The Heartless Alpha’s Beloved Luna (Avery and Gideon) novel Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Gideon’s POV

The rogue wolves we had captured in our raid in the forest were chained against the far wall of our holding area. It would be ostentatious to call it a dungeon. It was really just a glorified shed that normally held mechanical parts.

Now it held three of the scruffiest, rankest dogs I’d seen in a long while. Their disheveled state was at odds with the concerted way they’d attacked, and that dissonance troubled me.

Again I had the disturbing thought that there had to be a singular person coordinating their movements…

Or an organization.

I was wasting time pondering when the answers could be right here in front of me. I cracked my knuckles and watched the men squirm as they watched me approach.

“Gentlemen,” my tone suggested I thought of them as anything but, “have either of you ever spent much time in a library?”

Their blank and confused expressions indicated this was exceedingly unlikely.

“Well, when one needs information, more scholarly folks would go to the library and crack open the spines of some books until they found what they needed.” I gave my most sinister grin, “I confess that I use a similar process when I need information. Except the spines are more literal.”

They were already talking before I finished pantomiming what I meant.

“We don’t know anything!” one protested at the same time the other said, “I’ll tell you whatever you want to know!”

Both turned to glare at each other.

I gestured at Tegan to start taking notes, and began to ask my questions.

When I was finished, I headed straight for Avery’s room.

Avery’s POV

My dream of Gideon was still pounding in my blood when an aggressive knock sounded on my bedroom door.

“One moment!” I stammered.

When I opened the door, I found myself staring at Gideon’s broad chest.

Unbidden, the memory of my sexy dream came to mind. I flushed bright red.

“Umm.” I swallowed and backed away as Gideon pushed into the room.

“Still sleeping?” His eyes swept around my room, taking in my rumpled and probably sweaty bedsheets.

“Have a seat?” I said, awkwardly, but Gideon instead stalked around the perimeter of my bedroom, peering into corners and at the various book titles I’d borrowed from his family’s library.

He ignored the invitation.

“I just came from having an extended conversation with some… guests.” He paused and turned his head to peer at me, “do you know what they said?”

I shook my head, confused. I had no idea what he was talking about.

Gideon moved closer.

“When you were tied up, you say you didn’t get a good look at the rogues who imprisoned you. They never got close to you?”

1/3

I shook my head again, wondering how I could explain without mentioning my mark.

“They started to, but then they ran away.” I said, sticking as close to the truth as I could, “I don’t know why.”

“You don’t?” Gideon sounded skeptical, “because the rogues we captured told me a very interesting version of those events.”

I blinked, wondering what they had said. Then I noticed the blood on Gideon’s hands.

My eyes went wide, and I stared at his hands and then at his face. He just stared back at me, waiting.

“I… don’t remember…is that blood?” My voice got slightly high pitched as I asked, not wanting to know the answer.

I backed away slowly, stumbling slightly.

“Your wound.” Gideon leaned forward, frowning. “You haven’t had it checked by the doctor?”

I blushed and looked away. No, I hadn’t wanted anyone near that part of me after… him.

“It needs to be well cleaned.” Gideon stalked forward, wiping his hands on his trousers, rubbing away the offending droplets of blood. “Let me look at it.”

“No!” I yelped, “I mean… it’s fine.”

I saw how I could use the injury to my advantage here.

“I don’t remember much from last night.” I said, somewhat truthfully. “The rogues came near, but the venom makes everything hazy. I never saw their faces.” That much was true. The bite just happened after my mark protected me.

“Hmm.” Gideon was still advancing.

Suddenly he grabbed my arm and pulled me towards him. He pulled me off balance and threw me over his shoulder one- handed, heading for the bed.

“Wha-? Wait!” I squeaked, flailing at his back. “You can’t!”

“I can, and I will.” Gideon said, firmly.

He deposited me ingloriously onto the bed on my back and easily held me down with one arm thrown over my hips.

“This pack and its members are my responsibility.” He continued, as he twitched the corner of my houserobe to the side, revealing my injured thigh through the slit. “If you won’t take care of yourself, then I will make sure you do.”

I inhaled sharply as his fingers carefully brushed over the healing skin. It was bruised and tender, but the pain was much more

muted than before.

His fingers traced the scabbed over puncture marks of the creature’s fangs, and then the wider bruise that showed the shape of his mouth in purple where he’d sucked out the poison.

His touch was like lightning. Already I had been aroused by my dream, prophecy? of us together. To have him touching me like

this was too much. Too soon.

“I will take care of it!” I arched my back and wiggled away from him. For a moment, he resisted my bucking, holding me in place. Then suddenly he released me.

Seeing my moment to escape, I dove towards the bathroom.

“I’ll bathe now. Excuse me!” I darted inside and slammed and locked the door behind me.

On the other side of the door, I let myself slump against the countertop.

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