The Heartless Alpha’s Beloved Luna (Avery and Gideon) novel Chapter 395

Avery’s POV

My ankle was rapidly starting to swell and darken in spots. It was definitely twisted at the very least, and perhaps even fractured slightly. I definitely wasn’t going to be able to put very much weight on it.

But I wasn’t about to give up searching for my son over a sprained ankle. I’d been through far worse than this for far less.

Gritting my teeth, I grabbed the thin trunk of a nearby young tree for support and hauled myself up.

“Avery—” Gideon reached for my elbow, but I swatted him away.

“I’m fine,” I said. “Perfectly fine.”

Gideon and Sebastian exchanged a look that said neither of them believed me, although I pretended not to notice it. Fiona was standing a little ways away, watching the whole exchange with wide eyes. I thought about her elbow digging into my spine and wondered if she had done that on purpose, but right now wasn’t the time to bring that up.

Taking a deep breath, I tested my ankle. Unfortunately, the moment I put weight on my foot, the pain shot straight up through my leg. I had to clench my teeth so tightly I thought they might crack just to keep myself from crying out.

“See?” I choked out. “I’m fine!”

Gideon planted his hands on his hips and shot me a look.

“I can walk it off,” I said, a little weaker now.

“You can’t,” Sebastian said flatly.

I ignored them both and took one step forward, keeping my hand on the tree. Then another. The third one made my vision swim and I stopped, breathing through my nose, waiting for it to pass.

It didn’t pass.

Sebastian walked over to me and placed his hand on my shoulder. “Avery, I think you ought to go home,” he murmured.

I snapped my gaze up to him. “Bjorn is out here somewhere. I’m not going home when he needs me.”

Sebastian’s expression softened. “How can you help him when you can’t even walk?” he asked. His voice was gentle, but there was an underlying edge to it that spoke volumes. He wasn’t going to take no for an answer.

I looked at Gideon then, and his expression said the same thing.

Fiona chose that moment to pipe up. Her tone was warm, but her words were clearly designed to make me feel like shit. She seemed to be really good at that—covering up venom with sugar.

“Avery, honestly, it might be best if you headed home,” she said, checking her nails then looking back at me with a smile. “This terrain isn’t exactly suited to someone who has spent the last decade in the city. The forest gets rougher the further north you go, and with that ankle, you’ll be at even more of a disadvantage than you already were.”

“I’m sorry,” I said, turning slowly to look at her, “you think I was already at a disadvantage?”

Her smile wavered slightly, but it didn’t disappear. “Well, yes! I mean, you’ve lived in the human city for so long, so you probably don’t even remember how to walk along a trail.”

“I grew up in the packs,” I said curtly. “I lived here for years before I ever set foot in a human city.” I narrowed my eyes at her. “And Fiona, I’ve navigated terrain a lot worse than this before you were even out of diapers.”

On my own, pregnant, and terrified, I wanted to add, but I kept that part to myself.

Fiona’s mouth snapped shut at that. She was smart enough, at least, to know when to shut the hell up. I had to give her credit for that.

Sebastian cleared his throat. “Avery, I’m going to have to insist that you go home.”

“But—”

I huffed and looked away.

“It’s really no problem,” Fiona said, smiling. “I’ll drive you back.” She already had her keys in hand. “Come on. You can use me for support.” She offered me her slender, designer-clad arm to lean on.

I looked at her arm, then at Sebastian. He shrugged and said nothing. I looked at Gideon, but he was already scanning the forest floor again, searching for signs of Bjorn.

It seemed I had no choice but to accept Fiona’s help. And her arm.

Sighing softly, I placed my hand on her arm and let her lead me back the way we had come.

“Fucking great,” I muttered to myself. Of course Fiona, the woman who apparently thought I was too old and useless and “human” to handle myself, would also be the one who I had to lean on for support.

Fiona glanced at me. “Did you say something?”

“No,” I lied. She nodded and we continued down the path.

At the bend, I paused briefly, looking back just once. Sebastian and Gideon were already moving down the path, their flashlight beams bobbing through the darkness.

I really hoped they found Bjorn. Strangely, I got the sense that Gideon would be the first to do it.

Fiona tugged on my arm, smiling that sweet, empty smile of hers. “You alright?” she asked.

I let go of her arm and quietly resolved to hobble along on my own without her help.

“I’m fine,” I said, biting back the pain as I continued forward. “Let’s go.”