Chapter 169

Judy’s POV

There was nothing worse than the feeling of being stood up.

I hated that I waited there for so long, too, even though it was clear he wasn’t going to show up. I brushed my thoughts out of my head and went back to the gym area where I was supposed to meet up with everybody for watch duty tonight. We were given schedules and certain parts of the territory that we would be keeping watch of, like security guards.

We were supposed to go in groups with a Lycan.

When I reached the gym, Lycan Levi was standing in the center, waiting for those of us to gather around. Jeremy and Mica were also with him, lost in their own conversation.

Tabby smiled at me as I approached her, and when she saw the expression on my sunken face, she frowned.

“What’s wrong?” She asked.

I didn’t want her to know about my guy issues, so I gave her a forced smile and shook my head.

“I didn’t get much rest today,” I admitted, which was the complete truth, I didn’t get any rest because of the whole Nan thing and then waiting for Gavin the last couple of hours.

“You’re telling me. I had so much adrenaline from winning that competition. I’m not sure how they expected us to get any rest after that,” she said with a light laugh. “Will you be okay on Watch duty tonight?”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine,” I assured her.

“Maybe we’ll be on the same team again. We can pick up each other’s slack,” she said with a laugh.

I chuckled, too.

“Okay, looks like this is everybody,” Levi said, staring around at the small group. “A few of you are going with me tonight,” he said, his eyes scanning the space, lingering on me for a beat too long before moving on. “Mica and Jeremy are choosing their tag-along first.”

Mica stood beside Levi, and Levi said something to him that the rest of us couldn’t hear. For a moment, Mica’s eyes flickered to me, and then he nodded.

He chose a few of the competitors, and they went off without another word. Jeremy was next, he also glanced at me as Levi said something to him. I felt my cheeks flushing; it was clear he was talking about me, but I wondered what exactly he was saying.

Jeremy chose his competitors as well, and then soon, they were also off.

That left only a few of us left, including Tabby, who had her arm draped through mine with a big grin on her face. I knew she was happy we were on the same team, but I couldn’t help but get a strange feeling as I looked at Alpha Levi.

“Okay, and that leaves the rest of you,” Levi said with a grin as he stared at the small group, his eyes landing on me. “I so look forward to working with you.” There was a dark undertone to his voice that sent a chill down my spine.

Before anyone could say anything more, the door swung open, and a familiar presence wafted throughout the room, causing a pause. We all looked in the direction of the intrusion, and my heart skipped a beat when I saw Gavin strolling casually into the gym as if he owned the place.

Levi glared at Gavin as he approached.

If looks could kill.

“You’re late,” Levi said through his teeth. “I shouldn’t be surprised, but the teams have already been chosen.”

Gavin glanced around at everybody before his eyes landed on me; I could see the dark possessiveness in his eyes, and I felt my heart rate increasing by the second.

“You don’t have anyone to take on watch, so you can just leave,” Levi continued, folding his arms across his chest, showing defiance.

Ignoring him, Gavin stepped through the remaining team and walked right toward me. My eyes grew large, wondering what he was about to do. But before I could fully grasp it, he was holding onto my hand, pulling me along with him and towards the exit.

I stumbled after him, my cheeks on fire as I stared up at the man before me. His shoulders were tense, and his eyes were focused as he continued to walk, completely ignoring Levi’s protests in the background.

Once we were outside, he didn’t release my hand like I thought he would. Instead, we continued to walk towards the forest where the watch duties were taking place.

“W…what are you doing?” I finally asked, forcing the words out of my mouth.

He paused and turned to look at me, his hand still wrapped around my wrist. Not enough to hurt, but enough to make me realize he had no intentions of letting me go anytime soon.

“Watch duty,” he murmured. “You are coming with me.”

“I thought I was on Levi’s team,” I said, my tone coming out breathy and unfamiliar. I hated the effect he had on me; having him with me on this watch duty was probably the worst idea ever.

Especially alone…

“That’s never been the plan.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat as I stared up at him. I wasn’t sure what to say at that moment, so I remained silent as he continued to pull me towards the forest opening.

Soon, we were engulfed by the woods; it was much darker than it had been a moment ago, and truth be told, I wasn’t entirely sure where we were going. But soon, he stopped walking, and his shoulders seemed to relax some.

He finally released my wrist, and I pulled back slightly so I could look up at him. He wasn’t looking at me; instead, he was leaning against a tree with his hands buried in his pockets and his right foot resting on the trunk of the tree.

Anger flared inside of me for both his recklessness and for standing me up.

“Are you going to pretend like you didn’t just drag me away like some kind of caveman?” I asked, folding my arms across my chest. “What the hell was that about? What if they get the wrong idea!”

He stared at me, his eyes darkening.

“I’m only here to monitor you during your watch duty. You should probably get to work,” he murmured, looking away from me, his face shining with disinterest.

His words were like a stab in the chest.

I knew arguing with him would be pointless, so I decided to get to work on my watch duties. I had seen gammas do this before; they set themselves up high so they can get a good look at their surroundings.

The same tree Gavin was leaning against, I decided to climb to the top until I found a thick enough branch.

I remained perched on the branch, keeping my eyes out on my surroundings area, wondering where everyone else was stationed. I wasn’t really expecting anything to happen here tonight, but I was determined to make sure I nailed this job.

We remained silent for several hours, the silence stretching out and consuming us. I stared down at him continuously throughout the night, and he remained quietly against the tree.

“I went to your room, you know,” I murmured, finally breaking the silence, unable to take the obvious tension any longer.

“I know,” he replied. “Your scent was everywhere.”

“I thought you were going to show up…” I said softly, hating the vulnerability in my voice.

“I had somewhere to be,” he murmured, not bothering to look at me.

“You could have called me—”

“You shouldn’t talk during watch duties,” he said, his tone having a bite to it.

I frowned at his words; I couldn’t take it anymore. The mixed signals, his attitude towards me… I slipped out of the tree and landed on the ground in front of him, getting in his face so he could see how furious I was with him.

“Why are you being such a jerk?” I asked him. “Why did you drag me away from the group only to treat me like shit?”

His nostrils flared as he stared at me, and I knew better than to provoke a Lycan, but at this moment, all rationality went out the window.

“You were the one who wanted me to go to your room, and you were the one who stood me up. I deserve to know why.”

“Get back in the tree, Judy,” he said through his teeth, his tone low and cold.

“No,” I said defiantly. “Not until you give me a reason as to why you stood me up, Gavin. I waited for you, and you failed to show up—”

“Don’t test me right now,” he said, a growl coming out of his throat.

“You know what…” I said, stepping away from him. “Forget it. “I’m going to find Levi and ask to join his team.”

I turned and was about to walk away, but he grabbed my wrist and pulled me against the tree, pinning me between his body and the tree.

“You aren’t going anywhere with him,” he growled, his wolf flashing angrily. “Ever.”