The Heartless Alpha’s Beloved Luna

Chapter 427

“Your dress really is pretty,” Gideon muttered, pinching a piece of the dark blue fabric between his fingers. “It suits you. You were always a nighttime person.” As he spoke, his hand rested on my knee through the layers of silk and tulle.

I pushed his hand away with my free one. “Don’t start, Gideon.”

He huffed. “Why are you so cold to me?”

I glanced at him. His eyes were still closed, and for a moment I thought he might be speaking gibberish again. But then he turned his face toward me slightly, and I could see he was actually looking at me, his eyes so heavily lidded that I almost hadn’t noticed they were open a slit.

I considered deflecting. It would have been easy. He was delirious enough that I could say just about anything and he probably. wouldn’t remember it come morning.

That was exactly why I didn’t deflect.

“Because I’m afraid of you,” I said.

quickly fell back down onto the cushions. “I’ve never

of

stared at me like I’d

soaked it again, wrung it out, then put it back. “The last time I was with you, I spent years waiting for you to love me. Actually love me, not just keep me around because I was useful.” I looked at his face. “You never said it. Not once. Not in private, not when it was just the two of us and there was no

“Is that why you left? Because you didn’t think I loved

to it than that, but he still didn’t know

I said. “I couldn’t be your Luna, standing beside you, knowing that you had only picked me because I was your mate and not because you actually wanted me there. I couldn’t spend the

They were still glassy, but there

did want you there,” he

you had a strange

“Avery-”