Claimed By The Dangerous Alpha King: Betrayed Luna Novel by Gorgeous Aliyah

Kira

I recognised the room the moment the guards shoved me inside and locked the door. It was the guest room. The walls were still the same dull grey, the same curtains hung by the window. The bed in the corner, with its stiff mattress, was the same too. My mind took me back to the cold, lonely nights I had spent here when Dax decided to start sleeping with Laura. It felt like forever ago, but the memory was still fresh. I’d lie awake in this very bed, listening to the sounds from down the hall. Trying not to care. Trying to block it out.

But right now, I wasn’t thinking about those nights to torture myself. I was trying to distract myself from the real fear that was gnawing at me. Aston. The image of him bleeding on the ground kept flashing in my mind. His eyes, so full of pain, but still strong, still angry. I couldn’t get it out of my head. I wondered if he was okay. If the guards had taken him somewhere safe. I tried to convince myself that he would make it, that he was too strong to go down like that. But the truth was, he’d been bleeding so much, too much.

I didn’t want to cry, but the tears were burning at the edges of my eyes. I could feel my throat tightening, but I swallowed hard and forced myself to hold it together. Crying wasn’t going to help him. It wasn’t going to help me either. I had to stay focused, had to think of a way to get out of here. But no matter how hard I tried, my thoughts kept circling back to Aston.

I didn’t even notice the door open at first. I was so lost in my thoughts that it wasn’t until I heard the sharp click of heels against the floor that I looked up. Laura stood in the doorway, her arms crossed over her chest, a scowl plastered on her face. Her belly was round, heavy with pregnancy, and for a second, it took me by surprise. I had no idea she was pregnant. Not that it mattered. I didn’t care about Laura or her baby. All I wanted was to get out of here and find Aston.

__“So,” Laura said, her voice dripping with disdain. “Here you are, Kira. Locked away like a little bird in a cage.”

I didn’t respond. I didn’t have the energy for her games. Laura had always been like this-cold, cruel, always finding a way to twist the knife. But right now, I couldn’t bring myself to care about her insults. I had bigger things to worry about.

She took a step closer, her eyes narrowing as she looked me over. “What’s the matter? Not in the mood for a chat?” Her lips curled into a sneer. “You look worried. Could it be that you’re worried about Aston?”

My heart skipped a beat, but I kept my face blank. I didn’t want to give her the satisfaction of knowing how much that hurt. She was trying to get under my skin, and I wasn’t going to let her.

She laughed softly, the sound sending a shiver down my spine. “I heard what happened,” she continued. “Brax really did a number on him, didn’t he? You should’ve seen the mess they made, all that blood. It was quite the scene.”

I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms. I could feel the tears rising again, but I refused to let them fall. Laura was trying to break me, to make me crumble, and I couldn’t give her that power. I couldn’t show her how terrified I was for Aston, how every word she said felt like another twist of the knife in my chest.

“He’ll be fine,” I said, my voice steadier than I expected. “Aston’s strong. He’ll pull through.”

Laura raised an eyebrow, a mocking smile playing at the corners of her mouth. “Strong? Sure, he’s strong. But strength only gets you so far. Especially when you’re bleeding out on the ground.”

I wanted to scream at her, to tell her to shut up, but I knew that’s what she wanted. She wanted me to lose control, to lash out. Instead, I took a deep breath and forced myself to stay calm. I wasn’t going to let her win.

She walked over to the window, glancing out as if she were bored. “You know, Kira, I almost feel sorry for you,” she said, her voice light and casual. “You’re trapped in this mess, and for what? Aston’s not going to save you. He can’t even save himself.”

I stood up, my legs shaky but firm. “What do you want, Laura?” I asked, my voice quieter but more serious. I didn’t have time for her mind games. “Why are you here?”

Laura turned away from the window, her smile fading as she faced me. “I wanted to see you. I wanted to see what Brax’s latest prize looked like up close. And I have to say, you’re disappointing.” She shrugged, as if I wasn’t worth her time. “I thought you’d put up more of a fight, but I guess I was wrong.”

I took a step closer to her, my heart pounding in my chest. “You can insult me all you want, Laura, but I’m not the one who’s disappointed in life. You’ve always been angry, always bitter, and that’s not on me.”

Her eyes flashed with anger, but I didn’t stop. “You think you have control now, but you’re just a pawn in Brax’s game. You think he cares about you? You think Dax cares? You’re just as trapped as I am.”

Laura’s face hardened, and for a second, I thought she might hit me. But instead, she just stood there, glaring at me. “You don’t know anything, Kira,” she said through gritted teeth. “You think you’re better than me, don’t you? You think you’re special because Aston likes you. But let me tell you something-you’re nothing. You’re just another girl who’s going to get left behind.”

I didn’t flinch. “Maybe. But I’m not the one living a lie.”

I could tell from the moment the words fell out of my mouth that she was nervous. The way her eyes darted around, the slight tremble in her hands. Laura wasn’t good at hiding her emotions, not from me, at least. I had hit a nerve when I told her she was living a lie, and she knew it. She just didn’t want to admit it.

“You don’t know anything,” she shouted, her voice sharp and defensive, like a cornered animal. The look in her eyes told me. that she was ready to fight, but I wasn’t backing down either. I had a feeling I was onto something, and I was going to push her until she cracked.

I leaned back against the wall, crossing my arms as I looked at her. “Oh, come on, Laura,” I said with a smirk, pretending like I knew exactly what was going on. “It’s obvious. I’d have to be dead not to see it.”

Thad no idea what she was hiding, but from the way she was acting, it had to be something big. I was just hoping she’d slip up and tell me what it was.

She hesitated for a moment, her eyes narrowing at me, like she was trying to figure out if I was bluffing. Then, she said something that made my jaw almost hit the floor.

“I don’t care if you know or not,” she snapped, crossing her arms over her chest. “As long as Dax thinks I’m pregnant, we’re good.”

I blinked, trying to keep my face neutral. She was faking the pregnancy? I couldn’t let her see how surprised I was. I needed to play it cool, to keep her talking. If she thought I already knew, maybe she’d spill more.

I wondered how far she would go to keep Dax. He wasn’t even worth the trouble she was going through, but clearly, she didn’t see it that way.

Laura narrowed her eyes at me, like she was daring me to say something else. “It’s none of your business, Kira,” she said sharply. “Dax will believe what I tell him, and that’s all that matters.”

I let out a slow breath, trying to process what she was saying. Dax was an idiot if he believed her, but that wasn’t really my problem, was it? I couldn’t believe how far she was willing to go for him, though. Faking a pregnancy? That was next-level desperate. Did she really think this was going to end well?

“Do you even hear yourself right now?” I asked, shaking my head slightly. “You’re lying to Dax, pretending you’re carrying his child. How do you think this is going to play out when he finds out the truth?”

Laura scoffed, her lips curling into a sneer. “He’s not going to find out,” she said confidently. “He’s too stupid to even question it. And by the time he does, it won’t matter anymore.”

I stared at her, my mind struggling to wrap around what she was saying. “So, what’s your plan then? Fake a miscarriage? Or are you just hoping he’ll be too distracted to notice when there’s no baby?”

“Don’t get in my way, Kira,” she said quietly. “You don’t want to make an enemy of me.”

I stood there, watching as she slammed the door behind her, the sound echoing through the room. She was more sight than I thought.