The Alpha King's Reluctant Bride (Ava and Grayson) novel Chapter 128

-Ava’s POV-

“Damn you, Grayson Blackwood!” I hissed through clenched teeth, barely restraining myself from hurling my phone across his office. The audacity. How could he lie to me? Again. I should’ve expected it, but somehow I let myself believe we were finally making progress.

“He still isn’t taking your calls?”

I turned sharply to find Eliza watching me, concern etched across her face. Her uneasiness only made my frustration grow. “No,” I snapped, then fixed her with a hard look. “Are you absolutely sure you don’t know where he is? Eliza, we’re friends. I know Grayson can be terrifying, but you can tell me.”

She sighed, shaking her head. “I really don’t know, Ava. I swear. He called me two days ago, told me to cancel all his meetings, and said he’d be unavailable for a while. That’s all I know.”

I blinked, surprised. “Two days?” My voice rose. “You haven’t seen him in two days?”

Her nod was confirmation enough. The pieces clicked together, and anger flared inside me. He had been lying to me for two whole days. My fists clenched, and I swore under my breath. When I saw him, the Moon Goddess herself wouldn’t stop me from throttling him.

“Okay. Thanks,” I muttered, trying to suppress the frustration bubbling over. A tense silence lingered between us before I added softly, “I’m sorry I haven’t been there for you with the whole Jeremy thing. I just…” I trailed off, guilt tightening my throat.

She offered me a small, understanding smile. “It’s fine, Ava. I get it.”

I managed a weak smile back. “So…. have you sorted things out with him? Are you still…”

She sighed deeply, sinking into the chair opposite Grayson’s desk. “I don’t know. He spied on me, Ava. Used

me to get information. But…” Her voice softened. “I love him. He said he wanted to marry me. And now? I just

“”

“You don’t know if you can trust him the same way again,” I finished for her, sliding onto the desk inches from her.

She nodded slowly. “Exactly.”

I paused, thinking. “You know,” I started, “when I really think about it, this is all kind of my fault.”

Her head snapped up, and she frowned. “What? How is any of this your fault?”

“My mother.” The words came out bitter, the name alone tasting like venom. “Evelyn Pierce. She’s the one who sent someone after Jeremy to use you. She wanted information, and she would’ve stopped at nothing to get it-all because of me. If I’d just stayed obedient little Ava, none of this would’ve happened. But ever since my life collided with Grayson’s, it’s been chaos. Drama. A constant whirlwind of problems.”

I stopped and smiled faintly. “But honestly? I wouldn’t change a thing. Life isn’t supposed to be easy, Eliza. If you love someone, really love them, you learn to forgive and let go. The road won’t always be straight, but it’s worth walking.”

She raised a brow. “So, are you going to forgive Grayson for lying to you?”

I burst out laughing as I hopped off the desk. “Oh, not a chance. He’s going to pay for this. Call me if you hear anything?”

She nodded with a small laugh, and I turned to leave but paused as something came to mind. “Oh! My birthday is on the 15th. It’s going to be more of a ball than a party. Werewolf style, of course. And my mother will be there.” My smile turned mischievous. “Maybe you can tell her what you think of her.”

Tue, Jan

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Eliza laughed, shaking her head. “Thanks for the invite, but I think I’ll steer clear of your mother. She sounds scarier than you make her

to be.”

“She is.” I sighed heavily. “I’ll see you there, though. Now, I have to go track Grayson down before I lose my mind.”

“Good luck with that.”

As I left the office, I dialed Grayson’s number again. This time, it went straight to voicemail. My wolf stirred uneasily, sending waves of worry through me, but I pushed it away. Then Rickon’s name suddenly popped up. Grayson might not admit that he actually liked him but they were becoming close. If anyone knew where Grayson was, it had to be him.

I called him next, only to have his phone send me straight to voicemail too. That was odd. A twinge of worry crept in, and I decided to call Isabella.

She picked up instantly. “If this isn’t a life-or-death situation, I’m hanging up. You’ve given me a job that rivals Mission Impossible, and I only have three days to pull it off.”

“Have you heard from Rickon?”

“Why would I have heard from him?” she shot back, clearly annoyed.

“Isabella,” I said firmly, “this is serious. Have you?”

Her tone softened, just slightly. “No, I haven’t. He hasn’t texted me his usual ‘Here’s what I’ve been doing all day’ nonsense. I should’ve known than to actually start looking forward to it.” She sighed. “He is just so annoying.”

Despite the situation, a smile tugged at my lips and I made a mental note to play matchmaker for the two of them, yet again. “Try calling him. I think he’s with Grayson, and I can’t find either of them. Rickon’s phone-❞

“-is going straight to voicemail,” she finished for me.

“Exactly. They’re definitely together.”

“Figures. Come back to the estate, and we’ll figure out how to hunt them down.”

Before I could respond, the call disconnected.

With a frustrated sigh, I turned toward the elevator to head back to Grayson’s estate, but out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Liam emerging from the hallway, heading toward the elevator.

Liam. Of course.

Before I even realized it, my feet were moving on their own, and I was sprinting after him. “Liam! Hold on! Wait!” I called out, my voice breathless.

He turned just in time to stop the elevator doors from closing. I stumbled inside, bent over, hands on my knees, gasping for air.

Liam’s eyes studied me with a mix of amusement and concern. Are you okay?”

“Yes,” I managed between pants. “Grayson. I need to find Grayson. Do you know where he is?”

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