Chapter 220

Gavin’s POV

My mother had crossed a line tonight. I knew tonight’s dinner was going to end up disastrous, but I had no idea she would end up attacking Judy so boldly like that. I was angry and replaying the evening in my head as I drove Judy home. I was well aware of how awkward the silence was that stretched between us.

When I looked over at her I could see she was lost in her own thoughts, probably thinking about all the questions my mother had asked her. I clenched my fists around the steering wheel, feeling a heavy weight on my shoulders. I fixed my attention back on the road, anger rolling off me in waves.

My mother had never pissed me and my wolf off like that but for some reason, I nearly lost control of him tonight. I had to get out of there before my wolf forgot that she was our mother and did something we’d regret.

I couldn’t take the silence for much longer. I didn’t want Judy to think the absolute worst after such a disastrous dinner.

So, I uttered words that made me seem weak and vulnerable.

“I’m sorry…”

The words came out as nothing more than a whisper; they were barely audible even to my own Lycan ears.

Judy pulled her gaze away from the window to look at me.

“What?” She asked.

I was quiet for a moment, debating whether or not I should repeat myself or not. I eventually sighed, giving in.

“I said I’m sorry,” I said a bit louder. “My mother was out of line. You didn’t deserve that. I wouldn’t have brought you if I knew what she was planning.”

She pressed her lips together and gave me a look I wasn’t quite prepared for.

“What did you think was going to happen, Gavin?” She asked, that fire returning to her eyes. “Your mother made it obvious from the moment I met her that she thought very little of me. She hates me and suddenly she wants to meet me for dinner. I knew this evening was going to be hell the second you mentioned going to dinner at her place.”

I knew she was right, which only made the guilt grow a bit more.

“I thought she would have been a bit more subtle,” I admitted. “I thought it would be manageable and tolerable until we had to leave. I didn’t think she’d be so blunt and nosy about your personal life. That’s never been her style. She’s more passive-aggressive than anything.”

She folded her arms across her chest and fixed her gaze back out the window.

“Well, I now know where I stand in her eyes,” she murmured.

I was quiet for a long while, trying to process her words as I thought about what my mother was saying. How Judy wasn’t good enough.

“She was wrong,” I finally said after another long stretch of silence. “She doesn’t know what’s best for me and she doesn’t know you. So, don’t let her words get to you. She was wrong. You are plenty good enough.”

Her cheeks reddened at my words, and I had to fight the urge to smirk, knowing my words had reached her.

She looked as if she was about to say something, but she closed her mouth and relaxed in her seat. As the drive continued, the silence between us went from intense and awkward, to comfortable. I could feel that she was more at ease; it also helped that we were driving further away from my mother’s manor. The energy and vibe near that manor was all off and we could both feel it almost right away.

Truth be told, I was glad to be leaving too.

“So, Matt’s mom wants to see him?” Judy asked suddenly.

I tensed at her question. It wasn’t something I wanted to talk about, but I knew she wasn’t going to stop until I gave the answers that satisfied her. I tried hard to forget about Cassandra, my sister. She was a mess for a long time; she was the outcast of the family and destroyed her own life, nearly taking Matt with her. I will never forget the day that I found Matthew in his soiled clothes, bruises covering his small body, and she was passed out on the ground.

I felt sick to my stomach at the memory and swallowed the bile that threatened my throat.

“Gavin?” Judy asked when I hadn’t said anything.

I sighed; I could lie to her or deflect the question… but cared about Matt. She should know the truth so she can help me protect him when I’m not around him.

“Yes,” I replied. “Cassie wants to see her son and I won't let that happen.”

Judy nodded as her mind raced, probably thinking about what Cassie had done to make herself unworthy of seeing her son.

“There were a ton of rumors about the female Landry,” Judy said softly. “But nobody really knows what happened to her.”

I nodded.

“For a reason, I murmured. “It didn’t benefit the Landry brand; I had to erase all signs of her,” he explained.

Judy’s eyes seemed to have lit up, like she was expecting something juicy to happen and now her interest was even more piqued.

I sighed, knowing I wasn’t going to get out of telling her the rest of the story.

“She ran with a bad crowd of rogue wolves when we were growing up,” I admitted, ignoring Judy’s gasp. “She was always like that… running with the wrong ones. They got her into drugs and other terrible things like stealing and spreading pack secrets to our enemies. She was a traitor to our pack, which was what I’d been trying to cover up. If they knew a traitor of the pack was still alive… it wouldn’t end well for any of us.”

Judy let out a shuddering breath as she stared at me. I pulled into the mansion driveway and parked out front. I didn’t turn off the engine though; we sat there in silence for a while.

“She jumped from one abusive relationship to the next,” I murmured. “I banished her and forced her to live as a rogue after I found out she betrayed not only the pack but the family as well. A few times my mother would take pity on her because she was still my mother’s little girl. She had my mother wrapped around her little manipulative finger. She didn’t die in rogue territory like most would because she fucked half the rogues around and because my mother continued to provide for her. She sent her money, clothes, and food… sometimes she would even sneak her into the pack and let her stay in the manor while I was away on trips. My mother babied her.”

Judy remained quiet as she processed each word I said to her.

“And then one day she came to me and before I could reprimand her for breaching the borders and entering a territory, she was banished from… she dropped a truth bomb that I wasn’t expecting.”

“She was pregnant,” Judy whispered, already guessing where the story was going.

I nodded.

“Yeah,” he murmured. “She was addicted to pretty hard drugs and an acholic at that time, so she looked like complete shit. The guy she was with was also a rogue and he was a complete jackass. He was abusive and known for his brutal attacks on innocent people. But she was carrying my nephew, an innocent baby and he was the father of this baby. So unbanished them and let them remain in the pack under the supervision of my mother, a few gammas, and some doctors. I needed her to get clean and for him to keep his hands off her during the pregnancy. I needed to ensure that the baby was safe. For a while, it worked. They kept their noses clean, and they got through the pregnancy. They relapsed a few times and because of that it was a difficult pregnancy and even worse birth. Matthew was in critical condition when he was born but thanks to my amazing pack doctors, he made a full recovery.”

Judy let out a breath she had been holding.

“But after he recovered and was able to return home with them, they took him and left…” I continued, remembering the panic I felt when I found out that Matthew was missing in their custody. “They were gone without a trace.”

Judy sucked in a sharp breath.

“They just left, and nobody knew where they had gone?” She asked, tears filling her eyes.

I nodded.

“Yeah,” I murmured. “We searched everywhere, but they were gone. There was a note saying not to look for them and that they didn’t need us anymore. I knew she was going to relapse again, and I certainly did not trust him… I worried for Matt.”

“I would too,” Judy whispered.

“I didn’t stop looking for him; that was my nephew…” I said softly. “I searched for over a year and eventually I found them in a rundown little apartment in a human territory. The entire place reeked, and Matthew was sobbing on the ground. Bruises all over his body… it was clear he was also drugged… only one year old,” I whispered as the memory became too much to bear.

She gasped.

“What?” She asked, her eyes wide with fear and pain.

“Yeah… there was no sign of him anywhere, but I knew he was the reason for the bruises on my sister and nephew. She was drugged up completely and nearly overdosed. I wasn’t sure how long they had been like that… but Matt was extremely malnourished and dehydrated on top of being drugged and beaten. I brought them both back to the pack. They both spent a long time in the hospital recovering and once Matthew was ready to be released, I took him home with me. She remained in the hospital for a while. Eventually, we moved her to the inpatient detox center; which doubles as a psych ward… she’s been there very since. I convinced her to sign over her rights as Matthew’s mother and then I adopted him.”

“And what about his father? That rogue? Is he still out there?”

He shook his head.

“A killed him a few years ago. He was spotted sniffing around. I wasn’t sure what he was after… whether it was her or their son… I didn’t care to find out. I killed him without question.”

Judy let out a breath.

“I had no idea any of that happened…” she whispered. “Now I understand why you don’t want her to have anything to do with Matthew…”

I nodded.

“Yeah,” I agreed. We remained silent for a while before she cleared her throat and took off her seatbelt.

“Thanks for tonight… standing up for me, it was nice of you,” she said softly. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She goes to leave but I grab her and pull her back to me. I kiss her deeply on the lips; she sighs against my mouth as she kisses me back. After a minute, I pull back.

“Good night,” I say to her.

Her cheeks are flushed, and her eyes are hooded with lust, but she nods and leaves the car.

I wait until she’s inside before I drive off.

I don’t drive home though; I continue driving until I’m outside of a familiar building. I turn off the engine and head inside. The bell chimes as I walk through the front door and over to the front receptionist's desk.

Catherine, the night receptionist, smiles at me.

“Good evening, Alpha. I’m surprised to see you here so late,” she said thoughtfully.

I took a deep breath, stealing my nerves.

“This couldn’t wait,” I told her. “I’m here to see my sister.”