The Alpha King's Reluctant Bride (Ava and Grayson) novel Chapter 82

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-Grayson’s POV-

The room fell into an unnatural silence, the kind that pressed against your ears and made your pulse thrum louder in the quiet. Luther’s words echoed in my mind: I was responsible? A ridiculou “The man said Grayson was responsible? That’s a load of bullshit Someone is clearly trying to frame him,” she said, her voice steady but la Luther’s glare didn’t wäver as he turned his full attention to Ava And you’re sure of this because you know him so well?” he sneered. “The m I felt Ava’s touch on my arm, grounding me, tethering me to reason. But I didn’t want that. Not now. I pulled away from her, my wolf pacing ir “I’ll say this only once,” I began, my tone even but threatening. did not kill any Alpha or send

anyone after you, Luther. But if you start spreading this nonsense, I’ll make sure you know exactly who’s responsible for ending you. Test m Luther’s jaw tightened, his defiance burning in his eyes, but he didn’t respond. Instead, his gaze shifted, sliding to Evelyn Pierce, who stood

“This is my home,” he said curtly. “And you’re intruding on my territory. You might be king, but that doesn’t give

you the right to barge in here uninvited. Use the door.

1 ignored his words, stepping closer instead. “I want to speak to the man you caught.”

Luther’s lips curled into a

mockery of a smile, his eyes glinting with barely concealed satisfaction. “Te’s dead,” he said. Clawed out his own throat the moment he conf

I felt my wolf surge within me, a raw fury clawing to the surface was ready to

call Luther out on his lies, to rip through his thinly veiled accusation, but then Ava reached for me again. Her hand, warm and steady, slippe Let it go, they seemed to say.

I let out a long breath, forcing the anger to recede, even though it simmered just beneath the surface. My grip on Ava’s hand tightened as I s The night air outside was crisp, biting against my skin as I stepped out of the house. Ava’s voice cut through the silence. “Someone’s not on I stopped, surprised by her words. I had assumed her defense of me inside was performative, something done out of necessity in front of he “You really believe I didn’t do it?” I asked, watching her closely.

She rolled her eyes as though the answer was obvious, “Of course, you didn’t. If you wanted someone dead, you’d handle it yourself. You w Her blunt honesty startled me, but there was an edge of admiration in her voice that I didn’t know what to

do with. Before I could respond, her expression shifted, concern darkening her features.

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“This is bad, though,” she said, pacing a few steps ahead. “My father won’t keep his mouth shut about this. The rumors will spread like wildf that you’re behind the killings”

I opened my mouth to speak, but she cut me off, the fire in her voice growing.

“And don’t say you don’t care what they think. You’re their king, Grayson. If they believe you’re ordering their deaths instead of protecting th

matter.”

She was right, of course. The wolf in me chafed at the idea of defending myself to anyone, but the leader in me knew she spoke the truth.

“This is what you’re going to do,” she continued, her tone sharp, commanding, and unwavering. “You’re going to issue a statement to every aligned with you or not-

and get ahead of this mess before my father starts spreading his version of the story. You’ll make it clear that you had nothing to do with the I stayed silent, watching her as she spoke. There was something magnetic about the way she moved, her passion and conviction radiating f When she finally stopped, she turned to face me, her eyes narrowing. “Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked, her voice softening I couldn’t help the smile that spread across my face, slow and unbidden. Her eyes widened in surprise, and I realized why. I hardly ever smi “What?” she asked, her voice a mix of curiosity and wariness.

“Nothing.” I said, my voice low, almost amused. “I’ll do it. I’ll do everything you said.”

Her eyebrows shot up in disbelief. “You… will?”

“Does that surprise you?”

“Honestly, yes, she admitted.

“I figured you’d listen to me, nod, and then do whatever you were originally planning❞

I stepped closer, holding her gaze. “You’re my Luna, Ava. Of course, I’ll listen to you.”

For a moment, she said nothing, just staring at me as though she wasn’t quite sure what to make of my words. Then, slowly, a faint blush c The night had settled into a quiet rhythm as we walked toward my car when something suddenly clicked in my mind. The letter. The one tha She didn’t break stride, but I caught the subtle stiffening in her shoulders, “Yes. I handled almost everything related to made alliances and negotiations with other alphas. But when it came time to finalize deals or show my face publicly, Dylan sure

I didn’t. He needed the credit, of course. I hated every second of it, hated that I was fated to him. Six months. Six months of enduring him- Her voice tightened, raw emotion spilling into her words. “He’s an awful person.”