Chapter 305

Judy’s POV

I stared down at Spencer’s dead body.

Gavin had left an hour ago, and a few minutes ago, the feeling in my body started to return. I was now fully sitting up, and my eyes immediately found Spencer lying on the ground in a pool of his own blood.

So, that’s what Gavin meant when he said Spencer had been taken care of. He killed him; despite everything, I couldn’t help but feel a bit sad over Spencer’s death. He was still my friend even if he did something terrible… I never really got a chance to find out the truth from him… I never got to question him and get the answers I so desperately needed.

But most importantly, I never got to say goodbye.

“How many died?” I finally asked after what felt like an eternity of silence.

Greggor was sitting in a chair on the other side of the room, scrolling through his phone absentmindedly.

“Most of the pack,” he said. “When I left, there were about 17 or so survivors, but a few of them were in critical condition. The pack medics are on the scene.”

“What about the rogues?” I asked. “Are there any more in the pack?”

He shook his head.

“Most are either dead or ran off,” he told me. “A lot of gammas are dead too, but none from the Silver Crescent pack.”

My chest ached.

“Marlo?” I asked.

“He’s in critical condition, but he’s alive, I think… which is something because the rest of his team, besides you, are all dead.”

“What?” I gasped, my heart shattering. “All of them?” We were the stronger of the teams that this pack had; how could they all be dead?

“They were the first to die, actually. When we patrolled the forest, we found their mangled bodies. Marlo was trying to get back to the pack; he was in pretty bad condition. We helped get him out of the forest, and by the time we returned to the pack, he was out cold. I haven’t seen him since, but I think he’s still alive.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat. I couldn’t fathom the thought that they were all dead.

“I need to get out of here,” I said as I started to get out of bed. My body still felt weak, but I was able to stand.

“No, I was told to keep you here until Gavin returns,” Greggor reminded me. “We can’t leave.”

“The pack needs us,” I told him. “Gavin might need us. What if something happened?” Anxiety bubbled inside of me, and my world whimpered at the thought of something happening to Gavin.

“The Alpha will deal with it. He told me not to let you leave this cabin, and I don’t intend to disappoint him,” he told me, folding his arms across his chest. “If I let you leave, he’ll kill me, and I’m not chancing that.”

He glanced at Spencer lying on the ground, and he shuddered. I knew he was right; Gavin would kill him if he disobeyed direct orders. It wasn’t fair of me to ask him to go against the Alpha like that.

“What about Alpha Levi?” I asked, changing the subject as I sat at the edge of the bed, trying to steady myself. “Has he made it to the pack yet?”

I knew that Alpha Levi barely ever came to this pack, but he did sometimes send his Beta Ron there for business on occasions. Besides that, though, it’s known that he does neglect that pack, and I’m still unsure as to why.

“No,” Greggor said, his forehead deep and a furrow between his brows gave me all the answer that I needed. “He hasn’t…”

“There’s no way he doesn’t know about this, though, right?” I asked. “I mean, Sampson would have told him…”

Greggor nodded.

“Yeah,” he muttered. “I’d assume so.”

“Do you think Levi knows, and he just doesn’t care?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

“That’s my best guess,” he said with a shrug. “Levi doesn’t seem to care about this pack. I’ve heard rumors amongst the packmates that Levi thinks this pack is too weak and doesn’t pay it any attention. Some wonder if these rogue attacks are because he’s trying to get rid of the weakest pack.”

“That’s absurd, no Lycan would do that to their packs even if they were a weak pack. I shuddered at the very thought, and I met Greggor’s eyes; he looked worried… not for me, but for the situation as a whole. I couldn’t say I blamed him.

“I wish I knew the truth,” Greggor said, running his fingers through his hair.

I’m not sure how long we were in the cabin for, but once I felt well enough, I got out of bed and took a shower. I still had no clothes to change into, so I was forced to wear the same clothes I arrived in. I had no idea what time it was, but I saw the faint morning light as the sun began to rise in the distance. It was early morning, and my worry only increased the longer Gavin was away.

Periodically, I would ask Greggor if he had heard anything, but Greggor hadn’t, and it was driving me crazy.

At one point, we rummaged through the kitchen and prepared a small meal for breakfast, thankful that the kitchen was fully stocked.

As we ate breakfast, the silence between us stretched on until the front door opened. My entire body went cold at the sound of the door opening, and Greggor immediately grabbed his gun, ready to fight off whoever was intruding.

“Stand down,” Gavin’s voice rang through before we actually saw him. “It’s just me.”

“Gavin?” I called out, standing from the kitchen table and walking towards the doorway. Gavin appeared, and his eyes softened when he saw me. Without much thought, I wrapped my arms around him, hugging him close. His warmth engulfed me and let me be at peace for the first time all night. He held me tightly, his nose nuzzling in my neck as he inhaled my scent.

“Are you okay?” He asked me, keeping me close to him.

I nodded.

“I was worried about you. How is the pack? I heard a lot of people died…” I asked, tears burning in my eyes.

“15,” another voice said from the doorway.

I recognized the voice right away; it was Sampson’s voice. I looked behind Gavin, my arms remaining around him and his around mine.

“15 packmates?” I croaked.

He nodded numbly.

“Yes,” he replied. “Marlo is in critical condition, but they think he’ll be okay. The entire pack is in ruins.”

I heard a sob from the living room, and I knew who it belonged to. My heart swelled as I pulled away from Gavin, already missing his warmth. I ran towards the door and paused when I saw Lucy crying near the couch. My heart shattered at the sight of her; she had blood staining her skin, and her gorgeous dress was ripped nearly off her body. Her hair was a mess, and her face was drained of all color. It was rare that I saw her without makeup, but most of it was either cried off or washed away from her sweat that stuck to her forehead.

“Lucy,” I whispered as I went to her.

When she saw me, she let out another sob and wrapped me in her arms. We held each other, crying for a long while. I wasn’t a crier… I hated crying. I was supposed to be strong, but in this case, I wasn’t. I was betrayed by someone I thought was my friend. I was grieving, I was in pain, and I felt so unbelievably stupid. I should have been more careful… I couldn’t help but think this was all my fault.

This pack didn’t have any issues up until I arrived, and now suddenly most of the pack is gone, and I’m the one who survived.

“I’m so glad you’re okay,” she whispered, hugging me even tighter. Her body was trembling, and I knew she needed the embrace more than I did.

“You too,” I whispered back.

“We can’t stay here for too long,” Gavin said, coming up from behind me. “The planes should be arriving soon to take us home.”

“Planes?” I asked, pulling away from Lucy to stare up at Gavin, disbelief marring my features. “You’re seriously still making me go home after everything? You want me to abandon this pack after they faced something traumatic and life-changing??”

“It isn’t safe here anymore, Judy. I don’t know if it ever has been safe. There’s a lot we discovered today,” he said, pausing for a moment as if he was trying to figure out what to tell me and what to keep to himself. “I’ll fill you in once we are heading home. But for right now, I need you to trust me. We have to get out of this territory…”

I shook my head, still filled with disbelief.

“You can’t be serious,” I said, pulling away from him. “I’m not abandoning—”

“I’m not asking you to abandon anyone, Judy,” he snapped, his wolf close to the surface as frustration clouded him.

Sampson stepped forward as Gavin and I had a stare-down. I was so sick of him trying ot control every aspect of my life. I might be carrying his baby, but that didn’t give him the right to control me like this. I was furious, and I was about to make it known to him, but Sampon spoke first.

“He’s not abandoning us, Judy,” Sampson said softly. “He’s inviting us to go along with him….”

Just like that, my anger disappeared, and all that was left was shock.

“Wait… what?” I asked, glancing at him and then Lucy, before my eyes found Gavin, who was watching me.

“They're coming with us, Judy,” he said. “Sampson, Lucy, and all the survivors. I’m getting them out of this territory and into mine, where they will be safe. Now, I’m going to ask you one question…” he paused for a moment, his eyes narrowed, but I could see the emotions swirling in his eyes. “Do you trust me?”