Chapter 16

Judy’s POV

“I told you,” Adam said, folding his arms across his chest. “Not only did she fail in her task at getting him to accomplish any of his schoolwork, but she’s also encouraging his distraction. She should be fired right away, and I’ll post the job once again on the werewolf job board.”

I was shocked by what Adam was saying, when I first met him, I thought he was kind and genuinely wanted me around. But now it seemed he was trying to get me fired. I’m not sure what I had done to him to deserve this type of treatment, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t kind of hurt by it.

“Is this true?” Gavin asked, his eyes fixed on mine.

I looked up at him, my lips pressed in a thin line. I knew my cheeks were probably red because I could feel the heat in them, but I ignored it and turned towards the table where we left Matt’s schoolwork.

“See for yourself,” I said, grabbing the papers and handing them to Gavin.

Gavin grabbed the papers and looked them over; his brows raising in surprise.

“This is Matt’s handwriting,” he said thoughtfully as he went through each of the assignments we had done. “He did all of this?”

I nodded, folding my own arms across my chest as I glared at Adam whose face immediately paled.

“Yes,” I answered, my eyes never leaving Adam’s. “Matt did all his schoolwork and got a bit of studying in. I believe there is such a thing as balance in a young boy’s life. All work and no play can lead to quick burnout and lack of focus. Matt did his assignments, and I rewarded him with some gameplay as I promised him earlier.”

I pulled my eyes away from Adam to look at Gavin who was watching me, a perplexed look on his face.

“Matt lacks companionship, Alpha Gavin. This is what is leading to his rebellious side. When you spend time with him, he’s actually a sweet and caring young boy.”

Gavin raised his brows as he set the schoolwork on the table.

“Are you trying to teach me how to raise my son?” He asked.

“Of course not,” I told him. “But perhaps punishing him without truly knowing the reasoning behind his actions is redundant. Even for you, Alpha.”

He opened his mouth to say something but then I felt the scarf around my neck slipping down my shoulders. I scrambled to recover the scarf, but it was too late, Gavin was glaring at my neck where the hickey was. His eyes were dark, and his nostrils flared at the sight of it.

“It’s not what it seems,” I murmured as I quickly put the scarf around my neck. I wanted to explain to him what had happened, but I couldn’t tell him the full story. Gavin had already wanted me to stay away from Ethan because he was to marry Irene. He wanted Irene to have a nice life with Ethan without me intervening. If I told Gavin that Ethan was the one who gave me the hickey, he would never believe that I didn’t want it. He would never believe that Ethan practically forced himself on me.

He would think that I went after him and seduced him. He would never see it from my point of view.

“It doesn’t matter,” Gavin muttered; he was clearly irritated for whatever reason. I wasn’t entirely sure why, but it was clear in his eyes and in his tone. “Just make sure you better handle your private life. I don’t need that around my son. Understood?”

I nodded and bit my lower lip.

“Understood,” I replied.

He turned to glare at the butler.

“You told me that Judy failed to complete her mission for the day but so far, I’ve seen that she’s completed her mission and then some. How dare you spread such false rumors, Adam,” Gavin barked, making Adam flinch.

“I…uh…” he stammered, unsure of what to say.

“You aren’t to speak in my presence for a month,” Gavin sneered. “Now get out of my face.”

“Y…yes Alpha,” Adam said shakily as he quickly retreated out of the room, his head hanging low in defeat.

I tightened the scarf around my neck and when I was sure it wouldn’t slip again, I straightened my posture to look up at Gavin.

“I should get going; it’s getting late, and my mother is probably wondering where I am,” I told him.

He nodded.

“My driver, Leroy, is out front. Have him take you home,” he offered.

I shook my head.

“It’s okay, I’ll grab an Uber,” I told him as I pulled my phone out of my bag.

He put his hand over my phone screen, preventing me from using it.

“Don’t spend your money on a ride when I’m offering you one for free,” he said calmly. “Leroy remembers your address from yesterday. Let him take you home.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat and then I nodded thoughtfully.

“Okay, thank you,” I replied.

I turned to Matt who was staring between us with wide eyes. I wondered what was going through his young mind at that moment, but he seemed to snap out of it when he noticed me staring at him.

“I’m leaving now,” I told him. “But I will be here around the same time tomorrow. I have classes in the morning, and you have school until the afternoon.”

He nodded and I could tell from the pout he gave me that he didn’t want me to leave.

“Make sure you clean up your mess and get plenty of rest tonight,” I instructed. “You’ll need it for our training session.”

“Okay,” he murmured. “Bye, Judy.”

“Bye Matt,” I retorted, giving him a small wave before glancing back at Gavin.

He was still fixated on me. I nodded at him, not sure what to say, as I stepped around him and headed out of the villa.

….

Third Person POV

Gavin watched as Judy walked out of the Villa. For some reason, seeing the hickey on her neck thoroughly irritated him. It was a feeling he couldn’t quite understand, but he didn’t like seeing it on her. He remembered when he left his own marks on her body and there was a small satisfaction in his chest. But those markings faded to the point where they couldn’t be seen, and it was replaced by the markings of another.

Who was the man that left a hickey on her neck?

On second thought, it was probably better if he didn’t know.

“Why are you so mean sometimes?” Matt asked, bringing Gavin out of his thoughts.

Gavin blinked a couple of times before looking down at his son, a frown decorating his lips.

“I wasn’t mean,” Gavin denied.

Matt rolled his eyes and slumped down on the couch.

“Yes, you were,” he murmured. “We were having a good day, and she left upset.”

Gavin raised his brows as he watched his son. For a moment, he wasn’t sure what to say. He sighed and decided to sit on the couch beside him. It’s been a while since he spent any real time with Matt; the words of Judy kept replaying in his mind about how Matt needs companionship. He wondered if her words were true.

“You had a good day?” Gavin asked him.

Matt nodded, his eyes remaining on the ground.

“Yes,” he said softly.

“I’m assuming you like your new tutor?” Gavin asked him.

Matt seemed to brighten as he looked up at his father.

“Yes, I do! She’s really nice, Dad, and super cool. She’s really good at warrior stuff, she’s book smart, and she plays video games. She also ate dinner with me tonight. I liked having her around,” Matt gushed. “I wouldn’t mind if she became my new mom!”

Gavin’s eyes widened upon hearing his son say that.

“Shut up,” Gavin said, shaking his head and avoiding his son’s eyes.

“I’m serious, though,” Matt said, grabbing Gavin’s arm. “If I had a mom like Judy, I would be so happy. She’s going to teach me defense and how to shoot a bow and arrow tomorrow!”

Gavin was taken aback by this; he realized that his son was serious. He truly did admire Judy like a mother figure.

Matt then pouted and looked at the ground.

“None of my other tutors ever did stuff like this,” he murmured. “They only cared about impressing you.”

Gavin felt for the boy; it was true that his tutors mainly never worked out because all they cared about was impressing the Alpha and getting in his pants. Matt often lashed out whenever he felt he was competing for attention.

This made Gavin think about Judy’s earlier words.

“Matt lacks companionship, Alpha Gavin. This is what is leading to his rebellious side. When you spend time with him, he’s actually a sweet and caring young boy.”