The Alpha King's Reluctant Bride (Ava and Grayson) novel Chapter 173

hapter 173

-Ava’s POV-

“No!”

The word tore from my throat, a gut-wrenching scream of panic and disbelief. I rushed toward him, but my legs felt like they were made of lead. The world spun, the sounds of chaos in the background fading into a haunting silence, leaving only the ringing in my ears and the terrifying sight of Grayson lying on the ground.

I dropped to my knees beside him, my hands trembling as I reached for him, desperately trying to find his pulse.

“Grayson, stay with me!” My voice cracked as I pressed my fingers against his wrist. His skin was cold, his pulse faint, and I felt a wave of nausea and helplessness claw up my throat.

The world around us continued to erupt-screams, shouting, the distant sound of more shots ringing out-but all I could hear was the rush of blood in my ears. My vision blurred again, this time with the sting of unshed tears.

I tried to shake him, my hands trembling as I gently nudged his face, but his eyes remained unfocused, glazed over. His breaths were shallow, ragged, and the blood was pooling faster now-seeping into the cracks in the pavement, staining the concrete a deep crimson. It was spreading in a way that terrified me, growing with each passing second. It was the most vivid thing I had ever seen.

I couldn’t think. My mind raced, panic clawing at my chest, but my body moved instinctively. My hands fumbled over him, as if trying to find some way to stop the bleeding. My heart was pounding so hard that it felt like it would break free from my chest. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t even speak.

I shook him again. “Grayson. Grayson, please, stay with me.”

But there was no response.

The world around me seemed to fade away. The screams of people rushing to escape the chaos, the shouts from carnival- goers trying to find safety, it all felt so distant now, like the sounds were coming from behind a wall of fog. All that mattered was Grayson–his life hanging in the balance—and the growing stain of blood beneath him.

but I Then, suddenly, someone yanked me off him. My wolf growled in alarm, an instinctual warning surging through me, twisted around, panic in my eyes, and met the gaze of Liam. His grip on my arm was tight, almost too tight, but it was his urgent expression that stopped me from pushing him away.

“We need to get you out of here, now,” Liam said, his voice low but firm. His eyes were darting around, scanning the crowd of people, looking for danger. “It’s not safe.”

“No,” I gasped, struggling against his grip, my heart racing in my chest. “I’m not leaving him, Liam. He needs a hospital. We need to get him to my father’s hospital now!”

Liam’s eyes flickered with something dark, something unreadable, but he didn’t argue. His gaze dropped to Grayson, and I could see the faintest hesitation in his stance.

“He will heal,” Liam said, his voice clipped, trying to calm me down.

But I knew better. I knew he wouldn’t heat Grayson didn’t have his wolf anymore, and the wound was too severe. There was no way he would heal from this on his own. The bullet had hit too close to his heart. And that was something I couldn’t tell ·

Liam.

I wanted to scream the words, to tell him the truth-‘Grayson won’t heal. Not without his wolfut I didn’t say it. I couldn’t.

Because Grayson would never forgive me if I told anyone about his wolf’s disappearance.

I bit my lip, swallowing back the rising tide of fear and helplessness. “Get him to my father’s hospital,” I repeated, my voice

chest. firmer this time, despite the panic clawing at my

I looked at Grayson again, more carefully now. The bullet had missed his heart, but just barely. If we didn’t get him to a hospital right now, he would bleed out.

their

Before I could even finish the thought, dozens of men in suits appeared out of nowhere, surrounding us, faces grim and unreadable. Some of them stepped forward and began to lift Grayson’s body with practiced hand.

I moved to stop them, my voice rising in panic. “No! Don’t just don’t just take him like that! He’s going to die if you don’t take him to the hospital!” I shouted, my breath coming in short, jagged gasps. “He needs a real hospital.”

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