The Heartless Alpha's Beloved Luna Novel

---- Chapter 164 Avery's POV Dierdra stomped across the room towards us as Gideon stepped back from me guiltily. I could see her eyes measuring the distance between us, my state of undress, Gideon's body language. She was doing the math. "What are you doing?" she sneered at me, "Gideon has a pack to run, he doesn't have time to be your nursemaid." Nursemaid. As though I had done anything to encourage Gideon mothering me. I raised my head, glaring at Gideon. If he wouldn't take responsibility for what happened between us, then I felt no obligation to shield him from Dierdra's wrath.

He was the one who was shying away from giving me a straight answer. He couldn't play both sides. He couldn't be the wolf who kept me in my place, and also came to my bed. He couldn't be both false mate and my true husband. "Tam asking for a divorce," I said calmly, "That should please you." Dierdra's eyes widened. Bizarrely, she flushed a deep red and got even angrier. "How dare you!" She jabbed a finger into my chest. Baffled, I backed away as she marched into my space, "You threaten me like this?" ---- Iblinked in surprise, and flinched away from her finger.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Gideon grimace. Still, he did nothing to intervene. I saw his fingers twitch at his sides, as though he wanted to reach out, though whether it would have been to protect me, or soothe Dierdra was anyone's guess. Given how he had chosen lately, I was sure it was not likely he would come to my aid. "] would think, as Gideon's 'true mate', you would be pleased," I forced a smile. If I was making Dierdra upset, then I must be doing something right. Anything that placed obstacles in front of her, or Zara, was to the greater good.

Dierdra switched tactics, turning towards Gideon and grasping onto his arm like a child. "You only bring up talk of divorce to threaten Gideon into giving me up!" Tears appeared at the corners of her eyes and she blinked up at him with a distressed expression. Even Gideon seemed bewildered and disconcerted by the sudden change of tactics. He blinked down at her. "Gideon doesn't need my influence to make up his mind. He never has," I pointed out, "His responsibility has always been to the pack above all." Gideon looked uncomfortable, which gave me pause. Had I truly misjudged him?

"You only see Gideon as a status symbol!" Dierdra sniffed, " ---- Don't pretend like you care about his feelings while you use him for your own ends!" Me, using Gideon? I wanted to laugh, but I didn't dare. At no point had I managed to successfully manipulate Gideon into anything! He may have inadvertently rescued me from Silvermoon, but at every stage of my stay in Nightwolf he had made it frightfully clear that my interests were at the bottom of his consideration list.

"Tf you care so much for Gideon's feelings," I said softly, "Why don't you tell him who you really are?" Dierdra's eyes went wide, her face suddenly drained of all color. For amoment, she was speechless. "Youre just saying these things because I'm a rogue," she stammered finally, dropping Gideon's arm and stepping away to wrap her arms around herself pathetically. She was frighteningly good at looking vulnerable when she wanted to. It was almost impressive, watching her change tack. She was truly a skilled manipulator.

Her girlish figure seemed to shrink down, and her sniffles grew louder, tears streaming down her lovely face. If she hadn't still been shooting daggers at me from her eyes when she thought Gideon wasn't looking, I might have thought she was genuinely in distress. ---- "Just when I finally found a home, you try and force me out!" Dierdra accused.