The Alpha King's Reluctant Bride (Ava and Grayson) novel Chapter 172

-Ava’s POV

I didn’t understand what happened in the span of a second. Grayson had been his usual composed self, though his death glare at the food vendor had been intense enough to make the poor man shrink. He didn’t seem the least bit fazed as he caught up to me after I practically skipped away with my dumplings. I’d barely bitten into one when he grabbed my wrist and pulled me, his grip firm but not rough, dragging me away from the carnival stalls.

“Grayson… what is-”

I didn’t get to finish.

The sharp crack of a gunshot rang out, loud and startling enough to make me stumble. For a fleeting moment, I thought it might be from one of the carnival games-those old booths with the fake rifles and cheap prizes- but the sound wasn’t quite right.

Then the screaming started.

A wave of chaos erupted around us. People’s laughter turned into shrieks of panic as they scattered like startled birds. I froze for half a second, my body reacting slower than my mind.

Grayson didn’t freeze.

He yanked me closer, his hand wrapping protectively around my arm as his body pressed against mine, shielding me. “We have to get out of here. Now.” His tone was low, urgent, and sharp enough to cut through the noise.

“What’s going on?” I yelled over the chaos, but he didn’t answer.

Another gunshot echoed through the air, closer this time. More screams.

“Run,” Grayson growled, pulling me harder. He was steering me toward the edge of the carnival, where the exit gates stood The crowd was surging in the same direction, people screaming and shoving in blind panic.

“What the hell is happening?” I screamed again, my voice cracking as the sound of another shot sent my heart into a frenzy.

He still didn’t answer me. His jaw was clenched, his eyes scanning the area with razor-sharp focus. The crowd around us was becoming a writhing, chaotic mass.

I tripped over something—a discarded soda cup, maybe—but Grayson caught me before I could fall, his arm wrapping around my waist and hauling me upright.

“Keep moving,” he barked.

And then I saw it.

A man collapsed a few feet ahead of us. At first, I thought he’d tripped, but as we pushed closer, I saw the blood pooling beneath him. My gaze locked on the hole in his forehead, and I froze.

“Oh my Goddess,” I whispered, my stomach lurching.

“Don’t look,” Grayson ordered, his voice harsh as he physically turned me away from the sight. But it was too late. The image was burned into my mind.

People were shoving past us, their screams filling the air as more shots rang out. I stumbled age, my legs barely cooperating as my brain struggled to process the chaos. The smell of sweat, fear, and gunpowder was suffocating.

“Who’s shooting?” I demanded, my voice shaky. My wolf was stirring inside me, growling and clawing at my control, ready to fight. “Where are they shooting from?”

Grayson didn’t answer. He just kept pushing through the crowd, his body a solid shield between me and the panic around

1. us.

“Why is someone shooting people?!” I yelled, my voice breaking.

Finally, he stopped, pulling me into a narrow space between two carnival booths. His hands gripped my shoulders tightly as his gray eyes locked onto mine. “Listen to me,” he said, his voice low but intense. “They’re after me. And by extension, you.”

“What?” I breathed, my heart hammering in my chest.

“Whoever’s shooting will keep firing until we’re out of here. Once we leave, they’ll stop targeting random people.”

I stared at him, my mind racing to keep up. “Why? Who-”

“There’s no time for that,” he interrupted, his tone brooking no argument. “Right now, we need to get out of here.”

Another gunshot rang out, closer than before. The sound jolted me, and I flinched, my instincts screaming at me to run or fight. My wolf growled louder, urging me to shift, to attack, to protect.

But Grayson didn’t give me a chance to act on it. He grabbed my hand again, pulling me back into the crowd.

The crush of bodies was overwhelming. People were screaming, shoving, trampling over anything and anyone in their way. A woman to my left fell, her face pale with terror as she clawed at the ground, trying to get back up A man to my right was yelling at someone to move, his voice barely audible over the chaos.

“Stay close,” Grayson said, his voice a steady anchor in the madness.

“I’m trying,” I snapped, nearly losing my balance as someone shoved past me.

Another gunshot cracked through the air, and the crowd surged forward like a tidal wave. I was almost knocked off again, but Grayson’s grip on my hand didn’t falter.

Then, out of nowhere, a man stumbled into our path, clutching his side. Blood seeped between his fingers, his face contorted in pain. He looked up at us, his eyes wide with fear, before collapsing to the ground.

I froze again, my gaze locked on the growing pool of blood beneath him.

“Ava, keep moving!” Grayson’s voice snapped me out of my daze.

“I-he-”

“There’s nothing we can do for him,” he said firmly, pulling me forward.

my feet

The exit gates were in sight now, but the crowd was Bottlenecking there, people screaming and shoving in their desperation

to escape.

“Grayson, this is insane,” I said, my voice shaking. “We’re not going to make it out of here like this.”

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