Chapter 24

Judy’s POV

There was clear sadness in my father’s eyes as he watched me plead for my mother. I knew it was breaking his heart that he couldn’t be there with her to hold and comfort her. He used to tell me stories about the first time he ever saw her and how in love he was. He knew right away that she was his fated mate even before his wolf told him. There wasn’t a day that went by that I didn’t feel the love that they had for one another.

He lifted his arms to show me the silver cuffs around his wrists and I grimaced, seeing the burn marks the silver had left on him. Silver was dangerous against werewolves and blocked the wolves from the humans.

“I’ve been blocked from your mother, so I can’t feel her,” my father told me sadly. “Mates aren’t meant to be apart like this, so her wolf is probably in agony, taking your mother with her. I wish there was something I could do, but there isn’t. Not while I’m in here at least. The most you can do right now is to be there for her and remind her that you love her.”

I nodded as tears filled my eyes.

I didn’t want to tell him that every time I tried to speak to my mother the only thing, she wanted to talk about was Ethan and how I was disrespectful towards him. I didn’t want to tell him that my fated mate is engaged to be married to another woman and in order for him to help our family, I need to be his mistress and drop out of school.

My stomach twisted at the very thought.

My father was going through enough as it was and didn’t need this type of drama in his life as well.

“I love you, Dad,” I settled on, giving him a sad smile. “And I miss you every day.”

“I love you too, Judy,” he said in return.

He reached his hand over to touch mine which was resting on the table but the guard cleared his throat.

“No touching.”

My father sighed and leaned back in his seat.

“How have you been? How’s school going?” He asked.

I bit my lower lip; I wanted to tell him about my new job, I wanted to tell somebody. I needed someone to talk to. But I couldn’t because of that contract Gavin made me sign.

“School’s going great,” I told him. “I even got a tutoring job. It pays decent. I’m saving so I can get you out of prison.”

He gave me a sad smile and sighed.

“Don’t waste your money on me, Judy. Besides, I don’t think a tutoring job is going to be enough to pay the debt owed.”

I couldn’t tell him how much I was actually making at this job because then he would ask me more questions about it and I couldn’t answer any of his possible questions.

“Time is up,” the guard said, interrupting my thoughts.

“Tell your mother that I love her very much and that I will see her soon,” my father said, as he stood to his feet. “I’m sorry I couldn’t be more helpful.”

Tears spilled down my cheeks and I wiped them away with the back of my hand.

“I will,” I assured her. “Take care of yourself.”

He nodded, giving me another sad smile before the guard dragged him away. Another guard appeared in the room moments later to escort me to the front of the building where the entrance was. I thanked him for allowing me to see my father, but he barely even spared me a look.

I sighed and walked the rest of the way outside, freezing when I saw a familiar face staring at me from the bottom of the steps near a pink Porche 718 Boxster. I didn’t know much about cars, but I knew that was the newest model. I wasn’t surprised to see that there was also a custom license plate that read: Irene.

“Hey,” Irene said as I reached the bottom step. “Do you like it? I just picked it up at the dealership a couple of hours ago.”

“It’s beautiful,” I told her honestly. “What are you still doing here?”

I figured she would have left by now, so I was surprised she was waiting for me when I finished speaking with my father.

She shrugged casually.

“You have tutoring today, right?” She asked.

I nodded in response.

“Let me give you a ride,” she told me, motioning for the car. “It’ll give us a chance to get to know one another better.”

I frowned at that idea; the thought of getting to know the woman my mate was marrying, left an unsettled feeling in the middle of my stomach. But I could also tell that there was very little I could say to get me out of this situation. Besides, I really didn’t want to spend the money on an Uber if I didn’t have to.

“That would be nice,” I told her, giving her a small smile. “Thank you, Irene.”

She nodded and ran around to the driver’s side, pulling the door open. I pulled open the passenger door and slid into the car. Even her seats had custom covers. It was a gorgeous car and it screamed Irene in every way possible. I had no doubt in my mind that Gavin was the one who bought her this car.

She put her seatbelt on, and I did the same. Then, she put the car in drive and drove off toward Gavin’s Villa.

“I’m sorry if my brother is too much,” she said after a beat of silence. “He’s chased off every tutor he’s ever had. I’m not sure what’s wrong with that boy.”

“He seems great to me,” I told her honestly. “I honestly think he just craves attention and will get it any way that he can. With Gavin being a busy Lycan chairman and Alpha of his own pack, and you being… engaged… I think he feels a bit lonely.”

I stumbled when I said the word “engaged”, it was weird talking to Irene about this, but she didn’t seem to notice my hesitation.

“I suppose I have been preoccupied with this wedding,” she sighed. “I just love Ethan so much that spending any time away from him is upsetting to both me and my wolf.”

I blanched at her words; I definitely did not want to talk about this with her. But then something she said caught my attention.

“Your wolf?” I asked her.

She let out a small laugh.

“Yeah; don’t get me wrong, we both know that Ethan is not our fated mate, but he’s been so sweet and tentative towards us since the day we met that it doesn’t even matter. My wolf claimed him as ours and I would have to agree with her.”

I felt sick to my stomach hearing her confession. I stared at my hands, not sure what to say. She seemed to have sensed this because she glanced at me as we stopped at a traffic light.

“Have you ever been in love?”

I was startled by her question and when I looked up at her, I saw her watching me with a small frown on her lips and curiosity on her face. I didn’t want to lie to her, but I couldn’t tell her the whole truth either. If I did, it would make this weird, hurt her, and it would ruin my chances at this job.

“I thought so,” I admitted. “But he didn’t love me in the same way.”

I could see a flash of sadness in her eyes. The honk coming from the car behind us alerted Irene that the light was now green. She pressed the gas, and we continued towards the Villa; I could see it in the distance. It was large and gorgeous. We neared the pack borders, and the Silver Cresent pack guards didn’t bother stopping us, recognizing Irene’s signature car. They bowed their heads at her and she gave them a polite smile as she drove past them and onto Gavin’s parklands.

“He’s an idiot for not loving you,” Irene told me after a beat of silence. “You seem like a great girl and any guy would be lucky to have you.”

I didn’t respond to her kind words; I stared out the window and watched the buildings and trees pass by. It didn’t take long to reach the villa. Irene parked the car and we both got out.

“Thank you for the ride, Irene,” I told her. “I won’t keep you, though. I’m sure you have more wedding planning.

She nodded, looking thoughtful.

“I have so much to do. But Ethan has a meeting today, so I’ve been left kind of alone,” she said, giving me a sad smile. “But I know you are busy, so do your thing. Maybe we can talk more later?”

I nodded, not sure what more to say. I turned and walked into the Villa.

“Good evening,” Adam said as I passed him at the front entrance. I gave him a look, which I knew wasn’t very welcoming. I thought Adam and I could be friends when I first started, but after that stunt, he pulled when he tried to get me fired, I wasn’t sure if I could actually trust him or not. We haven’t spoken since that incident; I’ve been making sure to keep a distance from him.

“Is Matt around?” I asked him.

“He’s out back, practicing his sparring,” he explained. “He’s nervous about his combat class next week. He has a test.”

Matt mentioned the combat class to me briefly; apparently, they are making him pair up with someone bigger than him and he’s worried he’s going to make a fool out of himself.

I met up with Matt outside and together, we practiced his sparring. I taught him a few new moves that would help him with his test next week. Within the hour, he was performing exceptionally.

We practiced with swords mostly and he handled the weapon professionally.

“Try to de-sword me,” I told him. “Take it from my grip.”

He did exactly what I asked and before I knew what was happening, he used the new moves I taught him to loosen the sword from my grip until it clattered to the ground. He then had me exactly where he wanted me. He swung the sword in my direction, careful not to cut my skin, however, he overshot his judgment, and the point of the sword snagged my blouse.

The tearing sound made him freeze.