The Heartless Alpha's Beloved Luna Novel

---- Chapter 182 Gideon's POV What had started out as a casual walk through the village had already gone off the rails. It seemed as though the villager who had come to my office this morning was not the only person with opinions they wished the Alpha to hear. Several times during my rounds, I had been stopped by villagers with complaints. I listened to their concerns, while growing more concerned myself. If I was to believe what the villagers were telling me, Dierdra was a weak and fractious Luna who was interfering with their ability to efficiently contribute to the well-being of the pack.

Their words did concern me. There were always voices of disgruntlement, and while these townsfolk were normally rather placid and easy-going, they took great pride in their work and anything that disrupted that could send them into an uproar. "alpha, can you interpret this policy for me?" One had asked, shoving a flyer in my face that Dierdra had apparently sent, clarifying how their tithes into the pack coffers were to be delivered. "You'll have to ask the Luna," I had said, encouraging them to make an appointment with Dierdra to express their concerns and questions.

Still, they had questions. Why is the Luna changing these procedures we have followed ---- for years? Luna Avery never did that." "The Luna was in my shop yesterday buying new clothes, but then she told me that the pack was running low on funds and to be sure to work hard? Doesn't that seem a bit contradictory?" » When will Luna Avery return?" I tried to be sympathetic, and offered some apologies, telling the villagers that I would talk to Dierdra about her interference. She was new to the position and still finding her footing.

I encouraged them to take their complaints to her directly, so she could have a dialogue with them about how best to address their issues. But it seemed the villagers didn't want to talk to Dierdra directly. I caught their sideways glances at my suggestions, and their hemming and hawing when I asked if there was a problem. "Well, you see Alpha, she just seems very... busy..." they would trail off, and decline to elaborate further. And consistently, they would all ask me about Avery. I didn't have a response to give them, so I tried to dodge their questions about my wife and former Luna.

The issue was that I, myself, still felt very conflicted on the topic. If 1 hadn't seen it for myself, I wouldn't have thought that Avery could ever attack someone. Especially not Dierdra, who was pregnant. But I had seen it happen with my own eyes, and had been trying ---- to revise my image of Avery in my head ever since. Conversely, I found it all too easy to imagine Dierdra attacking someone. That girl had a temper that could flare at the slightest provocation, especially lately. She saw everything as an attack, and I tried not to upset her unduly, lest it effect our child.

I marveled that the two women, Avery and Dierdra, could be so different. They were the same age, and both had come to the pack with no prior leadership experience. Avery had thrown herself into the work eagerly, and until recently had excelled at it. Dierdra, on the other hand, had more to learn. Her fiery spirit was her burden and her redeeming quality. She was quick to fight, but also generous with her affection when earned. Being with her was never boring. + Besides, Dierdra bore my mark, and she carried my child.

Even if she was less suited for the role of Luna, those two facts alone had secured her a place by my side. These thoughts rolled around in my mind as I strode down the main road in the village. There was a worker hauling bricks to repair a broken wall, and as I drew closer I was surprised to see that the raggedy figure was actually Avery. She looked changed, thinner, and her arm was still suspended in asling, but she handled the heavy bricks easily, and moved deftly and quickly as she worked. Doubt tugged at me. Was it possible the rumors circulating in the village were true?

That Dierdra was being too harsh to the former Luna, giving her the dirtiest and hardest tasks? ---- Concern surged through me as I watched Avery struggle to lift a stack of bricks one-handed. Were those dark circles under her eyes, or was that just dirt? For a moment, I almost stepped forward to help as Avery heaved against the weight, and then just as I was about to intervene, she accomplished it and threw her head back, appearing to smile at the sky.