The Heartless Alpha's Beloved Luna Novel

---- Chapter 103 Dierdra paled slightly at my ambiguous words. "However, because of my respect for Gideon and our... working relationship... this does mean something to me." | kept my head high, sensing Gideon and the other guests watching our conversation. "Of course, as his true mate, you would have a different point of view." | gave her a wide smile and watched her eyes fall away from my stare. Two can play this game, bitch. Gideon stared at me for a long moment, then turned to eating his food.

The minute the luncheon was over, | made an excuse about getting ready for that evening's ceremony and dashed away. There wasn't much time, but | had to try and get the antidote ready. If | could reveal Dierdra as the fake she was, then Gideon would know she was an imposter. Unfortunately, if | went to Gideon without proof, he would likely think | was just acting out of jealousy. | had to get him to listen to me and use the antidote on Dierdra to reveal that her mark was false.

---- | worked all day but the potion still wasn't ready when the sun began to set and the wedding bells began to toll in the village. The ceremony was due to start shortly! | swore and turned the flame down on my stove. | wasn't quite finished, but my time was up. | arrived in my room just as Camila and Gideon's mother arrived to dress me. The whole time they were doing my hair and makeup | stared at the clock in the mirror and did calculations in my head for when the antidote would be finished "You look lovely, dear." Gianna, Gideon's mother, patted the last curl on my head.

| rose from the chair and briefly took in my reflection, but my mind was elsewhere. "Don't worry," Camila mistook my distraction for nerves, "The ceremony is short. Have you thought about what you will ask for?" "Ask for?" | turned to face her, confused. "Oh, as the bride, you get to ask the Alpha for one request." She said. "It's tradition." Perfect. | already knew what | would ask. ---- The ceremony hall was bedecked with the cherry boughs | had gathered over the last few days. | was touched to see that many of the villagers had put care into decorating the tables and walls.

That was kind, especially when everyone seemed to know this was an arranged marriage only. My mother was there in the front row. | embraced her quickly as | headed for the wedding arch where Gideon stood waiting. "Are you sure, my daughter?" she whispered to me, and | could only nod and squeeze her hands. There was nothing to be said. The note | slipped into her fingers as we embraced said it all. Gideon's father was conducting the ceremony. He took my hand and placed it on top of my soon-to-be husbands. Touching Gideon was like touching a live wire.

A jolt of energy leaped between us and | gasped and pulled back. Gideon mistook my flinch for refusal and leaned close to say in a cold voice for my ears alone, "You put on a good act earlier, but | can see through you. If you won't go through with this, I'm sure Dierdra would be more than happy to take your place." | stared at Gideon as emotions raced through me. | should hate him for making me go through this with him at all, but... all | could think while looking at him was that he was so handsome.

In spite of everything, he was a good man, and he deserved ---- someone who genuinely cared about him In that moment, | knew | couldn't let that imposter marry him in my place. | put my hand back on top of his and nodded to his father to continue.

The ceremony resumed as Gideon's father intoned the sacred lines by which wolves for millennia have sealed their commitments, ending with, "By tooth, claw, this ring, and the wolf within my soul, | bind myself to thee til death do us part." | repeated the words, my eyes locked on Gideon's steely gaze as we slid our wedding bands onto each other's fingers. And then it was done. We were married, without even so much as a kiss to seal the pact. We stepped down off the podium as the villagers clapped politely. Gideon went to rejoin Dierdra, but | grabbed his arm "My request..." | said loudly.

A murmur went up around the room as Gideon turned back towards me with an intense look, "is that you spend our wedding night with me."