The Heartless Alpha’s Beloved Luna (Avery and Gideon) novel Chapter 525

Avery’s POV

I woke with the sheets stuck to my back and my heart slamming against my ribs.

The room was still dark. Gideon was asleep beside me. It was just a dream.

And yet…

I knew it wasn’t.

I knew these dreams. The prophetic ones, packed with symbolism that sometimes took years to untangle. But they were always right. There was always something in them that pointed at a place in my future, somewhere maybe that I didn’t want to look.

This was one of those dreams. I was sure of it. That woman… maybe she really existed, maybe she didn’t and was just a symbol for something greater, but I knew I needed to look into her.

By morning, I’d made up my mind. I was going to talk to Melissa.

I wasn’t sure why I thought of her first. She was spiritual, and I knew she would take this seriously. And I just… I don’t know. Maybe I just needed a friend.

Gideon was sitting at the breakfast table, sipping his coffee, when I told him I was driving back to Evergreen.

“Again?” He lowered his mug. “Should I be jealous?”

“Ha.” I grabbed a piece of toast off his plate and took a bite, much to his chagrin, although he didn’t say anything about it. “I’m not seeing Sebastian. I just want to talk to Melissa about something.”

He watched me for a moment, and I could tell he wanted to ask. To his credit, he didn’t. “Be back before dinner,” he said. “Your mother said she wants to cook.”

“An old woman,” she said, furrowing her brow. “In a hood, in the deep woods. Hm…”

“Do you know anyone like that?” I asked.

“I may know of someone.” She set the gloves down next to her. “There’s a woman who lives out in the forest. A hermit. Rumor has it she’s a witch, but I don’t think so. She’s been out there since before I was born. Keeps to herself, tends her garden, looks after the forest. People, myself included, leave her offerings sometimes. But she’s never bothered a soul.”

“You’ve met her?”

“A couple of times. I like to collect roots out in those woods, so we’ve crossed paths. She doesn’t talk much, though.” Melissa shrugged. “Whatever you saw in your dream, I’d be surprised if it was her. But maybe she knows something.” She stood, brushing the dirt off her knees, and picked up the basket sitting beside her. “Come on. I’ll take you out to her place. Worst case scenario, we get told to leave.”

The trail Melissa took curved east from the gardens, past the training fields, and into the trees. For the first twenty minutes, I knew exactly where we were. I’d collected plants in these woods almost every week, back when I lived at Evergreen. I knew the area like the back of my hand at this point.