Chapter 187

Chapter 187

“ Gideon!” Dierdra protested, “ Don’t you see what the ungrateful creature is doing? ”

Oh what now? I had agreed with her that Gideon should take her instead of me, so why was Dierdra still

unhappy?

Both Gideon and I swung to face his ‘mate‘ with incredulous looks on our faces.

“ Go on, then,” I said, drily, “Tell me what I am doing p>

Dierdra glared at me, “You want me to over exert myself because you want to hurt my baby p>

I noticed that she didn’t say ‘our‘ baby. Was that because she already saw her child as simply a tool to be used for her own advantage? How subtle a slip…

To my surprise, Gideon took the reins of the situation in a way he rarely did when Dierdra was in full storm. He gently stepped to her, took her arm, and escorted her to the door.

“Which is why I will keep you here, where it’s safe and where you will be less stressed,” he said gently, “I don’t want you to worry about this at all,” he said solicitously. Dierdra frowned as he pushed her out, and the look she shot me through the crack as the door shut was full venom.

When his office was closed, Gideon turned the lock on the knob and turned back towards me, and suddenly his face was full of feeling.

“ If you expect me to thank you for this trip, then you should know that I still have no intention of coming with you,” I lifted my head defiantly as he moved towards me.

“Perhaps you would like to hear my terms first,” Gideon growled and my protests died in my throat. Why yes, yes I would.

I didn’t stop glaring at him, but I did shut my mouth as he crossed to his desk and pulled out a piece of parchment. I stared at it curiously and saw that it was a map of the greater Wolven Territories, encompassing all of Nightwolf, Silvermoon, and their neighbors to the North and West.

There were red marks all over the map, along with tiny penciled columns of numbers and what looked like percentages next to them.

“ What … what is this? ” I asked, curious. I ran my fingers over the maps. Here, there was a large red circle with the number 50 beneath it and the notation, “65, 10, 70 p>

“ Numbers of rogue warriors at various checkpoints and garrisons,” Gideon murmured as he smoothed out the map for my perusal.

“ And the percentages? ”

“ The percentage of the area we had personally scouted, the odds that it held prisoners like your mother, and the likelihood of success if we attacked, ” Gideon supplied helpfully.

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Chapter 187

+25 Bonus

Oh wow, so they really hadn’t been wasting time while I had been occupied elsewhere. I had just assumed that Gideon had forgotten all about it, especially with my social downfall. Out of sight, out of mind and all that.

But, as I gazed at the map covered in red marks, I realized that I had been mistaken. He hadn‘ forgotten, and he hadn’t given up.

I jerked my head up to stare at him in amazement.

“I thought you had given up,” I said in a broken voice.

Gideon’s gaze slid away from mine, “Don’t read anything into it,” he frowned at the map in disgust, “We were able to locate the probably location of the dungeon where your mother is held, but there is a greater complication p>

I already could surmise what he was going to say. I could see the numbers that filled this map as well as he could.

“He has so many warriors,” I breathed, feeling my spirits sink once more.

Gideon nodded, “These numbers are huge. I don’t know how he is able to field so many, but every week it seems as though more and more wolves are joining his cause. Rescue is still impossible but,” he trailed off as he rolled up the map once more.

I turned to stare at him, barely daring to hope.

“I think I can at least arrange a meeting between you and your mother. We don’t have enough warriors in place to attack yet, but, I can at least smuggle in a scout who might be able to take a message, and…” he stared into my face, “if circumstances align, maybe even sneak you in to see her.” 1

“Gideon, I I started to say, then he raised his hand and his face took on a cold, closed off expression

once more.

“ My conditions are this: You must attend the Alpha Council as the perfect Luna,” he snarled, “and if you do not, then there will be punishments for your failure p>

I glared at him as he forced my hand. I had no choice, and he knew it. He was dangling the bait that I would do literally anything for.

“Fine,” I ground out between clenched teeth and clenched fists, “I agree p>

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