The Heartless Alpha’s Beloved Luna (Avery and Gideon) novel Chapter 275

Chapter 275

Avery’s POV

The feeling of dirt caking beneath my fingernails was a familiar, welcome sensation. If I closed my eyes, I could almost picture myself back in my garden, tending to my herbs with the sun on my back and the breeze in my hair.

Almost.

But I wasn’t in my garden. I was trapped inside this fucking tent. Starving. Delirious. And my ring finger burned from the silver engagement band that I’d forgotten to take off.

My skin ached as I pulled the ring off and rubbed the skin. A red welt had formed where the ring sat, but the moment I removed it, my wolf felt a little better.

I sat back on my heels, breathing hard, and wiped the beads of sweat from my brow.

The hole I had dug wasn’t deep enough. Not by a long shot. If I wanted to escape by tonight, then I would have to dig faster.

But then what? My escape plan was half-formed. I knew I was to the east of Nightwolf, but nothing more about the forest surrounding me. I’d been blindfolded the entire way here.

Not to mention the fact that I was weak and exhausted right now from lack of food. Even if I dug a hole under my tent that was deep enough to escape, where would I go without getting caught?

Maybe this was a waste of time after all.

Suddenly, I heard Asher’s voice outside. I quickly threw a rug over the hole and scrambled to my feet, slipping the ring back on just as he stepped into my tent.

Asher paused in the entryway, staring at me

“You’re covered in dirt,” he said. “Don’t tell me you’re on a bathing strike now, too.”

“I don’t know. Do I need to be?” I marched over to my bed and plopped down.

Asher sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I thought about your request all night.” He looked at me with his one good eye. “After much deliberation, I’ve decided to agree to your terms. I won’t force you to abort your…” He glanced at my belly. “Abomination.”

My heart soared. “You won’t?”

1/2

Chapter 275

+25 Bonus

“I still implore you to abort. But ultimately, the decision is yours to make.” His lips pressed into a thin line, like it was paining him just to say it. “Frankly, I think you should make the right decision. For the future of our kingdom, after all.”

Right. Our “kingdom”.

“It won’t do our kingdom any good if your queen feels forced into things,” I pointed out. “Don’t forget that I’m the one from the royal line here. Not you.”

“I know.” He huffed. “That’s why I’ve decided to give you this grace.” He crossed the tent in three quick strides and came to tower over where I was sitting. I bit back the urge to shrink beneath his shadow. “But you’re still mine, Avery. You were promised to me before you were even born. In Lycan society, the males are in charge after marriage.”

Of course they were. That was all he ever wanted, right? To control people. To control me. His fucking property.

“But I do care for you,” he went on, voice softening somewhat, “whether you believe it or not. I want you to trust me. Not hate me. Not… This.” He walked over to the rug I’d thrown down and pulled it aside, revealing the shallow hole.

My heart leapt into my throat, but I calmed myself.

“Well… Thank you,” I said, although I didn’t really feel thankful at all. Just because he was letting me keep my baby for now didn’t mean that I would ever trust him. I still planned to escape. I just needed to appease him long enough to make that happen.

Asher nodded, seemingly satisfied, and dropped the rug.

“But you must know that once your child is born, you will only bear my heirs,” he said. “Furthermore, your child will never be named heir, nor will it receive an inheritance. It will be an

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