Chapter 181

Gavin’s POV

“Tell me again why you dragged us to the gym so early in the morning?” Irene asked as she rested her head against the weight machine.

Matt was practicing his aiming at the archery station, and I was lifting weights, seated next to Irene.

“Family bonding,” I said with a grin. “You wanted to get your mind off your failed engagement, you can’t do that cooped up in the suite all day.”

She rolled her eyes in a typical Irene fashion.

“The sun isn’t even up yet,” she murmured. We already went out last night as a family. Do we really need to spend the morning together, too?”

“The last day of the competition is today so I won’t have a lot of time later,” I explained, grunting as I lifted the weight, my bicep bulging.

She sighed and continued to lift her dumbbell.

“So, how was your date with Daisy Baldwin?” Irene asked, smirking.

I froze for a moment and looked at her.

“It wasn’t a date,” I muttered.

Irene laughed and waved off my concern.

“I’m just kidding, Dad. Obviously, it wasn’t a date. I mean, you got back way too early last night. Like super early. We had time to not only go swimming, but also get ice-cream after you got back from dinner.”

It was true; it was only dinner. It took a little over an hour and then we returned to the hotel. I barely even said goodbye to her as I went to my suite and then took my kids out for some much-needed family time.

“So, did you tell Judy you went out with Daisy?” Irene suddenly asked.

I froze again and narrowed my eyes at her.

“Why would I need to tell Judy anything about who I went out with?” I asked, my tone coming out harsher than I intended.

She rolled her eyes again and put the weight down, turning to me, giving me her full attention.

“I’m not blind or stupid, Dad. Neither is Matt. We see the way you are with each other… the way you look at her. You like her way more than you are letting on. Something tells me if she finds out you went out with Daisy, she’s going to be upset…”

This was a conversation that I didn’t want to have with my daughter, but I knew her… she was stubborn like her mother always was and she wasn’t going to let me get out of this conversation.

“Judy is aware of the kind of relationship we have,” I told her.

“Is she?” Irene asked, raising her brows. “And what kind of relationship is that, Dad?”

“The kind that’s not your business,” I shot back. “Why the sudden concern for me and Judy?”

She shrugged casually.

“I don’t want to see either of you get hurt, that’s all. Honestly, Dad. If you have feelings for her, you should tell her. And don’t let her find out about your dinner date with Daisy from anyone else. If I know Auntie Daisy, I know she’ll try something to hurt Judy.”

My blood went cold at her words and Irene could see the realization dawning on my face because she gave me a satisfied smirk, having gotten through to me. I put the weight down and turned to look at her.

“Will you and Matt be okay here?” I asked. “I have somewhere to be.”

Irene nodded.

“We’ll be fine,” she assured me. “We will meet you in the arena later.”

I nodded and took off without another word.

…..

Judy’s POV

My first instinct was to go to the gym this morning, but I decided against it and started to just head towards the arena instead. Maybe I can catch wind on what this next part of the competition was.

Tabby and a few others were also in the arena when I arrived and she smiled when she saw me, however her smile faltered when she saw the distant look on my face. I’m sure my eyes were still red and puffy from spending the night crying as well.

She excused herself from the others and met me the rest of the way.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” she asked, assessing my face carefully.

I shook my head, not wanting to get into it.

“It’s nothing,” I murmur. “Any word on what the last competition is?”

“Chuck said it’s going to be a fight match,” she told me. “Accept this time, nothing is off limits.”

I nodded, already guessing as much.

“Same rules? Fight to the death unless the other person surrenders?”

She nodded.

“Are you going to be okay to compete? You kind of look unwell,” she pointed out, assessing my worn-out features, flushed cheeks, red nose, and puffy eyes.

“I’ll be fine,” I assured her. “I just didn’t get that much sleep last night, but it’s nothing to be concerned about. Maybe I’ll grab an energy drink from the vending machine,” I suggested.

She frowned as she watched me walk towards the training center; there were two vending machines right outside the door. One with healthy snacks, and the other with waters, Gatorades, and energy drinks.

“You know those aren’t good for you, right?” She asked, following after me. “Plus, you might crash out later.”

I went to grab my wallet from my bag to grab some singles, ignoring her warning. I grabbed a few dollars and chose the drink that didn’t sound awful. As soon as the can popped out, I opened it and took a sip, wincing at the taste.

She frowned at me and folded her arms across her chest.

“Seriously, what’s wrong with you?” She asked. “You seem off… not yourself. Are you focused because this part of the competition is crucial?”

“I’ll be ready,” I told her. “You don’t need to worry about me. Just worry about yourself.”

She went to open her mouth to speak again but closed it when she saw Gavin approaching. He walked with determination in his steps and my entire body froze at the sight of him. His shirt was off and the sweat on his muscly body indicated he either came from the gym, or he got another type of workout this morning. The thought turned my stomach.

I refused to break down in front of him though. I had to keep myself strong.

“Can we talk?” He asked, ignoring Tabby’s presence.

“I’ll see you in a bit,” Tabby murmured as she walked away.

I took another sip of my drink without meeting his eyes.

“Those aren’t good for you,” he said, narrowing his eyes. “You should drink water before the competition.”

“I’ll be fine,” I told him. “I don’t need you to be concerned about me too.”

“Hey, wait,” he said before I could turn around and walk away. “What’s wrong with you? Did you sleep last night?”

I pressed my lips in a thin line, not wanting to get into why I hadn’t slept. Clearly Daisy didn’t tell him about my visit last night or about how little talk.

“I slept fine,” I lied.

“Judy, look at me,” he demanded.

My traitorous body immediately met his eyes; I was convinced that he Alpha commanded me, making it impossible for me to resist. Upon seeing the look on my face and the pain in my eyes, his eyes darkened.

“What’s wrong?” His voice dropped to a mere whisper.

I pressed my lips in a thin line, refusing to cry in front of him.

“Why do you care?” I asked him.

Was about to turn away, but he grabbed my arm and pulled me through the training center doors; there weren’t many in the training center at this hour, and there were fewer watching eyes, so he’d be able to talk to me in private.

He pressed me against a wall, his body mere inches from mine.

“I’m not in the mood for your mind games, Judy. Tell me what the fuck is wrong before I compel you to tell me,” he growled, his wolf flashing through his eyes.

I stared at him in shock; he wouldn’t dare… would he?

“I know you were with Daisy last night,” I said, my tone filled with a vulnerability I hated that was leaking through.

His eyes flashed something that I didn’t recognize; my heart was in my throat, and I wanted to push off him and run for the hills, but I remained stagnant.

“My relationship with Daisy isn’t your concern,” he finally said, crushing my heart even further.

“We’ve been sleeping together; I thought I deserved to know if there was another woman involved,” I said through my teeth.

His eyes flashed dangerously.

“There isn’t—” he started to say, but he was soon interrupted by a familiar voice.

“Oh, Gavin. There you are,” Daisy said, approaching us, a frown marring her lips as she looked between Gavin and me. Her eyes darkened when she saw how close Gavin was to me and then she gazed flickered back to him. “I don’t mean to interrupt. I thought we could watch the finals together…”

He opened his mouth to speak, but I spoke first.

“You’re not interrupting,” I said quickly. “We were just finished here.”

I pushed him off and started towards the door, but just as I reached the door, I turned back to him, his eyes remained on mine, dark and trying hard to keep his control.

“I deserved to know the truth,” I whispered.

With that, I turned and walked out of the training center.