Chapter 241

Judy’s POV

I watched Gavin’s face go pale as he clutched the phone tightly. His eyes met mine, and I could see the turmoil, confusion, and something else lingering in them. My heart squeezed at the sight of him like this.

After a long beat of silence, he finally cleared his throat.

“Can you have Gamma Erik come to the Carter Resort?” He asked into the phone. “I’ll be there shortly.”

After another stretch of silence, he hung up, his eyes never leaving mine.

“I need to leave,” he announced, his tone sounding almost distant now as he scooted his chair away from the table and stood. I watched him, confused. We were in the middle of a date; what did he mean that he had to leave? “Please, enjoy he rest of dinner. Nan will put the bill on my tab. Erik will be here shortly to pick you up and bring you home.”

“Is everything okay?” I asked him, but I could barely get the question out before he turned and walked through the restaurant.

I stared at his retreating back until he was completely gone; my mind in a whirlwind of thoughts and my heart pounding unsteadily against my chest.

He just ditched me on our date…

“What happened?” Nan asked, stepping beside me.

“I’m not sure,” I said softly, my eyes fixed on the closed door. “He left…”

“What?” She asked, her eyes wide as she stared at his hardly touched food. “Why?”

“He got a phone call and then he just… left,” I told her, my voice sounding unfamiliar and hollow as I spoke. I was so unbelievably confused by what just happened. I couldn’t believe he just left me like this.

Who was on the other end of the phone? Was it Beta Taylor? Would he tell me what was going on?

“He barely ate,” Nan frowned. “Should I box it up?”

I shook my head.

“He never takes leftovers,” I whisper, feeling tears prick the corner of my eyes.

She shrugged and sat down in his place.

“Guess now is a good time to take my break then,” she teased as she started to nibble on his food. “I’m sure it’s nothing. Don’t worry too much about it, Judy.”

“He has never left me like this before,” I whisper. “What if it’s something important…”

“Then it’s his problem and I’m sure he’ll explain himself later,” she told me, giving me a small smile. “Don’t worry too much about it.”

Despite her words, I still worried deeply about it.

As promised, Erik came and picked me up. He brought me back home to my parents' house. My mom hugged me when she saw me, and my father apologized for his behavior over the last day or so. We hadn’t spoken since I yelled at them and stormed out, but it seemed we all reflected on it and felt equally guilty. I didn’t want to remain mad at them, and they didn’t want to be those overbearing and controlling parents, especially because I am an adult.

The next several days mixed together in a blur; the weekend came and went, and I still hadn’t heard a word from Gavin. Now it was Monday and Erik came to pick me up for school, Nan was with him because she spent the night with Cheser at the mansion and hitched a ride.

School was busy with students cramming for the upcoming exams. Everybody was worried about their final grades; this would make or break my future. We were preparing for graduation and these final exams determined whether or not we get a degree or not. I was beyond nervous and stressing… I wished I could talk to Gavin, but he hadn’t returned any of my texts.

I did try calling him last night after not hearing from him for a couple of days, but his phone appeared to be off, which was strange because he never turned that thing off. His phone was a part of who he was, and when it was off, it meant something serious was happening.

I sat in the student lounge with a mound of books, trying to cram as much as I could. Nan sat beside me, also cramming for her upcoming exams.

Lukas walks by and when his eyes find mine, he quickly averts his attention and starts towards the exit. I pressed my lips together and stood up, chasing after him.

“Lukas, hold on a second,” I said, grabbing his arm to stop him. “Can you at least talk to me?”

“I can’t, Judy… I’m sorry,” he said, still keeping his eyes averted. “My parents should have sent you the last of the payment already for your services.”

“It’s not about the money<” I said, folding my arms across my chest. “It’s about our friendship. I thought we were becoming friends…”

“We were…” he admitted. “Until Gavin Landry got to me. We can’t be friends, Judy. I’m sorry, but I have a scholarship to maintain. I still have another year of school before I can officially graduate, and I can’t fuck it up now.”

“It’s not fair that you are letting him dictate your lie like that. How can you scare so easily, having Lycan blood?” I asked him, narrowing my eyes.

“It’s because I have Lycan blood that makes it scary. I was on another Lycan’s territory. There are laws…”

“It’s my fault for not telling you in the first place,” I told him, guilt washing over me. “I will take he hit for that. If I need to speak to your uncle—”

“No,” he said quickly. “It’s not that simple. I should have been able to detect that it was his territory. It’s not your fault, so please don’t say anything to my uncle. It would only make things worse.”

“It’s not fair that we can’t be friends,” I told him.

He was chewing on the corner of his lip for a moment, his eyes downcast.

“Maybe if you weren’t sleeping with him,” he murmured.

My cheeks flushed at the accusation, though I knew he was right. It was because I was sleeping with Gavin that made him so possessive over my male friendships. All Alphas were possessive like that, but Gavin was extra possessive. At least he was… now it seemed like he won’t talk to me, and I hated feeling ignored.

Lukas finally glanced at my face and noticed the sorrowful expression… he also noticed slight unease and sadness were lingering in my gaze, and he misinterpreted it as him going too far.

“I’m sorry,” He said softly. “I didn’t mean it like that. I just wish things could have been different.”

Without another word, he turned and left, leaving me alone with my thoughts and aching heart. I wish things could have been different, too.

Gavin usually picked me up from school on the nights that I had to tutor Matt, but instead of it being Gavin, I was surprised to see Beta Taylor.

Matt was also in the backseat of the car with his backpack pressed against his chest. He gave me a small smile as I slid into the seat.

“Hi,” I said to him, and then turned to Taylor, who was watching me with a wary expression. “I wasn’t expecting this.”

He nodded.

“I was told to bring you home. Master Matthew will be joining you at your family home for tonight's tutoring session.”

My heart sank.

“Am I not allowed at the Villa?” I asked him, daring myself to get answers.

He was quiet for a moment as he put the car in the drive and drove away from the school. I could tell he was trying to figure out how to tell me something, and my heart hammered against my chest until he spoke again.

“It’s just better this way,” he finally murmured.

I wasn’t sure what that meant, and I wanted to press the issue even further, but something about his expression silenced me.

Matt was oddly quiet as well, which was unusual. He’s usually talking my ear off by now, but the drive to my home was eerily quiet, and I didn’t like it.

After Taylor dropped us off, promising to pick Matt up in a couple of hours, Matt and I went into the living room of my home. My parents weren’t home, so it made for a quiet session.

“Judy, can I ask you something?” Matt finally asked, breaking through the silent tension.

“Of course,” I told him, wondering what it was he had to ask.

“Do you still kike my dad?”

I frowned at his question, not sure where it was coming from.

“I’m not sure what you mean?” I told him honestly, keeping my eyes on his face.

He wasn’t looking at me, which gave me a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. He nibbled on his lower lip for a long while, trying to rephrase his question.

“Are you still… uh… friends?” He asked.

I raised my brows, not sure how to answer his question.

“Yeah,” I told him. “We are…” After another beat of silence, I asked, “Why do you ask, Matt?”

He blushed, which was unusual, and then he just shrugged.

“I might be almost 8… but I thought I had good perception,” he admitted. “But I think I was wrong about something.”

Before I could ask what he was talking about, Beta Taylor returned to pick him up. Matt hugged me, lingering a bit longer than usual, like he was afraid I’d disappear if he let go.

“I’ll see you later, Judy,” he said softly before he turned and left with Taylor.

I knew now more than ever that something weird was going on… and I had a feeling it involved Gavin.