The Alpha King's Reluctant Bride (Ava and Grayson) novel Chapter 201

-Ava’s POV-

The car screeched to a halt outside the abandoned steel factory, the engine sputtering before falling silent. I leapt out, my shoes hitting the cracked pavement as I scanned the area. The factory stood silent and foreboding, its broken windows like hollow eyes watching me.

“Bels, we’re here,” I said through the link. “How far out are you?”

‘Five minutes,’ she replied. ‘Don’t do anything stupid, Lilian. Wait for backup. We don’t know who is in there and Liam had more power and connections than any of us know. Your parent’s pack might not be enough. Rickon has more wolves.

‘Okay.’ Then I shut off the connection.

But I couldn’t wait. Grayson didn’t have five minutes.

“Are you coming?” I asked my mother without looking at her, already striding toward the entrance.

“Wait,” She said, grabbing my arm. “We can’t just walk in blind.”

“I don’t have a choice,” I snapped, wrenching my arm free. “You can stay here and wait for the pack to get here, but I’m going in.”

I didn’t wait for her response. I pushed open the rusted doors, gently not to make so much noise. The steel door creaked on its hinges as I slipped into the factory.

Inside, the air was thick with the stench of oil and rust. My wolf senses flared instantly, catching traces of sweat and adrenaline–there were men inside. My breath hitched, but I forced myself to move silently, keeping low and close to the shadows of the towering machines that lined the room like forgotten giants.

The faint clatter of metal echoed through the cavernous space, drawing my attention to a group of men several feet ahead, They moved with purpose, hauling crates and equipment across the floor. The faint hum of machinery came from deeper within the building, almost drowned out by the sound of my heartbeat hammering in my ears.

I crouched behind a rusted steel beam, peeking around it to get a better view. There were at least six of them-armed, judging by the bulges under their jackets. My wolf snarled quietly in my mind, urging me to shift, to fight, to rip through them all to get to Grayson. But I pushed the instinct down, knowing that brute strength wouldn’t help me here.

Not yet.

I scanned the room, looking for any sign of a way down. My gut told me Grayson was below, in a vault or a hidden chamber. The thought tightened my chest. Every second wasted was a second closer to losing him. “Grayson, hold on,” I whispered under my breath, my voice trembling with urgency.

Suddenly, Isabella’s voice surged into my mind, loud and sharp

‘What the hell do you think you’re doing?!’ she demanded, her tone a mix of panic and fury.

I winced, my hand instinctively going to my temple as if I could block her out.

I’m getting to him,’ I whispered fiercely, hoping she could hear the conviction in my tone.

14:59 Tue, Feb 11 B BW.

62%

‘Get back out here!’ she shouted. “You’re going to get yourself killed! Strategize with us. You don’t even know what you’re walking into!’

‘I don’t have time, Bels!’ I hissed, keeping my voice low as I adjusted my position behind the beam. ‘You, Rickon and my mother figure something out. Just don’t let them know you’re here, or they’ll blow the vault before I get to it.

‘Lilian, you stubborn-‘

‘I’m cutting the link.

‘Don’t you dare-!’

I severed the connection before she could finish, the sudden silence in my mind almost as loud as her voice had been. My body trembled, the weight of my decision sinking in, but I couldn’t afford to falter. Grayson didn’t have time for me to play it safe.

I edged forward, keeping my movements slow and deliberate as circled around the group of men. One of them paused near a stack of crates, pulling out his phone. I froze, pressing myself flat against the side of a machine as he answered the call.noveldrama

“Yeah?” The man said, his voice gravelly.

I strained to hear the other voice on the line, but it was too faint distorted by the distance. Still, something about the voice on the other end felt… familiar. My stomach twisted.

“Understood,” The man said after a pause. “We’re almost done here. Just a few more minutes, and we’ll be

out.”

Verify captcha to read the contentVerify