The Heartless Alpha’s Beloved Luna

Chapter 294 Avery's POV Every time I closed my eyes that night, I saw Gideon. Bleeding. Screaming. Naked and humiliated in front of the entire camp while I just stood there like a statue. The image of Asher's knife plunging into his side replayed over and over in my mind. He'd stabbed him with a silver blade earlier, ensuring that his wounds couldn't heal. The sound of Gideon's screams still echoed in my head. And worst of all was the way that he had looked at me. "Why are you just standing there?" he'd shouted. "Avery!" I had just turned and walked away.

The crowd parted like the sea, and Gideon's shouts followed me all the way back to my tent. I rolled over in bed, pulling the furs up to my chin. My baby kicked gently against my ribs. I placed my hand over my stomach. I had to protect this child. That was the whole reason I'd stayed silent. If I gave in to Asher's demands, he would force me to abort. And I couldn't let that happen. But Gideon was suffering because of my silence. How long could I keep this up? How long before Asher killed him just to prove a point? I sat up, throwing the furs aside. I couldn't just lie here and do nothing.

into a fine powder. I used a small mortar and pestle I'd found, crushing the dried roots until they were dust. Then came the chamomile and passionflower. I mixed them together carefully, measuring out the proportions from what I recalled from my books. Too much valerian and the person would

candle flame and stirred the powder in. The honey would mask the bitter taste. Then, I poured the mixture into small molds I had fashioned from scraps of parchment. By the time I was finished, I had five candies. Each one potent enough to knock out a 1/2 Chapter 294

that I needed her help. Sure enough, a few minutes later, Lindsey appeared at my tent. "You called for me?" she asked. "Yes." I laid my head back on my pillows. "I've been feeling nauseous all day. I think it's the baby. Can you help me?" "Of course." I pretended to be weak while Lindsey busied herself fetching water and arranging pillows. She was folding my laundry when her eyes landed on the candy sitting on the table.