Chapter 308

Judy’s POV

I’m not sure why I’m so nervous. It’s only been about 3 weeks since I last been to this territory. The moment I got off the plane and my feet touched the ground, my wolf immediately recognized this place as home. I knew it wasn’t fair of me to rip her from the only place she’s ever considered home; I was being selfish when I left. But I had to do what was best for me and my heart. The thought of Gavin marrying another woman… having her child… it destroyed me. But now that I know it was all a lie, I’m not really sure where that leaves me. I knew we still had a lot to talk about, but I wasn’t sure where to start.

He had hurt me with the things he had said. I hated that I wanted him so badly. Beta Taylor greeted us when we stepped off the plane. He had the look of concern that made my heart lurch. I knew right away that something was wrong, and it was clear from the look Gavin was giving him, he knew it too.

There was a bus waiting as well, and I knew that bus was meant to take the packmates to their new home in the Redmoon pack.

“The Redmoon packhouse has been cleared out, and the rooms are cleaned. It should fit everyone,” Taylor said, glancing at the cluster of packmates that were scattered around nervously.

Gavin nodded.

“Anything urgent you need to discuss right now?” Gavin asked, his eyes scanning Taylor’s face.

I knew that he didn’t want to discuss the rogue problem in front of people who lost everything to a rogue attack. They need to feel safe, like what they experienced wouldn’t happen again.

Taylor glanced over Gavin’s shoulder at the packmates, and then he sighed.

“No, it can wait,” he said. “Just get them to safety and I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Are things safe?” I asked before I could think.

Taylor glanced at me and then nodded.

“Yes,” he replied. “We are working on it. Now that we have the full team back, we are better than ever. We’ll figure this out.”

I wasn’t sure if that answer satisfied me or not, but I nodded anyway.

Within the hour, we arrived at the Redmoon pack. I breathed in the fresh air, feeling a sense of belonging welcoming me with open arms. It felt good to be home, I had to admit. I wanted to see my parents; I was tired, and I missed them so much. But I also wanted to make sure everyone got settled; I also wanted to make sure that Lucy was okay. She looked so haunted that it hurt my heart, and I wanted to let her know that everything was going to be okay going forward, but I wasn’t sure if I believed those words or not, so I decided to keep them to myself.

“This pack is beautiful,” I heard someone saying softly as we walked up to the packhouse. “The packhouse is huge. Bigger than the one in Redcliff.”

“Yeah…” someone else agreed.

I glanced at Lucy, who was eyeing the packhouse, with Sampson’s arms draped protectively around her, and his eyes were also on the packhouse.

“Is this our new home?” One of the kids asked, peeking up at Alpha Sampson.

After a brief pause, Sampson nodded.

“Yes,” he replied.

“It’s cleared out,” Gavin explained. “So, you can choose your rooms. I would discuss with your Alpha what floors you can occupy and go from there. We are working on building more homes to house those who don’t wish to live in the packhouse permanently. I’ll work on getting a school schedule from the Redmoon education system for the kids. Available jobs will be posted on the packhouse job board in the main foyer for those who wish to work. This pack hasn’t had an Alpha in a long time, so there’s plenty to do. I’ve sent a memo to the Betas that there is a new Alpha. Of course, you can appoint a new Beta if you wish, but Raymond Cash has been the active Beta for years. He should have alerted the rest of the pack of your arrival. Feel free to call a pack meeting at some point to introduce yourself as their new Alpha. Your inauguration ceremony will be held in 7 days, once you are settled in. That’s also the day you’ll pledge yourself to me fully and break your ties with Alpha Levi.”

Sampson nodded.

“We truly appreciate this,” Sampson said, bowing his head slightly. “Thank you for your hospitality.”

“This pack needed an Alpha, and you needed to get out of that situation back in Redcliff,” Gavin told him bluntly. “This works out for both of us.”

Sampson nodded.

“We’ll get settled in then,” he said, motioning for his remaining pack to follow him inside. I went inside with them, standing by Lucy, I looked at her pale features and worn eyes, my eyes lurching at the sight. She’s typically cheery and happy, but she has a lost look in her eyes.

She lost everything, and my heart ached for her.

“How are you holding up?” I asked her.

She blinked, as if coming out of a daze. Her eyes, unfocused, looked at me.

“It’s all happening so fast,” she said in a soft whisper. “It’s just… so much.”

“I’m really sorry, Lucy,” I whispered back. “I wish there was something I could do…”

She shook her head, tears filling her pale blue eyes.

“It’s not your fault. We were all played. We were stupid. Our Lycan never cared about us… he sacrificed us for his own selfish gain, and the worst part is… we don’t even know what he had to gain for that… we trusted someone we shouldn’t have, and because of that, our pack suffered a great loss. I should have seen it coming. What kind of Luna doesn’t see something like that coming?”

“Don’t do that,” I said to her sharply, turning to look at her. “You are an incredible, Luna, Lucy. You did nothing wrong. You trusted a Gamma that your mate appointed… a gamma who had been working and trained under the supervision of the Redcliff pack. He wasn’t always bad… he made a bad decision, and it cost a lot. But none of that is on you. Your pack doesn’t blame you…”

“Not yet, they don’t… but they will,” she said weakly, glancing at the ground. “They will eventually blame us for letting them down and not seeing the threat coming. Once they settle in and the adrenaline of it all fades, they’ll seek someone to blame.”

I put my hand on her shoulder.

“If anyone comes at you, they’ll have to go through me,” I told her firmly.

She blinked a few times, a few stray tears escaping her eyes as she sniffled.

“You’re a really good friend, Judy,” she said softly, a small smile tipping the corner of her lips.

“As are you,” I assured her. “And you’re an even better Luna.”

She wrapped her arms around me, and I felt her relax slightly as I held onto her. I hated that she was hurting, and I hated that there wasn’t anything I could do about it. Sampson had already gone off to find the Alpha suite for him and Judy; the others were exploring the packhouse with some of the Redmoon Gammas.

Gavin stayed behind, and I could feel his eyes trained on me; heat crept up the back of my neck.

I tried to ignore the feeling and focused my attention on Lucy.

“You should get some rest,” I tell her. “It’s been a long day, and you’re probably exhausted. As is everyone else. The rest can wait until the morning.”

“I agree,” Sampson said, coming down the stairs, his eyes fixed on his mate. “I found our suite. Let’s get some sweet, little wolf.”

He held his hand out for Lucy, who took it without much thought. She looked at me, her eyes glistening with tears.

“Thank you, Judy,” she said softly. “And thank you, Alpha Landry,” she said from over her shoulder.

Gavin nodded, though his eyes never left my face. The heated look in his eyes made my cheeks flush, and I wondered what was going through his mind at that moment. I wanted to ask, but I bit my tongue.

I watched as Lucy walked away with Alpha Sampson. I stayed for a few minutes longer, watching as the others found their way around the packhouse and disappeared around various corners and stairways, finding a place to settle in for the night with the ones they had left.

I knew Gavin was approaching me before I turned around; my wolf felt his presence, and my heart skipped a beat. Why was she always reacting to him this way? What was it about him that made her forget who we were? Around him… we became almost weaker. Our guard was down, and the warrior we trained so hard to be felt less than.

I felt his arms wrap around my waist, and he pulled me into his chest, his face buried into my neck.

“I have a surprise for you,” he whispered. His hands traveled down my arms, trailing goosebumps in his path, and then his fingers entwined with mine. “Come with me.”