Chapter 249

Judy’s POV

“Alpha Levi, I wasn’t expecting a phone call from you today. What honor do I have for this?” I asked, trying to sound polite though my heart was beating heavily in my chest as I waited with bated breath for him to respond.

“I wanted to follow up with you about my offer. It’s been a little over a month since I last spoke to you, and I wanted to let you know that my offer still stands. My Elite Gamma Force in the Night Hawk pack is looking for a new recruit. The position is yours if you want it.”

My heart stopped in my chest at his offer. Things were happening so soon; I hadn’t even thought about which Elite Force I wanted to take part in. So much had happened since the competition that my mind was whirling. I wanted to finish up with college before I made any actual decisions, but college was wrapping up in the next couple of weeks, which meant I needed to start thinking about this soon.

“I haven’t really made any decisions yet,” I admitted, not really sure what more to offer him at this time. I was conflicted; I always thought I’d be a part of Gavin’s Elite Force in the Silver Crescent pack, but recent events proved that maybe that wasn’t such a good idea after all. “I’m still kind of thinking over my options.”

“I understand that,” Levi told me. “I had my Beta, Ron, email you with a benefits package along with a salary offer. Look it over and don’t hesitate to use this number to keep in touch with me. The second you give me your okay, everything will be taken care of, and I can get you on the next flight out here.”

“I’d still like to finish college before I join any forces,” I reminded him.

“Of course. From my understanding, you're graduating in a couple of weeks. Take this time to think it over and make a decision. I look forward to hearing from you.”

The line went dead before I could reply. I stared at my phone, dumbfounded. I couldn’t believe that just happened.

I swiped across the screen until I reached my email app. Sure enough, I saw Beta Ron’s name at the top of my email list. I clicked on the email and scrolled through it; my eyes growing wider with each new thing I read. The benefits were unbeatable; they were even offering to pay my housing and travel expenses. I wouldn’t have to pay or lift a finger to move from this region to that region. Not to mention the salary they were offering me made my mouth dry.

Now I was facing a dilemma.

Was this really an offer I was willing to pass up?

Was there anything here worth staying for?

“Hey,” I heard a voice from behind me. “Are you okay? You seem lost in thought.”

I turned to see Lukas frowning at me with a crease between his brows and a worried look on his face.

“Yeah,” I told him; I debated whether or not I should tell him about the phone conversation. “Just a strange phone call.”

“Who was it?” He asked.

“Alpha Levi Churchill,” I told him; his eyes grew wide at the name, recognition flashing in his gaze. “He’s offering me a position in the Night Hawk pack, as a member of the Elite Force.”

“That’s a huge honor, and I heard the pay for that force is incredible. Are you going to take him up on the offer?” Lukas asked, studying my face.

“I’m not sure,” I admitted. “I’m thinking about it, but it’s a big decision. Everyone I know is here, so leaving would be difficult.”

“Everyone you know is here, and they aren’t going anywhere, Judy. You can always come back to visit, but this is a huge opportunity that you’d be stupid to pass up,” he told me.

Before I could say anything, Beta Taylor’s car pulled in front of me; I almost forgot we were standing outside the school in the parking lot.

“I’ll think more about it,” I told him. “I have until graduation to make a decision.”

With a final goodbye, I slid into the backseat of Taylor's car. Lukas waved and then turned to walk towards his own car. He’s offered me a ride home a few times, but I decline his offer each time.

“Was that Lukas Merriweather?” Taylor asked, his eyes following Lukas as he disappeared into his car across the parking lot.

“Yeah,” I told him.

Taylor was quiet for a moment, and I could tell he was thinking intently about something, his jaw ticking slightly.

“What?” I asked. “Is there an issue?” There was a bite to my question that even I heard.

He shook his head like he was shaking the thought out of his mind. He put the car in drive and pulled away from the campus.

“Just didn’t know you two were still friends,” he replied simply.

“I mean, does it really matter?” I asked, raising my brows. “It’s not like Gavin cares anymore. Once I made it clear that there was no Gavin and me anymore and that Gavin had his eyes set on someone else, Lukas finally started to give me the time of day again. I’m not letting him ruin my friendship again.”

Taylor didn’t say anything, he just nodded slowly.

The rest of the ride was quiet and a bit awkward. Later that night, as I was getting ready for bed, my phone started to ring. I frowned at yet another unknown number. I mentally prepared myself for what this phone call was about to entail.

Nothing could have prepared me for it.

….

Gavin’s POV

“What the fuck do you mean she’s hanging out with Lukas Merriweather again??” I asked, my eyes pouring into Taylor's as he stood in front of my desk in my villa office. “I made sure that jerk stayed away from her.”

“Yeah, that was before Rachel returned and you dropped Judy like old meat,” Taylor said, folding his arms across his chest. “She doesn’t think you care anymore, so they became friends again. She’s been staying pretty late after school hours this past week, studying for finals. I think they’ve been studying together. I see his car in the lot often.”

I clenched my fists, my growing aggravation mixed with something else bubbled in the pit of my stomach.

But I also knew Taylor was right; the fact that I had consumed all my time lately with Rachel, trying to regain the friendship that I had lost over the years, meant my attention to Judy had dwindled. I couldn’t remember the last time I saw her… held her… tasted her.

My wolf was growing more aggravated by the second, not having her near was messing with him in a way that I couldn’t describe or begin to understand.

It pissed me off that as of right now, I don’t have a right to tell Lukas to stay away from Judy.

“Don’t forget, you have the meeting tonight at the Grand Casino Hotel,” Taylor reminded me, glancing at his watch. “It’s in a few hours, so you should be more focused on that.”

This meeting was an important business deal that could enhance my company. It’s been planned out to a T these last few months, and it all boiled down to this moment. I was initially going to take Judy as my plus one, but with Rachel back, I felt it was only right to take her instead.

As the evening neared and I finished putting my tie on for the evening, I felt a presence behind me. I turned to see Rachel standing before me, wearing a shimmering red dress, her dark curls crowning her face, and her large eyes peeking up at me through her lashes.

She was gorgeous, I’ll give her that, though my body didn’t have the same reaction to her as it once did. My wolf was still unconvinced of her, which wasn’t surprising.

“You look lovely,” I told her.

The corners of her lips tipped up into a smile.

“Not so bad yourself,” she said, looking me up and down, almost suggestively.

These last few weeks have been odd, to say the least. She’s been living in the guest bedroom, and we’ve pretty much been playing house. We have dinner together and talk about our days. She’s been helping out with pack matters and keeping herself busy while I’m working, and then in the evening, after dinner, we sit and talk about old times. We catch up on all that has happened since we last saw one another.

Our friendship had always been easy; conversation flows smoothly, and I find our old rhythm comfortable.

I’ve appointed Taylor to pick Judy up from school and bring her home daily, mainly so I can keep track of her and make sure she’s still doing well. Taylor provides me with daily updates, and that’s enough to keep my mind focused on the time being.

The look on her face when she first met Rachel and the pain in her eyes was something I couldn’t unsee. I never meant to hurt her; I didn’t want to keep things from her, but I wasn’t sure how to tell her any of this.

“Are you ready to go?” Rachel asked, bringing me out of my thoughts. “We are going to be late, and I really need a drink,” she teased.

I nodded and offered her my arm.

“Yeah, let’s go,” I said, the smile on my face feeling tighter than usual.

My driver, Leroy, drove us to the hotel; it was in human territory, which meant we needed to be careful here. Most of the staff and even the guests were human, though wolves were also known for coming here as well. It was a famous casino after all.

I had a designated suite on the top floor, but I’ve only used it a handful of times, and I certainly wasn’t planning on using it tonight.

“Alpha Landry,” one of the shareholders, Ryan Goldstein, said as we entered the restaurant inside the casino. We shook hands before he led me to the table where the others were waiting. “This is the one I’ve been telling you about. His business is going to soar with what we have planned,” Ryan told the others as he took his seat, motioning for our chairs. “This is Alpha Gavin Landry and his Luna… sorry, I didn’t get your name.”

My mouth went dry.

Did he just say Luna?

I opened my mouth to correct him, but Rachel’s words stopped me.

“Rachel Etmen,” she said, a glint in her eyes as she reached over and put her hand on top of mine, making my entire body freeze. “And it’s such an honor to meet you, gentlemen.”