Chapter 230

Judy’s POV

I stared at Gavin in shock; he wasn’t smiling or laughing… he wasn’t joking. The baby in Irene’s arms belonged to Ethan. But it definitely wasn’t Irene’s baby. I turned to her as her eyes found mine, and I could see the conflict in her own eyes. She had been crying before we arrived; I could tell before there were still traces of her dried tears on her cheeks and her eyes were a bit bloodshot.

“How did you end up with Ethan’s baby?” I found myself asking. “When did he even have a baby? Why am I just learning about this now??”

“Her name was Stella…” Irene murmured. “I found out he’s been seeing her behind my back, along with some others.”

“And was pregnant?” I asked, raising my brows.

“Yes,” Irene whispered. “I caught her outside of Ethan’s house. She was already pregnant when I met her a couple of months ago. I… uh… might have given her money to leave and never return.”

“How much money did you give her?” Gavin asked, his irritation clear on his face and in his voice.

Irene’s face flushed red as she nibbled her lower lip.

“Almost a million...” she admitted, making me gasp. “I wanted to give her enough to start a new life. But apparently, she didn’t leave right away, and Ethan found out about her pregnancy. He threatened her… he wanted her to abort the baby and told her that he would kill them both himself if she didn’t comply.”

My wolf whimpered at the idea of her mate being that cruel to another woman, especially one he got pregnant. I couldn’t take my eyes off the baby that Irene was holding; that was my mate’s baby.

Why does she trust you if you gave her money to leave and not return?” Gavin asked, his tone gruffer than usual.

“I don’t know why she trusts me… maybe because I come from the Landry family, and we are the most prestigious family in the world?” She said, glancing up at her father. “All I know is that Ethan can never find out that Emalyn is his daughter. She’s only an innocent baby, and she doesn’t deserve that monster to be her father.”

“We can agree on that,” I murmur, folding my arms across my chest.

“I’m not really sure what to do, Dad…” she whispered, tears filling her eyes.

Gavin pulled out his phone and swiped along the screen a few times. After a minute, he put the phone to his cheek.

“I need you to come to the villa,” Gavin said into the phone. “Yes, right now.”

He hung up the phone and then turned to Irene.

“Stay in here with the baby for a bit. I’ll be back,” he told her.

She sniffled, but nodded, holding the baby tighter.

Gavin turned to me, his expression softening as he placed his hands on my shoulders, his thumbs lazily tracing the nape of my neck as he held me in place.

“Stay with her while I make arrangements,” he said in a low tone, for my ears alone.

He didn’t have to tell me twice; I nodded without hesitation.

Irene let out a sob as soon as her father was gone.

I went to her and sat beside her on the couch. The little baby girl was so adorable that it tugged at my heart. I couldn’t believe Ethan had a baby with another woman.

“It doesn’t feel real,” she whispered, breaking through the silence that consumed us. “I mean… this is Ethan’s baby.”

“He can’t know about her,” I whispered. “I don’t trust him enough to know about her. You know what he’s capable of…”

“I know,” Irene said, silencing my flow of words. “He will never know that this is his daughter. I will fight to protect her if needed.”

“Your dad will know what to do,” I said, leaning back on the couch, letting out a sigh. “And you aren’t alone in this. I’m here too. I’ll help you however I can.”

“Do you think you can hold the baby for a second?” Irene asked, tears filling her eyes. “I need some air…”

I nodded and took the small baby from her, placing her in my arms. I watched as Irene left the parlor, leaving me alone. I stared down at the baby who had Ethan’s nose and ears; her little lips parted slightly as she took steady breaths. Her eyes were closed as she slept. She was a beautiful little baby, and my heart swelled at the sight of her. It was a strange feeling I had, and my wolf felt a surge of protectiveness. This was our fated mate's baby… she wasn’t our baby… and yet my wolf felt the need to protect her.

A small whine came from the baby, and my heart lurched.

“Shh, it’s okay,” I said, bouncing the baby gently in my arms. I spotted the open backpack beside the couch and saw some much-needed supplies. They were untouched, so I assumed she hadn’t been fed yet.

Balancing the baby on my lap, I made her a bottle of formula. She wrapped her lips around the bottle and began to suck down the formula hungrily. A small smile tugged at the corner of my lips as I fed the baby.

I was so focused on feeding her that I didn’t notice Gavin leaning against the doorframe, watching me. There was a look I didn’t recognize in his eyes, almost a thoughtful expression. When our eyes met, it almost seemed to snap him back to the present moment.

“We're going to use the mansion to hide the baby,” he told me. “I think it’ll be best if Irene moves into the Villa with Emalyn. Right now, Taylor is heading here to take them there. There will be extra security in place around the mansion to keep them both safe. Plus, it’ll be good to get Irene out of the villa, so Matt’s wolf isn’t triggered, so it works out for the best.”

“What about Sammy?” I asked. “I thought I couldn’t go back to the mansion because we aren’t sure what she’s up to or who she’s working for.”

He nodded.

“Sammy will be relocated. She’s coming here so I can keep a better eye on her and find out for sure what she wants. I can’t have her walk around this pack freely if she is a spy, regardless of who she is working for. Having her on the other side of the pack in the northern mansion isn’t good enough. She needs to be at arm's length.”

I nodded, an unsettled feeling in the pit of my stomach.

“And what about me?” I asked the question weighing on my mind and heart.

A troubled look clouded his expression, making my heart sink. For a moment, he didn’t look at me. It seemed as if he was trying to look anywhere but at me.

“You’ll move back in with your parents for the time being. At least there you’ll be safe…”

My heart broke a little; he wanted me to move out…

“Is that what you want?” I asked, my voice coming out softer than intended.

He was hesitant, but then he nodded.

“Yes,” he replied after a beat of silence. “And until we get everything sorted… It’s best if you don’t come here.”

…..

Third Person POV

Nan and Chester were in the middle of an argument in the kitchen of the mansion. Nan had her arms wrapped around her body like she was holding herself together; she was desperate to keep from crying in front of him.

She caught him flirting with one of the kitchen maids.

“Nothing happened, Nan,” Cheser told her, his voice pained. There was a dull ache in his chest at the sight of his mate hurting and his wolf was pissed at him for causing her this pain. “I wouldn’t do that… not to you. I was only joking with her, and it was in passing. You just walked in a he wrong moment.”

“I walked in at the right moment…” Nan shot back. “She touched her chest and told you that you were looking extra fit today, and then you replied by flexing your arms and telling her that her petite frame would never be able to handle you,” she recalled as tears filled her eyes. “Then she told you that she wants to test that theory, and you only laughed, Chester. You didn’t decline her…”

“You didn’t give me a chance. That was when you walked in,” Chester told her. “Baby, I wouldn’t cheat on you. You’re my mate.”

She opened her mouth to say something else, but Sammy walked in at that moment. She had a suitcase in her hand.

Nan frowned.

“Going somewhere?”

“Yeah, I’m moving into the Landry Villa. I’m not entirely sure why, but I’m sure they’ll tell me once I’m there. He said something about Irene moving in,” Sammy explained.

Nan raised her brows; she would have to ask Judy what was going on later, but she needed to sort through this thing with Chester.

Sammy hugged Nan.

“I’ll see you later, though,” she told Nan.

After she said her goodbyes, she grabbed her bags and again retreated from the kitchen, leaving Nan and Chester alone in awkward silence. Cheser wasn’t sure what to say to make things better, but he knew he needed to reassure her that he belonged to her and the words he exchanged with that maid were just that... words. They were meaningless, and he was just about to decline her offer when Nan burst through the door in hysterics.

The maid took off after Nan walked in, and Chester was left speechless. Though, his wolf liked the fact that Nan was protective over him… but still, Chester felt like a piece of shit for making his mate feel like this.

He opened his mouth to say something, anything, but the sound of a phone ringing stopped him.

Nan frowned as she spotted the phone on the counter, her brows furrowed.

“Is that your phone?” She asked.

Chester shook his head.

“No, it must be Sammy’s.”

Nan grabbed the phone and was about to run it out to Sammy, but something on the screen made her freeze. Chester watched her warily.

“What is it?” He asked.

She looked up at Chester and turned the phone screen to face Chester so he could see.

“It’s Alpha Lycan Levi…” she said, her brows furrowed as the picture of Alpha Levi was shown on the screen. “Her contact for him is Dad…”