Chapter 82
Chapter 82
Avery’s POV
It seemed so quiet and strange when we returned to Nightwolf. Tegan intercepted Gideon at the gates, and they talked quietly for a while, but no one else reacted to us returning.
It was as though no one else had even known it had happened.
It occurred to me then that Gideon and his warriors had really insulated his pack from what was going on in the woods around them. He didn’t want anyone to know we had left, or been attacked. Knowing him, he wouldn’t even tell his Beta that he was injured.
“Avery.” Gideon strode over to me. “I’m going p>
“To work in your office. Yeah, I figured.” I sighed.
I expected Gideon to look annoyed but he seemed more amused. “Tired of the routine already p>
“No, it’s not that.” I actually had enjoyed the days I’d spent as his assistant, before I’d made excuses and disappeared to plan my escape. “I just… don’t know anything about planning weddings p>
Gideon raised an eyebrow at that. “If you’re asking my opinion p>
“I’m not sure I am…” I quipped.
“…simple is usually best. Fewer things to go wrong.” He finished anyways, with a serious expression.
There was a strong implication that I was the person who would make things go wrong.
And he wasn’t incorrect. I was the person most likely to sabotage this union.
“I will send you with warriors to retrieve your mother today.” Gideon continued.
“Thank you.” I murmured, sincerely. Knowing that she was safe would go a long way towards making me feel better about staying.
And who knows, perhaps there was yet a chance for me to win Gideon’s heart. If he hadn’t been tempted by Zara, he was a better man than I had assumed. Perhaps there was something we could build between us yet.
The whole car ride to my mother’s place, I thought about that feeling. If I was in Gideon’s shoes, would I do things differently?
I could see how passionate he was for his pack. He took his role as Alpha seriously, and Nightwolf prospered as a result. I could understand that commitment and passion. I had felt it myself in trying to do things that would benefit the pack, like my garden.
And if I knew I had a mate out there… somewhere? Would I wait for them?
In a way… I did.
I touched one hand to my neck where the hidden mark lurked under my skin. I hadn’t asked for this mark. The man who had given it hadn’t bothered to ask for my consent, but in the heat of that moment, I could understand why he had done it.
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Chapter 82
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Perhaps it was similar for Gideon. This mate he had, maybe it just felt right with her. I couldn’t fault him for that. If my rogue mystery mate popped back out of the forest and said “Avery, come with me!” it would be very difficult to resist.
I stepped out of the car into the woods and headed down the path to my mother’s cabin. She might not like being moved suddenly, but I hoped she would understand why we were leaving this way. Once I explained about how Zara had laid that trap for me, I knew she would understand.
I pushed aside the curtain into her living space and called out, “Mom p>
There was only silence. The room was empty.
Not just empty of her. Empty of her things as well.
I stopped in the middle of the room, spinning slowly. She was gone. But where?
“Avery?” A soft voice called from the woods outside. I stepped back into the sunshine and saw Lillian walking towards me from the woods.
She was my only friend remaining in Silvermoon, and the main connection I’d had to my mother in the years that my father had forbidden me to see her.
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