The Alpha King's Reluctant Bride (Ava and Grayson) novel Chapter 43

-Grayson’s POV-

I saw red.

Everything blurred together as my rage took over. Two men fell lifeless before me, meant to guard the operation but th were nothing more th

The red burned brighter when I walked in and saw her. Ava. Tied to a chair, unharmed-physically, at least–

but my we didn’t care. He wanted blood. And not just theirs.

Ricardo.

Even with those men dead and the fool that had tried to sell her off dead, even with Ava safe in a hotel room right now, 1 wolf clawed at me in motion. He would suffer, and I’d be there to watch him bleed.

“No one touches what’s mine!

That sentence kept playing on a loop in my head. But she wasn’t mine. Not really. Ava Pierce wasn’t mine.

The night had fallen, casting a dim glow across the city. I stood by the window, staring at nothing, trying to calm the beas inside me. I was cl “I’m sorry.”

Her voice cut through the silence like a whisper, but it hit me hard. My shoulders stiffened, but I didn’t turn. I didn’t want i look at her. I was m at myself, at her, at everything. Luca hadn’t suffered enough, not for what he had done. Not for wh he would’ve done if I hadn’t been there.

Control

1 lived for control, thrived on it. But it was slipping, evading me more and more each day. Especially around her.

“I was stupid,” she continued, her voice small, barely above a whisper. “I was really stupid. I shouldn’t have followed a complete stranger. I w

Her words dug into me, twisting the knife in my gut. I finally tumed my head, my eyes locking onto hers. The anger was

there, simmering just beneath the surface, and I made sure she could see it. She had her knees pulled up to her chest, those eyes of hers shifting between colors like they always did when she was anxious or scared.

Good.

I needed her to feel the weight of her mistake. I needed her to understand the gravity of what had almost happened.

She sighed, breaking the silence as she pushed herself off the bed. “I want to take a shower. Please is there anything for me

to wear?”

Lignored her question. “Do you know what would’ve happened I hadn’t found you in time?” My voice came out cold, harsher than I intended She flinched, but I wasn’t done. She needed to hear this.

“I would’ve been dead. Or sold off to a man named Ricardo Sylvester, she whispered, her voice trembling.

So, the bastard had mentioned Ricardo. I clenched my fists, struggling to keep my anger i

thick with tension, and the weight of what could have happened still hung in the air.

in check. The air between

“You don’t get it, do you?” My voice was sharp, cutting through the silence like a blade. “There are men out there-

dangerous men. Worse than you can imagine. You were lucky today. If I hadn’t found you, Ricardo would’ve had you trust me when I say, y Her face paled, but I didn’t stop. I couldn’t. She needed to understand.

“And this isn’t just about today. If you’re going to be my wife, Ava, it makes you a target. Everyone who wants to get t will go through you. Y

“You aren’t going to eat?” I asked, my voice breaking through the quiet.

“I’m not hungry,” she replied, her voice muffled by the covers.

I huffed out a breath, irritation curling in my chest. “Stop acting like a child. Stand up and come eat.”

“I said I wasn’t hungry,” she muttered, her tone sharper now.

I narrowed my eyes, my grip tightening

around the fork. She was testing my patience, and she knew it. I set the fork dow and leaned back in the chair, my gaze never leaving her. There was a pause, then she snickered, the sound soft but mocking. It was enough to push me over the edge.

Without another word, I stood up, walking over to the bed in two quick strides. I yanked the blankets off her, my voice lo and cold. “Get. Up. She whipped around to face me, her eyes flashing with anger. “I know I screwed up, okay? You don’t need to scold me like child and make I clenched my jaw, my temper flaring. “You’re proving my point right now.”

Her eyes burned with frustration, her hands balling into fists at her sides. “Stop it!” she snapped. “I made a mistake, but I don’t need you trea “You think this is about your mistake? This is about you not listening!” I shot back, my voice rising.

She stood up from the bed, her face flushed with anger as she took a step toward me. “I’m not a child, Grayson! You don’t need to treat me 1 scoffed, crossing my arms over my chest. “You act like one when you refuse to do something as simple as eating.”

“I’m trying to deal with everything, okay? But you don’t get to make me feel small just because I messed up.”

I took a step closer, my voice lowering as I spoke. “You think I’m making you feel small? You don’t get it, do you? I don’t care about your mis Her face softened for a split second, but then the stubbornness returned. “I can take care of myself.”

My frustration boiled over and I exploded, “No you can’t! I don’t understand is happening here but I know I am prepared to let the word burn

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