Judy’s POV
Marcus left to fetch our order, and I stared at Gavin with my mouth hanging open. Never had I imagined that Gavin Landry would be ordering such food, especially on a date. He sat back in the booth, and I could feel his eyes on me, assessing my every facial movement.
“Why are we here?” I finally asked him after what felt like an eternity of silence.
He raised his brows at me as I met his eyes; I had been dying to know why he wanted to go out with me so badly; what any of this was even about it. Why we were at my favorite restaurant and ordering greasy food that I couldn’t imagine him putting in his mouth? Food that I was convinced he’d never touched a day in his life.
“Is there a rule that we can’t have dinner together?” He asked. “I don’t remember stating otherwise.”
I narrowed my eyes at him; I hated the effect he had on me. I hated that he was finding humor in my unease.
“You know what I mean,” I murmur, my brows knitting together. “Why did you ask me out? And why are we at my favorite restaurant.”
He studied me for what felt like a long while and during that time, I could hardly breathe. His eyes poured into mine as if he were searching for the same answers to my questions. His expression was sober, and his eyes were dark as he analyzed me. He finally opened his mouth to speak, and his response was something I wasn’t expecting.
“Because you make me curious,” he told me.
I tilted my head at his response.
“I make you curious?” I asked him, not sure what he meant. “How so?”
“We’ve had a sexual relationship for a while, but we’ve never really gotten to know one another,” he explained. “Is it a problem that I want to know who I’m sleeping with?”
I nibbled on my lower lip and the darkening of his eyes made me remember his earlier words about bending me over the table and taking me right here and now. My cheeks immediately flushed, and I turned away, releasing my lip from between my teeth.
“So, you thought taking me to my favorite restaurant was a way to get to know me better?” I asked him, my voice coming out much softer than I intended.
He was quiet for a moment, his eyes scanning the side of my face. I could feel his eyes on me even though I was refusing to look at him.
“Yes,” he finally replied. “I wanted to know what kind of foods you enjoy… where you like going… the kind of environment you are most comfortable in.”
I nodded; my eyes fixed on the table in front of me.
“I see,” I said softly.
“Is that a problem?” He asked; he didn’t sound upset or offended; he sounded genuinely curious. “Have I gone too far?”noveldrama
There was a hint of vulnerability in his tone, and I quickly looked up at him to see that vulnerability flash through his eyes. For a second, my heart fluttered. He was actually worried about something. swnovel
“Too far?” I asked, needing clarification on what he meant.
“I asked my assistant to find out what kind of things you enjoy and places you like to go,” he admitted. “Was too far of me? Do you feel as if I violated something? swnovel
I blushed.
He actually asked his assistant to do a background check on me.
I shook my head feeling a small smile tug at the corner of my lips.
“No,” I reply. “It wasn’t too far. It’s kind of sweet that you care enough to find out something about me.”
He was about to reply, or so I think he was, but Marcus returned with our root beer floats and our appetizers. It smelled heavenly and my stomach was growling hungrily.
“Is there anything else I can get you before your main courses arrive?” He asked, staring between the two of us.
“Just our wine,” Gavin reminded him, making his eyes widen.
“Oh, Goddess. I am so sorry. I will get that right away,” Marcus all but stammered as he hurried away to grab the wine.
I couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled out of me.
“Do we really need the wine?” I asked. “The poor guy looked like he was about to have a heart attack.”
“We didn’t need the wine, no. But it wouldn’t be a true Gavin Landry date without it,” he told me, a small smirk tugging at his lips.
He unfolded his napkin and placed it delicately on his lap as if he were at a fine dining restaurant, and it made me chuckle.
He placed a few pretzel bites and mozzarella balls on his small appetizer plate, and I watched him waiting for his reaction as he started to cut into the pretzel bite with his fork and knife. He paused when he saw my eyes were on him the entire time. I was stifling a laugh because I had never seen someone eat those with a fork and knife before. swnovel
“Am I doing something wrong?” He asked.
Without thinking, I picked up a mozzarella ball off his plate with my fingers and dipped it in the sauce before popping it into my mouth with a grin. His eyes narrowed as he watched me take another and also pop it into my mouth. I chuckled at his awestruck expression.
To my surprise, he placed his fork and knife down and tentatively picked up a mozzarella ball with his fingers. I watched him as he brought it to his lips and popped it into his mouth, mimicking my movements like he was learning to eat finger food for the first time in his life.
I suppressed another laugh, clearing my throat to mask it. He glanced at me and smirked as he pizza up a pretzel bite, dipped it in the mustard sauce, and ate that as well.
“Do you like it?” I asked him.
He chewed slowly as he analyzed the flavor.
“It’s different than what I’m used to,” he admitted. “But it’s not bad.”
I smiled as I too ate at the pretzels. I grabbed the root beer float and took a sip, moaning at the delicious taste. His right brown went up immediately at the sound of my moan, his dark eyes following my every movement.
He took a sip of his root beer float and the surprise that was on his face made me nearly choke with laughter.
The waiter returned with our wine and then a few minutes later, he came back with our food.
“Do I eat this with my fingers too?” Gavin asked.
I glanced at him and saw that he was gesturing towards the pulled pork sandwich.
“It’s a sandwich,” I laugh. “Of course, you are supposed to eat it with your fingers. It’s nasty and greasy but so good.”
The alcohol from the root beer float and wine combined was loosening me up and making me say and do things in front of him I wouldn’t normally do, like be a slob. I grabbed the sandwich, watching as the juices dripped onto my plate before taking a giant bite. I knew it was all over my face and the startled look on my face confirmed that very thing.
He grabbed his sandwich as well
and took a bite out of it; I waited for his reaction; and I saw his eye flashing dangerously. A low growt escaped his throat as he took an even bigger bite. It was like a child discovering something delicious for the first time; I also think the alcohol was loosening him up a little as well. swnovel
I snorted at the sight of him, unable to contain my laughter. His smirk grew into a full-grown smile and to my surprise, he started laughing. We must have looked like a couple of lunatics, laughing with pulled pork sauce all over our faces. I think this is the first time we actually laughed together, and it honestly felt amazing. swnovel
We continued to eat and drink until we were both stuffed.
“Is there anything more I can get for you, Alpha?” Marcus asked as the wait staff took away our plates and cups.noveldrama
“I think we are all set,” Gavin replied.
Once the bill was paid we left the restaurant. I started towards the car, but Gavin took my hand and pulled me in the opposite direction. It was nearing 7 pm and the sun was now officially setting in the background.
“What are you doing? The car is this way,” I told him, walking with him as he held my hand a bit tighter.
“Yes,” he replied simply without giving me much more explanation. “You didn’t think dinner was all I had planned, did you?”
I raised my brows but didn’t ask any further questions as we continued to walk.
We walked for a few more minutes
and soon we were surrounded by a
crowd that were all heading towards the entrance of the fair. My eyes grew wide when I realized we were also heading towards the entrance, I looked up at him, shocked beyond belief as excitement bubbled inside of me. swnovel
I grabbed his arm with my free hand, stopping him for a minute. He frowned as he
looked down at me but when he saw my expression, he smirked.
“Are… are you taking me to the fair right now?” I asked him, my tone breathless and filled with wonder.
He winked at me and entwined his fingers with mine.
“I was serious when I said I wanted to do things you enjoy,” he replied. “So, let’s
go have some fun, shall we?”
udy’s POV
“I can’t believe we are actually at the fair right now,” I breathed as I stared around at all the rides and the colors. The crowd was insane because the fair was only in town for a couple more days, so everybody was having fun now.
“Does this make you happy?” He asked, observing me.
I nodded.
“Yes,” I admitted. “I’ve been wanting to come here with my friends, but we haven’t had any time to sneak away between work and school.”
He was quiet for a moment, processing my words.
“Are you okay with me being here with you instead of them?” He asked, glancing at me.
My heart swelled at his question.
I nodded slowly.
“Yes,” I told him. “I’m actually glad you are here with me. I have a feeling you never really had fun before. You are all work and Lycan duties. Do you ever have the chance to get out and have fun?”
He narrowed his eyes at me.
“I have fun,” he murmured, almost defensively.
I fought a laugh as I looked up at him.
“Oh yeah? Name one thing that you’ve done that you consider fun,” I said, raising my brows at him.noveldrama
He thought about it for a moment.
“I went to a banquet a few weeks ago that I found enjoyable,” he replied.
I laughed.
“That’s not the kind of fun I’m talking about,” I told him, rolling my eyes. “I meant, going on rides and eating greasy foods… playing games.”
“Games?”
I nodded and pointed at the game stands that were set up.
“Yes and attempting to win prizes but never quite getting here because they are rigged.”
“Rigged?” He asked, glancing at me. “Is that legal?”
“I don’t know, but everyone knows the games at fairs are all rigged,” I tell him with a shrug. “It’s part of the fun.”
“How is that fun?”
I grin.
“Come on,” I tell him grabbing a hold of his hand. “I’ll show you.”
We went to one of the game stands; it was the game where we tossed rings on bottles, trying ot get the ring around the top of the bottle. It cost a few dollars, which Gavin insisted on paying even though it was my idea. He wasn’t going to let me pay for anything, which I found sweet but unnecessary. Now that my father was no longer in prison and his debt was paid, I had money to spare, and I could afford a few games at a fair. But he left no room for argument. swnovel
“Watch,” I told him.
I tossed a ring on top of a bottle and just as it looked as if it was going to make it, it fell off. Gavin’s frown
deepened as he glared at the
bottles I tried again until I had no rings left, none of them landing on any of the bottles. swnovel
With a low growl, Gavin grabbed the guy by the throat, shocking me. His wolf was close to the surface as he growled loudly.
“Is this game rigged?” He asked, his tone gruff. “She threw those rings perfectly!!!”
The guy, who was no older than 18, stammered and said nervously, “It’s… it’s my job to make sure no one wins…” he admitted.
I couldn’t believe he actually admitted it; I always assumed it was rigged, but I never actually knew for sure.
“We’re going to play again,” he said in a growly tone that sent a shiver down my back.
The guy nodded, his entire body trembling as Gavin released him, handing him a bunch of rings without charging him the second time. He turned towards the ring and I watched with anticipation as he
lined up. I took a step back watching as he tossed the rings onto the bottle tops. swnovel
One by one he nailed it.
My mouth dropped open as the bell went off indicating a winner.
“Congratulations,” the guy said. “You can choose any prize you want.”
Gavin looked oddly victorious as he glanced at me.
“Choose your prize,” he told me, his tone gentle.
I flushed as I glanced up at the prize board. The giant purple bear caught my eye,
so I pointed at that.
Gavin nodded at the guy.
“Wrap it up for us,” he said, as he took my hand and guided me away without a single look back at the man. The guy stared at him with a dumbstruck expression, probably confused about what had just happened.
“That was incredible,” I laughed. “Did you see the look on his face?”
Gavin chuckled; it was nice to see him a bit carefree for once.
“Yeah, I thought he was going to pass out,” he admitted. “So, what other things do you do at the fair?”
“Ride rides obviously,” I said, glancing at the rollercoaster in the distance. “Like that one.”
He followed my gaze and I swear I saw his face paling.
re’s no way in hell I’m getting on that thing,” he told me, shaking his head.
I raised my brows at him and turned to look at him.
“Is the big bad Lycan afraid of roller coasters?” I asked.
He pressed his lips in a thin line and glared at me.
“I am not afraid of anything… but I won’t get on that death trap.”
I smirked and folded my arms across my chest.
“Kind of sounds like you’re afraid,” I teased, corking my brows at him.
“I’m not afraid,” he said again, firmly. “I’ve just had a bad experience on a roller coaster when I was a kid and never went on one again.”
There was a flash of vulnerability in his eyes, and I was surprised by it. I put my hand on his arm, showing him support and comfort.
“Want to talk about it?” I asked him.
He sighed and walked over to a bench, sitting down. I sat down beside him, waiting for him to start talking.
“I went on a roller coaster when I was a kid, it was my first and only time at a theme park. I didn’t realize how fast it was going to go and my stomach flipped upside down. Next thing I knew… I was getting sick. It got all over me and everyone on the coaster behind me. Afterwards, we left and I never went back again,” he told me.
“That must have been tough,” I said softly. “I’m sorry that happened to you. How old were you?”
“7.”
I tried to imagine a 7-year-old Gavin; he was around Matt’s age. I wondered if he looked like Matt; I knew Matt wasn’t his biological son, but they still shared the same gene and they do kind of look alike currently. I couldn’t imagine Matt getting on a roller coaster and embarrassing himself like that. I wondered if he ever went to a theme park or fair a day in his life.
I reached out and touched Gavin’s hand, giving it a gentle squeeze and keeping my hand placed on his.
“You were only a boy,” I said softly. “You can’t let that define your whole experience.”
“Told myself I’d never put myself through that again,” he said, lifting his gaze to look at me.
“Well, you’re an adult now,” I told him. “You have a stronger stomach and a fun companion who had run tons of roller coasters in her days. Maybe things will be different,” I suggested.
He looked at me for a moment longer and I could see the skepticism in his eyes for a long while. He looked like he was about to protest, so I held up my hand to stop him.
“How about we start with smaller
rides first, and work our way up ot the roller coaster?” I suggested. He looked around for a moment at all the other rides that surrounded us. Some looked tougher, and others not so much. A small smile tipped the corner of his lips before he nodded. swnovel
“Yeah, that sounds good,” he finally said after a long pause.
With excitement, I stood to my feet. I couldn’t believe I was about to ride fair rides with Gavin; this was something I wasn’t expecting. If had told a week ago that this was in the cards for me, I would have
laughed. swnovelnoveldrama
For the next hour, we rode a ton of different rides. Including the carousel and the merry-go-round. few times, I think I saw a smile. tippingthe corner of his lips. During the carousel, we could see the entire city from the top; we could even see both his villa and his mansion. He wrapped an arm around me, pulling me close and into his side, and I found myself melting against him. swnovel
This was nice, I had to admit.
We rode some faster rides as well and at that point, I did catch him laughing. I nudged him in one of the seats when I saw that he had a smile on his face and a laugh bubbled out of him during a small drop.
“You’re having fun,” I told him.
He smirked.
“Yeah,” he said simply. “Maybe I am.”
As the ride stopped and stumbled out, dizzy beyond belief, I turned to look at him.
“I think you are ready for the roller coaster,” I told him.
He narrowed his eyes at me and then at the coaster that was hidden in the distance.
“I think you’re ready,” I told him, pointing at the coaster.
He tensed as he followed my gaze, and I could tell he was about to deny me. But
then his jaw tightened, and he nodded.
“Okay, yeah… let’s try this roller coaster,” he said, taking hold of my hand.
I happily led him to the line.
Gavin’s POV
I hated that I was doing this, but the happy look on Judy’s face was almost worth
it. She was oddly beautiful when she smiled; it felt like it was a rarity to see, but I’ve seen it a lot today. Doing her favorite things, eating her favorite foods, relaxing, and having fun… it was actually kind of nice. I never got to do this kind of thing before.
When I was a kid, I stayed with my aunt for a weekend while my mother went on a drinking binge and my father was too busy with his work to really care about his son. My aunt was the one who took me to the theme park with her children and husband. It was the worst experience of my life, and I ended up spending the rest of the time in the car while they enjoyed themselves. All I wanted to do was go home… but I was stuck there. I never went back, and I never spent any time with my aunt again.
I don’t even have any contact with her now.
I never thought I would go back to one of these things… whether it’s a theme park or a fair… I thought I would never catch myself stepping foot through the gates of anything with rides and games. But here I was, standing in line for a roller coaster while Judy stood excitedly by my side.
The smile lighting up her face was almost worth it though, so I bit my tongue and waited until the line started to die down. Of course, I could use my Lycan power to get us to the front row, which I had told her countless times when we waited in line for the other rides. But she said that waiting in line was half the fun because then we got to people-watch and sightsee while waiting.
She pointed out a few funny-looking people to me as we stood in line, and I couldn’t help but laugh along with her.
Once we reached the top of the line, my heart was admittedly beating fast against my chest. It wasn’t like me to admit that I was afraid, and I won’t admit it now. I kept a brave face as we walked towards our section and sat down. The attendant fastened our belts and lowered the lap bars. These seats were small and barely sat my large form. Judy looked so small beside me, but she had a bright smile on her face as she readied herself for the ride to start.
I must have looked tense but I felt her small hand on my bicep, drawing my attention to her.
“You hadn’t breathed since we reached the front of the line,” she told me, her tone
soft and compassionate. “It’s going to be okay. Just breathe.”
I hadn’t realized she noticed, and I was embarrassed having been caught. I didn’t want to tell her I was afraid…was afraid of getting sick all over her and embarrassing myself again, and I was afraid of the large drop that was about to come. I didn’t do well with stuff like this. swnovel
I forced a smile, but even she saw that it didn’t reach my eyes.
She kept her eyes locked on mine and I saw a soft smile spreading out across her lips, making me melt even further. I found myself relaxing in the seat that wasn’t made for my large frame and my muscles loosening as well.
The rollercoaster started to move forward after the coaster and safety announcements. I immediately tensed again, but Judy didn’t make me feel bad about it. She wrapped an arm around mine and rested her head on my shoulder.
A strange sense of calm washed over me at that moment and I immiedalty started
to relax, almost forgetting that I was in a death trap.
“Thanks for doing this,” Judy said, peeking up at me through her long lashes. “This means a lot.”
Her words left me feeling a sense of pride swelling in my chest and I couldn’t help the grin that spread across my face.
She licked her bottom lip, drawingnoveldrama
my eyes to her beautifully plump lips and all I could think about at that
moment was leaning in and pressing my mouth against hers.
But then the coaster started to move upward and I found my grip on the lap bar tightening to a point where my knuckles were turning white. swnovel
“When we reach the top, put your arms up,” she told me.
Like hell I was. I wasn’t going to let go of this bar even if it saved my life.
were on the top of
The second we we
the slope, I could see all of the city just as we could on the carisoul. It was a gorgeous view, but knowing we were going to drop down made my stomach twist with nerves. It was odd seeing Judy so brave and secure. It was almost impressive. swnovel
She lifted her arms in the sky and the sun setting rays cascaded down on her features, lighting up her gorgeous and happy face as she breathed in the cooling air.
Before I knew what I was doing, my eyes never left her face, I was loosening my grip on the lap bar and lifting my arms as well, wanting to bask in her happiness and share in her joy. My heart swelled with something I couldn’t quite name.
I didn’t have a lot of time to think about it though because soon we were dropping. Judy screamed and I found myself screaming as well as we went down and around. The coaster did some loops at a pace so fast that if I were to blink, I would have missed it.
My stomach was surprisingly calm during the ride, only the fluttering of my heart could be felt I classified as nervous about trying something completely new.
Judy laughed as we went around and around and I found a smile tugging at my own lips, a spreading across mine.
By the time the coaster slowed, we were both breathless and chuckling.
Judy’s face was flushed, and her hair was a complete mess.
The attendant unbuckled us and helped us out of the cat. I took Jud’s hand and helped her out of the car. As we walked away from the coaster and towards a more secluded area so we could reflect on how incredible that was, I noticed Judy’s disheveled appearance.
It made me smile.
We finally reached a couple of benches right around the area where they started to play live music. There were a ton of people gathering around, waiting and watching for the performance. Thankfully, we reached a bench area where we were able to sit down and rest for a few minutes.
Judy’s eyes were fixed on the band setting up their equipment when I brushed a strand of fallen hair out of her face and tried to fix the mess of hair on her head, my fingers lingering on her for a moment too long.
She turned to look at me, her expression softened slightly as she stared around my face.
“Are you having fun?” She asked me, assessing my every feature.
I nodded, for once in my life. I was actually telling the honest truth.
“I am,” I admitted. “It’s unexpected.”
She beamed at my words.
“It certainly was,” she said softly, touching my hand gently. “Thank you again.”noveldrama
As the sun set around us officially and the area, we were in lit up in festive lighting, she leaned into me
resting her head on my
inhaling deeply as if she was
ve
and
committing my scent to memory, or making she was just basking in the familiar scent of the fair. swnovel
As the band played music, people started to dance with one another and the festival became even more intense. It was interesting to watch people lose themselves to the music.
Seeing Judy see slightly as she too watched the people, gave me an idea.
Without much warning, I took her hand and pulled her other feet. She gasped at the sudden motion as l pulled towards the dancing crowd and started to twirl her around. After she got her footing, she burst out laughing and started to dance as well. I felt a little ridiculous, I had to admit, but it was strange because at this moment…. I didn’t care. swnovel
Having her this close to me, her body pressed against mine, her laughter filling my ears, her hips swaying and my hands passively on them… it was nice, and I didn’t want it to end.
As the music started to slow, I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her even close to my body so she could feel every inch of my rock-hard abs and solid chest. I also wanted her to feel something else, which she knew without me having to tell her.
She wrapped her arms around my neck and rested her head on my chest, sighing contently. Something inside of me stirred at that moment and I found myself holding here tighter, almost possessively. She wasn’t mine to possess, but still, my body wasn’t thinking the same thing as my mind was. swnovel
“Gavin?”
My entire body froze at the sound of my name and the familiarity it brought me. Judy’s body tense too, as if she could sense something not right. I looked up and my eyes narrowed.
“Mom…”
Gavin’s POV
The last person I ever expected to see here was my mother. I stared blankly at her for a long while as her eyes darted between me and Judy.
Judy stood frozen beside me, now a fair distance from me and it took everything I had not to reach out and brought her back into my arms, holding her tight and not letting her go. But I restrained myself because my mother was standing in front of me looking at me like had just slapped her. I hadn’t spoken to my mother since she tried to set me up with Daisy for the hundredth time. That was almost a month ago. Now as she stood in front of me, I knew there were going to be questions that I would need to answer, but right now, I was on a date, and she needed to respect that.
“I wasn’t expecting to see you here,” I told her, raising my brows. “I didn’t think fairs were your thing.”
“I could say the same to you,” she said, folding her arms across her chest. “I would ask you what influenced you to come to a place like this… but I see the answer is standing right beside you. It’s nice to see you again, Judy.”
Nice to see you again.
They’ve met before??
When did this happen and why did neither of them say anything to me about this?
I turned to look at Judy and saw that her cheeks were flushed. She was finding it hard to keep her gaze from wandering over to my mother. She was staring at the ground, nibbling on her lower lip, a nervous habit I started to understand she does.
“It’s good to see you too” she murmured, though I knew that was a lie. I could tell from the way Judy was avoiding her gaze, and her cheeks were flushing that their last encounter was not a pleasant one.
“I wasn’t aware you two knew one another,” I said bluntly, trying to get one of them to talk and explain themselves.
“Oh yes. We met at the Whimsical Whisk the other day,” my mother explained. “We exchanged some pleasantries in passing.”
My jaw clenched; I knew the look my mother had on her face. Their
exchange was anything but pleasant wanted to drill her and find out exactly what was said, but I kept my mouth sealed. I would ask Judy about it later and get the details. As of now, I needed to get Judy away from her because she looked as if she was about to pass out at any moment. swnovel
“Oh, Gavin. It’s great to see you,” another voice said, stepping beside my mother.
I froze when I saw Daisy; she handed my mother a bottle of water and turned to
face us, a smile lighting up her face but then it faltered when she saw Judy standing by my side.
“And Judy… I shouldn’t be surprised to see you hanging onto his arm like a lost puppy,” Daisy remarked, narrowing her eyes at Judy.
“That’s enough,” I said, stepping in front of Judy to block her view of them and their view of her. I wasn’t going to let them ridicule her and embarrass her. “What are you two doing here? This isn’t Landry owned soffigured you had no business here.” swnovel
“Can’t we just go to a fair because we enjoy it?” Daisy asked, raising her brows. “I happen to love roller coasters and cotton candy.”
I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at her words and then I turned back to my mother.
“I’m not buying it,” I said bluntly. “What are you up to mother.”
“I’m insulted you think so little of me,” my mother said, her brows furrowed. “We
are here to enjoy ourselves, just like you are. It’s a complete coincidence that we all happen to be here at the same time.”
“The firework display is about tonoveldrama
begin,” Daisy said to my mother. “We should go and get good seats. We see you later, Gavin.” She started to walk past as she brushed past Judy and paused. “It was so good to see you again, Judy. I do hope we can talk again soon.” swnovel
My mother also started to leave, but not before giving me a quick hug and a peck on the cheek. She turned to Judy and I swore I saw Judy flinching as if she expected my mother to strike her or something.
“I’ll see you soon,” she vowed before she turned and started to follow Daisy away.
I stared after them, a scowl on my lips as they disappeared through the crowd. Once they were out of sight, I turned to look at Judy who was pale in the face. Her breathing had gotten a lot worse and for a second, I thought she was about to h
Hey,” I said to her, putting my hands on her small shoulders. “Just breathe. They are gone… it’s okay…”
Judy took in a deep breath as she fought to control her breath. Once she was finally calmer, her eyes peeked up at me through her long and dark lashes.
“Thanks,’ she whispered.
“Want to tell me why you didn’t tell me about your running in with my mother,” I asked, my voice firm, though I tried to keep it calm.
She bit her lower lip and looked away, but I grabbed her chin gently and brought her head back up so she was looking at me again.
“Tell me the truth,” I demanded. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because it wasn’t exactly a pleasant conversation and I didn’t want you to think
so little of me,” she admitted, her eyes meeting mine.
My brows furrowed
“Think little of you?” I asked. “What happened?”
“I was out to dinner with my parents and I got up to go to the bathroom and they cornered me,” I explained, feeling my cheeks flushing.
I felt a surge of protectiveness coursing through my veins and a low growl escaped me.
“What did they say to you?” I asked through my teeth.
“Pretty much that I’m not good enough for you and that you’ll tire of me soon enough,” I murmur. “That you’re destined to marry Daisy and I’m just a distraction. That I won’t be a problem for long…”
Another growl escaped me; I was seeing fucking red.
How dare they corner Judy while she was out with her family and then feed her such lies. There was no way in hell I was ever going to mate and marry Daisy, even if Judy wasn’t in the picture.
I was furious and I wanted to rip someone’s head off their shoulders, but when I saw the tears filling Judy’s eyes, my anger started to fade and all I felt was pure guilt and remorse… not to mention protective.
“Hey…” I said softly, my thumb brushing her invisible tears off her cheeks as my fingers traced the nape of her neck. “Why would I think little of you?” I recalled her reasoning for not telling me this information in the first place.noveldrama
She sniffled as a tear escaped her eyes, I had it wiped away before he even reached the apple of her cheek.
“Because I’m training to be an Elite Gamma… I won the Gamma competition… and yet I can’t stand up for myself when it comes to your mother and Daisy,” she whispered. “It was embarrassing, and I didn’t want you to think I was weak.” Cóntent belongs to swnovel
I sighed and pressed my forehead against her, keeping my hand on the back of her neck to keep her in place as I absorbed not only her words but her scent as well.
“It isn’t your fault. My mother has a way of getting under your skin,” I told her. “Not fighting her was the best thing you could have done in that situation, so you’ve done well. Don’t beat yourself up over it. They shouldn’t have cornered you and they certainly shouldn’t have said those things to you. None of it is true, so I hope it didn’t hurt you too much.” swnovel
She looked uncertain and at that moment I realized it did hurt her. I guess considering our
unconventional relationship, it
wasn’t hard to believe the words my mother spat at her. I wrapped her in
marms and pulled her flesh
against my chest, keeping her there as the music continued to play around us and people continued their dancing. swnovel
“The next time my mother speaks to you and I’m not present, I need you to tell me right away, do you understand?” I asked, my tone gruff as I thought about my mother cornering her again.
She was quiet for a moment longer, so I squeezed her a little tighter.
“I need you to answer me,” I said softly, my face buried in her hair. “Do you understand?”
She nodded her head and wrapped her arms tightly around my waist, holding herself n place.
“Yes,” she finally whispered. “I understand. The next time I’m cornered, I’ll come to you first.”
I let out a breath.
“Good girl,” I whispered. “That’s my good girl.”
Judy’s POV
The fact that his mom and Daisy showed up at the fair shouldn’t have surprised me. I should have known that they would have caught wind when I was on a date with Gavin and where we were. I should have known they would have followed us here.
The memory of my last encounter with them invaded my head and it wasn’t something I wanted to share with Gavin, but he found a way to convince me otherwise. He got the information out of me with ease. I felt a little better after talking it out with Gavin, but there was still a lingering doubt in the back of my head that his mother planted. I honestly didn’t like the fact that she didn’t like me….. not that it mattered or anything. It’s not like Gavin and I were actually together….. we had a sexual relationship and that was as far as it was going. However, after our incredible date tonight, there was a part of me that had a small sliver of hope that maybe this wasn’t just about sex. Maybe this was more… maybe he wanted more.
The question was, did I want more?
“What’s going through your mind?” Gavin asked as he took my hand and guided me away from the dancing crowd and the loud music playing in the center of the fair.
“Nothing,” I lied, nibbling on my lower lip with my head turned away from him. My eyes scanned the area until they landed on a cotton candy and popcorn vendor. “Want some cotton candy?” I asked him, desperate to change the subject.
He raised his brows as he looked down at me.
“Cotton Candy?” He asked. “Is that fluffy sugar?”
I raised my brows right back at him.
“Don’t tell me you’ve never had cotton candy,” I said, astonished, though I shouldn’t have been surprised by that either. There were a lot of things he had never done before tonight and cotton candy appeared to be one of them.
“Do I look like I’ve eaten cotton candy in my past?” He asked, smirking. No, you do not,” I admit, a smirk on my own lips. bulled his hand
towards the cotton candy stand. “Come on…”
We order a cotton candy to share as we walk towards the fireworks show. It was going to start soon, and the crowd was already gathering to find the best spots to see them.
I took a bit of cotton candy and brought it to Gavin’s lips.
“Try it,” I demanded. He furrowed his brows at the sugary treat before he parted his lips allowing me to put the candy on his tongue.
He looked surprised as he closed his mouth.
“It melted on my tongue,” he told me as he smacked his lips, making me chuckle as I ate some cotton candy too.
“Do you like it?” I asked him.
“It’s sweet, but oddly enough it’s tasty,” he admitted.
I laughed at his phrasing and fed him more cotton candy.
We finally reached the fireworks show and I was surprised that Gavin had a reserved spot towards the front where we could literally see everything. I also wasn’t surprised that his mother and Daisy were nearby as well. When they saw us, his mom’s eyes narrowed in our direction. swnovel
“Is that cotton candy?” she asked, disgust clear on her face. “Ugh, Gavin. You
know better than to eat that garbage.”
Gavin’s eyes narrowed.
“I am an adult man… I can eat whatever I please and spend my time with
whoever I want,” he said coldly.
She folded her arms across her chest, a scowl on her face.
“What happened to you? You used to be smarter than this…” she said, her eyes darting to me.
A low growl escaped Gavin’s throat.
“Don’t look at her. This has nothing to do with her,” he said, his tone low and dangerous. “Cornering her at the restaurant was wrong and what you said to her was even worse. We are going to discuss this later swnovel
His mother’s eyes turned to slits, and she scowled again, her top lip curling up in disgust.noveldrama
“So, she told you what was said,” she said coolly. “We didn’t say anything that wasn’t true. No need to overreact.”
“Overreact??” He said through his teeth.
I put my hand on his arm, trying to calm him.
“It’s okay,” I said softly. “I just want to watch the fireworks, that’s all.”
His eyes narrowed at me and his tone was low as he said, “My mother doesn’t get
to speak to you like that.”
It was sweet of him to care, but it wasn’t really helping much as of right now. It seemed only to be making things even worse.
The fireworks started, stopping any further conversation, much to my relief. It was a beautiful display, and it took my breath away. At one point, Gavin boldly put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me intohim, gaining the attention of his mother and Daisy. I knew he was only doing this to get back at them for being in our business. swnovel
By the time the show was over, I was utterly exhausted and about ready to return home and get some sleep. He took my hand and helped me stand up from the spot we had occupied during the fireworks show.
“Ready to go?” He asked me, his tone a low whisper, his breath warming the side of my face as he whispered into my ear.
I nodded.
“More than ready,” I told him.
“We have to return to that game from earlier and get your prize,” he reminded me.
I laughed at the memory, but the laugh was cut short when Donna, his mother, approached us, her arms folded across her chest.
“Gavin, can we have a word please… in private,” she said, her eyes narrowed as she stared at her son.
Gavin sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, clearly fed up with his mother.
“I’m on a date,” Gavin told her, tightening his hold around my shoulders. “I’m not leaving her to speak with my mother. If you’ll excuse us, I need to get Judy home.”
“Fine but we will be talking about this tomorrow. Expect a visit at your office bright and early,” she shouted after him. His fists tightened in a ball, and I could tell he was holding himself back from saying and doing something he would regret.
“He’ll be back,” I heard Daisy saying to Donna. “There’s nothing for you to worry about, Mom.”
I hated that I was jealous, I hated that I was acting insecure, but the fact that his mom doesn’t like me… hurt.
Once we got back to the car, I was silent. Gavin sighed as he put the car in drive, looked both ways and pulled out of the parking spot.
“Don’t let them get to you,” he said softly. “They don’t know what they are talking about. My mother thinks she knows best… but she doesn’t. She’s being naive and soon her eyes will open, and she’ll realize her mistake.”
“What mistake?” I asked.
“That she can’t control me or who I bring into my life. All she cares about is her family fortune… she worries that if it’s put in the wrong hands, it could ruin everything.”
“And she’s not worried about Daisy?” I asked, raising my brows. “She screams gold-digger.”
“Yes, she does, which is what I try to tell my mother. But she claims that Daisy is a good friend and would never do anything to hurt the Landry family. I don’t know if I believe that myself though.”
“I don’t believe that at all,” I murmur, thinking about all the terrible things Daisy had said and done since I’d known her.
“Nor do I,” he replied a bit too quickly. “Besides their intrusion at the end, I hope this evening was satisfactory for you.”
I glanced at him.
“Satisfactory?” I asked. “Tonight was amazing. By far the best date I’ve ever been
on.”
Granted, I haven’t been on many, but this was definitely at the top.
He chuckled, his shoulders shaking from the movement.
“I’m glad to hear that,” he told me. “I’ve enjoyed myself too. I liked getting to know you better.”
My face burned as I stared up at him; he kept his eyes fixed on the road, but I knew he could feel my eyes on him.
Once we reached the mansion, he put the car in park and got out. He ran around the passenger side and helped me out of the car.
“Are you staying the night?” I asked him.
He smirked as we continued to walk towards the front door. He unlocked it with ease but made no movement to open the door.
“No, I’m returning to my villa tonight,” he told me. I felt a jab of disappointment in my chest and I couldn’t seem to hide it on my face.
I looked away.
“Oh…”
He took my chin gently between his fingers and moved my head, so I was looking
at him again.
“I wanted
tonight to be a proper
about sex,” he explained.
“For right now, we will part
Ì be seeing you tomorro
“}noveldrama
swnovel
I nodded, my eyes never leaving his.
He bent down and brushed his lips delicately across mine as if he was just getting
a small taste.
“Good night, Judy,” he murmured against my lips.
“Good night,” I whispered against his.
He pulled back a sparkle of
something in his eyes that made my heart skip a beat. He then opened the door for me to enter the
mansion, and with a gentle nudge, I stepped inside. He pulled the door
shut, blocking my view of him.
swnovel
I was still in a daze long after he left. I stayed in front of the closed door, even
when I heard his car starting up and him driving away.
Tonight was completely magical.
By the time I reached my room, I was practically floating. I grabbed my doorknob
and pulled it open, stepping inside.
As soon as I was inside, I heard something crashing to the ground, making me freeze entirely. I was now on full alert that someone was in my room as my eyes scanned the
area. It was dark in my room but with my wolf sight, I was able to spot the invader perfectly, someone was going through my things… searching for God knows what. swnovel
Standing across my bedroom, looking like a dear caught in headlights was… “Sammy?”
dy’s POV
“Sammy?” I asked as I turned on my bedroom light. Sammy was standing at my desk across the room with her eyes wide like she was a deer caught in the headlights. I could practically hear her heart pounding against her chest as she stared back at me, having been caught snooping through my personal bedroom. “What are you doing in here?”
She visibly swallowed.
“I thought I lost something,” she told me. “I was wondering if maybe it accidently got put in with your things.”
I furrowed my brows at her; it was obvious she was lying.
“What were you looking for?” I asked; I glanced at the time. It was almost midnight. “This late at night…”
“It’s not that important,” she said, hurrying towards the door. “I am so sorry. I wasn’t trying to intrude. I was honestly just looking for something I couldn’t seem to find. Please, forgive me.”
I wasn’t sure what else to say; it was obvious to me that she wasn’t being truthful, but I wasn’t sure of the reason why. I would have understood if she told me the truth; then again, it depended on the truth. I watched as she hurried out of my room, shutting the door behind her.
I was still wrapping my head around the events of that evening when I got dressed and ready for bed. I felt a bit invaded by Sammy being in my space
without any warning or heads-up. I wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt, but
I felt a bit unsettled by her explanation.
I made sure to lock my door before I got into bed.
It took a while, but eventually, I was able to drift off into a dreamless sleep. I managed to brush off the thought of Sammy snooping around my room, and about my run-in with Donna Landry and Daisy Baldwin; I thought mainly about my date with Gavin and how wonderful it was. He took me to my favorite restaurant and to an amusement park; both of which were completely foreign to him.
He was so childlike and adorable.
I ended up falling asleep with a smile on my face and my heart swelling at the memory.
Chester was making breakfast when I went into the kitchen. He was humming some tune and had a smile of his own on his face.
“You’re in a good mood,” I said as I sat at the counter. “Have a good night?”
“You could say that,” he said with a grin.
As if on cue, Nan walked into the kitchen, freezing when she saw me.
My eyes scanned her body, and my brows raised. She was wearing nothing but Chester’s T-shirt which was long enough to cover most of her thin frame. Her short hair was a mess from the bed and her cheeks were flushed; not to mention her lips were still swollen.
to swnovel
“I can see you both had a good night,” I teased, a grin spreading across my face.noveldrama
“Also, Nan… did you forget that others live here too?”
“It’s early,” she said, running her fingers through her hair. “I didn’t think others would be awake yet.
Especially considering you got in pretty late last night.”
belongs to swnovel.net
I shrugged and grabbed the mug filled with coffee that Chester placed in front of
me.
“I have a morning class today,” I told her.
“I don’t have class until this afternoon, but if you wait a minute I can get dressed and we can head to school together.”
“Are you sure?” I asked her. “I don’t want to interrupt your morning or anything.” I wiggled my brows expectantly at her and she rolled her eyes.
“I’m sure… plus, I want to hear all about your date,” she told me, winking as she turned ot leave the kitchen.
Chester’s eyes trailed after her, filled with a love and desire that made my heart swell for my best friend.
I remembered what it was like having a mate look at me like that and the thought made me a bit sad knowing it was never going to happen again.
“You better not break her heart,” I told him, eyeing him carefully. “If you ever od what Ethan did to me-”
“I would never, Chester said firmly. “I might not be perfect… but when I tell her I’m all in, I mean it. I’m all in Now more than ever. Last night…it was incredible. Better than anything I’ve ever experienced. I don’t ever want that feeling to go away….. breaking her heart would be
breaking my own and that’s not
something I want.”
to swnovel
I nodded, believing him. Chester was a lot of things… but he wasn’t a liar. I trusted him with my best friend.
He finished cooking and placed a plate in front of me. He made another plate for Nan, set aside a few more for the other staff around the mansion, and then boxed up the rest.
“Where are those going?” I asked.
“The packhouse,” he told me. “They’re a few chefs short this morning so I thought I’d help them out by making extra food.”
Very kind of you,” I tell him with a chuckle. “So, how did you get Nan into bed?” I asked, taking a bite of the eggs.
He laughed.
“I don’t kiss and tell,” he teased.
I raised my brows because that’s literally all he ever does. He loves bragging about this kind of thing.
“Since when?”
“Since this one actually means something to me,” he told me. He leaned against the counter, his eyes softening as he got lost in his thoughts. “I wasn’t really expecting to sleep with her,” he finally admitted. Though I wasn’t sure if he was talking to me, or to himself. “It just kind of happened.”
“How did it just kind of happen?”
“Well, with you gone, Nan and I decided to have a movie night. We did a lot of talking before we watched the movie and we both agreed to take things slow. As the movie played, we started kissing and then one thing kind of led to another. Next thing I knew, I was carrying her into my bedroom and showing her a good time.”
I laughed at his wording.
“Such a romantic,” I teased, taking another bite of the food. “I hope you were careful.”
“She’s on the pill,” he assured me, which I already knew, but I hoped he wore a condom too because I know he’s been with a lot of women. “And I’m clean,” he said, as though he could read my mind.
“Are you sure about that?” I asked him, narrowing my eyes.noveldrama
“Scouts honor,” he said, holding up his hand. “I get checked regularly. I would never put Nan at risk like that if I wasn’t sure.”
I nodded, satisfied with his answer as I continued to eat.
Not before long, Nan was returning to the kitchen wearing a white tank top that rested just above her pierced belly and a pair of tight shorts that were fairly long, resting just above her knees, but also tight enough that it showed off every single one of her curves.
Her hair was also damp from her quick shower and brushed out of her face. She had light makeup on her face, making her already bright features pop and she changed the piercing in her nose, so it went from blue to purple.
I always loved Nan’s style. Delta Patrick Carter didn’t let her wear her nose
piercing while at work, so she had to take it out. But she always wore it when she went to school and on her days off.
“What did I miss?” She asked as she sat beside me, grabbing her fork and shoveling food into her mouth.
“Chester was just giving me the details on how he plowed you last night,” I told her without a care, trying not to laugh when she nearly choked on her food.
Chester’s mouth dropped open as his eyes narrowed at me.
“Oh, did he?” Nan said, her eyes narrowed at Chester, and her lips pressed in a thin line.
“That’s not exactly how it happened,” he said defensively, making me laugh.
“You two are so cute,” I giggled. “I’m only teasing, Nan. Don’t be too hard on him.”
She let out a breath of relief and the anger dispersed from her eyes as she continued to eat.
After we finished our meals, Nan and I said goodbye to Chester, me with a wave and her with a very deep kiss that made me look away because I felt like I was watching something I should be watching.
Gamma Erick was waiting outside for us when we left the mansion, ready to take us to school. As we sat in the backseat of the car, I couldn’t help but feel a bit uneasy as the mansion got smaller in the distance. My mind went back to last night.
“Something weird happened last night,” I told Nan before I could change my mind. “What?” She asked, glancing up from her phone to look at me.
“When I got home… I caught Sammy in my room… going through my things.” Nan’s eyes grew wide as she studied me.
“I knew something was weird with her last night,” she confessed. “Chester and I asked if she wanted anything for dinner and she said she wasn’t hungry and was going ot bed early. She looked uneasy about something.”
“Did you ask her about it?” I asked.
“I asked if she was okay, but of course, she said she was fine. Later, I heard her on the phone with someone… though I have no idea who it was.”
“Well, what did she say?” I asked.
“She was telling whoever was on the other end that she couldn’t go through with it because it was dangerous and she could get caught… whoever was on the other end, they were trying to convince her to do something she didn’t want to do.”
Judy’s POV
By the time we reached campus, both our minds were reeling with possibilities. Something was up with Sammy, and we were both determined to find out what it was. We didn’t see Sammy all morning, so we didn’t bother traveling to school with her.
I had a morning class, so I had to part ways with Nan pretty early on.
Because we were so wrapped up talking about Sammy, I haven’t told her about my date yet. But I made a mental note to tell her all about it later.
As I reached class, I caught sight of Lukas who met my eyes and froze. His eyes were big and he kept his head down as he passed me and went into the classroom. My brows furrowed at his reaction, and I followed him into the room, saying hello to Professor River’s as I passed.
Lukas sat at his seat, which was beside mine. He rummaged through his backpack, pretending not to notice me taking my seat beside him. My eyes never left his reddened face as he struggled to pull out his notebooks and books, placing them on the table before him. He grabbed his pens as well, his hands trembling as he placed each one down in front of him. It was an unnecessary amount of pens for one class and I knew he was only doing this to keep himself busy.
But my question was… why?
I knew Gavin freaked him out the other night; I should have probably warned Lukas that it was technically Gavin’s mansion and that I was living in it. Lukas had Lycan blood because of his family history, so I should have been a bit more considerate. But I didn’t think it meant that Lukas and I couldn’t be friends.
“Are you mad at me?” I finally asked, breaking through the tension; or at least I attempted to break through the tension, but it seemed to make him more tense.
“Mad?” He squeaked out. “No… why would I be mad?”
I narrowed my eyes at him, though he wasn’t looking at me to see the expression on my face or the look in my eyes.
“Because you are avoiding my eyes,” I tell him, cocking my head to the side.noveldrama
This was the first time that I’d seen him since our study session at the mansion the other night. I assumed he’s been busy these last few days and that’s why I hadn’t heard much from him. I’ve been busy too, so I didn’t really take his silence as anything other than living our lives. But now I’m beginning to think that his silence was starting to mean more.
“I’m not avoiding your eyes,” he told me, though his actions proved otherwise.
I folded my arms across my chest and leaned back in my seat.
“Oh, yeah?” I asked. “Then look at me, Lukas.”
When he didn’t make any movements, I leaned closer, assessing the side of his face carefully and watching as his neckline grew redder with each passing second.
“Lukas…” I said again, my tone was low and filled with a hidden warning. “Look at me.”
His eyes finally moved in my direction, and I knew it was painful for him to look at me, though I had no idea why.
“What’s wrong?” I asked him, my tone softening as I looked into his eyes. “Why are you having trouble looking at me?”
He pulled his eyes away from me and let out a breath as if it were the most painful thing in the world to look at me. I’m not sure why it hurt a little, but it did.
“Because I was commanded not to,” he admitted, his voice in a low murmur.
I raised my eyebrows.
“I’m sorry, what?” I asked.
Gavin came to me and ordered me to not look in your direction again. He even called my uncle and let him know of the situation. My uncle reprimanded me and said if I fuck up again while I’m here… he’s pulling my tuition f*e and forcing me to return to his territory.”
My heart fell deep into my stomach as a rage like no other boiled inside of me. “Gavin did what??” I asked, my voice came out much harsher than I intended. He swallowed; his eyes fixed on his notebook.
“What do you expect? I was close to someone he considers his… and he’s a Lycan. They are possessive creatures, Judy. I would know…”
I shook my head, my rage at an all-time high but I was suppressing it because I was in a classroom right now and it was quickly filling with other students.
“I do not belong to him. He is not my mate…” I tell him in a harsh whisper. “I’m not sure where you got that idea from but-”
So, you didn’t just go on a date with him last night?” Lukas asked, his brows raised, but his eyes still fixed on the table.
I was startled by his knowledge of my date last night. I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out.
“I…” I tried to say.
After a few seconds of silence, he sighed and grabbed his phone. He swiped along the screen for a b
Lycan Gavin Landry was spotted with Gamma competitor and winner, Judy Montague, on a romantic date.
There was a picture of Gavin and me at dinner as the featured photo and another photo of the Ferris Wheel.noveldrama
I shouldn’t have been surprised that photos were captured of us that evening, but still, seeing them in the news article the day after, it was gut-wrenching and stomach-dropping. I sighed and buried my face in my hands so I could let out a
groan.
“Just great…” I murmur.
“You went on a date with him,” Lukas said, putting his phone back in his pocket. “He has a claim on you.”
“No, he doesn’t,” I said firmly. “Our relationship is complicated. We never really discussed what any of this means. So, what if I went on a date with him? You probably go on lots of dates with women… doesn’t mean you are in a relationship with all of them.”
I wasn’t blind to the fact that Lukas was a good-looking guy, not to mention he had Lycan blood because he was a Merriweather. I had no doubt in my mind that he got his fair share of women, and I doubt he took all of them seriously.
His face reddened slightly, and he gave me a slight shrug.
“Yeah, so what?” He murmured. “None of them are Lycan’s and none of them are Gavin Landry.”
“Look, all I’m saying is that Gavin had no right to tell you to not look at me. He had no right to command you anything. You not only someone I’m needing paid to tutor, but I also consider you my friend, Lukas. He doesn’t get to tell me who I can and can’t be friends with.”
“Understand where you are coming from… I truly do,” he said, scooting a bit away from me to gain some distance, making me frown. “But you also have to understand where I am coming from. He Alpha commanded me… he’s powerful and he’s scary. One wrong move and he’ll either kill me, or my uncle will pull my tuition and force me to go home. I can’t let that happen. I have dreams that only this school can happen. I need to keep my nose clean… just like my uncle said.”
I stared at him for a bit longer; he refused to look at me but now I knew it wasn’t because he didn’t want to or that he was afraid of me… it was because he literally couldn’t. I felt a rage burn in the pit of my stomach, but I didn’t argue with him. There was no use in arguing with him.
I knew one thing for sure though, I wasn’t going to let Gavin get away with this. I was pissed and I needed answers as soon as possible.
As class came to an end, Lukas was quick to leave. Typically, we would have made plans to study in the library or meet up somewhere, but he didn’t bother with it today and I now understood why.
I met up with Nan in our usual spot by te Oaktree on the quad. She was leaning against the tree with her textbook in hand and her legs crossed in front of her. She smiled when she saw me approaching, but when she saw the disdained look on my face, her smile faltered.
“What happened?” She asked.
“I’ll tell you later,” I told her. “I need to cool off. I might skip our normal study session in the lounge and head to the gym instead.”
She nodded as she stood up.
“I’ll come with,” she said. “I could use a workout before class.”
I nodded and together we headed toward the gym area. As we reached the doors, we heard a familiar voice coming from around the corner, We were outside still, so I knew the voice was coming from behind the building.
I looked at Nan who gave me an equally confused frown, also
recognizing the voice. I motioned for
her to follow me, and she did. We
walked around the building, and
paused when I saw Sammy pacing back and forth. Her phone was glued to her ear, and she had a furrow between her brows.
“I just don’t think it’s a good idea… I want out…” she said in a low and harsh tone. She paused for a moment, her face paling.
“Of course, not but…” she paused again, listening to whatever was being said to her on the other end. She nibbled on her lower lip, and I swear I saw tears filling her eyes. “I don’t want that…”
She paused again, her body resting against the stone building like it physically hurt her to keep standing. She lowered her gaze to the ground, her shoulders slumping slightly, and a long sigh escaped her lips.
“Okay,” she finally said after what felt like a long time. “I’ll do it… I’ll reach out to him…”
Judy’s POV
“Who do you think she’s talking to?” Nan asked in a whisper. “Or about?”
I shrugged.
It was strange that she was having a secret conversation behind the gym. Just as we were about to step away, she came around the corner and froze upon seeing
us.
“Judy,” she gasped and then her eyes went to Nan. “And Nan. Uh… hi. What are you girls doing here?”
I looked at Nan and then back at Sammy.
“We were just heading to the gym, and I thought I heard your voice. We just came to check it out.
Her cheeks flushed and she seemed to be looking anywhere but at us.
“We didn’t hear anything,” Nan was quick to interject. “We just got here. Were you on the phone?”
She nodded.
“Yeah,” she said. “I was just talking to family. I have to go though. I’ll see you girls later.”
Without another word she brushed past us and ran off, leaving us staring after her with dumbfounded expressions. I looked at Nan and her confused expression mirrored mine. After a moment of standing in place, silent, we decided to go into the gym. It wasn’t busy, thankfully. A few from my combat class were using the weight machine and with respectful head nods in our direction, they continued to do what they were doing without bothering either of us.
Nan immediately gravitated towards the treadmill while I went towards the closest weight machine so I could still talk to her while doing my workout. Despite that Nan was petite in size, she had always been athletic. She played various sports in middle and high school, including track, which was one of her favorites. So, I wasn’t surprised when she immediately set the treadmill for the highest setting and started to sprint.
“Maybe she got back together with her boyfriend, and she’s embarrassed about it?” Nan said after a while. I knew both our minds were still fixed on Sammy and that mysterious phone call.
“It didn’t sound like a boyfriend,” I told her with a frown. “It sounded as she said… a family member. Accept it appeared they were asking her to do something she didn’t want to do.”
Figuring this out shouldn’t be hard for me considering I was in Gamma training. It was my job to be able to find out these things with ease and if I couldn’t, that’d be embarrassing.
“Maybe they want her to get back together with her boyfriend,” Nan suggested. “He was an Alpha right?”
I nodded.
“Yeah, but he didn’t take on the role of an Alpha. He was in the Gamma competition which meant he wanted to be a part of the Elite Force.”
“Do we even know who he is?” Nan asked with a frown.
“She never told us a name, no.”
“He definitely exists though… right?” Nan asked, her brows furrowed.
The fact that she could sprint as fast as she was and hold up a conversation along with facial expressions was impressive.
“Sammy wouldn’t lie to us… would she?” I asked. But even as I asked that question, I wasn’t so sure. I mean, she was snooping around my personal bedroom and hiding phone conversations from us. It was weird behavior, and I had a feeling maybe Sammy was lying to us…or at least hiding something she didn’t want us to know. It gave me an unsettled feeling in the pit of my stomach.
“I don’t know,” Nan said softly. “I’m a little worried that maybe we are being deceived.”
We both fell silent as we continued our workout routine and after an hour, we were both panting and sore, but we felt better.
Nan finally slowed down the treadmill and started to walk while I lowered the amount of weight I was doing.
“Maybe we should talk to her again,” I suggested. “Or at least keep an eye on her.”
Nan nodded in agreement.
She glanced at her watch and sighed as she turned off the treadmill and hopped
off.
“I have to get to work. Will you be okay if I leave?” She asked.noveldrama
I nodded.
“Yeah, Taylor is picking me up in a few minutes. I have to work tonight too. I promised Matt I wouldn’t bail on him tonight,” I told her as sat up on the bench. “Call me later, okay?”
She nodded as she grabbed her belongings and hurried out of the gym.
I stayed for a little longer before I called it a day and packed up my own things.
As I reached the parking lot, I saw
the familiar car that Beta Taylor usually drove parked out front. There wasn’t any sign of Sammy, so I. assumed she wasn’t riding with us, which was fine because I wanted to go straight to the Villa anyway. Plus, I still wasn’t sure how I was feeling towards Sammy so maybe it was good that I was gaining some space from her.
I was about to walk towards the backseat, but then the front passenger door opened, and I froze for a moment. I walked over to the door and peeked in, only to see Gavin seated in the driver’s seat. I raised my brows as I got into the car.
“Hey,” I said to him. “Where’s Beta Taylor?”
“He had something to do,” Gavin said, his eyes scanning me briefly as he waited for me to buckle my belt.
“Erik couldn’t pick me up?” I asked. Erik was my typical driver at the mansion, so when Taylor couldn’t pick me up from school, it was usually Erik.
Gavin narrowed his eyes at me.
“Do you have a problem with me picking you up?” He asked, raising his brows. I snapped a look at him.
“No, of course not. I’m just wondering why you went out of your way,” I told him.
We hadn’t spoken since our date last night and things were a little weird. The date was incredible, and things ended well, but I wasn’t really sure where we stood anymore. Were we still being casual? Or were we more now? I wanted to ask him what he thought, but I decided to keep my mouth shut for right now.
“It wasn’t out of my way,” he murmured, almost defensively. “I was passing by and figured I’d pick you up on my way home.”noveldrama
I raised my brows.
“You were passing by?” I asked, suspiciously.
As I looked at his side profile, I noticed how tense he was. I suddenly had the urge to reach over to him and touch him, giving him some type of comfort. His knuckles were turning white as he clutched the steering wheel, and my brows furrowed when I saw his biceps tensing.
I opened my mouth to say something, but his words stopped me immediately.
“My mother wants us over for dinner this evening.”
My heart stopped as I turned to look at him, my eyes wide and my mouth practically on the ground.
“What?” I asked, not sure I heard him correctly.
He sighed, his knuckles tightening even more around the steering wheel.
“She insists that we got to her place for dinner this evening,” he told me. “Don’t overthink it… she saw us out last night and now she wants to know you.”
“Your mother wants to know me?” I asked my jaw nearly on the ground. “Why?” From the couple of encounters that I’ve had with his mother, they weren’t good.
“Are you forgetting what the purpose of our arrangement was to begin with?” He asked, his eyes fixed on the road in front of him. “To get my mother off my back with the whole marriage thing. She thinks we are in a committed relationship, and she wants to get to know you better. Make amends for the times she was rude to you. Her words.”
“And you believe her?” I asked, raising my brows; he wasn’t that naive… was he?
“I mean, she’s been spending all this time with Daisy. Will she be there too?”
“No,” he said, his expression darkening. “She won’t be there. You don’t have to worry about that.”
Though he said I didn’t have to
worry, I was extremely worried.
What was the real reason his mother wanted to meet with me tonight?! Cause
had trouble believing it was
she wanted to get to know r
better. Not after my recent
encounters with her.
“I don’t have anything to wear,” I told him.
I knew I would have to dress nicely if I were to meet with his mother this evening
for dinner. It was known that the former Luna lived in a gorgeous manor in a secluded area of the pack and only those invited were allowed to go there.
“I’ll take care of it,” he murmured. “I already have someone shopping.”
My stomach knotted.
I didn’t like this, but I wasn’t going to argue so I nodded and stared out the window; trying to think about how tonight was going to go. This was the last thing I wanted for the evening. I had to study and tutor Matt, not prepare for dinner from hell with a Landry.
Just then, my phone went off, bringing me out of my thoughts. I dug around my
bag until I found my phone and I pulled it out, glancing at the screen.
I saw Nan’s name flash across the screen.
It was a text message… actually it was a picture message.
My heart stopped when I saw the picture. They looked to be in a private area in the local coffee shop near the school. They were huddled in the corner, talking privately. I couldn’t take my eyes off the image when Nan texted again.
Nan: I stopped by on my way to work and I saw them together. What do you think they are doing together?noveldrama
My mind instantly went to the worst scenario. Had Ethan somehow gotten to her and now he was courting her or something? Was Sammy dumb enough to believe the things Ethan says after everything she already knows about him? I had told her about the situation with me, Ethan, and Irene.
But did he somehow twist things and make it seem like he was the good guy in the situation? My wolf whimpered at the sight our her mate with yet another woman, knowing his intentions were not good. I hated that he still affected her, that my wolf clammed up every time he was near or every time he was mentioned. It helped being around Gavin for some reason; she felt more at ease, but still, the image of him and Sammy together, made her recoil a little.
“What is it?” Gavin asked; for a moment, I had forgotten that he was sitting right next to me, driving to the villa. I thought about lying to him and saying it was nothing, but I wasn’t sure my voice could carry the lie, so I decided just to tell him the truth.
“Nan went to a coffee shop before work and she saw Sammy speaking with Ethan,” I told him, my voice carrying a hint of worry, though I tried to mask it.
Gavin glanced at me with a frown before returning his attention to the road. His villa was nearing; I could see it in the distance.
“I didn’t think they knew one another,” Gavin said, his tone carrying something I couldn’t quite figure out. “When did he return to town?”
“I’m not sure,” I replied. “It must have been recent because I didn’t hear about it until just now either.”
He thought about it for a moment and then nodded slowly.
He pulled into his villa and parked the car, turning off the engine he turned to look at me.
“Stay away from him,” he told me firmly. “I’m not sure what he’s planning, but I don’t want you involved. Understood?”
My cheeks warmed and I nodded immediately.
“I don’t want any trouble with him. My ties with him are cut; especially now that Irene is no longer in his clutches and my father is out of prison,” I say with conviction. “But I’m worried about Sammy. She’s my friend.”
“If she’s in talks with him behind your back, that isn’t a friend,” he said, his eyes narrowed.
I thought about what he had said, hating that he was right. I mean, did catch Sammy going through my things last night; was that because of Ethan? Had he asked her to snoop through my belongings?
The thought sent a wave of nausea through me, and I started to feel sick.
Gavin narrowed his eyes, scanning me carefully.
“What is it?” He asked.
“Nothing,” said a little too quickly. I made a decision to not tell Gavin about Sammy snooping through my things. I mean, he just hired me to I be the maid for the mansion didn’t want to ruin that for either of them.
“Judy-”
“I should get inside,” I say, taking off my seatbelt; his frown deepened. “Matt is waiting.”
I quickly got out of the car, glad that he didn’t reject.
I heard him getting out of the car, but I didn’t turn around to look at him. I only
hurried forward and towards the villa doors.
“Oh, hi Judy…” Theard a soft and
familiar voice saying as I entered the villa. I looked up to see Irene
descending from the stairs. Her sleek blond hair was down, and one side was tucked behind her ear. She wasn’t wearing her usual glamorous clothing; she looked more casual with a T-shirt and a pair of jeans.
She also wore no makeup, though she was naturally beautiful and didn’t need the makeup, it was still strange to see her face so… Bare.
Irene and I ended up on good terms back at the resort, but we also hadn’t talked since returning so I wasn’t really sure where we stood now.
“Hey,” I said to her, waiting for her to reach me.
“I’m sorry I haven’t spoken to you since returning,” she said, biting her lower lip. “I needed some time to think about everything. But just know, I’m not mad at you for anything.”
I was relieved to hear that honestly.
“It’s okay,” I told her. “I understand. You don’t have to explain.”
“No, I do,” she said, tears filling her eyes. “I did some really awful things that I shouldn’t have done. All because I thought you were after Ethan… but I was so wrong. I mean… I basically poisoned my own brother-”
“You did what?!” Gavin’s voice cut through her words, and I watched Irene’s face go pale as she looked behind me, now noticing Gavin walking through the doors.noveldrama
“D… dad… “she said, her voice coming out as nothing more than a whisper.
“Tell me I didn’t just hear what I thought I just heard,” he said through his teeth, his eyes flashing with anger. “Are you telling me the peanut butter incident months ago was because of you?”
I lowered my gaze, not sure what to say to resolve this situation; Gavin was furious, and his anger was rolling off him in waves. Irene was a stammering mess, not expecting that her father was only around the corner and could hear everything she had said. My heart went out to her, but still, she did essentially poison Matt and put his life at risk. Gavin blamed me for it, but then Ethan paid a maid to take the fall and Gavin had exiled her, damning her as a rogue.
That was months ago, so she was most likely dead by now. Not many can survive in rogue territory and live to tell the tale.
“I wasn’t trying to hurt him. I was just—”
“What exactly did you think was going to happen, Irene?” He asked, his tone deepening as he stepped closer to his daughter. “And what was the end goal?”
Irene’s eyes flickered to me and I wished that I could help her, but I wasn’t sure what to say. Irene was in the wrong for doing that to Matt since the beginning and nothing I could say would change that. She knew she was in the wrong as well, which is why her eyes showed no signs of malice, only guilt.
“I thought Judy was after Ethan at the time and I wanted her out of the way,” she said as tears filled her eyes.
“You could have killed your brother,” Gavin nearly growled; I could tell he was trying hard to keep his anger in check. This was his daughter, after all, not a simple wolf or enemy. But the anger he was feeling at that moment was clear to everyone in the radius. “Do you have any idea how stupid that was? All because of what… petty jealousy over someone who wasn’t worth your time in the first place?”
Irene flinched at his harsh words, but she knew he was right.
“It was selfish and tasteless,” Irene admitted, her bottom lip trembling. “I understand that now… I’m so sorry.”
“You nearly let Judy take the fall for something she didn’t do. I almost fired her because of it,” Gavin continued. “And that maid who did take the fall… did you convince her to do it?”
Irene shook her head, looking up at him.
“No…” she breathed. “I’m not sure why she took the fall but I didn’t talk to her at all. I have no idea what she was thinking. I promise…”
I believed her knew it was Ethan who had bribed her. He promised her money and protection but lied After Gavin banished her from the pack and named her a rogue, Ethan cut ties with her completely.He gloated about it for weeks afterward and it made me sick to my stomach.
“I banished her from the pack, Irene. I turned her into a rogue. She’s most likely dead right now. That was an innocent life you destroyed. Matt might not be dead, but that doesn’t mean your actions didn’t have serious consequences.”
He glared at her for a long while as she shrunk in on herself. I wanted to reach out to her and tell her it was going to be okay; part of me wanted to protect her. But I knew I couldn’t… not when it came to this.
“I need you to go to your room,” Gavin finally said, stepping away from her. “I can’t look at you right now.”
She flinched as if he had just struck her in her face. But she didn’t argue. She turned her tear-filed gaze to me.
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered brokenly.
With that, she turned and hurried back up the stairs, leaving Gavin and me alone.
It was a picture of Sammy… and she was talking to Etha
vin’s POV
The rage I felt boiling inside of me when I heard Irene’s confession. I watched her retreat up the stairs and towards her room, my eyes narrowed, and my jaw clenched tightly. I was clenching and unclenching my fists, trying to calm myself down and not do something I was seriously going to regret.
“Gavin, try to calm down,” Judy said from behind me, her tone low and cautious like she was trying not to provoke the big bad wolf.
“Calm down?” I asked, turning to look at her. I could see the concern in her eyes, and it caused me to pause for a minute, but then the second I thought about what Irene had done, the anger returned to me. “How can I calm down after knowing what my own daughter had done??”
She bit her lower lip, making my eyes drift to her mouth before snapping back to
her eyes.
“Irene was in a really bad place at that time,” Judy told me.
“And that makes it right?” I asked through my teeth; I couldn’t believe she was defending Irene right now. I nearly fired her because I thought she tried to hurt my son… I did fire a maid after she confessed to the crime and banished her. If it weren’t for that maid… it could have been Judy. I was thankful that the doctors were able to help Matt and that he survived, but the outcome could have been so much worse. “Whatever she was going through, whatever jealousy she was facing, it didn’t make what he did any better. She nearly killed Matt and was most likely the indirect cause of that maid’s death.”
“We don’t know if she’s dead,” Judy said, trying to reason with me.
“But she could be and it’s Irene’s fault for that,” I told her, my eyes blazing with anger. “Why are you defending her right now?”
“I’m not… I’m just ” her voice trailed off as she tried to figure out what to say.
I realized at that moment what was flashing through her eyes.
“You knew it was her this whole time… didn’t you?” I asked, hurt pinging my chest as I stared down at Judys; small frame.
Judy glanced at the ground, nibbling on her lip as she thought about how to
answer my question. But it was a simple answer that didn’t require much thought.
It was a yes or no question. She either knew, or she didn’t.
“Tell me the truth,” I demand, my patients wearing thing. “Did you know, or didn’t you?”
Judy’s shoulders slumped and she nodded.
“I knew,” she finally admitted.
“And you weren’t going to say anything to me?” I asked, unable to hide the hurt in my tone. “You were going to take the fall for it? Or were you just waiting for someone else to take the fall like the maid?”
“I didn’t know the maid was going to take the fall,” I said quickly. “I was planning on taking the blame myself.”
“Why?” I asked through my teeth, a snarl on my lips as my wolf’s instincts surged forward, pushing us closer to the edge.
“I was trying to protect her…” she admitted softly.
“Why?” I asked again in a snarl. “Why would you want to protect her after what she had done??”noveldrama
“Because she’s your daughter,” she replied, looking up at me and making my heart stutter. “She’s your daughter and I didn’t want your
relationship strained becaul
She did this because she wanted me out of the way and it nearly worked… but at that moment, she had her father on her side and that’s all she really wanted. She wanted you to choose her over me and you did. I was trying to protect her and Matt. If Matt knew what his own sister had done, it would destroy him, Gavin. Completely destroy him… I couldn’t let that happen. I was going to take full responsibility, but then that maid confessed out of nowhere.”
My jaw tensed at her words as I stared into her tear-filled eyes. She was telling the truth and that’s what killed me the most. She cared more about me and my family than she did her own innocence or reputation.
“Do you know why the maid confessed?” I asked, my tone was low and charged.
Judy was quiet for a minute and her silence spoke volumes. My eyes narrowed at her, daring her to continue because we both knew at that moment that she knew exactly why the maid confessed.
“Ethan…” she finally said, her shoulders slumping. “He promised her a fortune and told her that he would provide her with protection if she confessed to the crime.”
My blood boiled at the sound of her words, and I wanted nothing more than to
punch Ethan in the face for all the parts he played in this.
“Then the maid is okay then,” I said, my eyes scanning Judy’s face.
Her face paled and she nibbled on her lower lip once again, a t
“Judy,” I urged. “Tell me the truth.”
“As soon as you banished her, Ethan pulled all ties with her. He lied to her and abandoned her… so I’m not entirely sure where she is now but if I were to
guess…”
“She’s probably dead…” I growled. Judy nodded, unable to form words. “And how do you know any of this?”
“He told me,” she confessed. “Irene doesn’t know about it though. At least, I don’t think she does. But Ethan gloated to me about it for a week afterward. He wanted me to know how much control he had around me.”
I wanted to punch something; I wanted to find Ethan and punch him in the face for what he had done. I remained silent for a long while, trying to process all the information I was just told.
“I should have been informed of the truth from the beginning,” I murmured. Judy nodded; her eyes downcast.
“I was protecting your family,” she said, her voice nothing more than a whisper. Something about her whispered words made something inside me snap and the next thing I knew, I was pushing her against the wall, pinning her between my body and the hard surface of the wall.
Her breath hitched as my lips found hers and I kissed her deeply, allowing my tongue to explore her mouth greedily as if I couldn’t get enough. She tasted sweet and her breath was warm and sent a shiver throughout my entire body, but in a good way. Her body curved around mine, fitting almost too perfectly against me as my cock grew hard in my pants, making me too uncomfortable.
I groaned against her lips, not able to get enough of the contact between us. She breathed me in, her body melting against mine as if it were the most natural thing in the world. I nipped at her bottom lip, drawing it into my mouth and sucking on it like it was the sweetest piece of candy I had ever had.
She sighed contently, the kiss lingering for way too long in the middle of the villa foyer. When we both finally broke apart, our breathing was intermingled and heavy as we fought to catch our breaths. I closed my eyes and pressed my forehead against hers. Keeping her pinned against the wall as if my life depended on it.
“What was that for?” She finally asked, her voice coming out as a breathy whisper.
“For protecting my family,” I found myself whispering. “For being there for them even when I couldn’t be. For being you…”
My words came out before I could really comprehend them myself, but as I spoke each point, I realized how right they were… how real they sounded.
She licked her bottom lip and nodded, her body trembling against mine.
I finally stepped back, noticing her flushed cheeks and her hooded eyes. I wanted
to pull her back into me and kiss the life out of her, but I chose to remain quiet as I stared around her face, searching for something… anything.
“I’m sorry for keeping this from you and that you had to find out this way,” she finally said, returning our conversation to what it was initially. “I’m sorry for that.”
I shook my head.
“Don’t be,” I said, my tone a little too gruff. “It’s okay.”
She nodded, though her cheeks still held a bit of pinkness to them.
“I should get to Matt. I’m late for tutoring.”
I nodded, running my fingers through my hair. Without another word, she turned and hurried away and Owned the back parlor where
she normally met up with Matt.
I sighed and looked up at the stairway; I knew I had to speak with Irene sooner or
later about all of this… but I needed to know some things first.noveldrama
I [pulled my phone out of my pocket and called Taylor.
“Hello?” Taylor asked tentatively; he couldn’t tell if this was a social call or a work call.
“I need you to find out information,” I told him quickly.
“Of course, Alpha,” Taylor said, realizing that this was in fact a work call. “What can I do for you?”
“That maid that I fired months ago…
I need you to find her and if she’s dead, find out what happened to her. If she’s dead, bring me the rogue that killed her. If she’s alive, bring her to the villa. I have questions that only she can answer.”
Taylor raised his brows; he knew why that maid was fired and banished; he
couldn’t believe that Gavin trusted her to enter his villa again.
“Are you sure you want to do that?” Taylor asked, his eyes narrowed though Gavin couldn’t see his face.
“Don’t argue with me, Beta.” Gavin
snapped into the phone. “I’m not
the mood. Do as you’re said. I want day on
a ful Dreport at the end of theant
my desk.”
There was a pause for a moment and then Taylor sighed.
udy’s POV
“Why was Dad and Irene fighting earlier? I could hear yelling,” Matt asked during the tutoring session.
I tensed at his words; I didn’t want to tell him the whole truth because it would only hurt him to find out it was his sister who tried to poison him a few months ago. I had to protect Matt from the awful truth; I knew Irene felt guilty about it and that Matt wasn’t in any danger, but if he found out the truth, he would never trust her again.
“Just some differences,” I decided to tell him with a shrug. “It’s nothing to be concerned about.”
He looked at me, a small frown on his face.
“Differences?” He asked. “They’ve had disagreements before… but it was never anything like that. Something felt off.”
I bit my lower lip, trying to keep my eyes fixed on the coffee table.
“Irene did something bad, and it put a lot of people in danger. She’s sorry and it won’t happen again, but your dad is upset about it. They’ll be okay. They just need to talk it out and figure out the best outcome for everyone.”
Matt went quiet as he processed my words.
“Oh,” he said softly. “It must have been really bad. You can’t tell me what it is?” d
I sighed and shook my head.
“It’s better for you right now that you don’t know,” I told him. “But your dad loves you both and he’ll do what he can to protect you.”
“Do you think he’s going to make Irene go away?” He asked, a nervous tint in his eyes.noveldrama
I smiled at him and found myself wrapping an arm around him, pulling him close. It wasn’t often that I had to provide him with this level of comfort. He’s strong- minded, a good fighter, strong, and intelligent. But I forget that he’s also a little boy. He’s almost 8 years old and he follows in Gavin’s footsteps. But he’s still just a child and he has worries and fears just like any other child. He doesn’t want to see his family being broken apart.
“Your dad would never do that,” I assured him. “Maybe if he saw Irene as a real danger then he would. But she’s not a real danger and he knows that. Trust me, if she was… she wouldn’t be anywhere near this Villa right now. Or the pack for that matter. But she’s only in her room, reflecting on her past behavior. She’s not going anywhere. You don’t have to worry about it.”
He nods, his small body relaxing slightly.
The door of the parlor opened one of the villa maids walked in holding a few shopping bags. She looked exhausted, but when she saw me, she gave me a bright smile.
“Miss Montague, I went shopping for a new outfit for you. I wasn’t sure which would look better, so I got you I a few different options. They all should be your sizes, but if we need to get them adjusted that shouldn’t be an issue. We only have a few hours though, so we should try them on now and get you ready,” she told me with a warm smile lighting up her features.
I glanced at Matt; we hadn’t finished tutoring yet. I wanted to get his homework done out the truth which could end up happening considering these walls tend to whisper.
“I’m having dinner tonight with your father and your grandmother,” I told him.
He raised his brows.
“My grandmother? Why?”
“She wants to have dinner…” I told him.
He stared at me for a moment too long.
“With you?” He asked. “My tutor?”
I nodded, trying to come up with a logical reason as to why she would want to have dinner with me.
“Yes,” I told him. “She wants to get to know the person who’s tutoring her grandson,” I say as I rub his head.
He let that process for a moment; his eyes turning thoughtful. Then, he nodded,
seemingly accepting that answer.
“Will you be mad if I have to cut
today’s session short?” I ask him feeling bad that I’ve missed the last couple of tutoring sessions and now I have to cut today’s session short.
He shook his head as he started to pack up his stuff.
“No, my homework is almost done,” he tells me. “I can finish the rest later. Enjoy your dinner.”
He stands up and waves at me before retreating from the room. I looked up at the maid who gave me a small mile.
Sorry,” she said softly.
“No, it’s okay,” I tell her. “Let’s try on these clothes.”
I didn’t think it was going to take as long as it did, but within the next couple of hours, we were finally finished with trying on the clothes she bought. She didn’t just buy a few nice outfits, she bought a ton. There were bags more than when she initially came into the parlor. She had an entire car full of clothes.
“I couldn’t decide,” she stated with a sheepish smile after the hundredth blouse I tried on.
After a while, I settled on a nice evening dress with a cardigan. The maid helped me do my hair so it flowed in even ringlets down my back and was pulled out of my face. She applied a little makeup, but not enough to make me look like a hussy; just enough to make my features pop and brighten my face a little more.
I put some flats on for shoes, thankfully she also went shoe shopping, so I didn’t have to worry about either. Once I was dressed, I took a look at myself in the mirror, feeling my stomach knot.
I was still wrapping my head around the fact that I was having dinner with Gavin’s mother… Donna Landry. From what I knew about her these last couple of days, she couldn’t stand me. I could only imagine how this dinner was going to go. No amount of dresses and hair was ever going to make that woman like me, so I didn’t understand why she would invite me to dinner with Gavin.
As I met Gavin in the parlor, I noticed him before he noticed me. He was scrolling through his phone, seated on the couch. He wore a business suit like he was about to go to a business meeting, and I suddenly felt as if I wasn’t dressed properly enough. Maybe I should have worn something fancier; this was a dinner with his mother after all.
He looked tense as he stared at his phone and for a moment, I wondered if it had anything to do with Irene.
I cleared my throat, getting his attention.
His eyes shifted from his phone to me; there was a moment of pause in his expression. His eyes scanned my entire body, taking in my dress that hugged my figure, but was still classy enough for dinner at his mother’s manor. Then his eyes found mine for a moment, his expression softened making my heart skip a beat.
“Are you ready?” I asked him. “You seem lost in thought.”
He swallowed before turning his phone screen off and standing. He shoved his phone into his pocket.
“Yeah, we should get going. She hates it when people are late,” he murmurs. “Shall we?”
I nod, watching him carefully. I wanted to ask him if he talked to Irene some, but I didn’t want Matt to overhear. It would have been better if we had this conversation in the car. I expected either Taylor or Erik to drive us, so I was surprised when it ended up being Gavin the one to drive.
“Why are you driving us?” I asked him as we pulled away from the villa.
“Do you have a problem with my driving?” he asked; he sounded dry, but I was starting to understand him well enough to know that he was teasing.
“No, but I thought driving places yourself was above you,” I teased right back.
“I drove on our date, did I not?” He countered. His brows raised.
My cheeks were heated at the mention of our date; until now, it kind of felt like an elephant in the room.
“That was different,” I said, ne
going soft as I looked out the
window. I felt him smirkingut
even looking at him and for some
reason, that annoyed me.
I turned to look at him, narrowing my eyes.
“Got something to say?” I boldly asked.
He shrugged.
“Are you going to keep that attitud during dinner because gettingnoveldrama
er to like you won’t be eacPhe
he
me, that smirk never leaving his lips.
“And why would I care if your mother liked me?” I asked, folding my
iOSS my chest. “I don’t
$ me… she already do armed
care if she like
me.”
“Tonight will certainly be interesting,” he muttered.
“You find this funny, don’t you?” I asked him in disbelief.
He shrugged one shoulder.
“Yeah, maybe I do,” he murmured. “So what?”
I opened my mouth to say something, but the sight of the manor caught my
attention, and my entire body went cold.
We were here.
udy’s POV
The manor was gorgeous; it was everything the magazines had said it was. It was in a secluded part of the Silver Crescent pack, so I never had the privilege of actually seeing it. In the beginning of the small forest, there was a pearl gate that led up the driveway and it was guarded by a couple of Gamma officers. Nobody was allowed to pass except for those with invitations and of course Gavin.
The guards recognized him right away and opened the gates; he nodded at them as he drove past them and up the 3-mile-long driveway, which was a large foresty area. once we neared the actual manor, my jaw dropped. It was huge; probably as big as the mansion and sat right on the edge of the ocean, looking out into the horizon. The clearing passed the forest was large and the driveway curved at the top, circling around a large fountain, a stone carving of a wolf looked back at me.
I recognized the wolf was one of the first Lycans to walk our planet and the fact that Donna Landry had a statue of him in the middle of her driveway, piqued my interest, to say the least.
Gavin parked the car in one of the designated areas before he turned off the engine.
“Are you ready?” He asked, looking over at me. I must have looked as though I’d seen a ghost to him because he narrowed his eyes, and I could see a slight hint of worry in his gaze.
After a beat of silence, I finally nodded.
“Yeah,” I said softly. “I’m ready.”
He nodded and opened the door; before I could open mine, he ran around to the passenger door and opened it for me. He held out his hand for me to take.
“You didn’t have to do that,” I told him, taking his hand. I stepped out of the car and stood in front of him, suddenly very aware of how close he was to me.
“We need to keep up appearances,” he told me, his eyes shifting over to the door. I followed his gaze and noticed a tall and lanky man standing in the doorway. I raised my brows and glanced at Gavin, wondering who that was. “My mother’s butler.”
I nodded; of course she had a butler. I wasn’t surprised by that fact.
“Okay,” I said, letting him take a hold of my arm and guide me towards the door. In comparison to Gavin, I looked tiny. He was not only tall, but he was built like a god; he had these broad shoulders and muscled arms. Though I was strong and had my own muscles, they were packed in a small petite form that looked as if I couldn’t throw a punch to save my life. I might have been a small package, but I was anything but weak. But in comparison to Gavin, I looked small. I could only imagine what the butler was thinking when he looked at me, but it was clear he was sizing me up.
“Is she close to her butler?” I asked, keeping my tone low knowing that wolves could hear for miles.
“She’s close to all her staff,” he replied.
I took a shaky deep breath as she reached the front door.
“Alpha Gavin,” the butler said, bowing his head. “Your mother is expecting you.”noveldrama
“Thanks Doug,” Gavin replied, giving him a small nod as a simple gesture.
The butler, Doug, stepped aside for us to enter. His eyes flickered to me and suddenly a knot formed in the pit of my belly. I gave him a small smile trying to keep up my
ver
appearance, just had Gavin had said, and then I stepped aside from him
to enter the manor.
I shouldn’t have been surprised that the entire place smelled of her perfume, also with a Mix of Daisy’s lingering scent, indicating that she had been here, but she was no longer here. Gavin tensed when he smelled it and I could practically hear the scowl as he came up with the same conclusion that I did.
“Right this way,” Doug said, closing the front door and stepping around us. “Your
mother is in the parlor. Dinner will be ready shortly.”
Gavin nodded and took my hand,
keeping me by his side as we
followed Doug through the manor it was gorgeous with elegant decorations and portraits all along the walls. They were portraits of past Alphas and portraits of men that kind of looked like Gavin. I assumed they were his family members; maybe father, grandfather, and the brother that
was abroad with his family.
I knew Gavin had a sister as well, but I didn’t see any portraits of her, which I found strange.
There were a ton of pictures of Gavin though and it warmed my heart knowing he was loved by his mother, even if she couldn’t stand me.
As stepped into the parlor, Gavin’s hold on me tightened even more, like he was afraid I was going to run away at any moment. I thought the idea was funny, but when I looked up at him, I saw that his jaw was tense.
He was worried about something; I wondered what it was.
Madam Landry, your son and his date have arrived,” Doug announced, stepping aside for us to enter.
Donna Landry wore one of her gorgeous gowns and her jet-black hair was curled around her features, crowning her heart-shaped face. She was a gorgeous woman and you’d never be able to tell she had children who were in their 30s. She was also an intimidating woman, and I can tell she never smiled… except for when she was with Daisy. I’ve seen her smiling with Daisy.
“Gavin, I’m so glad you could come to dinner,” she said, motioning for the small couch across from the loveseat she was sitting in. Her slender leg was crossed over the other and she had a cup of tea in her perfectly manicured hands.
Gavin motioned for me to sit on the couch, releasing his hold on me, though he seemed hesitant to do so. I went to the couch and lowered myself into it, trying not to notice how Donna’s gaze followed my every movement.
“Mother,” Gavin greeted as he went to his, pressing a gentle kiss to her cheek. She presented her cheek to him as if it was the most natural thing in the world before she leaned back in her seat, watching as he took his seat beside me.
“I’m glad you could join us too, Judy,” Donna said, her eyes never leaving mine.
My cheeks flushed and I had to force a small smile.
“Thank you for the invitation,” I told her. “I’m a little surprised honestly.”
She raised her perfectly trimmed brows as she studied me; maybe I shouldn’t have said that. I mentally bit my tongue.
“I’m sure you are,” she replied coolly. “We didn’t exactly get off on the best start and I’d like to apologize for that.”
I nodded.
“Thank you,” I told her, glancing briefly at Gavin who appeared tense in his spot, his eyes never leaving his mother’s face.
“I guess it was because I didn’t realize how important you were to my son. But seeing you two together during your little date… I realized I might have been wrong,” she said, her eyes narrowed as she studied my face. “If you are going to be a constant in his life, I figured it was time that I got to know you. Don’t you think?”
I felt my cheeks flushing as I nodded.
“Yes, I suppose so,” I told her, playing my part to the best of my ability.
Gavin reached over and took hold of my hand; I was surprised by the gesture, especially when he entwined his fingers through mine. His warm and calloused fingers touching mine sent an electric shock through me that made my wolf practically roll over and purr.
I had to shush her before she made it obvious.
“I figured what better way to get to know you other than dinner at my place,” she said, a small smile tipping the corner of her lips, though it didn’t reach her eyes. “I hope you like Lamb.”
I swallowed and then nodded.
“Yes, Lamb is great,” I told her. I never actually had lamb before, but it was meat and wolves loved meat so I couldn’t imagine not liking it.
“Great,” she said in return, her eyes studying me.
I felt like I was going to melt under her scrutiny. I wished she would
stop looking at me like that. Sensi
my unease, Gavin cleared his throat, getting his mother’s attention.
“I’m glad you were able to have dinner with us without your shadow,” Gavin
murmured; his tone and words surprised me.
She corked a brow up at him.
“Are you speaking of Daisy?” She
asked. “She is not my shadow; she is a family friend. Are you forgetting shes your sister-in-law? She’s practically family.”
“She is not my sister-in-law anymore,” Gavin reminded his mother. “My late wife passed away years ago.”
“And that makes her any less family?” Donna asked. “Gavin, I’m surprised in you. You are better than that.”
Her tone was almost mocking and there was a glint of something in her gaze that passed from her to her son and it made me even more uneasy.
“Oh, by way, I spoke to Cassie,” Donna said, her eyes never leaving Gavin who tensed at her words. “She wants to meet with you… and she wants to see her son.”
“No way in hell,” Gavin all but growled, making Donna’s eyes widen in shock.’
I furrowed my brows; I could feel Gavin’s agitation rolling off him in waves.
“Gavin let’s be fair…” Donna tried to reason with him.
“She’s not going near him,” Gavin said through his teeth.
“I’m confused,” I said, cutting through their tension. “Who is Cassie?”
Gavin didn’t reply and for a second, I didn’t think either of them heard me. thye were having a pretty intense staring contest. It was Donna who backed down first with a sign as she looked at me.
“Cassie is my daughter,” she told me. “Gavin’s sister…..”
Realization dawned at on me all at once as I let out a breath of air.noveldrama
They were talking about Cassandra Landry… Matt’s mother.
Chapter 455
Judy’s POV
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My heart weighed heavy in my chest as I stared up at Gavin. He had a scowl on his face and he looked like he wanted to punch something at the thought of his sister. Gavin hadn’t told me much about her, but I knew she fell on hard times. She wasn’t like the rest of the Landry’s. She cut ties with them a long time ago though from what I hear; nobody knows what truly happened to Cassandra Landry. She stopped appearing in newspapers and magazines. It was almost like she never existed and everybody kind of just moved on with their lives.
Matthew was only 1 year old when he went to live with Gavin and his family and nobody questioned it. They all assumed he had a kid with someone if they saw glimpses of Matt, but for the most part, Gavin tried hard to keep him out of the limelight because of that.
“Why does she want to see Matthew?” Gavin finally asked as he worked to compose himself.
“Because she’s his mother and she hasn’t seen him in years,” Donna replied, narrowing her eyes at Gavin, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world and she was shocked he would even ask such a thing.
“Matthew barely even knows who she is,” Gavin said, his lip curling up in disgust. “This would disrupt his life and I’m not going to put him through that.”
“Or maybe it won’t,” Donna said with a shrug. “He knows his mother is your sister; he’s a smart kid, Gavin. He knows his mother had fallen on hard times and that she’s working to get better.”
“Is she though?” Gavin asked, folding his arms across his chest. “Because you know I keep regular tabs on her progress and her doctors are saying she’s not willing to work with them. She’s erratic and has manic episodes. I’m not letting Matt get hurt… not again.”
“I visited with her and she was really heartfelt when she spoke about Matthew,” Donna said, a frown marring her lips. “She’s sorry for what she put him through when he was a baby.”
Gavin growled, stopping his mother’s words. She stared at him with wide eyes, shocked that he had the audacity to growl at his own mother.
“Did you just growl at me?” She asked, not sure she heard him correctly.
His wolf was on edge, I could feel it. I’m not sure what provoked me to do this, making it the high tension, or maybe it was having a nervous breakdown, but I reached over and touched his hand. He tensed for a second as his yellow–glowing eyes glared at my hand. I entwined my fingers with his and leaned into him, my wolf surging forward like too wanted to comfort him. It was something that I would do for a mate… not for Gavin. I’ve done this for Ethan many times when we first found out we were mates… back when things were easy and my fated mate actually wanted me, that was the last time I tried something like this… I’m not sure what I was thinking would happen at this moment, but I wasn’t expecting it to actually work.
With a shuddering breath, Gavin’s body relaxed and the glow of his eyes simmered, replaced with a gentle vulnerability that I had never seen before. My breath hitched in my throat as I stared up at him, our eyes locking for the briefest moment before he turned back to his mother, fully charged.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to growl, Mother,” he said to her.
Her eyes grew wide as she stared between the two of us, her face turning almost thoughtful for a moment.
“Interesting,” she whispered as she took in the scene that unfolded before her eyes.
“I won’t let her have any access to him. He is no longer her son… she signed away all rights and I signed the adoption certificate years ago. He is legally my son, and I know what’s best for him.”
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I was surprised by this information; I had no idea that Gavin actually adopted his own nephew, making him not his nephew, but his real son. It made sense; he wouldn’t be able to keep the fact that Matthew wasn’t his son a secret if he didn’t have actual proof that he was his son.
Donna opened her mouth to say something more, maybe to argue with him further, or to give up and cut her losses. However, one of the maids entered the parlor and bowed her head to Donna.
“Dinner is being served in the dining hall,” she announced,
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Donna sighed, tossing aside what she was going to say a moment ago and then she stood to her feet.
“I guess we should go eat then,” she said as she eyed us both carefully.
Gavin stood; his hand still entwined with mine. It was almost like he was afraid of letting me go and I found my heart skipping a beat at the feel of his closeness. He gave my hand a gentle squeeze before he pulled me alongside him and towards the dining hall.
Once we were seated in the dining hall, the food was served almost right away. My mouth was practically watering at the sight of all the delicious meats that were being placed on the table by various different maids.
“I hope you’re hungry,” Donna said, eyeing me carefully. “We have plenty of food.”
I could definitely see that; food was still coming out as we spoke. I was starving; I hadn’t had the time to eat today. I was planning on making something in the kitchen once I got to the villa, before my tutoring session with Matt, but then Gavin announced the dinner plans. Once I knew where we were having dinner, my stomach had been in a knot for the rest of the evening.
So to say I didn’t eat a thing today, was an understatement.
“Enjoy,” one of the maids said once they finished. She turned and scurried away with the others.
Gavin lifted his wine glass and took a long sip of the red elixir. I could tell he could use the drink. I was afraid to drink mine knowing that wine could make me foggy–headed and at least one of us needed to have a clear head if we wanted to get through this evening.
We added food to our plates before we started to eat. The food was delicious and cooked to perfection, or maybe I was just hungry.
“I’m not sure what the doctors had been telling you, but she looks really good.”
“We aren’t going to continue this conversation, Mother,” he said through his teeth.
She sighed and relented.
“Fine, we don’t need to talk about it anymore,” she finally said after a short pause. She then glanced in my direction as I was taking a bite of the lamb. “So, Judy. Tell me about your family. Are they well off?”
I didn’t miss the glare Gavin sent his mother, and it was kind of cute. I mean, Gavin was a big bad Alpha Lycan Chairman, and his mother still found a way to get under his skin.
“My father is the Delta of the Redmoon Pack,” I told her as swallowed the food in my mouth.
She nodded.
“That’s a pretty small pack, if remember correctly. Is that the pack that has no Alpha?”
I nodded.
“The Beta’s had been running it. But Gavin is technically the one in charge right now,” I told her. “They are still trying to get good candidates for the role.”
“I see,” she said, cutting into her food and bringing it to her lips on the fork. As she chewed, she watched me.
“Have you ever been mated before?”
I froze at her question and Gavin growled deep in his throat
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Chapter 456
“Mother,” he warned; she shot him a playful glance.
“It’s only a question. What? Is it some big bad secret?” She asked a hint of humor in her eyes.
I wasn’t sure what to say; do I tell her the truth? It almost felt like she knew the truth already and she was just testing me. I decided it was better not to lie because she was Donna Landry. She could easily found out this information for herself if she hadn’t already.
“Yes,” I answered. “I was mated before. It didn’t work out though.”
“He rejected you?” She asked, her brows shooting up.
I flushed; it was bold of her to assume that it was him who rejected me and not the other way around.
“Why would he do something like that? Rejected a fated mate wasn’t something that commonly happened,” Donna pressed as she bit into her food.
“That’s enough,” Gavin said through his teeth. “You’ve asked enough questions.”
“I’m sorry, I’m only trying to get to know your little girlfriend,” Donna said; something about her tone screamed mockery.
Was this dinner a joke?
Was she trying to prove a point?
Donna turned to look at me again, her eyes narrowed, and I could see the devious side of her desperate to surface.
“So, tell me, Judy. Why were you not good enough for your own fated mate?” 4
Chapter 457
Judy’s POV
My blood went cold at the sound of her question. I stared at her and she stared back at me with a glint of humor in her eyes. I wanted to vomit at that moment; all the food I had just eaten resurfaced.
I could feel Gavin’s agitation towards his mother, but he remained quiet, just glaring at her like he was trying to kill her with just his eyes.
“I’m sorry, was that too forward of me?” Donna asked. “You see, Judy. I have some concerns, that’s all. I’m a mother above anything else and I care about the figure of my son and his children… current and future.”
I swallowed the limp in my throat at her insinuating words. I remained silent though, not sure what to say. I waited for her to continue. She studied my face for a long while before she continued.
“I only want the best for Gavin, as you know,” she continued. “If you aren’t good enough for your own fated mate, what makes you good enough for my Gavin?”
My heart fell deep into my stomach; she was right. I wasn’t good enough for Gavin. I wasn’t even good enough for Ethan, someone who was supposed to love me above anything and anyone else. My fated mate. I was kidding myself if I thought for a second that I was good enough for Gavin Landry, the most powerful Lycan Chairmen in the world.
I looked at Gavin and saw how tense he was; his eyes remained fixed on his mother and his jaw was tensing with each passing second. Donna leaned back in her seat, placing her fork gently on her plate as she took me in.
“I hope you don’t take any offense to that, Judy. I want to like you… I really do. But what kind of future could a rejected mate give my powerful son?”
Soon, Gavin’s chair was scraping across the marble floor as he stood up quickly. I was shocked by the sudden sound, and I looked up at him with wide eyes, wondering what he was about to do or say.
“Mother, you’ve said quite enough. I came here with her thinking you wanted to actually get to know her, but instead, you’ve disappointed me by acting in the same way you did previously. Your questions and your insinuations are not welcome, and they are not necessary.
Donna’s frown deepened as she stared up at her son.
“Gavin I am your mother. Don’t speak to me like I am a child,” she said, her brows furrowed.
“Then stop acting like one,” Gavin shot back. “I won’t hesitate to walk out that door if you don’t start behaving.”
Donna pressed her lips together.
“No need to lose your temper,” she said after a beat of silence. “Just sit down and eat your dinner. Seriously, Gavin.”
He stared at her for a long while before he lowered himself into his seat.
Donna turned her attention back to me.
“Do you have any siblings?” She asked.
“No, Mam,” I replied, trying to be as polite as possible I just wanted to get through this dinner in one piece and leave as quickly as possible.
“Do you go to school?”
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Chapter 457
“Yes,” I replied. “I’m training to be a Gamnia warrior.”
I was surprised she didn’t already know this information, seeming as I was all over the news after I won the Gamma competition.
“A Gamma warrior?” She asked, looking down at my body and then back to my eyes. “That’s quite a dangerous job, don’t you think? Shouldn’t you leave that to the men?
I took a bit of offense to that, and I pressed my lips in a thin line.
“I’m actually top in my class, and I’ve been trained by some of the most skilled masters,” I told her. “I attend the Whitmore Shifter Academy, which is the most prestigious school in the world. I might look small, but I can fight, and I know my way around most weapons.”
She raised her perfectly trimmed brows at me as she continued to assess me.
“I see,” she said, leaning back in her seat. “I personally would feel safer if you left the Gamma work to trained professional men. Those who are tall and strong and not small and scrawny… and packed in a female body.”
I was so taken aback by her rudeness that I had to fight the urge to jump across the table and attack her. I had to physically hold my wolf back; she was taking Donna’s words as a challenge, and she hated being challenged.
“Judy won the Gamma competition, Mom. She’s the real deal,” Gavin said, his eyes narrowed as he stared at his mother. “She’s about to become part of the Elite force once she graduates from college.‘
Donna’s eyes grew wide.
“The Elite Force?” she asked. “That’s quite an accomplishment.”
“I’m surprised you didn’t hear about my victory,” I told her, eyeing her carefully. She waved off my words as if they were no big deal.
Chapter 458
“I don’t follow that kind of thing,” Donna said, rolling her eyes.
“It was all over the news,” I countered.
Something about her brushing it off after putting me down didn’t‘ sit right with me. I was starting to suspect that maybe she knew about the competition, and she was just looking to put me down for no reason.
“Again, I don’t follow that kind of thing. As soon as they started talking about it, I turned it off. I knew there was a winner, j just didn’t think it was you.”
“You owe her an apology for what you insinuated earlier,” Gavin said, his eye fixed on his plate. I knew if he looked at her in that moment, he would have lost his cool and he was trying hard to keep himself under control.
“Excuse me, I don’t apologize to anyone in my own home,” Donna said, raising her brows. “I stand by what I said.”
Gavin stood to his feet, having had enough of his mother’s attitude.
“Then, we will take our leave,” Gavin said, he gently grabbed my arm and pulled me to my feet.
“Already?” She asked, shock registering on her face. “We didn’t even get to dessert yet.”
“I’m not going to sit here and allow you to give Judy nothing but your disrespect. You’ve been rude to her since the moment we got here. I won’t tolerate it anymore. She’s been nothing but kind to you and doesn’t deserve that kind of treatment.”
Donna looked taken aback by her son’s words.
“Gavin…” she tried to protest as she too stood to her feet.
“No,” he said, his eyes flashing yellow again as his wolf surged forward. “You are so focused on getting me to marry Daisy, that you won’t even see anything else around you. I will never marry Daisy, Mom. Not ever. Get that through your head. We are leaving now.”
Donna was stunned and I could see it all over her face. I was stunned too if I were to be honest. Gavin didn’t really. give me much of a choice, not that I would have chosen to stay. But it was odd that he was practically dragging me out of the manor by the arm.
Donna followed us through the foyer, the butler, Doug, standing at the entrance with a frown on his face.
“Is everything okay?” He asked, looking around at everyone’s faces.
Gavin turned to look at his mother, his eyes narrowed.
“I’ll come see you again… this time without Judy. But for now, try not to cause any issues,” he told her. 1
She looked like she wanted to protest, but her lips pressed together, and she relented.
“It was good to see you,” she said to him, giving him a quick hug and kiss on the cheek. “Please, don’t be a stranger.”
He nodded, giving her a gentle squeeze which contrasted with our erupt leaving due to his aggravation. He turned to me and grabbed my arm, pulling me out of the door.
“Judy,” Donna called after us, making Gavin freeze at the doorway. “I hope I didn’t offend you too much. I hope you understand that as a mother, I only want what’s best for my son.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat I turned to look at her.
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“And you don’t think that’s me?” I asked my voice coming out as barely a whisper. She narrowed her eyes as she looked at me and Gavin’s tense posture behind me.
“No,” she finally said after a long pause. “I don’t believe you are whoht for Gavin.”
Gavin’s grip on my arm tightened; it wasn’t painful, but enough to show his aggravation and his desire to pull me out of the manor and get me as far away from here as possible. I wasn’t going to argue with him.
I nodded, without saying another word, and turned away from her.
“Thank you for dinner,” I murmur and with that, we were leaving the manor and going back to the car.
Gavin opened the passenger door for me, and I slid in, my mind was a whirlwind, and I felt almost numb. She was right; I wasn’t good enough for Gavin and I was fooling myself. If I wasn’t good enough for my own fated mate, what made me think I was good enough for Gavin Landry?
Gavin sat down in the driver’s seat and buckled his seatbelt; once I buckled mine, he started the engine and started to drive. My head was still lost in thought as I stared out the window. I couldn’t believe that interaction actually happened, and in front of Gavin above all. I was embarrassed and I kind of felt sick to my stomach.
The silence stretched on for what felt like an eternity, and then Gavin spoke… his words coming out so soft that I almost missed them.
“I’m sorry…”
Chapter 459
Gavin’s POV
My mother had crossed a line tonight. I knew tonight’s dinner was going to end up disastrous, but had no idea she would end up attacking Judy so boldly like that. I was angry and replaying the evening in my head as I drove Judy home. I was well aware of how awkward the silence was that stretched between us.
When I looked over at her I could see she was lost in her own thoughts, probably thinking about all the questions my mother had asked her. I clenched my fists around the steering wheel, feeling a heavy weight on my shoulders. I fixed my attention back on the road, anger rolling off me in waves.
My mother had never pissed me and my wolf off like that but for some reason, I nearly lost control of him tonight. I had to get out of there before my wolf forgot that she was our mother and did something we’d regret.
I couldn’t take the silence for much longer. I didn’t want Judy to think the absolute worst after such a disastrous dinner.
So, I uttered words that made me seem weak and vulnerable.
“I’m sorry…”
The words came out as nothing more than a whisper; they were barely audible even to my own Lycan ears.
Judy pulled her gaze away from the window to look at me.
“What?” She asked.
I was quiet for a moment, debating whether or not I should repeat myself or not. I eventually sighed, giving in. “I said I’m sorry,” I said a bit louder. “My mother was out of line. You didn’t deserve that. I wouldn’t have brought you if I knew what she was planning.”
She pressed her lips together and gave me a look I wasn’t quite prepared for.
“What did you think was going to happen, Gavin?” She asked, that fire returning to her eyes. “Your mother made it obvious from the moment I met her that she thought very little of me. She hates me and suddenly she wants to. meet me for dinner. I knew this evening was going to be hell the second you mentioned going to dinner at her place.”
I knew she was right, which only made the guilt grow a bit more.
“I thought she would have been a bit more subtle,” I admitted. “I thought it would be manageable and tolerable until we had to leave. I didn’t think she’d be so blunt and nosy about your personal life. That’s never been her style. She’s more passive–aggressive than anything.”
She folded her arms across her chest and fixed her gaze back out the window.
“Well, I now know where I stand in her eyes,” she murmured.
I was quiet for a long while, trying to process her words as I thought about what my mother was saying. How Judy wasn’t good enough.
“She was wrong,” I finally said after another long stretch of silence. “She doesn’t know what’s best for me and she doesn’t know you. So, don’t let her words get to you. She was wrong. You are plenty good enough.”
Her cheeks reddened at my words, and I had to fight the urge to smirk, knowing my words had reached her. She looked as if she was about to say something, but she closed her mouth and relaxed in her seat. As the drive
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continued, the silence between us went from intense and awkward, to comfortable. I could feel that she was more at ease; it also helped that we were driving further away from my mother’s manor. The energy and vibe near that manor was all off and we could both feel it almost right away.
Truth be told, I was glad to be leaving too.
“So, Matt’s mom wants to see him?” Judy asked suddenly.
I tensed at her question. It wasn’t something I wanted to talk about, but I knew she wasn’t going to stop until I gave the answers that satisfied her. I tried hard to forget about Cassandra, my sister. She was a mess for a long time; she was the outcast of the family and destroyed her own life, nearly taking Matt with her. I will never forget the day that I found Matthew in his soiled clothes, bruises covering his small body, and she was passed out on the ground.
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I felt sick to my stomach at the memory and swallowed the bile that threatened my throat.
“Gavin?” Judy asked when I hadn’t said anything.
I sighed; 1 could lie to her or deflect the question… but cared about Matt. She should know the truth so she can help me protect him when I’m not around him.
“Yes,” I replied. “Cassie wants to see her son and I won’t let that happen.”
Judy nodded as her mind raced, probably thinking about what Cassie had done to make herself unworthy of seeing her son.
“There were a ton of rumors about the female Landry,” Judy said softly. “But nobody really knows what happened to her.”
I nodded.
“For a reason, I murmured. “It didn’t benefit the Landry brand; I had to erase all signs of her,” he explained.
Judy’s eyes seemed to have lit up, like she was expecting something juicy to happen and now her interest was even more piqued.
I sighed, knowing I wasn’t going to get out of telling her the rest of the story.
“She ran with a bad crowd of rogue wolves when we were growing up,” I admitted, ignoring Judy’s gasp. “She was always like that… running with the wrong ones. They got her into drugs and other terrible things like stealing and spreading pack secrets to our enemies. She was a traitor to our pack, which was what I’d been trying to cover up. If they knew a traitor of the pack was still alive… it wouldn’t end well for any of us.”
Judy let out a shuddering breath as she stared at me. I pulled into the mansion driveway and parked out front. I didn’t turn off the engine though; we sat there in silence for a while.
“She jumped from one abusive relationship to the next,” I murmured. “I banished her and forced her to live as a rogue after I found out she betrayed not only the pack but the family as well. A few times my mother would take pity on her because she was still my mother’s little girl. She had my mother wrapped around her little manipulative finger. She didn’t die in rogue territory like most would because she fucked half the rogues around and because my mother continued to provide for her. She sent her money, clothes, and food… sometimes she would even sneak her into the pack and let her stay in the manor while I was away on trips. My mother babied her.”
Judy remained quiet as she processed each word I said to her.
“And then one day she came to me and before I could reprimand her for breaching the borders and entering a territory, she was banished from… she dropped a truth bomb that I wasn’t expecting.”
“She was pregnant,” Judy whispered, already guessing where the story was going.
I nodded.
“Yeah,” he murmured. “She was addicted to pretty hard drugs and an acholic at that time, so she looked like complete shit. The guy she was with was also a rogue and he was a complete jackass. He was abusive and known for his brutal attacks on innocent people. But she was carrying my nephew, an innocent baby and he was the father of this baby. So unbanished them and let them remain in the pack under the supervision of my mother, a few gammas, and some doctors. I needed her to get clean and for him to keep his hands off her during the pregnancy. I needed to ensure that the baby was safe. For a while, it worked. They kept their noses clean, and they got through the pregnancy. They relapsed a few times and because of that it was a difficult pregnancy and even
+25 BONUS.
Chapter 460
worse birth. Matthew was in critical condition when he was born but thanks to my amazing pack doctors, he made a full recovery.”
Judy let out a breath she had been holding.
“But after he recovered and was able to retur
home with them, they took him and left…” I continued,
remembering the panic I felt when I found out that Matthew was missing in their custody. “They were gone without a trace.”
Chapter 461
