The Alpha King's Reluctant Bride (Ava and Grayson) novel Chapter 175

-Ava’s POV-

“…Refuses to die.”

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The words hung in the air for a moment before I felt a wave of relief crash over me. It was so overwhelming that I almost stumbled backward. Beside me, Elaine let out a quiet sigh of relief, though her face betrayed her attempt to mask her worry.

“There’s internal bleeding,” my father continued, his tone flat and clinical. “A lot of it. The bullet missed his heart, but it’s caused serious damage to surrounding tissue. We’ve stabilized him for now, but…” He trailed off, his expression tightening.

“But what?” I managed to whisper, though my throat felt like sandpaper.

His eyes met mine, heavy with the weight of what he was about to say. “It’s critical. He’s not out of the woods yet. The next 24 hours will be crucial.” There was a pause, and then, almost reluctantly, he added, “But I believe he’ll pull through.”

“So he is going to be fine?” Elsine asked quickly, her tone sharper than mine.

“I just said that,” my father snapped, throwing her a look that made it clear he thought the question was ridiculous. His gaze shifted back to me, narrowing in disapproval. “The company you keep,” he muttered, shaking his head before his eyes scanned me again from head to toe. “Clean that blood off your face and change into something more appropriate. If you don’t, I’ll have security escort you out.”

With that, he turned on his heel and walked away without another glance.

“Wow,” Elaine said, breaking the silence. “He takes ‘asshole’ to a whole new level. Couldn’t even bother pretending to have a shred of humanity while wearing that coat, huh?”

I let out a long sigh but didn’t respond. Grayson was alive. He was alive*. That was all I cared about right

now.

I didn’t bother asking my father if we could see Grayson. I knew the answer already: not until he was stable. Instead, I watched as Elaine began gathering her things, tossing her scarf over her shoulder.

“Well,” she said, her voice detached, “I guess that’s it for the day. I’ll be back later, or not. Who knows.” She turned and started walking toward the exit.

“Elaine, wait.”

She paused, turning back to face me. For a brief second, I thought I saw worry flash in her eyes, but it was quickly replaced by her usual irritation, though this time it looked forced.

I hesitated, my gaze dropping to her still-flat stomach. “Congratulations. And… on your mating too.”

Her expression softened for a moment, genuine surprise flickering across her face before she muttered a quiet, “Thanks.” Without another word, she turned and walked away, leaving me alone again.

I sank back into the chair, letting out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. My father might not have delivered his orders in the kindest way, but he was right about one thing: I needed to clean up and change. I reached into my pocket, intending to grab my phone, only to find it wasn’t there. My stomach dropped as I realized I must have lost it in the chaos at the carnival.

Cursing under my breath, I got up and went to find Rachel. She was standing near the nurse’s station, flipping through a chart.

“Rachel,” I called softly, and she looked up, her face immediately creasing with concern.

“Mrs Blackwood, are you okay?”

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“I’m fine,” I lied, my voice shaky. “I just… I lost my phone. Can I borrow yours? I need to call someone to bring me a change of clothes.”

“Of course.” She reached into her pocket and handed me her phone without hesitation.

“Thank you.” I typed in Isabella’s number from memory, holding my breath as it rang.

“Hello?” Isabella’s voice answered on the other end, cautious. “Who is this?”

I didn’t bother answering the question. “It’s Ava. Please, I need you to bring me a fresh set of clothes to my father’s hospital. Right away.”

There was a pause, and I could hear the faint rustling on her end. “I’m on my way,” she said finally without any other question before the line went dead.

I handed the phone back to Rachel with a small smile of gratitude. “Thank you.”

She nodded, her gaze lingering on me. “You should sit down. You look like you’re about to collapse.”

“I’m fine,” I repeated, even though I wasn’t.

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