The Heartless Alpha's Beloved Luna Novel

---- Chapter 80 Avery's POV Gideon's eyes were closed as he leaned his forehead against mine. | could see the crease between his brows furrow as pain washed over him. Thankfully, the blood flow had almost stopped, and soon the worst of the healing would be over. His fever had returned. | could feel the heat of him against my skin. He would need to rest, and he would be hungry when he awoke. Exasperatingly, he seemed to have no intention of allowing me to continue my journey. | should have known he would stop me.

| guess it was good he'd shown up when he did, or I'd be mincemeat in some rogue's jaws right now. "My Luna." Something about how he said those words had touched me in my core. As frustrating as his repeated denials of a separation were, he had said those words with such fervor. As though | truly was important to him. | couldn't imagine why he would choose me, while rejecting Zara. She was more powerful, more desirable in every way. She had a wolf that could manifest. | had no claim to his loyalty. Yet here he was, protecting me once again. It made me want to ---- do the same for him.

Tendrils of mist crept across the floor of the glade. The temperature was dropping, and it threatened to be a rainy, cold night. We needed to shelter here and let Gideon heal to safely make the trek back to Nightwolf. Quickly | rose and gathered up pine boughs to create a roof over the fallen log we were leaning against. | would have loved to build a fire, but with rogues in these woods, it would be a beacon straight to our location. As it was, the bodies of the fallen wolves would send a blood signal to their comrades. We just had to hope to get out of here before they found us.

Occasionally the fog parted and moonlight streamed down upon us. Remembering the way it had felt in my hands was surreal Experimentally, | wiggled my fingers in the moonlight, but the sensation of being able to manipulate the light did not return. Was it the invocation then, that had allowed me to access that power? A blessing from the Goddess who had once appeared in my dreams? The stories my mother had told me of the old Moon Goddess Priestess hadn't mentioned anything like that power. She mostly had told me about long holiday rituals and revels that brought ---- the pack together.

Silvermoon might have a more extensive healing library, however. If | was going to continue to be stuck with Nightwolf pack, perhaps | could try and sneak over there and take a look at their old records. "Avery." | jumped when Gideon said my name. | almost dropped the bundle of moss | had been gathering to insulate us from the cold earth. | spun around and headed back towards where he leaned against the fallen tree. When | got to him, | realized his eyes were closed. "Avery." he said again, but it was more of a murmur. Was he... talking in his sleep?

I knelt next to him and put the back of my hand on his forehead. He was burning up. The fever would need to run its course while he healed. All | could do is try and make him comfortable. Acold rain started to fall. | tucked my legs up to my chest and huddled next to Gideon while he slept. The branches I'd put over us deflected most of the water, but it was still damp and cold. In comparison, the heat emanating from Gideon's body was like a small furnace. | couldn't help myself, | leaned into his warmth, tucking myself ---- against his side. He was asleep, he wouldn't know.

| burrowed closer and sighed as the warm strength of him soothed my sore body. After a while, my foot started to go to sleep, so | shifted positions. When | did, Gideon made a small sound of disapproval. It sounded so much like his wolf that | froze for a moment before realizing he was still sleeping. "I'm just getting more comfortable," | whispered to the darkness, to him, to his wolf, to whoever was listening. | lifted myself up and turned around.