Chapter 93
Chapter 93
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Avery’s POV
Hudson’s kiss was both unexpected and unwanted. I pushed him away with a shove to his chest. He was taller and heavier than I was, and barely moved, but he didn’t trap me either.
“I don’t want you.” I said clearly. “And I will be telling Gideon about this. Now leave p>
“You think Gideon will believe you?” His sneer was broad and confident. He reached his arm up and leaned on the wall behind me. Arrogant prick.
“He already doesn’t trust you.” I pointed out, “Why is that p>
“Yeah, why is that, Hudson?” Gideon’s voice from the doorway cracked through the room like a whip. I jumped, but Hudson didn’t. He had known Gideon would show up. He had wanted this confrontation.
My gaze jumped between the two brothers, who were glaring daggers at each other. Hudson’s wolf was still barely in check, his eyes golden and a low growl emanating from his chest.
I felt acutely like I was trapped in a cage with two snarling wolves.
“Did he touch you?” Gideon turned his head towards me, but his eyes stayed fixed on his brother.
“Yes.” I said vehemently.
Gideon turned back to Hudson.
“Hudson Orion Nightwolf, for failing to master your heat, and for the unsolicited advances on my Luna, you are hereby banished from Nightwolf Pack.” Gideon said stepping towards his brother.
“Now wait a minute!” Hudson snarled, eyes full of hatred, “You have no right p>
“I have every right!” Gideon snapped back, “You are a sneak and a cheat and you’ve dogged the heels of every female in this pack for too long for me to overlook your behavior anymore p>
“Being popular with the ladies isn’t a crime.” Hudson preened, “Your jealousy is not enough reason to banish
me p>
“Mated ladies, Hudson. Ones that don’t want your attention. Every week there’s another husband complaining to my Beta. If you can’t keep it in your pants, I don’t need to keep it in my pack. Gather your things, you will leave by sundown p>
Hudson roared and shifted, lunging at Gideon fast as lightning. In an instant, Gideon had dodged his attack and transformed as well, both wolves snapping and snarling at each other. Gideon’s wolf was larger, the familiar shaggy black shape moving almost too fast to see.
Hudson’s wolf was smaller, tawny brown, but fast and fueled by his moon-driven heat. His growls and snarls were vicious as he attacked his brother.
I couldn’t shift, I could only back into the wall as the two wolves rolled around my bedroom. I heard pounding feet in the hallway as others came to the sound of the fight. Gideon’s family stood in the hall staring in and making distressed noises as the fight progressed.
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Fur and blood flew through the air. Finally, with a guttural bellow, Gideon’s wolf pinned the other, jaws wrapped around his throat. The fight went out of the smaller wolf, and he gave a whine of surrender and shifted back to his human form.
In a second, Gideon shifted as well, though his hand remained on Hudson’s throat.
In a movement that looked effortless, he lifted his brother up and raised his feet off the ground and carried him towards the door, tossing him at the feet of his parents.
“He is expelled.” Gideon said, flatly. When his parents protested, he ignored them. Instead, he walked back into my room, grabbed my hand, and drew me out into the hall and into his room, where he shut the door.
I hadn’t been in Gideon’s room before. In some ways, it was exactly the cave I expected. Dark paneled walls, hunter green couch. A distinct abundance of leather.
I turned as he leaned against the door behind me.
“Well, I was going to come talk to you, but I assume you heard the salient parts.” I said, sitting myself on the edge of the window seat and glancing out at his view. It was slightly better than the view from my room. “So what the hell was all that about?” I shot Gideon a look.
He walked to the couch and sat on it in a nonchalant pose, but he was wound tight as a spring. His eyes were dark, his expression forbidding.
“Hudson has been a problem for a long time.” He said slowly, fists clenched. He looked remarkably controlled for a man who had just scrapped with his brother until he yielded.
“Because he challenged you?” I asked, frowning.
“No, he knew he couldn’t really challenge me. He only tried today because he was in the mating heat. It makes us stupid, even the best of us.” Gideon gave a bitter laugh. “No, he has a disturbing habit of sleeping with other men’s mates p>
I recoiled. So many of Hudson’s actions and words made sense with that information.
“So when he went after you…” Gideon’s voice was a low growl, “It was just insult on top of injury. He was already a shameful part of our family, and I saw him set his sights on you p>
His mouth twisted with jealousy. I rose from the bench and slid onto the seat next to him. He turned to look at me and his expression was tortured.
“And you… you are so innocent, Avery. I couldn’t stand the thought of him trying to spend time with you, not knowing what kind of creature he is p>
I reached out and gripped Gideon’s hand. His fingers clutched around mine,
“It’s okay.” I said softly, “I already didn’t trust him. You were trying to protect me p>
He nodded sharply, once, then released my hand.
“You should go. My family will be angry, and I don’t want them to take it out on you p>
“Why did they still protect him, if he p>
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Gideon shook his head and ran his hands through his hair.
“Because they always have chosen him over me p>
I closed his door softly as I left, but as soon as I began to walk down the stairs, Gideon’s parents and sister rose from the chairs below. They had been waiting for me.
“There she is, the reason our son was banished.” Gideon’s mother said venomously. I froze on the steps, then made myself complete the journey to the bottom.
“You know that’s not true.” I said softly, “Hudson brought this on himself p>
His mother burst into tears and leaned into her husband.
“Our family is cursed.” Gideon’s father said roughly. “You won’t be immune p>
I wanted to say that my family had always been cursed as well, but I kept my mouth shut. They were hurting, and I could understand that.
“Is there… a place where family records are kept?” I asked gently, “You’re right that I should learn more about my future family p>
“There’s a private family library,” Gideon’s father said, “I’ll show it to you tomorrow p>
“It’s Gideon’s demonblood that caused this.” Camila said, wiping a tissue across her eyes. “You should know what you are marrying into, Avery. Or run while you still can p>
Now was not the time to point out that I’d been trying exactly that for weeks.
In the meantime, maybe I should brush up on my curse-breaking.
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