The Heartless Alpha’s Beloved Luna (Avery and Gideon) novel Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Avery’s POV

I struggled to pull my hand out of Gideon’s fingers, but he held me tightly.

“So that’s your angle.” He looked at me appraisingly for a long moment, “I admit, I didn’t think you had it in you to try and seduce me with petty games. How childish.”

Abruptly, he released me and bent over the bed to lift the scandalous underthings. He tipped his head towards me with a raised eyebrow.

“This is what you think I want from you?” He chuckled. “Save your efforts. I won’t sleep with you.”

Still laughing, he tossed the lingerie back on the bed and walked out the door without a second glance.

And then he was gone.

All my blood felt like it had migrated to my cheeks. I stepped to the door and childishly slammed it shut behind him. It made me feel a bit better.

Well, that was humiliating. I groaned as I scooped up the disgraceful outfit and tossed it in the trashcan.

The next few days, I found I couldn’t stand being in my room. I kept replaying the scene with Gideon in my head and coming up with things I wished I had said instead.

I need a change of scenery.

I pulled on functional outdoor gear and marched to the acres of land set aside for Nightwolf Pack’s community gardens. Although the space had once been developed, it was obvious that no one had put effort into tending or maintaining the garden beds in a long time.

Pulling out weeds was the perfect way to let out tension.

I imagined I was pulling Zara’s hair and when I finally paused in the late afternoon, my wheelbarrow was piled high.

I grinned and wiped a muddy glove across my sweaty forehead.

“You’ve been out here quite a while.” The cook, Anna, appeared at my elbow with a tall glass of iced tea, which I accepted gratefully. Her apprentice, Hailey, was at her side and handed me a sandwich wrapped in paper with a shy smile.

“There’s a lot to do here,” I said, truthfully. “Still, I think if we can get a few beds cleared out, in the next few weeks we can get some things in the ground quick enough for the fall harvest.”

“I admit, gardening has always been a bit beyond me.” Anna frowned, “I’ve got enough to do as it is.”

“It’s a lot.” I agreed, “But if we can just get a few volunteers to help with the planting, it won’t be so difficult to maintain.” Excitement crept into my voice, “Besides, if we can get a little herb patch going next to the kitchen, and a few tomatoes, corn, potatoes, peas, squash… We can save quite a bit in expenses.”

The cook stared at me in surprise, “Well, I do believe you mean that, but is that really something the Luna needs to be doing?”

I smiled at her, “It’s something I enjoy doing, and it helps the pack. Let’s just try it!”

“Your enthusiasm is infectious.” Anna laughed, and Hailey’s eyes shone as they followed me around the garden beds, listening to my plans for where plants could go and how we could rig up irrigation for the watering.

When we returned to the kitchens to wash up, I could already hear them excitedly telling the others about our plans. It felt good to contribute to something we could all work on together.

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