The Heartless Alpha’s Beloved Luna (Avery and Gideon) novel Chapter 397

That was the wrong move. The pup, as if not recognizing Sebastian at all, spun and scrambled sideways along the ledge, paws slipping on the wet rock.

I reached out and grabbed Sebastian’s shoulder. “Stop!”

Sebastian froze and looked at me. “What should we do? He’s panicking, he doesn’t recognize me—”

“I’ve got this.” I handed him my flashlight.

“What?”

“Trust me.”

I shifted in an instant. My wolf’s fur bristled in the wind and rain, senses sharpening. That familiar scent grew stronger, nearly overpowering all other smells. It was so intense that it nearly made my head spin.

I took a step forward.

The pup’s ears came up slightly.

I stopped. Waited for him to relax a little. Then I took another step, and another. We went like that for a while, moving closer, then pausing until he calmed down, then closer and closer until we were a foot away.

I decided to let Bjorn make the decision to move closer at that point.

He watched me for a long time, clearly wary, and yet there was something else there—something that he didn’t seem to feel with Sebastian. Only me. I saw the same recognition in his eyes that I felt. I saw his nostrils flare as if he were sniffing the air around me.

He picked up the scent, too. My scent. And he recognized it when he hadn’t recognized the scent of the man who was supposedly his real father.

I remained still, waiting for that trust to kick in.

After a long moment, the pup stepped forward. Then again. He stretched his nose out and sniffed. His body trembled, then relaxed.

His face was pale, and there was a look in his eyes that spoke volumes.

We both knew what had happened just now.

In wolf form, terrified and exhausted, Bjorn hadn’t recognized him—the man who was allegedly his own father.

But Bjorn had recognized me.

Sebastian and I looked at each other, neither of us speaking, for a long time. I could tell that he was thinking the same thing I was. And that he was guilty as hell.

I decided not to press the matter for now. Not with a sick, sleeping child and a storm that could prevent us from getting that child home if we didn’t hurry.

So I turned, holding Bjorn tight, and hurried down the path. Sebastian followed without saying a word.