Chapter 156
Chapter 156
Avery’s POV
“Avery is just my Luna. I do not love her p>
Gideon’s words followed me down the hallway as I fled. I couldn’t stand to be in that ballroom any longer!
For a while I focused only on putting distance between myself and Gideon. His words had cut me to the quick.
If he was who had shared my bed last night… then truly it seemed to mean nothing to him.
How could he p>
And for her??? Dierdra was despicable. She had burst into my rooms this morning to try and humiliate me, and had only managed to humiliate herself.
She may have secured Gideon’s intentions for now, but she had also made a fool of herself in front of
the other Alphas and Lunas. Her actions as a whole had made Gideon appear weak, and I wondered if he
realized that.
If he did, I wondered why he allowed it.
How was it that he refused to put Dierdra in her place, while I was constantly being put down?
Hurt and fury flooded through me. My ego was so bruised it was bleeding everywhere. I felt like I was spilling my emotions behind me as I ran. That anyone could follow the trail of heartache to find me at the
end of it.
I found a small bench at the end of a remote hallway and curled myself up on it pathetically. Out here in the passageways that ran through the rest of the buildings, the halls were empty. I had seen only
servants as I fled.
Tears spilled from my eyes and I wiped them on my skirt. Gideon’s rejection stung on the heels of tangling in the sheets with the person I had thought was my mate.
Were my memories real? I once again hadn’t managed to see clearly the person who had loved me so expertly, but Gideon was the one who’d emerged from the bathroom. It had felt, for a second, like there had been a spark of recognition in his eyes when I had pleaded with him…
Now I wondered why he had given me that trapped look before going to Dierdra. What hold did she have over him? I wouldn’t have thought that the Gideon I knew would behave in this way.
Maybe I truly didn’t know him at all…
Which put me back at square one. My mate was a mystery to me.
I sat there for a long time, watching the light bleed out of the sky beyond the glass windows that ran down this hallway. It grew cold. I needed to head back before someone else found me here.
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The scene between Dierdra and I had drawn the other werewolves to the ballroom like moths to a flame. Or more accurately, like sharks smelling blood in the water. Eventually those predatory Alphas would seek me out.
They had seen Gideon’s renunciation, and would interpret it as open season on me as a result. Again.
I was in danger. My neck was beginning to prickly with the sensation of being prey. I needed to get back to my quarters and try and hide until it was time to leave.
Reluctantly, I unwound myself and rose and began to sneak back towards our quarters.
As I turned the corner towards our hallway it appeared empty. Gideon and Dierdra must still be in the
ballroom.
I reached for the doorknob but it was suddenly wrenched from my hand as someone on the other side threw it open.
“Oh, there you are,” Dierdra stood on the other side, face smug. “Off licking your wounds? Or were you busy finding another stranger to fuck p>
My cheeks grew red, but I pushed past her into our rooms.
“He wasn’t a stranger…” I muttered under my breath. At least… I didn’t think he was.
Dierdra trailed behind me as I headed for my room. I opened the door to see that my things had been flung everywhere. There were clothes scattered across the ground and the bedsheets were missing.
“You really should keep your spaces tidier,” Dierdra sniffed, covering her smile with her hand, “This isn’t a whorehouse, you know p>
I spun to face her, feeling my desire to fight flare up, despite the dead, barren landscape of my inner feelings. I fanned the small, burning spark into a flame.
“He’s going to find out what you are,” I said to Dierdra’s face, “You can’t fool him forever p>
“Oh there you go again, with your ‘fake mate’ nonsense. You’re delusional. Your jealousy has made you invent lies that aren’t true, Avery.” Dierdra examined her nails, her voice a catty croon, “Besides,” she arched a brow at me, “Even if that’s what you believe, Gideon will never believe you p>
I hated that it felt like she was right. Gideon refused to see reason, so far. I had given him every opportunity to see past Dierdra’s mask and discover her duplicitous nature.
Was it willful ignorance on his part? Was he unwilling to deal with the fallout of his own bad judgment?
“That might be true,” I clenched my fists at my side, “he might never believe me, but I know what you are, and I will expose your true nature one day p>
Dierdra stepped closer to me, her smirk wide on her painted lips.
“He’s never going to value your word above mine, especially now…” she trailed off with a gloating smile,” Don’t think you can outplay me, bitch. You’re not dedicated to do what it really takes to keep a man like
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Gideon p>
I narrowed my eyes at her. What was she talking about? Had I not done literally everything I could to please Gideon and maintain my station as Luna here?
“What… do you mean ‘especially now”?” I had to ask, heart sinking.
“Oh, hadn’t you heard?” Dierdra’s grin widened, and she ran her hands down the curve of her stomach, I’m carrying Gideon’s pup p>
It was a lie. It had to be. I glared from Dierdra’s stomach to her face and back again.
It had to be a lie.
Right?
Stunned, I had no retort. Dierdra smirked at my dumbfounded reaction.
“Oh I wish you could see yourself,” she said with a vicious laugh in my face, “You’re so dumb, you really thought Gideon would still sleep with you while he was getting me pregnant. You know it wasn’t him, right? He told me so himself p>
My heart was pounding in my ears, I felt glued to the floor, like my feet were far away from me, and my body wasn’t my own.
“How long do you think he’ll bother to keep you around, now?” Dierdra placed a finger on her chin, and pretended to ponder the question, “He’s already forgotten about you p>
She turned to sashay away, then shot over her shoulder, “Might as well pack your bags and keep them packed when we get back. You’re not going to be around much longer p>
And then she waltzed into her room and slammed her door. I could see her continuing to laugh on the
other side in her room.
Devastated, I turned and closed my own door, mutely kicking the piles of my clothes that had been flung across the floor out of the way.
Someone had thrown trash here as well, there was refuse poured on top of my things. I stared at it, and at the ruined dress underneath it.
Slowly I shoveled all of my things into the trash can.
Then I laid down on my bed and waited until it was time to leave. (1)
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