d just witnessed. My body locked up, my ch

No one touches what’s mine.