The Heartless Alpha’s Beloved Luna (Avery and Gideon) novel Chapter 463

Avery’s POV

I turned the key over in my palm, feeling the grooves in the metal. It would be easier to work here than to try moving all of these plants back to Evergreen. Some of them were delicate, and the stress of transportation could kill them. Besides, the setup here was better. More space, better light, equipment I didn’t have access to anywhere else.

It made sense. That was what I told myself, anyway.

“I’ll take you up on that,” I said, meeting Gideon’s eyes. “It’ll be easier than moving everything.”

His expression softened a little. “Easier, huh?” he asked.

“Don’t push it,” I said, although I was smiling a little despite my best efforts not to.

Sebastian cleared his throat from across the room. I’d almost forgotten he was there, and turned to see him rubbing the waxy leaf of a plant between his fingers. “We should probably get going,” he said. “I heard a storm might hit this region tonight.”

“You can at least stay for dinner,” Gideon said. “It’s not supposed to rain until later.”

Sebastian opened his mouth, but before he could speak, I cut in, “Dinner would be nice.”

…

Dinner was just as awkward as I expected. We sat in the formal dining room, the three of us spread out around the large wooden table. I hadn’t set foot in this room, obviously, in a very long time. And yet, somehow, Gideon and I took our usual seats as if no time had passed at all. He sat at the head, I sat to his right without even thinking.

Sebastian sat next to me, putting as much space between himself and Gideon as possible.

The meal itself was simple and delicious: roasted chicken, vegetables, fresh bread, all prepared by the same cook who had cooked many such meals for me ten years ago.

Gideon, for his part, seemed perfectly at ease. He asked me about my work, about the compounds I was developing for Bjorn. I answered, keeping my responses vague enough that I didn’t give away too much about Bjorn’s situation.

Sebastian didn’t say much. Just ate and glowered. It was rather unlike him, and it frustrated me to no end, but I didn’t call him out on it.

I was halfway through my second helping when the first crack of thunder rolled overhead.

I glanced toward the window. The sky had darkened considerably in the last hour, clouds hanging low and heavy. Another rumble sounded, and then the rain started.

It came down hard. Not a drizzle or a shower, but a downpour. The kind that turned roads into rivers and made driving dangerous.

Gideon nodded. “I’ll show you to your rooms.”

A few minutes later, we were shown upstairs. The guest room Sebastian was in was on the second floor, all the way at the end of the east wing. As far as possible, of course, from Gideon’s room. He paused in the doorway and looked back at me.

“You don’t have to do this,” he whispered.

I crossed my arms. “It’s just one night, Sebastian.”

“He’s trying to pull you back in. You know that, right?”

I did know that. But I also didn’t think it was any of Sebastian’s business whether Gideon pulled me back in or not. That was up to me.

“Get some sleep,” I said instead of responding to that. “We’ll leave first thing in the morning.”

Sebastian looked like he wanted to say more, but he just sighed, nodded, and shut the door.

I exhaled and turned around to find Gideon standing at the end of the hall.