Page 16 of Huntress and the Thorn Court
“You’re taking her side?” Abe appeared hurt by the implication.
“No,” he stated coolly.
“Then punish her for attacking me!”
I tensed preparing to break my silence. As if sensing it, Gideon reached behind him, giving my arm a gentle squeeze to keep quiet. His hand was surprisingly warm. I had to stop myself from both pulling away and placing my hand over his.
“If I punish her, then I’d have to punish you too.”
“Me? But I’m the victim.”
“That may be but I’m sure you’ve heard my edict that she was not to be touched. Are you claiming that you just lay there and took a beating from this hunter?”
I struggled not to smirk. Either he broke Gideon’s rule, which was a punishable offence, or he was a victim that got beaten up by a girl.
It took a moment for his intoxicated brain to jump to the same conclusion. When he did, Abe bowed his head to Gideon. The man was a dominant wolf. It would be a blow to his pride to have others believe he’d done nothing to defend himself.
“I did not think. I simply defended myself.”
Gideon placed a hand, the one not touching me, on Abe’s shoulder. “I can’t fault you for that, for I would have done the same, but you understand that it’s still punishable.” The other wolf tensed, but Gideon sighed. “This one time I will dismiss the penalty, for both of you, as is only fair.” Abe tilted his head up trying to peer around Gideon to glare at me, but Gideon shifted blocking me from view. “Do yourself a favor, Abe, and avoid the huntress until her sentence is complete. I do not wish to punish you for defending yourself, but I will. I won’t risk war with the hunters over one wolf’s scornfulness, no matter how justified.”
Abe dropped his head in a single curt nod, before brushing past Gideon, who turned keeping his body between the angry wolf and me. Walking straighter than I thought he should in his drunkenness, he retreated back down the hall.
Gideon stood there with his back to me for almost a minute, staring down the hall, waiting for Abe to put distance between us before he spoke. “Did he attack you?” He twisted to face me.
I shook my head. “He took a swing, but didn’t hide his intention well.”
“I apologize for him. His son—”
“I know who his son is—was,” I corrected.
“He doesn’t believe the recount. I knew that. I should have had someone watching him. I won’t make that mistake again.”
“Do you?” I asked. He’d manipulated the system to get me here. Was it all self-serving or did he think I really deserved punishing?
“Do I what?” he seemed confused by my question.
“Believe the recount?”
Gideon stared off down the hall, gathering his thoughts. “If I didn’t before I would after seeing you train, minus the attack on me.” He returned his focus to me. There was a glint of amusement in his eye. How many hunters, women, would have attacked the most powerful Alpha in the continental US. “You’re not the bloodthirsty type of hunter. If you were, you’d have seized the opportunity Abe presented here tonight.”
I snorted. “I don’t know about the bloodthirsty part. It was more guilt that stopped me.”
“Either way, I’m thankful you did.”
It was the first time that I could recall Gideon saying something kind to me. It threw me. He was a proud man and it took great humility to offer recognition, especially to someone you disliked. No sarcastic comment came to mind as a rebuttal. Instead I simply accepted his appreciation. “You’re welcome.”
9
Icould feel eyes on me as I left the dining hall. It’d been weeks and still no interruption in my unguarded walk. After each meal, I took a different path. Breakfast, I headed to my room, lunch, to the gym for training the Omegas, and dinner, I walked through the first floor, working off my meal, before heading up to my room.
Since it was dinner, I took the same imprinted route. I’d pass by each of the highest-ranking wolves, who’d all grabbed their meals while I was within the safety of the dining hall and would devour them and take their positions before I left.
I’d already passed by Adam and was making my way through the area Trey guarded. I wondered if he was slipping up because I felt his eyes. If I did then any potential threat might sense him too.
As I exited Trey’s area, the feel of being watched faded away. I breathed a sigh of relief, followed by one of disappointment. It was another wasted opportunity to be attacked and gain my freedom.
I paused on the outskirts of Gideon’s domain and forked to the right instead of the left. It would be a few minutes before Gideon realized I was off track and might venture to look for me. With how obvious Trey was being, I couldn’t help but think the entire ruse was a wasted effort and perhaps a bit of improv was necessary.
