Chapter 328

Gavin’s POV

I never laid a finger on my mother before; never even thought about it. But the second she struck Judy, drawing blood from her lip, I saw nothing but red. The fury and red-hot boiling rage that burned inside of me was too much for even me to handle. My wolf saw a thousand different scenarios of killing the woman in front of me, the woman who called herself my mother.

If it wasn’t for Judy’s calm and gentle touch, bringing me back to reality, I probably would have played out some of those scenarios right then and there. Thankfully, it didn’t resort to that.

When I told my mother about Judy being my second chance mate and carrying my pup, her reaction honestly took me by surprise. I thought she would have known or at least pretended not to know. But her sudden realization and shock were hard to miss, and suddenly, something in my chest tightened.

She had no idea, and that confused me more than anything.

“No, but then why would you auction off the Moon Gem if you weren’t giving up on the idea of me and Daisy being together?”

There was a long stretch of silence as the confusion clouded my mother’s face. Her brows pinched together.

“Who said I was auctioning off the Moon Gem??”

Now it was my turn to be confused. There was no hint of lying or deceit.

“There’s an auction in Windleton. Beta Taylor got word that the Moon Gem was going to be auctioned,” I told her. “You didn’t know about this?”

She let out a laugh, but it was filled with confusion and disbelief.

“The Gem is not being auctioned. Don’t be ridiculous. It’s a family heirloom, part of your heritage. It belongs to you after you mate and pick a Luna for the pack. Regardless of who that might be… It’s in your father’s will and his father before that… and so on. Not even I could change that.”

“So, you’re telling me that you have the gem here?” I asked, a hope rising in my chest.

“Of course I do. It’s in my lock box,” she said. “I keep it close. It’s in my quarters.”

“Show it to me,” I said without hesitation. I stood up, still holding onto Judy’s hand. I wasn’t letting go of her; initially, it was because I couldn’t stand not being near her, I couldn’t stand not touching her. But now it was more for protection. I didn’t trust my mother not to attack her again, and my wolf was still on edge from the first time. Judy’s cheek was still red, and her lip was still split. I knew it was going to heal quickly, but not quickly enough.

My mother looked between the two of us, a frown marring her lips.

“You want me to show you to my personal quarters?” She asked.

I rolled my eyes.

“I’m your son,” I reminded her. “Not some stranger, and this is my mate. She goes where I go. Yes, show us your room and show us the lock box. I need to be sure that the gem is there.”

“I assure you… It’s there,” she said, folding her arms across her chest. “I have the key right here…” She froze as she touched her bare chest.

Her frown deepened as she clutched at nothing, and my stomach twisted.

“What is it?” I asked her.

It seemed she was lost in thought for a moment before realization dawned on her.

“I forgot, I was given a new necklace for an event I attended last week,” she said, giving an awkward chuckle. “I removed the other necklace and put it down. The key was attached ot that necklace. It’s in my room, though.”

“Take us,” I told her for the final time, my tone leaving no room for arguments. I was running out of patience, and we had a welcoming party at the Redmoon packhouse. It was an important event to not only welcome Judy home and announce our mating and pregnancy, but it was also an introduction to the Redcliff pack and the merger.

My mother sighed and eventually turned and started out of the sitting room. I looked at Judy and nodded at her. I released her hand, but I placed my hand on her lower back and had her go in front of me. Together, we followed after my mother. We walked up the windy stairs until we reached the second floor, and then we traveled down the hallway; it was brightly lit and a wide space, with a crystal chandelier hanging in the glass casings that held my mother’s collections, glistening.

She stopped outside a large set of doors and pulled them open, stepping into her bedroom.

Judy, who remained in front of me, hesitated outside the door, unsure if she was allowed to enter. I gave her a gentle push, and she stepped forward into the room. I followed after her, keeping my hand on her lower back.

My mother walked over to her dresser on the far side of the room, and she rummaged through an old antique box that I knew my father had gifted her for one of their anniversaries years ago.

After a moment, she pulled out a long golden necklace with a rare pink diamond encased in white diamonds. Next to the pendant was a small golden key.

“There it is,” she said, walking over to one of her drawers and pulling it open. I waited in the distance with Judy as she pulled out a gorgeous white box with engravings on it. I had never seen that box before, but it was clear it meant something to her by the way she handled it.

She placed the box down on the dresser and took the key in her hand.

“The gem is right in here,” she said, looking at me from over her shoulder. “I wouldn’t take it out unless necessary.”

I stepped closer to her, peering down at the box from over her shoulder.

“Open it,” I demanded it, a little too gruffly.

She frowned up at me.

“I’m still your mother,” she said hotly. “You don’t need to speak to me like that.”

I let out a breath; I was still on edge after she hurt my mate; kindness wasn’t a thing I wanted to show her right now, but she was right. She was my mother, and if I wanted her to do what I said, I needed to watch my tone with her.

“I apologize,” I said, lowering my voice. “But this is important.”

She looked at me for a moment longer before her eyes flickered to Judy. I wanted to growl at the dismissive way she was looking at my mate, but then, to my surprise, her gaze softened, and she sighed, almost defeatedly.

“Very well,” she breathed, turning back to the box.

She turned the key, and I heard it click unlock. She brushed her fingers along the seams of the open and pressed a button, allowing the top to open. Her eyes drifted into the box, and then her entire body froze.

As I stared at her, I saw the color draining from her face, and the confused look turned into utter shock and horror.

“Mom?” I asked, stepping closer to her to peer into the box. Her hands trembled, and when she looked up at me, I already knew… she didn’t have to say a word about it.

“It’s gone, isn’t it?” I asked, though I feared I already knew the answer.

“I…I don’t understand,” she whispered hoarsely. “I hadn’t taken it out of this box. It was here. It’s been here since your father passed away… how could it just disappear?”

“So, the Moon Gem is missing?” Judy asked, a nervousness in her tone as she looked up at me. I kept my eyes glued to my mother’s pale face; I knew she had no idea the gem had gone missing. She was learning about this at the same time were and it was frustrating because there was really nobody to blame for this situation.

“I don’t understand how it could be possible,” she whispered, staring between the two of us. “I…”

“When was the last time you saw it?” I asked her.

“I’m not sure… I hadn’t opened this box in years. I hadn’t needed to open it. The gem wouldn’t work for me. It had to be an Alpha born from your bloodline,” she explained. “There’s no reason it should be missing.”

“Did anybody else know about this?” I asked. “Somebody you told? Or somebody who found out?”

She thought about it for a moment, and then her eyes grew wary; she traced the necklace pendant, her mind clearly elsewhere.

I stepped in front of her, trying to get her attention.

“Mom?” I asked her.

She blinked and looked up at me.

“Yes,” she whispered. “Only one… but I don’t see why she would take it…”

“Who is it, Mom?” I asked her, an urgency in my tone.

“She helped me remove this necklace from around my neck when she gifted me the other necklace for last week's event…” my mother murmured, lost in her own thoughts. “She wouldn’t, though… would she?” It was like she had forgotten I was standing right there.

I put my hands on my mother’s shoulders to jostle her.

“Mom, who did you tell?” I asked her firmly and a bit louder. “Who gave you that necklace? Who else knew about this gem?”

She finally met my eyes, sobering slightly.

“Daisy Baldwin…”