The Heartless Alpha’s Beloved Luna

Chapter 248 R&E +25 Bonus Gideon's POV Heartbreak was not a feeling I had experienced before. So unfamiliar that I still wasn't certain what was going on, I just knew that there was a pain in my chest that made me irritable, wistful, angry, and sad all at the same time. Stupid, stubborn woman! Never had I encountered a person so determined to make themselves miserable. Here, I was offering her everything I had. My whole heart, my pack, my life, and she rejected it all. Whatever her reasons, it was obvious she was suffering as much as I was, and still she would not relent to let me in.

(1 Underneath all of my frustration was the bone-deep hurt of rejection. I had spent my whole life building myself up to defy others' expectations. For the most part, I had succeeded. I was one of the youngest, most powerful Alphas over one of the largest and most powerful packs. So to be rejected by a slip of a girl that I had rescued from truly horrendous circumstances stung. I hadn't sought out anyone else's approval in years, and yet there was a small part of me that wanted to do whatever was necessary to ensure that Avery felt for me the same way I felt for her.

That impulse was terrifying, because it was not based on the principles I had followed for most of my life. The unspoken rules of leadership and power that said that I had to be the best, and that I couldn't show anyone else weakness. She drove me crazy. With the discovery of my mark on her neck, I had thought of little else except claiming her as my own over and over. My pride was bruised each time she rejected my advances. So I sought the place where I could once more feel the way I was accustomed to. I attended the she-wolf bachelorette party.

social function where the young women who were preparing to enter the Annual Mating Ceremony would gather and celebrate and chit-chat and share information about the men, gossip, and get advice from older women. In practice, it was an opportunity for the women

company for the ceremony, or even just this night. I was in the middle of politely deflecting their invitations when I noticed Avery arrive. To my irritation, she ignored my presence completely.

narrowed as her hand brushed against his shoulder, and I saw Julien turn towards her with an appreciative glance down at her dress. A low growl was starting up in my throat. "It's so cute," I heard one of the girls giggle,