The Heartless Alpha's Beloved Luna Novel

Chapter 40 Avery's POV Gideon's presence filled the doorway. His face was in shadow. Everything about him emanated disapproval. Slowly, he stalked down the aisle. Jessica sobbed on the floor, doing a very good job of looking injured and pathetic. I looked down at her with disdain. Gideon might be fooled by her 'poor me' wounded bird act, but I knew what she was. Jessica's friends shrank away, hoping to avoid Gideon's wrath. I was not going to hide. Gideon wouldn't respect it if I ran away from what I'd done. I also had acted righteously.

Getting in a cat fight with Jessica hadn't been my intention, but she had attacked me first, and I wasn't ashamed of fighting back. At least, those were the brave thoughts I told myself as Gideon advanced on me. It was hard not to flinch back from that stony expression. "Gideon." I began speaking, but he raised one hand to cut me off. "I saw you strike her." He said the words softly, but his voice was steel. I shut my mouth. His grim face swept the room, pinning each of the women in turn. Jessica's friends whimpered and couldn't meet his gaze.

When he stood above Jessica on the ground, she knelt before him and turned her tear-streaked face up at him. "Alpha!" She gave him a tearful smile, "Just in time to see what sort of wolf you almost married. Thank goodness you came to save us, before she did worse!" Jessica reached up to him, her fingers trembling. I had to hand it to her, she was an impressive actress. If I hadn't known the full story, I would have a hard time ignoring that angelic face. I settled for enjoying the fact my claw-marks gouged across it. Gideon side-stepped her grasping hands and moved out of range.

Curtly, he gestured for Jessica to get up. Her friends surged forward to help her. When they were all standing before him, I tried once more to explain. "Gideon, I-" He moved like lightning, clapping his hand over my mouth. "I don't need your explanation." He growled in my ear. Roughly, he pushed me behind him, and turned to face Jessica and the others. I stared at Gideon's broad shoulders as he addressed them. "Anyone who dares disrespect the Luna again will be punished." His voice was glacier cold. Silence fell over the room. Even Jessica stopped her sniffling. 1/2 I was stunned.

Gideon was... defending me? He called me Luna? I couldn't believe it. Slowly I leaned to look around his back and saw Jessica and her friends looking just as stunned. Could this mean...? The proposal in my bedroom to move up the wedding date. Could Gideon really have meant it? He intended to marry me? My heart raced as I remembered my dream. The one of us together. The tenderness in Gideon's touches. The way his kisses had set me on fire. The way we'd moved together.... My daydream was cut off as Gideon grabbed my arm, hauling me after him and out of the store, leaving the others behind.

He pulled me along as we turned onto the sidewalk and headed towards the main house. "Where are we going?" I asked, finally. Gideon's hand was firm on my arm, though not painful. It didn't seem like he was going to let go. "My office." Gideon said. His gaze slid to the side, taking me in. I could feel him staring at the stains on my knees, the cobwebs in my hair, and the red mark on my cheek where Jessica had hit me. My hair was a mess where she'd yanked it. I felt self-conscious under his gaze. I used my free hand to try and comb my hair back into some semblance of order.

"Leave it." Gideon said as we turned into the drive. "You can bathe later when I'm done with you." I blushed. He hadn't put any particular tone on the words, but remembering the last time he'd watched me bathe made my skin flush. I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye to see if he, too, was remembering the events of the other day but he was staring straight ahead as we walked up the hill.