“That means so much,” I breathed, tears burning my eyes. “It’s all so surreal if I am to be honest. It feels like a dream I’m going to wake up from at any moment.”
She laughed and patted me on the back.
“Well, start believing it, because you are kind of a star now. Every shifter in the world knows your name. It’s pretty incredible.”
I blushed at her words and nibbled on my lower lip nervously. I wasn’t sure what to expect going forward; would things start to change at school? Would people look at me differently? What about my family?
“There she is… the girl who made me surrender,” another voice said and I turned to see Sherry walking towards us.
She looked a lot better as well, though she walked with a slight limp and had a couple of scratches on her arms. She had a soft smile on her lips as she approached and when she stopped in front of me, she bowed her head.
“Congratulations. Your win was well deserved,” she murmured, holding out her hand for me to shake.
I smiled at her.
“You were a tough fight,” I admitted, taking her hand and shaking it firmly. “For a second, I thought you’d win. It would have been an honor to lose to you.”
She grinned.
“You win some, you lose some,” she said with a shrug.
Most of my conversations with the other competitors were more or less the same. They congratulated me and told me I fought tough and then they moved onto the
next person.
As the ceremony commenced, food and drinks were served. There was more mingling, and I was even able to answer some of the questions for the paparazzi. They took a ton of photos of me for headliners, I also took photos with other competitors.
At one point, Chester arrived with Matt and Matt was excited to be involved in the whole thing. He got some autographs from his favorite competitors.
For the most part, I managed to avoid Gavin for the night. Though, sometimes I could see his penetrating gaze on me, but I made it a point to acknowledge it. Every time I looked at him, all I saw was him and Daisy. Seeing them together hurt more than anything, seeing her practically naked in his room at night while he was in the shower was driving me insane.
There was no sign of Daisy yet, but I knew she’d probably make an appearance soon enough.
“You look like you’re on edge,” Nan pointed out. “Still thinking about Gavin and Daisy?”
I nod.
“I’m trying hard not to, especially in front of Irene, but I can’t help it, nan. Every time I close my eyes I see them together. It’s driving me crazy and making me feel sick to my stomach.”
She grabbed another champagne flute and handed it to me.
“Then, let’s forget about them,” she said, raising her own glass in the air. “At least for tonight, let’s just forget.”
She downs the champagne in one go and I take a long and steady sip of mine.
Then her eyes shifted behind me, and she frowned, corking her head to the side. “Isn’t that Sammy?”
I turned around and sure enough, I saw Sammy seated at one of the tables alone. She was wearing a pretty dress too, and her hair was done, but it looked like she had been crying, though she was trying to put on a brave face.
“Yeah, it is,” I said as I made my way to the table with Nan behind me. “Hey, Sammy.”
She looked up at me and gave me a small smile.
“Hey,” she said softly, her smile never reaching her eyes.
I sat down with her.
“Everything okay?” I asked; Nan sat across from her, concern etched in her features as well.
She shook her head.
“My boyfriend and I broke up,” she
told
don’t really want to get
max but he’s not who I thought he
into
was.”
“How long have you been together?” Nan asked curiously.
“A year,” she sighed. “I thought he could be the one, but I was wrong. He’s just like every other man.”
“I’m so sorry, Sammy,” I said, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. “You don’t deserve that.”
“I just need to get away for a while and start fresh…” she told me softly. “So, I went to Gavin Landry…”
My brows shot up and I looked at Nan who was equally surprised.
“You what?” I asked her, my voice coming out as a breathy whisper.
She nodded and nibbled on her lower lip.
“He pulled some strings and now I’m attending the Shifter,” she said a shrug. “It’s a change, butnoveldrama
I’m ready for it.”
My eyes grew wider; that was my academy. She was told to go to the same
school as me?”
n’s POV
“Alpha Landry, how does it feel to have the winner of the Gamma competition be a part of your territory?”
“Will you be recruiting Judy Montague for your Elite Force?”
“What is your personal relationship with the winner of the competition?”
The paparazzi were relentless; no matter how many times I ignored them, they wouldn’t seem to stop. A low growl escaped my throat, my Alpha powers raging around me, making it painfully known to them that I wasn’t in the mood to engage in conversation. Their faces paled almost immediately upon seeing my aggravated wolf, knowing that aggravating my wolf further could result in their death.
They stepped away from me, allowing me to pass them without saying a single word. I paused when I saw Judy seated with Nan and Sammy. She wore a low-cut black dress that left no mystery of what lay beneath; her cleavage was on full display and the dress hugged her defined curves perfectly. Her hair was tied out of her face and down her back and she wore light makeup that brought out her features. She didn’t need makeup, but on the occasions that she did, it made her beauty pop.
I swallowed hard at the sight of her; the smile that lit up her face as she spoke to her friends. A smile I hadn’t seen directed at me in quite some time. Whatever happened that set her off the other night, it damaged the small relationship we had.
I thought we had an understanding, but it seemed as if I was wrong.
“You’re like a lovesick puppy,” Irene sighed, leaning next to me. Her eyes followed mine and narrowed when she saw Judy seated at one of the tables. “Why don’t you just admit you have feelings for her.”
My jaw tightened; I don’t have feelings for her. At least not those kinds…I couldn’t allow myself to have feelings for her. She was a convenience; she got my mother and Daisy off my back for a while, but now it seemed Daisy was back and ready to fight.
The thought annoyed me.
Judy was also using me to get revenge on her ex… so there was nothing more to it than that. And yet, she was upset because I shared a simple dinner with another
woman.
“Dad, I know you…” Irene said softly. “I know you have feelings for her. Why can’t you admit that to yourself… or to me.”
“Because you are wrong,” I said, peeling my eyes away from Judy so I could look at my simple-minded daughter. “There’s nothing going on between me and Judy.”
Irene only rolled her eyes.noveldrama
“Yeah, that’s what Judy said too,” she muttered.
I felt a ping of hurt in my chest at the thought of Judy denying our relationship… or denying she had any feelings for me at all.
“Then maybe you should listen to us,” I told her as I started to walk away.
“I will when you stop staring at her like you’re lost without her,” Irene said, folding her arms across her chest.
I pressed my lips in a thin line and decided not to make any further comments on the matter.
“So, you’re going to be going to school with us?” Judy asked Sammy, who nodded with a faint smile on her lips.
“Yes; all thanks to Alpha Landry,” Sammy replied.
It was true, I was the reason Sammy was able to get into the Shifter Academy bordering the Redmoon pack. She was in her second year of college and made it possible for her to transfer and finish up the rest of her schooling closer to Judy and Nan, where she can have actual friends to help her get over and forget about her ex-boyfriend, who apparently cheated on her.
I caught her crying in one of the lounges earlier and she told me everything that happened. Including the fact that they go to the same school, and she isn’t sure how to face anyone there. She doesn’t have many friends, and her family doesn’t care about her; she expressed her wishes to leave and never look back, so I opened the doors to my territory for her.
Judy seemed thoughtful for a moment as her eyes found mine. I’m not sure if she meant to look at me or if it was just a habit, but when she saw me, I could see a flash of hurt in her eyes, as if she was remembering something that hurt her deeply and it made my chest fucking tighten.
What the hell was wrong? Why was she looking at me like I sat on her birthday
cake?
It wasn’t making any sense; it had to be more than just dinner.
I suddenly couldn’t take it anymore; I wasn’t sure if it was because of my run-in with the paparazzi, or the fact that Judy was staring at me like I killed her cat, but I wasn’t going to stand around and let this continue.
It was only fucking dinner, and she was going to see it from my perspective. Before she could protest, I grabbed her wrist. Not enough to hurt her, but enough to get my point across that she was coming with me whether she liked it or not.
“Let’s go,” I said, pulling her out of her seat and forcing her to follow me out of the ceremony room.
“Gavin, what the hell are you doing?” She gasped, her face red and on fire as she followed me into the hallway. There wasn’t anybody in the hallway because they were all too busy with the ceremony.
I pulled her around the corner where I was sure we wouldn’t be bothered and then I pressed her against the wall, pinning my body against hers. Her curves fitting along my toned body perfectly, her breasts rising and falling with each quick breath she took. Her eyes were wild as she stared at me. I could see the turmoil of emotions in her eyes, and it was tearing me apart inside for reasons I didn’t even understand and that pissed me off even more.
“Why the fuck are you pissed?” I asked her through my teeth, no longer sugar coating it.
She narrowed her eyes at me, a then tried to shove her way past me. it was clear she had no intentions of answering me, but I wasn’t going to give up.
“Answer my fucking question, Judy. What the fuck did I do to make you despise me enough that you can’t even fucking look at me,” I told her, my tone low and threatening, my breath against her ear as I spoke each word slowly so she would understand what I was asking.
She shivered beneath me, and it made me smirk knowing the effect I still had on her body. She bit her lower lip like she was trying to keep it from trembling.
“it doesn’t matter anymore,” she finally said after a long pause. “I knew what this was when we started. There was no real commitment and no promises so I shouldn’t be angry.”
“Then why are you?” I asked through my teeth. “Why can’t you even look at me anymore? Why won’t you talk to me? Why are things awkward between us?”
“Because you didn’t tell me!” She snapped, tears threatening her eyes as she stared into mine. “You let me find out in the worst way possible. You could have told me the truth, Gavin.”
“The truth?” I asked, raising my brows. “Look, I don’t know what Irene told you, but-”
“She didn’t tell me anything,” Judy said, wrapping her arms around her body like she was trying to keep herself together.
I couldn’t help myself; I found myself reaching up and wiping a stray tear that managed to escape my eyes with my thumb. I allowed my fingers to linger on her cheek for a moment longer before I pulled back, giving her some space to breathe.
“What do you mean she didn’t tell you anything?” I asked, my brows furrowed.
“Then how the fuck did you find out about anything?”
“Because I say her…” Judy said, her
voice dropping low. “In your suite. I went to your suite that night and she was there… practically naked and only wearing a robe. You were in the shower when she answered the door…” noveldrama
At that moment, Judy looked so small and vulnerable, something inside of me snapped. I knew something smelled off when I returned to my suite with the kids that night. Even Matt could sense something was different about the scent, but we were all so tired that I didn’t look into it further.
“Judy, what the fuck are you talking about?” I asked her, my tone was rough and anger filling it.
“Don’t deny it, Gavin,” Judy said, folding her arms across her chest. “You slept with Daisy Baldwin the other night and the evidence was in your suite in a bathrobe.”
Rage.
All I felt at that moment was pure rage.
My wolf flashed through my eyes and a low growl escaped my throat, making Judy’s eyes widen in shock. I pushed off the wall before I broke it with the force of my anger.
“Fuck!!” I growled fiercely in the hallway, making Judy suck in a sharp breath. Without another word, I took off, leaving her staring after me.
Judy’s POV
I watched as Gavin growled a curse through the hallway, nearly shaking the entire building. I was shocked when he took off, my mouth agape.
What the hell just happened?
I wasn’t sure how long I was standing like that for, but soon, Sammy, Tabby, Nan, and Irene were piling into the hallway, stumbling upon me. Irene was breathless as she looked around, recognizing the sounds of her father’s pissed off roar.
“Where did he go?” She asked, worry etched on her face. “Is he okay??”
“I… I don’t know,” I whispered, my body trembling slightly.
“You’ve been crying,” Tabby said, touching my arm. “Did he say or something to hurt you?”
All their attention was on me and I wasn’t sure how to explain any of this to them.
“I told him that I saw Daisy last night… in his suite. He went off and left,” I
admitted, my tone coming out breathless.
Irene narrowed her eyes.
“What the hell are you talking about?” She asked me.
I looked at her.
“Your aunt Daisy. He was with her last night…”
“Yeah, they went out to dinner; it lasted like an hour,” she said, rolling her eyes. “My aunt is relentless, but he managed to entertain her for that long.”
I furrowed my brows.
“She was in his suite last night, Irene. I saw her. I talked to her. She wore nothing but a bathrobe and said that Gavin was in the shower,” I told her.
Her eyes grew wide and suddenly, panic seemed to have struck her. She looked as if she was about to take off in the direction that her father went.
“Irene?” I asked, trying to get her attention back; she looked as if she was about to have a panic attack.
“I knew she would pull something like this,” she said through her teeth. “I wanted him.”
“Warned him?” I asked. “About what?”
“About my bitch of an aunt. I knew she would pull something like this,” Irene hissed, anger flashing in her own eyes.
Now, I was beyond confused, as were the others it seemed.
Irene turned to look at me, trying to calm herself down.
out
“My father wasn’t in the suite last night; at least not until super late,” Irene said, shaking her head. “He was with Matt and me… we were for a while having family time. When we returned, we thought we smelled a different scent, but we were so tired we didn’t really question it.”
My heart plummeted into my stomach as I stared at her, my eyes wide and my mouth agape.
“What?” I asked, my voice coming out unfamiliar and hollow.
“Daisy broke into our suite last night and left before we got back,” Irene growled.
I let out a breath, my heart dropping even lower.
“Holy shit…”
Gavin’s POV
Rage.noveldrama
Nothing could compare to this feeling burning inside me right now. All I felt was pure rage and it was directed at Daisy Baldwin. I knew exactly where she was right, and I wasn’t going to let her get away with this.
She broke into my hotel suite, a place where I stayed with my children. She messed with Judy and made her pissed and hurt…she crosse a major line and I wasn’t going to let her get away with this shit.
Her reign ends today, if it’s the last thing I do.
Daisy was seated at the bar with a couple of gentlemen on either side of her. In her normal Daisy fashion, she was flirting and twirling her hair, getting her to buy more drinks. Truth be told, I was surprised she didn’t randomly show up at the ceremony knowing that I was going to be there. I figured if she wasn’t at the ceremony, she was most likely at the bar.
“Come with me,” I said without a single greeting.
One of the guys turned around, looking as if he was about to fight me, but the look
in my eyes was daring and dangerous. The second they registered who I was and that I was playing around, his face paled and he backed off immediately. The other guy did the same.
Daisy stared at me, her eyes wide when she took in my pissed off appearance.
I didn’t give her a chance to question
me, I grabbed her arm and yanked her off the bar stool, not caring if I hurt her or not. I was furious and she was on the receiving end of my rage. I dragged her out of the bar with
onlookers wondering what
was
going on; whispers followed.
Daisy was smart enough to not fight me and stumbled along after me. Once we were out of the bar, I dragged her towards a more secluded area, not needing an audience.
I suddenly stopped and slammed her against the wall, careful not to touch her too much, but enough for her to not be able to go anywhere.
“You crossed a major line, Daisy,” I said through my teeth. “What the fuck were you thinking??”
Her eyes narrowed and I saw a flicker of fear in her gaze.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Gavin…” she denied, making me scoff.
Did she really think I wouldn’t find out about her games? Did she think I was stupid?
“Don’t play, stupid,” I hissed. “You broke into my hotel suite… You invaded my space when I wasn’t there. Why?”
She pressed her lips in a thin line, like she was holding onto some type of secret and it only infuriated me more.
“Answer my Goddamn question,” I said in a low and threatening tone.
Before she could open her mouth to speak, I heard footsteps behind me. They sounded hurried, like they were running.noveldrama
“Dad!” I heard Irene shouting as she rushed towards me.
“Answer me!” I demanded again, ignoring the fact that my daughter was rushing towards me. My eyes remained fixed on Daisy’s, who glanced behind me and then directly at me.
“I did it because she doesn’t deserve you, Gavin. I’ve always been here for you. I was there when my sister died, leaving you a single father. I was there when you got custody of Matthew. I had always been there. Your mother already gave me her blessing. Why can’t you see that I’m the one you are meant to be with?”
“You don’t get to tell me who I’m supposed to be with,” I said through my teeth. “You and my mother can stop meddling in my romantic affairs because it is not happening.”
That’s when I felt her presence behind me; Judy stood beside Irene and they were both watching me with worried eyes, wondering what it was I was going to do.
“I went to dinner with you out of pity the other night; there was nothing more to it. You invaded my space and crossed a serious line.”
“So, it’s true then?” Judy’s soft voice echoed behind me; I could hear the pain in her voice and it was fucking killing me. “It was all a lie. You weren’t there with Gavin?”
Daisy’s eyes flickered to Judy, malice in her gaze that made me punch a wall close to her face. Her eyes went back to me, her eyes wide when she realized there was a whole in the wall inches from her face.
“Don’t fucking look at her…” I said through my teeth. “Eyes on me.”
“Aunt Daisy, why would you do something like that?” Irene asked.
Daisy kept her eyes on me, but she responded to Irene.
“Because it was supposed to be me. I was supposed to be the one warming your father’s bed, but instead he found himself a pretty little whore.”
I grabbed her throat without another word, blocking off her air waves and making it impossible for her to speak anymore. Her eyes bugged out of her face as she struggled to breathe, swatting at my hands, begging me with her eyes to loosen my grip but I was pushed past the edge of caring whether she lived or died.
“Dad, you’re going ot kill her!” Irene warned. “Loosen your grip!”
in
Daisy’s face started to turn red as she tapped on the wall, begging for me to stop. The rhythm of her. tapping continued, her hands trembling as the life started to drain from her pathetic little face
“Ethan…” I heard Judy whispering behind me.
“What?” Irene asked.
“She’s spelling out Ethan’s name
bet
using Morse code,” Judy said, pointing to Daisy’s hands which continued to tap the wall. I realized that Judy was right; I was also trained in Morse code, and she was
tapping out Ethan’s name using the
wall.
I loosened my grip so she could breathe. She took a deep breath, coughing as the
air filled her lungs. Her eyes watered and she tried to wipe them.
“Guess you’re not as dumb as I thought,” she croaked, rubbing her sore and red neckline.
“What about Ethan?” Judy demanded. “What does he have to do with anything?” Daisy narrowed her eyes.
“He has everything to do with this,” she said, slyly. “Who do you think put me up to this?”
“What?” Judy asked, her voice coming out hollow and unfamiliar.
I stepped away from Daisy, suddenly the weight of the situation crashing down around me.
“What the fuck are you talking about?” I demanded.
Daisy took a minute to recover herself before she replied.
“Your girlfriend’s ex mate is here and wants you out of the way. So, we came up
with this plan together. Clever, aren’t we?”
Judy’s POV
I felt so incredibly stupid. Of course, Ethan had something to do with this. How could he not? He was always planning or scheming something. I should have known he wouldn’t stop and that he’d use Daisy to get his way.
I looked at Gavin’s rigid back as he processed this new information. He was furious, that much was clear. His fists kept clenching and unclenching.
This whole time I had been so upset with him, thinking he had been sleeping with both me and Daisy. Only to find out that it was all a plan set up by Ethan. Gavin wasn’t even in the hotel suite at the time of Daisy being there; he hadn’t known she was there. I should have talked to him instead of jumping to conclusions; but I thought the facts were clear.
“I might have done my part, Gavin, and I might have had my own reasons, but I’m not the mastermind behind this,” Daisy continued as she folded her arms across her chest. “I’m not the one you should be going after.”
Gavin’s jaw ticked and I could see the tension in his body. He was battling with himself; torn between ending Daisy or letting her go so he could seek out Ethan. At the end, the latter won, and he stepped away from her.noveldrama
“Get out of my face before I change my mind,” he growled, his wolf’s anger palpable.
Daisy only smirked; she didn’t rush away, her eyes remained on his for a moment before they flickered to me and then I saw them darken. Without a word, she turned and walked away, leaving me feeling numb and incredibly stupid.
“Ethan’s here?” Irene asked, tears in her eyes. I looked at her, remembering how quiet she’s been, and my heart shattered for her. Her ex-fiancé was here and made it clear that he wasn’t here for her; he was here to fuck with me.
Nan and Chester had appeared shortly after, their concern clear on their faces as they looked at the scene before them.
I was frozen, unable to tell them anything about what had happened. My body was trembling; Ethan was never going to stop. I was going to have to live with him tormenting my family and me forever. And Irene will always suffer because of this as well.
She looked utterly broken and confused in that moment and my heart shattered even more for her.
“Chester, Nan, can you take Irene back to the suite,” he asked. “Matthew as well, wherever he is.”
“Last I saw, he was stuffing his face with dessert,” Chester said, pointing at the ceremony hall. “Yeah, we’ll go grab him and bring them both upstairs.”
Gavin nodded his thanks. At first, Irene refused to move; she was rooted to the ground, tears spilling out of her eyes as she thought about everything that had happened. She wasn’t sure how to feel at this moment and I couldn’t blame her.
But after some urging from Nan, she finally moved from her spot, following them, leaving me alone with Gavin.
I stared at the spot on the wall that Daisy was once pressed against. The ghost of her form still lingering.
Before I knew what was happening,
Gavin closed the small distance between us, wrapping me tightly in his arms and pressing me against his chest. It was a gesture I wasn’t used to from him; he wasn’t the comforting type, but I immediately melted against him, hating my body for being so weak when it came to Gavin Landry.
I should hate him… I should be upset with him still, but I couldn’t. I was relieved that nothing happened between him and Daisy like I thought it did. I was relieved he hadn’t lied to me about anything.
My mind was whirling with all this new information, and I wasn’t sure what to do with any of it. He ran his fingers up and down my spine soothingly, another gesture I wasn’t used to from him.
He peppered kisses along my hairline, sending a chill across my flesh and melting even further. His warmth and scent engulfed me, and I could practically hear my wolf purring in contentment from his sweet and comforting embrace.
He ran his fingers through my hair, and I shivered from the feeling. I peeked up at
him, tears in my eyes from everything that had happened.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I should have talked to you.”
“Did you really think I was fucking her?”
I nibbled on my lower lip, heat creeping up around my nose and cheeks; I knew
he could see the redness easily on my face.
“I thought… I mean… yeah,” I said softly. “We aren’t…” I couldn’t finish the sentence; I hated how vulnerable and weak I sounded at this moment.
He cupped my face with his hands, forcing me to keep my gaze on his.
“I don’t fuck multiple women at once, Judy,” he told me firmly. “It’s messy and never ends well. I’m old enough to know better, don’t you think?”
I nod slowly; I shouldn’t have assumed the worst about him. But if he only saw it from my perspective… how would he feel if a guy answered my door and he was wrapped in only a towel.
I shuddered at the thought; that’s something Ethan would do and honestly, I’m surprised he hadn’t yet.
“I saw her in a bathrobe, Gavin. How would you have felt if the roles were reversed?”
His eyes darkened at my words, the image sinking in and making him feel like shit.
“You should know me better than that by now,” he told me, his tone almost cold, though there was a twinge of hurt.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “You’re right. I shouldn’t have assumed the worst. But we need to focus on the bigger picture. Ethan is out there, planning shit. He did this, Gavin. That’s terrifying.”
He nodded.
“And I will find him and make him answer for his crimes. You should get back to the suite for the night. I don’t trust him not to show up here and try something.”
He released me and suddenly I felt cold without his touch. I bit my lower lip and nodded, hating how distant we still felt from one another. If there was one thing that this whole thing taught me, it was that maybe I didn’t trust him as much as I thought I did.
Did I ever trust him?
“Where are you going to go?” I asked him after a beat of silence.
“Don’t worry about that,” he said with a gruff voice. “I have something to do.”
I nodded and without another word, I went back to my suite. Nan, Chester, Irene, and Matt were in the room when I turned. Nan and Chester were packing their things, while Irene sat on the bed, looking like a ghost of herself. Matt was on the couch, scrolling through his phone mindlessly.
“What’s going on?” I asked Nan who paused her packing when she noticed me at the doorway.
“Our flight is tomorrow. I figured it’d be better if we prepared,” she told me with a shrug. “I assume we’ll be leaving quickly.”
I nodded in agreement.
“Yeah, we will definitely be leaving quickly,” I told her. “I’m sorry that this entire trip
is messy, Nan. The last thing you wanted was messy.”
“Are you kidding me? This trip was awesome. Plus, you won the fucking competition, and I got to see it firsthand. Totally worth it,” she said with a grin.
“Pretty awesome that you won,” Chester said, giving me a high five.
I looked at Irene, who wasn’t engaging in conversation, but I could tell from the fact that she wasn’t in her own suite that she wanted to be around people. I sat beside her on the bed and gave her a sympathetic look.
“Are you okay?” I asked her.
She blinked a few times and shook her head, releasing some tears that fell onto her cheeks.
“I can’t believe he was here, and he didn’t come find me,” she whispered. “I truly meant nothing to him.”
“Ethan isn’t worth your time, Irene. thought you knew that by now,” I told her gently. “He’s manipulative. I mean look at the mess he’s made in such a short time.” noveldrama
She nodded and nibbled on her lower lip.
“A part of me still loves him and I hate myself for it,” she whispered.
I knew that all too well; having Ethan as my fated mate made things extra complicated. When he was around, my wolf was still drawn to him because she felt a bond. She will I be able to feel it until he either marks another, or other marks me, replacing his mark completely. For a long time, Ethan was my everything. Growing up, he was my best friend. Then I found out he was a mate, and
I was over the moon, but now I
regret every little thing and I’m questioning if any of it was ever real, or some bit elaborate plan to break me.
“We aren’t going to let him get away with this,” I say, putting my hand on her knee.
“He will regret the day that he fucked with us.”
udy’s POV
I was nervous as I pulled up to my parents’ house. I hadn’t seen my father in months. We returned to the territory late last night; I went home to the mansion to sleep and then first thing this morning I went straight to my parents’ house; the one Gavin had purchased for them right after he got my father out of prison by paying off his entire debt.
I was honestly surprised my father let it happen, but then again, maybe he didn’t have a choice. I knew they were hurting him in prison; they were beating him until the brink of death, and then they would heal him and do it all over again. This was because of Ethan and his manipulation. He convinced the guards and other inmates to target my father.
The thought made my blood boil; I hated Ethan for what he did to my family, and I was determined to make him pay for this. I was relieved that Irene now saw the monster she was once engaged to and had enough sense to end things with him.
I raised my hand to knock on the door, a nervous bubble in the pit of my stomach. As I knocked, I realized how ridiculous it was because technically, this was my house too. Nothing had changed about me; I grew up here. I had a key to the place despite being owned by the Cash family for a short while, but I don’t think they ever stepped foot in this home. They only bought it to get under my family’s skin.
As the door opened, my mother stood on the other side with a big frown on her face.
“Why on earth are you knocking?” She asked, pulling me into a tight hug. “Oh, sweetie, we’ve missed you. And we are so unbelievably proud of you! I knew you could do it!”
“You were watching?” I asked.
“Of course!” My mom breathed, pulling me into the house and shutting the door. “The entire pack was watching. I’m sure the whole shifter world was watching.”
I blushed at her words, imagining everybody seeing my face on their TVs.
“There she is,” I heard my father’s deep voice as he walked into the living room. He had a slight limp, and his face was a bit swollen from all the beatings he’d received. His injuries were so extensive that his wolf hadn’t healed him properly yet. But I could tell he was still in the process of healing some of his major injuries before healing his minor ones.
My stomach twisted when I saw that he was also thin.
“Dad…” I whispered, tears in my eyes.
I rushed into his arms and held me like I was a little girl again.
“Oh, sweetheart. I’m okay,” he whispered, trying to soothe my sobs. “You don’t need to worry for me anymore.”
“Were they starving you?” I asked, pulling back to take a better look at you, I couldn’t help the tears that streamed down my cheeks.
“Amongst other things,” my father murmured. “But it’s nothing you need to concern yourself with. I’m okay, honestly…”
My mother had a frown on her face as she stepped towards us.
“We aren’t going to let them get away with this,” she said, folding her arms across her chest. “What the Cash family did wasn’t okay.”
I raised my brows and stared at her in shock; she knew that the Cash family was involved in his arrest.
“How did you know?” I asked. “I mean… how did you find out?”
She narrowed her eyes at me.
“My question is, why didn’t you tell me?” My mother countered. “I would have never made a deal with them if
I knew of their manip
“Because you worshipped the ground that Ethan walked on,” I reminded her. “I didn’t want to poke a hole in your fantasy about him. I’m sorry kept it to myself. But he’s a monster mom, They all are.”
She nodded, her eyes flashing with anger.
“We know that now,” she said, shaking her head.
“How?”
“Beta Taylor called,” my father was the one who explained. “He told me that Gavin Landry wanted to pay off the debt that I owed. At first, I was going to refuse, despite the fact that I was hanging onto death, but then Taylor explained everything that had been happening. Ethan’s manipulation and how he used you in a pawn to get what he wanted… how he blackmailed you… How this debt isn’t fair and that they have the power to waive. I wasn’t stupid enough to deny his help.” noveldrama
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I nodded thoughtfully, my stomach still twisting in a tight knot.
“I see,” I breathed. “You have no idea how badly I’ve missed you, Dad. I’ve been worried every day.”
“Well, I’m home now and we don’t have to worry about something like that ever happening again. Alpha Landry made it so I won’t lose my company and we are back up and running.”
Relief flooded me; things seemed as if they were back to normal.
“I’m glad that things are working out and they seem to be going back to normal,” I said, a small smile lighting up my face.
My mother nodded in agreement as she wrapped an arm around her mate, kissing his cheek gently. They might be my adoptive parents, but they were the only family I ever knew, and they never made me feel like anything less than their true daughter. I would do anything for my family and loved them so much… I knew they would do anything for me too.
“Perhaps we should go out tonight,” my mother suggested. “Just us three. We can go to dinner at Whimsical Whisk, the new fancy restaurant that has just opened.
I nodded in agreement.
“That would be great,” I told her.
She smiled thoughtfully and my father nodded as well; he looked tired, I knew it was because of the healing his wolf was doing, it was not only healing him but also draining him.
A few hours later, we went to the Whimsical Whisk. It was nice going out as a family, something I didn’t think we’d ever get to do again. My father wore a nice suit and had a smile on his face as my mother clung to his arm. My heart swelled at the sight of them. I hope that one day I’ll get to have a love like theirs.
The waitress brought us over to a table and after we thanked her, we took our seats with the menus.
We kept getting passing by looks by curious bystanders; or rather, I was getting passing by looks by bystanders. I’m assuming they must have seen me in the competition and had a ton of questions for me.
As I scanned the nice restaurant, my eyes found a familiar person across the room at a booth.
Daisy Baldwin.
She was with an older woman with greying brown hair and an elegant shimmering black dress that hugged her curves perfectly. She had familiar looking eyes, and she honestly looked as if she had never smiled a day in her life. There was something about that woman that looked familiar to me, but I couldn’t figure out what it was.
“So, how’s your tutoring job going?” My father asked, bringing me back to the current moment. “Tell me everything I’ve missed and don’t leave anything out.”
I told him most everything about my job, including how much I loved it. But as I spoke, my eyes kept flickering back to Daisy and that woman. Who was she?
Daisy was talking her ear off, and she seemed to be hanging onto each word that
Daisy spoke. I wished I could get closer so I could hear them.
Soon, our meals arrived, and I had forgotten about Daisy or that
woman. But midway through dinner,
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I had to use the restroom, so I excused myself. That must have been when Daisy found the prime opportunity because she was blocking my way to the bathroom with her body once I reached the hallway.
“Oh, Judy. Didn’t expect to see you here,” Daisy said, raising her perfectly
trimmed eyebrows. “No Gavin?”
I pressed my lips together in a thin line.
“I’m with my family. I need to use the rest room,” I told her as I tried to get around her. I knew I could fight her if I had to, but I didn’t want to cause a scene in the middle of this fancy restaurant.
“Oh, but we have talked properly yet.
I hope there are no hard feelings about what happened the other day,” she said, a fake smile lighting up her face.
“Of course not,” I said with my own sarcastic and forced smile.
The woman Daisy had dinner with stepped beside her, her lips turned down in a
thin frown as she studied me.noveldrama
“Judy, have you met Donna yet?” Daisy asked.
I looked at the woman; she was even more familiar up close.
“I don’t believe so,” I said, studying her.
The woman held out her hand, dismissively.
“Donna Landry,” she introduced, making my heart drop into my stomach.
That was how she looked familiar, she was a Landry. She had Gavin and Irene’s
eyes.
Daisy grinned when she noticed the shocked expression on my face.
“Donna is Gavin’s mother.
