The Alpha King's Contracted Luna by Nelson Claudia

Chapter 212

-Ava’s POV-

Ricardo’s smile stretched across his lips, but | still saw the dark gleam twinkle in his eyes, like he was savoring

something had been waiting for my reaction, “Well, the universe must really be in my favor today, Ava Pierce, Or

is it Blackwood?” He tapped his chin, pretending to think, “I did hear that things aren’t so cozy with you and His

Highness right now. So, Pierce?

My eyes narrowed even further. His tone was dripping with sarcasm, and | couldn't decide if | wanted to throttle

him or just walk away, “I asked, what are you doing here?”

The smile didn’t falter, and he leaned back in his seat, his eyes glinting with amusement, “Sthing you are.

Flying to Italy.”

“In coach?” | shot back, glancing at the cramped space around us.

He grinned, his teeth flashing white against the darker tone of his skin. “I'm a man of the people.”

The last part was said with a mocking lilt, as if his idea of ‘people’ was anyone who wasn’t on his level,

Before | could reply, the voice overhead crackled to life, echoing through the cabin. “Attention, ladies and

gentlemen, please take your seats. We will be departing shortly.”

| didn’t need a second invitation. There was no way | was going to spend an eight-hour flight with Ricardo, not

when every fiber of my being was tellingto get as far away from him as possible. But as much as | wanted to

escape, | didn’t see a clear way out.

The voice repeated the announcement, this tmore urgently, and a stewardess moved up the aisle. She

stopped besideand gavea polite but firm smile. “Excuse me, miss, you'll need to take your seat now.

We're preparing for departure.” “I was wondering if | could switch seats?” | asked quickly, glancing around, “Is

there anyone willing to trade with me?”

The stewardess’s smile didn’t falter, but her voice held the spolite detachment that all airport employees

seemed to have mastered, “I'm afraid it’s not up to me. However, if you're able to find someone willing to swap,

you're welcto do so. But you'll need to sit down now.”

She turned away before | could say anything else, leavingstanding there, fuming. | glanced around the

cabin, but my eyes instinctively landed on my mother, sitting a few rows ahead of me.

| sighed, the sound escaping my lips louder than | intended. | turned back to Ricardo, whose smile was still

plastered on his face, and I didn’t miss the subtle glint of triumph in his eyes. The bastard was enjoying this.

“Fine,” | muttered, my voice low and tight. “But I don’t want you speaking to me. Not a word.”

His grin widened, almost like a predator savoring its prey before going in for the kill. “As you wish.”

| just wanted to strangle him. But, knowing | wouldn't get far in this situation, | reluctantly sat down, forcing

myself to buckle in and keep my hands steady. The sound of the seatbelt sign chiming above us seemed to

amplify the weight of the moment, and | sat back, closing my eyes for a brief second, trying to push the tension

in my body away.

As the engines roared to life and the plane began to taxi down the runway, | felt the tightness in my chest grow. |

had been in tight spaces before-on private jets, in small rooms, but this? This was different. Ricardo’s presence

felt suffocating, like he was taking up more space than physically possible.

| tried to focus on something else, anything else, but it was hard. Every t| glanced over, | saw his face.

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Chapter 212

His infuristing face that thankfully | had gotten away from after Grayson pulledaway when he had made a

memory | had repressed shoot back up.

A memory that | had refused to think about because | guess | wouldn't have been here with my mother right

now.

Yes, Evelyn Pierce had been the person | had been trying to poison that night.

The plane finally lifted off the ground, and | felt the pressure in my ears shift. My thoughts were a mess,

bouncing between irritation and confusion. What the hell was he doing here? Was it really a coincidence, or was

this something more deliberate?

| shifted in my seat, trying to find a more comfortable position, but | couldn't escape the feeling that Ricardo was

still watching me. Even when | turned my body toward the window, hoping to shut him out, | could feel the

weight of his gaze.

After what felt like an eternity, | finally broke the silence between us, my voice colder than ice, “What do you

want?”

Ricardo’s eyes flicked to me, his grin never faltering. “What makes you think | want anything from you, Ava?”

| ground my teeth together. “I don’t believe in coincidences.”

“Ah, so you think I'm stalking you now?” He leaned back, his hands clasped behind his head.

“Then why are you on this flight? And when Rickon called you a week ago to help with what was happening with

Grayson didn’t you say you were extremely occupied and you weren't in the state?” | pressed, my voice low, but

the intensity behind it was undeniable.

“I was occupied and as expected, Grayson is fine isn't he? The man doesn’t die easily,” He said smoothly. “And

besides, | live in Italy. | am simply returning to my pack and my duties as an Alpha.”

| narrowed my eyes, unconvinced. “Sparethe act. I'm not interested.”

He chuckled, a sound that grated against my nerves. “Don’t be so cold, Ava. You do not want to becGrayson

or even worse, your parents.”

| proceeded to ignore him, turning my body slightly toward the window and shutting my eyes. Maybe if |

pretended he wasn't there, he'd take the hint and finally stop talking.

But, of course, he didn’t.

“You sure you don’t want to talk about what's going on between you and Grayson?” he asked casually.

My jaw clenched, and | turned to glare at him. He met my gaze with an easy smile, clearly unfazed. But, for once,

he took the hint and said nothing more.

Silence stretched between us, and just when I thought | could finally have speace, | felt Isabella’s mind

touch mine.

Lilian, I will throttle your mother.

| couldn’t help but laugh and sent a message back. | survived twenty-five years, you can survive eight hours.

She huffed in response before cutting the connection. | settled back into my seat, relieved for the brief

distraction, but then Ricardo’s voice pulledback into the present.

“What about the baby?”

My entire body went still. | turned to him sharply, my heart hammering. “What did you just say?”

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Chapter 212

He wasn’t smiling anymore. His usual amusement was gone, replaced by something unreadable.

“How far along are you?”

| could barely process the question. My stomach twisted. “What?”

“You're pregnant, aren't you?”

| swallowed, trying to keep my expression neutral, “How do you know that?”

The smirk returned, “I spend a lot of twith a whole lot of women.”

That sent a chill down my spine. “That is the creepiest thing you've ever said.”

He shrugged, unconcerned.

| exhaled sharply. “Yes, | am. And Grayson doesn’t know, and | have every intention of keeping it that way. Now,

quit speaking to me.”

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He didn’t respond right away. For a brief moment, | thought he might actually listen. But then, just as | was

starting to relax, he spoke again.

“If | keep quiet, how will | tell you that | can save you the trouble of finding your sister?”

My breath caught and | couldn’t even mask my surprise with his next words completely stunning me, “I know

exactly where she is.”

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