Chapter 228
Chapter 228
Avery’s POV
The night of the full moon arrived and I found myself unexpectedly nervous as I was getting ready.
My first wedding night had been full of anything but romance. I had been fighting for my own survival within the pack. Dierdra had just been ‘rescued’, and I knew no one would believe my suspicions about her and her mark.
I had been frantically trying to brew an antidote, the one that was ultimately used to unmask her, and my thoughts were entirely concerned with warning Gideon.
This time there were no guests to greet, no feast afterwards. There would be no witnesses to the ceremony, and no formal pack alliance paperwork to sign. All of our contracts had already been ratified.
So why did this ceremony feel more terrifying than the last?
Perhaps with all the ‘extras’ stripped away, I was forced to confront what lay at the core of this act of matrimony. Tonight it would be just Gideon and I, under the full moon, pledging ourselves to each other in a real relationship.
Why was that so frightening?
Perhaps it was because our entire relationship had always been confined by our roles. Gideon as the Alpha, I as his contracted bride and Luna. We had forged what we’d built so far on the backs of our and never had to deal with the people underneath them.
I knew my value, and yet there was a part of me that wondered if Gideon would still be interested in Avery, the person, when the labels had been stripped away?
We were trying to build something new on the back of a foundation that had been torn down and rebuilt so many times at this point that I couldn’t help but wonder if what we were doing was making it stronger, or risking bringing the whole thing crashing down on our heads.
I smoothed my simple dress down over my body, rubbing my palms along my thighs. I supposed there was another important difference in this ceremony compared to the last.
This time my wolf would be present. 1
Would it feel different, now that my wolf was alive inside of me and had told me that Gideon was her
mate?
The sun was setting as I made my way down the stairs and saw Gideon waiting for me in the doorway. He had chosen simple clothes that matched my own-a button-down linen shirt and fine wool slacks. When he saw me, his chin raised and his body stilled,
“Avery,” he reached out a hand towards me and I took it, feeling the spark that flowed through me as we touched. I gave him a nervous smile and wondered if he was feeling as anxious as I was.
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Chapter 229
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He squeezed my hand and stared into my eyes, “We don’t have to do this if you’re not ready,” he said softly.
I swallowed, but forced a smile in return, “No,” I squared my shoulders, “I’m ready p>
Whatever my fears may be, we had already gone through hard times and we were still standing. I had to believe that things were looking up. 1
Gideon was here with me. His firm hand drew me outside and led me to his car where he helped me inside before crossing to the driver’s seat. There would be no chauffeur today. It would be just us.
Just us.
I focused on taking deep breaths and trying to still the butterflies in my stomach.
“Where are we going?” I asked, as Gideon steered the car through the village and out onto the main road.
“There’s a special place I want to show you,” he said, glancing over at me in the passenger’s seat, “It’s not very far p>
I watched as twilight settled over the trees as we rolled through the forest. We must not be very far from the Silvermoon pack border, I realized. Finally Gideon rolled the car down an access road that ran away from the main thoroughfare and parked.
“From here we walk,” he said, opening the car door for me and helping me out.
The night air was balmy on my bare arms, and Gideon’s palm was warm against mine as he took my hand once more and drew me down the path in front of us. Fireflies flickered through the trees around us, and the rising moon was heavy and lustrous as it ascended above the canopy and lit our path with luminous beams of moonlight.
After a few minutes’ walk, the path widened and Gideon drew me alongside him as we paused to look at the scene before us. We were looking down on a peaceful glade, fringed by silver-barked birch trees. At the center of the clearing was a still pool that appeared phosphorescent as it glowed with the reflected moonrise.
I inhaled in awe and saw Gideon watching me out of the corner of my eye.
“Do you like it?” he asked.
“Yes,” I breathed. How could I not?
I stepped further into the clearing, up to the edge of the pond and peered down at my own reflection haloed by the moon. As Gideon joined me, and took my hands in his, I felt a strange feeling coming over
He took my breath away as the moonlight outlined his body in silver, illuminating the dark strands of hair that fell in his face as he looked down at our hands clasped together. He was stunning, and I felt suddenly very plain next to him.
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