Chapter 127

Erin’s POV

I pushed Gavin away from me as quickly as I could and slid off the counter. My heart was racing against my chest as I grabbed my bra.

Gavin didn’t seem as phased though; he slowly fixed himself and soon it was like nothing had happened. I realized the pounding on the door had stopped and the girl was quiet.

Come to think of it, I couldn’t hear anybody.

I went to the door and opened it, only to find the girl was completely frozen in place. I groaned and looked over at Gavin who only had amusement in his eyes.

“Did you forget I have abilities?” He asked.

I did forget.

“Unfreeze them,” I demanded.

“Let’s join the rest of the banquet first, and then I’ll unfreeze them,” he said, taking hold of my hand and pulling me away from the bathroom.

I hoped that when he unfroze everybody, they wouldn’t be able to see the flustered look on my face.

Emily was busy purring in my mind after the events that just unfolded, and I knew Roman was probably happy too.

I glanced up at Gavin who had a smug look on his face, but he didn’t look at me as he unfroze the rest of the banquet. Soon, everybody was back to talking away, dancing, and eating, like nothing had happened.

“There you are!” Tyler stammered, walking toward us.

I could tell he’s been drinking. Tyler has never changed. He always prioritized seeking out the bar in any event he went to. Even before he was legally able to drink.

“So, now that you two are back together. Does that mean the three of us can be friends again?” Tyler asked, patting Gavin on the back and giving me a broad grin.

“You’ll always be my friend, Tyler,” I chuckled.

“It would be even better if Jessie could be here with us,” Tyler sighed, leaving us all silent.

I lowered my gaze to the ground, feeling my heart grow heavy. The memory of her death was still fresh.

I heard a growl escape Gavin as he stared at Tyler with deadly rays for eyes.

“Don’t be an idiot,” Gavin hissed to his long-time best friend.

“No, it’s okay,” I said quickly, placing an arm on Gavin’s bicep. “He’s right. I wish she was here too.”

Neither of them knew the real reason why Jessie ended up dying because they can’t know that I’m part of the Moonshadow organization. Her secret about being a Hybrid came out because of me and because that secret surfaced, it put her life at risk.

I would never forgive myself.

I didn’t want them to look at me any differently as well.

Later in the evening, we returned back to the packhouse. I had to admit that I was glad to be returning after a long day. My legs hardly worked they were so exhausted.

Gavin kept his arm around me to keep me from falling over. I leaned against him, allowing him to support me.

It felt nice depending on him like this and I knew he liked it too.

“Alpha, something came for you in the mail this evening,” Beta Seth said, approaching with a small envelope in his hands.

Gavin frowned and took the envelope from his Beta, examining it before he ripped it open with the claws of his wolf.

It appeared to be a small card; an unsettled look fell upon him as he scanned the contents of the card. Then, a glazed look fell upon his dark eyes, and he looked almost mournful.

“What is it?” I finally asked once it was clear he wasn’t going to say anything.

“It’s an invitation…” he said, solemnly. “To Susanna’s funeral.”

My heart fell into his stomach at the sound of his words.

It’s been a couple of weeks since Susanna’s terrible death, and since my name was cleared from any accusations of killing her. I had forgotten a funeral would have to happen and naturally assumed Gavin would be the one planning it.

“I offered to pay the expenses of the funeral, but her family wanted to be the ones who dealt with the whole thing,” Gavin explained, scanning my face. “I told them if they needed anything then to please reach out. I guess they had it handled on their own.”

“When is the funeral?” I asked, meeting his eyes.

“Tomorrow evening. You’ll have to attend it with me as my future Luna,” Gavin said, eyeing me carefully.

Of course, I knew this already. I gave him a single head nod and then stood on my toes so I could kiss his cheek gently.

“Of course, I’ll attend it with you.”

He nodded in return before turning to Beta Seth.

“Get Susanna’s father on the phone. I would like to speak with him,” Gavin ordered.

Seth nodded before disappearing.

Gavin turned to face me, placing his hands on both of my shoulders and locking his eyes on mine.

“Give me a little bit. Meet me in my room. You’ll stay there going forward. Understood?”

His voice rang with authority, but I knew him better than that. It was more a request than an order. But I played along anyways.

“Yes, Alpha,” I said, bowing my head to him with a smirk on my face.

He gave me a wink before turning away and going toward his office.

“We still need to get his cell phone,” Emily reminded me. “Perhaps later when we are alone with him, and he lets his guard down.”

I liked how she was thinking.

“Good evening, Miss Erin. How was the press conference?” Anna asked as I neared the stairwell.

“You didn’t watch it broadcasted?” I asked, a smile playing on my mouth.

“Oh, goddess no. I was far too busy with my chores,” she said, shaking her head with a strange look on her face. “But I trust that everything was handled beautifully.”

“It was, thank you,” I said to her as I began up the stairs. “Would you mind grabbing me some tea, Anna?”

“Of course,” she said as she hurried toward the kitchen.

Ordering somebody around was never going to get easier, but I had to play the part of future Luna. I couldn’t let anyone think I was anything less than Gavin’s mate.

“We are his mate,” Emily reminded me. “We don’t have to convince them of anything.”

I knew she was right, but still. Sometimes I didn’t feel like I was his mate, despite the nagging pull I was feeling toward him.

Once I got to the guest room, I grabbed my phone off the nightstand and saw I had a missed text from Henry.

“Update??” It read.

I rolled my eyes and sent him a text in return.

“Weren’t you watching the broadcast on the TV? I was a little busy pretending to be his future Luna for the entire werewolf world. It also looks like I might have to attend the Alpha convention with him after all. I’m going to try to get his phone… tonight.”

I pressed send and placed my phone back on the nightstand. I was going to bother waiting for a reply before leaving the room in my sexiest nightgown and going straight for Gavin’s room.

…

Gavin’s POV

“I will admit, it was a little odd that you took off right after Susanna’s death. We haven’t heard much from you since then. Who has been running your pack?”

“My Beta,” Susanna’s father answered, his voice sounding tired and distressed. “When the news broadcasted her death for the world to see, I knew I couldn’t stay here any longer. I had to find the one that killed her. But to no prevail, unfortunately.”

“I looked into it myself; we have reason to believe that she was possessed by the leader of the Slayers, and it was her that had killed Susanna,” Gavin explained. “Though, we don’t know who the leader is.”

“If they went after my daughter, eventually they will come after me as well. I hold way too much value for them to ignore me.”

Gavin agreed with that, but he didn’t think it was right for him to take off as he did.

“Well, I’m just calling to touch base. Will you be returning to your pack after the funeral?”

“For right now, I feel it’s better if I stayed away. At least until the Slayers are dealt with. My Beta understands. But of course, I will see you at the funeral.”

“Yes, you will. I’ll be bringing my future Luna as well.”

There as silence on the other end.

“I see,” he spoke slowly. “Very well. I’ll add her to the list.”

He hung up without another word.

That was a strange phone call, but before he could think more about it, he received a text message from an unknown number.

He knew it had to have been her… his blackmailer.

“You’re marrying that bitch?! This wasn’t part of our deal!”