The Alpha King's Reluctant Bride (Ava and Grayson) novel Chapter 55

I’ve never liked weddings.

The forced smiles, the empty promises, the sense of a fairytale forced into reality when we all knew half of these marriages ended in disaste

Maria was, of course, causing a stir just by existing, her refusal to dress up marking her as the outsider she was. Not that I cared. The mom

1. me.

Then, she entered the hall.

Our eyes met, and everything I had rehearsed, every indifferent thought and dismissive word I had planned to shield myself with, seemed to stop them.

“Even at your wedding, you look ready to start a fight.”

A familiar, smug voice broke my focus. I sighed, turning to find Carter grinning at me with that irritating glint in his eyes.

“Kreally hoped you wouldn’t make it, Carter.”

He just laughed, raising his glass as if he was genuinely amused by my words. “You

always have a way with words, Grayson. Warms my heart, really. Now, where’s that beautiful bride of yours?”

I narrowed my eyes. “Stay away from Ava.”

“Relax, I was only going to say she has my respect

for going through with this. Considering you were too stoic to even kiss your own wife on your wedding day.” He raised his glass in a mock t

This was slightly more tolerable when Ava was here, though it didn’t help that she’d blindsided me with that statement about wanting to not me, the entire ordeal had become unbearable. Yet the social niceties continued, people eager

to suck up to someone in my position.

“There he is.”

I groaned, turning to see Rickon, holding two glasses and grinning like he’d just won a prize. “Do you want something, Rickon?”

He sighed as if I’d hurt his feelings. “At least save the grouchiness for after the wedding.” He dropped the grin. “Just wanted to say congratu excuse me, Ava Blackwood-is one unlucky lady.”

I fixed him with a glare, and he wisely backed away. Good. Maybe if I kept this up, everyone

would leave me alone. Though I’d prefer to find Ava and Maria-

I needed to confirm if the spell had worked. There had been a surge of something powerful when Ava and I had kissed, but I couldn’t be cer “Congratulations, Grayson.”

Her voice, silky and pointed, made me tense. I didn’t bother turning around, sensing her irritation until she stepped into my line of sight. Mor

“If I say I’m sorry for the dress stunt, will you take me off your death list?”

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She waved me off with a smirk. “Oh, don’t worry. I’ll be right here, basking in my own greatness

while you continue to play the reluctant prince. And for the record, Grayson, if you ever make another fairy tale reference, I’ll know somethin Ignoring Maria’s

last remark, I turned away and began weaving through the crowd, keeping my gaze sharp as I searched for Ava. The murmur of conversatio The coughing escalated, becoming more desperate, until the hall was filled with the sickening sound of people hacking and gasping for air. I another person followed suit. Blood, smeared on the pristine tiles, and the scent was unmistakable. I clenched my fists, trying to focus amid

Just as I began

to make my way through the crowd, a hand gripped my shoulder from behind. My wolf surged to the surface, ready to react, until I caught th “Grayson, we have a serious problem,” he said, his voice low but urgent.

I took the glass from him, sniffing it cautiously. Instantly, my wolf recoiled, recognition hitting me hard. “Wolfsbane,” I muttered, my voice barely audible above the din. It was laced in the drink, masked so well that only a heightened wolf’s sens Liam nodded grimly. “I caught the scent just before taking a sip. Whoever did this knew what they were doing. It doesn’t hit until you finish th Chaos continued to swell around us, the werewolves present clutching their throats, coughing, gasping, some already starting to panic as bl I made a move to find Ava, but Liam grabbed my arm, his face tight with concern. “Grayson, half the people in this room are humans. Humans who have no idea werewolves even exist. Think about what

your wolf does when it feels attacked.”

Realization hit like ice-noveldrama

cold water. “It defends itself… it fights back,” I whispered, feeling a chill settle over me. “They’re going to shift. Their wolves will see the pois as an attack, and they’ll start transforming to protect themselves.”

Liam nodded, his expression mirroring my own dread. “Exactly Whoever did this isn’t just trying to kill—

they’re trying to expose us all. If they succeed, the world will know about werewolves.”