Chapter 170

Gavin’s POV

I snapped.

The second she mentioned Levi’s name and started to walk away, I fucking snapped.

I grabbed her and shoved her against the tree. Now, she was pressed against it, and my body was pinning her in place. Her eyes were wildly large as she stared at me, her breathing rapid like she was trying to keep herself under control. She had fight in her; she wasn’t afraid of me even though I was the most powerful Lycan Chairmen in the world.

There was a fire in her eyes that made my cock betray me and twitch in my pants.

Her anger made me want to fuck her right here in the forest.

I could hear the sounds of her rapid heartbeat, her body trembling. I wondered if it was out of anger or because of how close I was to her. I wondered if I had the same effect she was having on me right now.

I admit I had been an asshole to her today. But she needed that fire; she needed that fight to push her through this competition. Most importantly, I needed her to stay away from Levi; any time she was close to her, I couldn’t control myself.

The way he looked at her in the gym when I showed up was undeniable; he wanted to possess her. But there was no fucking way I would ever let that happen… Judy Montague was mine.

…Mine?

The thought slammed into me; it was like dumping cold water on my head.

She wasn’t mine. I didn’t possess her. She wasn’t my mate; she wasn’t my girlfriend. At least not technically. She was my son’s tutor… she was the woman I was fucking. We were scratching an itch and getting my family off my back, not to mention getting back at her ex. That’s all this was… convenience.

But she wasn’t mine.

I released her as if she had burned me, ignoring the growing desires bubbling in my chest from her nearness and the way her body felt pressed against mine.

Her breasts rose and fell as she breathed heavily, her exposed stomach smooth to the touch, begging me to touch her, but I stopped myself. I wasn’t going to fuck her while on watch duty. Though nothing was going to happen tonight when it came to enemy attacks because it rarely did here, I wouldn’t distract her or myself like that.

This job was important for her future, and it needed to be taken seriously.

I was acting like a teenager who couldn’t keep it in his pants. I was better than that; I was a goddamn Lycan, from crying out loud.

When I stepped away from her, I could see a flicker of disappointment in her eyes and the fight leaving her almost immediately, just as it left me. Her breathing began to slow, and her eyes followed me as I paced back and forth, running my fingers through my hair, trying to calm myself and my wolf down.

What the hell was wrong with me?

“You are such a coward,” she whispered.

It brought my attention back to her, and when I looked at her face, I saw tears in her eyes.

I didn’t say anything; instead, I watched as she climbed the tree effortlessly and retook her position on the top branch.

She refused to look at me for the rest of the night.

……

Judy’s POV

By the time the sun started to rise, I was barely able to keep my eyes open. I nearly fell out of the tree seconds before Gavin told me the shift was over and we could return to the resort. I was so relieved; I hadn’t slept in over 24 hours, and I was beyond exhaustion.

I just wanted to curl up in bed and sleep for an entire day; thankfully, they were giving us a break for today, so I could do just that.

“We should get back. I’ll write out your report and give it to the judges,” he murmurs as he starts to walk away.

I followed after him.

“That’s it? No feedback?”

“You didn’t do anything feedback-worthy.”

I was stunned by his words and completely infuriated.

“Are you kidding me?” I nearly shouted. “I stayed here all night and remained awake.”

“That’s the bare minimum,” he murmured without looking at me. “You want me to praise you for not falling asleep at your post? You should have gotten proper rest so it wouldn’t be an issue in the first place.”

I grabbed his arm, trying to stop him from walking away.

“I stayed awake because I was waiting for you!” It was half the truth; it was also because of the Nan situation, but he didn’t need to know that.

He whipped around to growl at me, and I quickly withdrew my hand as if he had just burned me.

“You shouldn’t let anyone, not even me, keep you from performing well,” he said through his teeth. “You not sleeping is on you, not me. Don’t put that on me.”

He turned and started to walk again; my heart cracked hearing his words.

I didn’t bother going back to the gym where most were gathering.

Instead, I started to head towards the suite. I just needed to get some sleep and clear my head. I’ve had enough bullshit for a little while.

As I reached the elevator, I ran into Sammy, who smiled pleasantly at me.

“Hey, how was watch duty?” She asked as I waited for the elevator doors to open.

“Exhausting,” I admitted. “I spent the whole night with Gavin.” The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them, but I was too tired to take them back and rephrase what I meant, so I just left them in the air.

She can think whatever she wants. It didn’t really matter anymore, anyway.

She frowned and tilted her head at my words.

“Oh,” she breathed. “He was the Lycan on your watch last night?”

I nodded.

“Yeah, why?” I asked, noticing the strange look she was giving me.

She shrugged.

“I thought he was in his room all night,” she told me, but then she shook her head as if she was shaking away the thought.

“I guess I was wrong,” she murmured before she turned away and started to leave.

Ignoring the fact that the elevator door had just opened, I went after her, my brain unable to drop this conversation.

“What are you talking about? What made you think that?” I asked her.

She paused and then looked up at me.

“I guess it doesn’t really matter if I tell you; he’s just your Alpha, right?” She said, giving me a slight laugh. “I saw a gorgeous blond going into his room last night. I thought he was in there… you know?”

My heart sank into the pit of my stomach at her words. A pretty blonde went into his hotel suite last night? It had to have been after I left his room because I didn’t smell the presence of another female.

Did he seriously meet up with another woman last night and then bring her back to his room?

Was that why he stood me up?

“Are you sure it was his room?” I asked; my stomach was in complete knots.

“Room 609, right?” She asked. “My boyfriend's room is nearby, so I was walking by when I saw her. I’ve seen him leave that room before, so unless that’s her room…”

“No, that’s his,” I said a little too sharply.

I didn’t bother explaining how I knew that with such certainty, the look on her face showed that she understood.

“Maybe it’s nothing?” She said thoughtfully.

I nodded, hating that tears were threatening to spill out of my eyes.

“Thank you for telling me, Sammy. You’re a good friend,” I told her as I headed back to the elevator.

“Are you upset/?” She asked, calling after me.

I didn’t bother replying; I stepped into the elevator and allowed it to take me to my floor. The second the elevator shut, the tears slipped out of my eyes and down my cheeks.

I quickly wiped them away, feeling anger bubbling inside of me.

I was so stupid to think that I was the only one that Gavin Landry had been with. I mean, he was a Lycan Chairman and the most powerful man in the entire world, there was no way he would settle for only me. Of course, he had other suitors.

I felt sick at the very thought as bile rose in my throat.

I stepped out of the elevator and started towards my room. Exhaustion was taking over almost completely as I walked the long hallway. My heart pounded in my chest as I started to pass by Gavin’s room.

I froze momentarily, staring at his closed door.

It was still early, so if there was a woman in there, she would most likely be sleeping. Gavin wasn’t back yet because he was meeting with the other Lycans and judges in the gym right now.

I could catch this woman and find out for sure who she was and what her relationship with him was.

That was such a dumb idea for many reasons; I mean, if she’s in his suite, their relationship is obvious. Not to mention, if Gavin found out, he’d most likely fire me, and I’d never get my father out of prison.

My father was the reason I’m here. If I can become a gamma warrior, part of the elite group, I could pay for his debt and get him out of prison sooner rather than later. My family would be whole again.

I shouldn’t get distracted over a guy.

I started to walk past the room, but my body was conflicted, not wanting to move much further.

I stared at the door again, nibbling on my lower lip.

She’ll be sleeping; I just wanted to get a glimpse of her. That was all I needed; I just wanted to see her.

My decision made up, I grabbed the room key from my pocket and walked over to the door. My heart was in my heart as I swiped the card on the door, and the green light lit to life, indicating that the door was now unlocked. With a deep breath, I turned the knob and opened the door, peeking my head into the large suite.

I frowned as I glanced around the suite like I was afraid of what I was going to see. One thing was for sure: a woman was definitely here; this place reeked of another woman.

As I stepped further into the suite and looked more around, my heart sank when I saw a bra on the ground… a bra that didn’t belong to me.

She’s leaving her undergarments here, marking her territory. It felt like I was completely frozen. There was nobody in the bed where the bra was lying next to, but the bed was unmade, which wasn’t like Gavin at all. Which meant someone else had slept in it.

Light snoring brought my attention to the pullout couch in the living room area. My heart sank when I saw there was a figure in the bed.

The blanket was pulled over their head, so I couldn’t see who it was. I walked towards the couch, ready to rip the covers off their head so I could see for myself who it was.

Just as I grabbed the corner of the blanket, about to pull it back, the bathroom door opened, and I heard a deep, loud gasp.

My eyes shot upward at the person standing in the darkness across the suite, their silhouette standing completely still for a moment. My eyes stayed glued to them, and I was aware I was barely breathing.

The figure let out a breath, and I knew from the exasperated sound that it was a female. Did he have two women in here?

What was wrong with him?

The figure started to walk towards me, her movements filled with purpose, and I stood, bracing myself for something anything.

Then, she came into the light.