Chapter 147

Judy’s POV

“Woah!” I heard as I slammed my fist into the punching bag. Sweat coated my forehead and the nape of my neck. I lifted the boxing gloves once more and slammed my other fist into the bag next. I heard an “Oof” on the other side of the bag.

“Sorry,” I said, trying to will my body to calm down.

Tabby poked her head around the bag; a frown marring her face as she studied me.

“Everything okay? You seem distracted today,” she said, narrowing her eyes at me.

It was the day after the first portion of the competition. Today was a training day while the first group, Group A, did their second portion of the competition. Tomorrow, my group, Group B, will do the second portion. So, on this fine Wednesday, those of us who are not participating in the competition today are at the gym. I needed to blow off some steam after my talk with Nan.

It’s been a couple of hours since I last saw her, and I wasn’t too sure what I would say when I saw her. I felt bad for how I reacted to her and Tyler though. It wasn’t right for me to judge Nan on her choices; I knew she was hurting and confused over Chester. She was only using Tyler as a distraction… I knew this and yet I still let my emotions get the best of me.

“Hello?” Tabby said, waving her hand in front of my face. I blinked a few times, narrowing my eyes at her.

“Did you say something?” I asked.

She rolled her eyes.

“You need to get your head back in the game,” she said, folding her arms across her chest. “This is serious, and you can’t afford to be distracted.”

“Since when did you become my coach?” I asked her, rolling my own eyes. “Aren’t we competing against each other?”

“Yes, but I like you and I don’t want to see you dead,” she said, narrowing her eyes at me. “The last two weeks of the competition are death matches. We need to be laser-focused if we want to survive.”

I knew she was right; I leaned against the wall, willing my body to calm down.

Tabby studied me for a moment longer before she pursed her lips and stepped closer.

“Do you want to talk about it?” She asked, I could hear the sincerity in her tone and the kindness in her eyes.

“No,” I admitted.

She nodded and then thought about it for a moment.

“Want to go with me to see Group A’s second match?”

I nodded.

“Yes,” I said. I was eager to see what the next match would be; my group didn’t get to fight until tomorrow, and then we’ll know who moves on to the next round.

The arena was crowded when we arrived.

I found myself looking around, trying to get a glimpse of the one person I knew would be there. When I found him, my stomach swirled slightly. Gavin was seated with the other Lycan Chairmen and the choice judges sat in front of them.

His expression remained stoic as he stared at the participants preparing themselves in the middle of the battlefield. Unlike the last match, this one they were all holding weapons.

“Oooh, we get to use weapons this round!” Tabby said with excitement. “I wonder if we get to choose them ourselves.”

“I’m going to get a drink. Do you want anything?” I asked, my eyes remaining on Gavin. When he noticed me, his eyes grew dark.

“No, I’m okay,” Tabby said as she moved closer to the battlefield, desperate to get a closer look.

“Okay,” I said, finally pulling my eyes away from Gavin’s and heading towards the drink stand.

I thought about looking for Nan. I had no idea where she was, and I was starting to get worried. She was most likely with Tyler, which made my stomach twist with nerves. I didn’t trust him; there was something about him that gave me a strange feeling. I thought about calling Chester and seeing if he could talk some sense into Nan or do something to keep her safe. But I knew Nan would be pissed that I butt in and also, it wasn’t my place. I had to stay out of this and just be there for her despite not agreeing with her choices.

I was wandering around, lost in thought, barely noticing my surroundings or who was quickly approaching. I felt a warm hand wrap around my wrist and pull me into a broad chest. Arms wrapped around my body, pulling me into a corner and pressing me against a wall. We were in a secluded area, so no one could see us, but we were still outside, and my heart was racing as I peeked up to look at Gavin’s intense gaze.

His eyes were so dark they were practically black, and he was breathing heavily like he was trying to catch his breath. He was gazing down at me like he wanted to devour me. I instantly grew weak for him, and I found myself leaning against him for support, fearing that my legs would give in and I’d fall to the ground, embarrassing myself.

Before I could ask him what he was doing, his lips slammed into mine. He kissed me like he had been starving, and I was his food. His tongue slipped out of his mouth and shoved into mine, tasting me. He had one hand pressed against the wall above my head and the other hand cupping my lower back firmly, keeping me in place between him and the wall. I had no intention of going anywhere.

All rational thought slipped out of my brain the said he had me pressed against a wall.

He nibbled on my lower lip, sucking on it and bringing it deeper into his mouth until it was swollen. A low growl escaped his throat, and I knew his wolf was at the surface. It made my own wolf perk and surge forward as well. It was a strange reaction for her to have; the last person she had surged for was Ethan. When I was around him, back when I thought he loved me, it was often hard to control my wolf. She knew what she wanted, and she wasn’t going to ask permission to get it.

After Ethan broke our hearts and my wolf went into hibernation, I thought I would never feel that type of surge again. But she just did it as I was kissing Gavin. Something about Gavin’s kiss, his touch, was restoring her and making her who she was before Ethan came through like a tornado.

“Do you know how badly I wanted to do that the second I saw you?” Gavin whispered against my lips.

I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him even closer to me and bringing his lips to mine again, kissing him back with just as much hunger.

“You are going to make me lose control,” he growled.

I smirked.

“Good,” I said, licking his bottom lip.

“Be careful what you wish for,” he replied.

The timer went off for the first round, indicating that it was beginning. I put my hand on Gavin’s chest, stopping him from kissing me again.

“You should get back,” I told him. “They are going to wonder where you’ve gone.”

He stared at me for a moment before he pressed his forehead against mine. He took several deep breaths, making my cheeks flush.

“My room,” he told me in a deep voice. “Tonight.”

He pushed himself off the wall and stepped back, giving me space to recollect myself. I looked up at him and nodded.

“Tonight,” I confirmed.

…….

Third Person POV

“I have the information you asked for,” Adam said as he walked into the Parlor. Irene sat on the couch; a pillow pressed to her chest. Ethan had left a little while ago; he spent the night with her, as he does most every night. They snuggled and kissed, but for the most part nothing else.

She stared at the ring on her finger and played with the diamond, her heart weighing heavy in her chest. She knew Ethan was lying to her, but not having the proof was slowly killing her on the inside.

She jumped at the sound of Adam’s voice and when she looked up, she saw that he was holding a small envelope.

“What?” She asked, blinking her eyes at the envelope.

“I looked up the license plate,” he clarified. “I have the information about the driver.”

She wasn’t sure if she was ready for this, but she swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded for him to continue. He took a piece of paper out of the envelope and unfolded it.

“Her name is Stella Airborne,” he explained. “She’s from the Redmoon pack. She’s 21 years old and she works as a stripper in the city, at the club Luscious Women.”

He turned the paper so Irene could see the photo, and her heart dropped; that was the woman she saw at Ethan’s house.

What was a stripper doing at Ethan’s house?