Chapter 207
Chapter 207
Avery’s POV
After the scene in the council chambers, the Council moved on to other business, and Gideon and I were surrounded by chattering Alphas and Lunas who wanted to chat about what had just happened. There were more than a few back pats given to Gideon, and several admiring comments made by sympathetic Lunas.
It seemed as though Reynaud had been held in fairly low-regard among the circles Gideon socialized with. Even through his pack was powerful, he had made a lot of memories by reneging on agreements. Because he was shrewd about who he betrayed, it had been hard to build a case against him in front of the Council, but many knew of his distasteful dealings.
By standing up to him in the way he had, Gideon had given the Alpha Council the excuse they needed to knock Reynaud down a peg. Although his removal from the Council Estate for six months was a comparatively mild slap on the wrist, it had knocked him down a peg, and would make future cases against him more likely to succeed.
Gideon was viewed as some sort of mastermind for turning the tables on him the way he had, and as the person who had handed him the perfect situation to do so, I was equally praised and gushed over. Most even seemed to view the drama with Dierdra as some sort of machination Gideon had orchestrated to make Reynaud feel as though he could approach me.
As I listened to their speculation, I felt a bit as though the ground had tipped away from under my feet. I, too, had assumed that Gideon had brought Dierdra to maintain the peace in his household. I had assumed that my long and brutal punishment at her hands had been a result of my own actions.
But what if Gideon had been playing the long game the whole time? What if he had kept me as fully in th dark as he had kept Reynaud, knowing that finding me pathetic and vulnerable would induce him to seek to recruit me?
Head spinning, mind racing, I felt myself stagger with the weight of my conjecture. I shot a sharp glance at Gideon, who was standing on the far side of a group of people, speaking solemnly. When he sensed my eyes on him he raised his head and shot me a smile.
I looked away quickly. Was he smiling because he was proud of me, as he’d said? Or was he smiling at me knowingly because he saw I was figuring out how deep his scheming had gone?
Even more puzzling was my own reaction to my suspicions. While I felt horrified at being just another moving part in the diorama of deception he’d manufactured, I felt begrudging respect for him. I had played right into his hands, and performed my role admirably.
Now I stood here, enjoying the victor’s praise, but what would have happened if I hadn’t decided to confess?
If Gideon had suspected that Reynaud would make a play for my allegiance, then he must have had a back-up plan that accounted for what he would do if I had betrayed him.
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Chapter 207
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I felt goosebumps raise on the back of my arms. I had made the right choice, I believed that, but if I hadn’t?
Would I even now be subjected to the Council’s punishment? Exiled with Reynaud? Cast down from my position as Luna for good?
I took another sip of the alcoholic drink in my hand and narrowed my eyes at Gideon over the rim.
He was a hell of an Alpha.
I could see how the other wolves treated him with respect and deference. The women eyed him admiringly, and more than a few were making excuses to move closer to him.
I felt something akin to jealousy bubble up in my chest. He was my Alpha, and I had sacrificed much to be standing in this room with him today. Never mind that I had tried to get him to divorce me, and to bring Dierdra in my place.
He had shown me that he was willing to do whatever it took to achieve his goals. Maybe I should do the
same.
Music began as the official Council business edged into the evening’s entertainment, and I saw a swarm of women moving towards the dance floor.
And towards my husband.
With a small growl in my throat I put my empty glass on a nearby tray and marched forward into the center of the knot.
“Alpha Gideon, would you dance with me?” one of the girls was asking, with a simpering eyelashes.
“No, he will not,” I said as I stepped into their midst, “I have claimed him p>
Gideon stared at me in astonishment, then his lips quirked up and he held out his hand. My hand he spun me onto the floor and into his arms.
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