The Heartless Alpha’s Beloved Luna (Avery and Gideon) novel Chapter 185

Chapter 185

“I don’t…” I trailed off, and looked down at myself in consternation. Was this another ploy to humiliate me? Drag the bedraggled and downtrodden Luna to a new series of hoops and make her jump through them while everyone laughed?

“No thanks,” I said softly.

“I wasn’t asking,” Gideon said in a hard voice. He had flinched at my refusal, as though it were a rejection of him, personally. “This is an order, not a request.”

“I am no longer suitable,” I protested as the door behind me opened quickly and Dierdra swept into the room, looking noticeably pregnant.

“Oh, it’s you,” she looked me up and down with open amusement, “Just come in from the fields, have we?”

She turned to look at Gideon expectantly, clearly looking for an explanation as to why I was in his office.

“Avery will attend the Alpha Council with me,” Gideon informed her. Guessing from the look of shock on Dierdra’s face, this was also news to her.

“The hell she is!” Dierdra voiced my inner monologue adequately, “Look at her! She’s disgusting. There’s no way she can represent our pack at that sort of high–profile event!” She threw herself around the desk and fell to her knees next to Gideon’s chair, “Take me instead!”

“Avery is the true Luna of this pack,” Gideon was implacable as Dierdra pleaded, “From this day onward, her punishment period is to be considered fulfilled.”

Fulfilled! I was free! That was the best news I had heard in a long time, and I was surprised at the sudden lightness I felt within me at realizing I no longer had to perform the back–breaking work I had been doing.

“Oh surely she should still be working off her debts!” Dierdra frowned with displeasure, “Gideon this is

too soon.”

I wanted to whirl on her and yank on those pretty curls. She should try doing weeks of hard work and see how she felt about it then!

“I believe that Avery has worked hard enough,” Gideon said flatly, “By all accounts she has near worked herself to death, when she should have been resting that arm. I thought I instructed you to ensure she

healed?”

“Oh. Well…” Dierdra’s gaze slid to the side, “She looks plenty strong to me! Obviously she handled it just

fine.”

I shot daggers at her with my eyes. She pointedly ignored me.

“Really, Gideon, this is unfair!” Dierdra cried out, “If you must take her, take us both! Like last time!”

I never wanted to encounter something like last time again. There was no way I was going there with

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Chapter 185

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Dierdra. That would be like crawling into a sleeping bag with a viper.

“No,” I was relieved to hear Gideon shut that idea down, “You need to rest because of the pregnancy.” Dierdra sighed, and I could see that she wanted to protest further but he had backed her into a corner, logically.

“She can’t go looking like that,” she settled for saying, wrinkling her nose at me.

“You’re right,” Gideon agreed, as I blushed bright red with shame. It wasn’t like I’d chosen to wear these rags!

“So, you will furnish Avery with the wardrobe pieces she needs.”

“What?!” Dierdra shrieked.

“She is to represent our pack,” Gideon said solemnly, “So we must give her everything she needs.”

Dierdra sulked.

“Thank you,” I said, finally breaking the silence I’d held since she entered, “But I refuse to go.”

“What?” Gideon said in a tone that made my blood run cold.

“What?” Dierdra echoed, but with more delight.

“I said,” I swallowed, “I refuse.”

Gideon rose from his seat and stalked towards me. Dierdra retreated to the wall to watch with glee.

“Would you still refuse,” Gideon asked cruelly, “If it was Ryan or lan who requested this of you? Or perhaps your beloved Reynaud? Or…” his eyes flashed, “the mystery lover you took into your bed at the Alpha Ball?” 2

I glared at him. He knew fully well that my answer would not change for any of those individuals, and as for the last… How dare he taunt me when he knew full well it was his own self that had emerged from my room the morning after…

Offended, I drew myself up to my full height and looked him dead in his eyes, “I have no interest in any wolf in that way. Especially not cowards who run from those they claim to care for!”