The Heartless Alpha's Beloved Luna Novel

---- Chapter 104 Avery's POV As night fell, | prepared. | stoppered the bottle that contained the magical antidote and secured it in my cleavage. | had chosen my outfit with care. | needed to look like a woman 'on her way to her wedding night. It was shorter at both ends than I'd usually choose, but looking in the mirror, | had to admit it suited me. The dark colors offset my hair and eyes, while the tailoring showed my curves to advantage. | looked like a woman in control of her future, for once. Sexy, alluring, powerful.

How ironic that | should appear as a true Luna should on the night of my sham wedding From across the hall, | heard raised voices. It appeared my request was not going over well with Gideon's 'true mate'. | grinned at my reflection in the lamplight. It felt good to be the person pulling the strings for once. This was the time of the dark moon, a time of new beginnings and washing away the old. It was time for me to make things happen on my own time. ---- First, | had a husband to seduce. | heard a door slam and opened mine in time to see Dierdra stomping down the hall, carrying a blanket.

She looked put out. "He keeps his word." | called after her. She stopped and spun to face me. "What did you say?" She snapped angrily. "Gideon is a good man." | said, "He deserves someone who is honest with him in return." "Listen, bitch..." She hissed, "You might get one night, and you might get the ring on your finger, but this mark means he belongs to me." Dierdra pointed at the bite on her neck. "Stay in your lane and maybe I'll let you remain when I'm Luna." Her true nature was showing, but | just dropped my eyes in a show of submission.

"Of course." | nodded, "Thank you." Taken aback by my meekness, Dierdra sniffed. "I guess | can share him for one night. Good luck if you get pregnant. | hope you made more of that medicine for yourself." "I'll have Gideon deliver your dose to you tomorrow," | called. She spun on her heel and disappeared down the hall as | knocked on Gideon's bedroom door. ---- "Come in." came his gruff voice. | opened the door and entered, then carefully locked it behind me. We could not be disturbed. When | looked up, my breath was stolen from my lungs by the sight.

Gideon was leaning against the windowsill at the far side of the room. He was still wearing the dress shirt and slacks he'd worn at our wedding a few hours prior. He'd undone his tie which now dangled loosely across his shoulders and the top few buttons of his shirt were unbuttoned. He was ridiculously good looking. He looked stressed as | entered though, running his hands through his hair as he stared at the floor. When he raised his eyes to look at me, | saw them widen in surprise. Good, that was the reaction | was going for. "avery." He said in a low, hollow voice.

The look he gave me broke my heart. He looked sad, and... hungry. The way he looked at me made me feel like | was a feast laid out for him. | paused in the middle of his room and we just ---- stared at each other. His gaze raked me up and down "| didn't expect..." he said, voice husky. "What?" | advanced on him slowly. "| didn't think you would want something like this." His eyes were fixed on my body as | swayed towards him. "I didn't imagine..." | stopped, the flames from the fireplace silhouetting my curves with flame and shadow.

"You didn't imagine me like this?" He glanced away for a moment, then back to me with a quirk of a smirk, "My imagination is woefully uninspired, | see." There was a stretch of silence, then, "You always look lovely, but this is something else." The way my heart panged at those words! | shook away the intrusive feeling. | needed to focus on my goal. | donned a sultry smile that | had practiced in the mirror and reached out both hands to grasp the tie that dangled around his neck. "Tell me." He grabbed my wrists gently.

---- "Tell you what?" | breathed as that electric pulse once again flowed into me from his touch, "Why did you want this night? What do you want from me?" Gideon's eyes searched my face. "I didn't think you wanted a relationship like this..." It hurt my heart that he had actually been listening to what | had told him | needed. Now | had to pretend like none of that mattered... "Let's not talk about that." Slowly, | stepped backwards, drawing him towards me with his tie around his neck. "Let's not talk at all." 7