Off to the side, Gideon scowled.
She was very kind to give me such a compliment, despite my disheveled appearance. But then, she had to. Given the terms of the ancient agreement I would eventually become her pack’s Luna.
“I am Camila, Gideon’s sister. These are our parents, Gianna and Bennet, and my brother Hudson, who is the pack doctor.” she quickly introduced us. Gideon’s mother also embraced me warmly, while his father and brother each gave a welcoming bow.
Through it all, Gideon stood silently, scowling.
“Come, come!” Camila grinned mischievously at me when introductions were finished, “I’ve already prepared the room for the two of you to live together!”
Avery’s POV
I startled and took a step back, Live? With him?
“Stop meddling, Camila.” Gideon growled and swiftly walked away.
Once he was gone, Camila muttered, “I was just joking.” She tugged me by my arm, “It’s actually a really nice setup. I spent all week getting it ready for you!”
Her genuine excitement went a long way towards making me feel like there was something salvageable in all this. Her parents and brother quickly moved towards the main house, reassuring me that, although it was large, I would get used to my new home in no time.
Hudson opened the main door for me with a bow, and his youthful, handsome grin gave me a hint of what Gideon would look like if he ever loosened up.
“Don’t be too intimidated by my brother. He’s not nearly as bad or cold as his reputation.” he said as I passed into the entrance hall. “You’ll see as you get to know him, he’s actually a decent person.”
My stomach turned at the thought of getting to know Gideon.
His attempt to paint his brother in a softer light was ruined by the large military map tacked on one wall, with red ribbons indicating battle sites. Conquests?
A display case full of sharp and gleaming weapons dominated the opposite wall.
Yes, a very kind and warm-hearted warlord, I’m sure.
Just the thought of spending more time with Gideon set me on edge. The silence in the car the rest of the way here had been thick with tension.
I was sure Gideon could destroy me easily in two moves or less if he decided to make me disappear.
It was hard to relax sitting next to a killer.
“Come, dear.” Gideon’s mother, Gianna, gestured from the foot of an elegant wooden staircase. Dark wood gleamed with wax, and apart from the medieval murder implements, braided rugs, warm sconces, and potted plants made the entrance hall quite inviting.
I followed Gianna and Camila upstairs while the men stayed below. As we climbed past the second floor to the third floor landing the graceful dimensions of the large house stunned me into silence.
The indoor lights reflected off of large windows dark with night. I was sure they would provide stunning vistas of the landscape when it was daylight.
“We will make all the wedding arrangements quickly,” Gianna said as she led me down the hall and used a large key to unlock a delicately carved wooden door.
I was relieved when I heard the wedding would be happening soon, though a knot of worry still twisted in my stomach about my marked secret being exposed.
“This is your room,” Camila said, mistaking my discomfort for nervousness about the wedding. She pushed the door open and led me inside. “Gideon’s is across the hall.”
The room was fully furnished, with comfortable and tasteful furniture. It was far lovelier than even Zara’s bedroom she bragged about back home, which was probably only half this size.
I asked cautiously, “Does Gideon’s marked mate live here too?”
Gianna shook her head. “No. His mate disappeared without a trace. Don’t worry we’ll make sure you have a good life here.”
I thanked them sincerely.
As Gideon’s mother and sister left me to settle in I approached the full length mirror that leaned against one wall and pulled away the torn fabric of my dress that I had tucked back together as best I could.
I breathed a sigh of relief that the mark was still healed and hadn’t re-emerged.
The exhaustion of the day caught up with me quickly. 1 rummaged through the armoire for a nightgown and tucked myself into bed.
Here I was, in a killer’s house. I was to be his Lama, but not his mate.
I was pretty sure he hated me, and he terrified me. How could I marry him?
But if I didn’t, my mother would continue to be mistreated. I needed to do my best to fit in, and to bring her here so we could escape together. Before whatever happened to Gideon’s mate happened to me as well.
Uneasy, I fell into a dreamless slumber and woke to bright daylight streaming into my room from large picture windows and a skylight above my bed. As I had assumed, the view was incredible. Sweeping forests and the occasional field poured across the landscape to distant mountains.
I found a simple blue dress and dressed quickly. Gideon’s door was shut when I stepped into the hallway, and I stared at it for a moment before heading downstairs.
Probably best that we not meet. I told myself.
Turns out, I had little to worry about on that front. I didn’t see Gideon for several more days. Instead, I was mostly left to my own devices.
Overall, I liked Gideon’s family, even if their son was the worst monster I’d ever met. They seemed normal enough, and much nicer than my own.
Although I felt awkward as the new outsider, it was the nicest and most comfortable week I’d had in my life. I ate enough food, had a hot bath every day, and no one assigned me the worst chores.
Life here was on a whole other level than my status had given me in Silvermoon. Not just the comfortable accommodations, but the way in which everyone here treated each other.
There was an ease to the way the pack worked with each other that surprised me considering how uptight their Alpha was.
It increasingly looked as though Gideon meant to abandon me completely, so I decided I needed to find something more productive to do with my time. Gideon might have picked me as a body to fill a hole, but I felt guilty doing nothing.
I decided I would try contributing to the pack’s welfare by helping out in the kitchen. The cook was all too happy to let me take over the manual labor of kneading the huge bowls of dough that would be baked up for the pack’s dinner.
There was also a general dining hall where anyone who was hungry could get a warm meal at any time. I had spent many nights in Silvermoon trying to sleep on an empty stomach. That wouldn’t have happened here.
Perhaps Alpha Leon had been a terrible Alpha in more ways than one.
I had my arms up to my elbows in a mound of sticky dough when a group of girls came in the back door from the gardens.
“I’m just saying, I don’t think he likes his fianc?e very much! That’s all.” one of them was laughing.
“If he doesn’t like her, then will they even marry?” her friend giggled. “To actually become the true Luna, she’d have to be the Alpha’s chosen mate, complete the bond, and be marked by him. But I heard he won’t even mark her.”
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