Chapter 350

Judy’s POV

“A boy?!” I asked, my heart swelling with excitement and pride.

Eliza beamed as she nodded, staring between the two of us; Gavin wrapped his arms around me, holding me tightly, his face nuzzling against the nape of my neck.

“A boy,” Gavin breathed, repeating my words. “I’m having a son.”

“Another son,” I clarified; even though Matt wasn’t his biological son, he was still Gavin’s son. Gavin had taken him in when Matt was only a baby. But now he had competition for when Gavin retires later down the line.

The strongest of the two would take over the Landry Foundation and the Silver Crescent Pack. The other would also be an Alpha of a pack of Gavin’s choosing, though, and of course, be a part of the foundation.

The last thing I wanted was for Matt to feel like he was coming in second place just because of a new baby.

“Yes,” Gavin agreed as though he could read my thoughts, just as he could read my emotions. “Another son.”

He kissed my temple softly, and I could feel his contentment; he was happy.

“Now to the more pressing matters,” Eliza said, bursting through our happy little bubble.

We both turned to her, and the beaming expression she was once giving us was masked with all business and a bit more concerned.

“Pressing matters?” Gavin asked. “Is everything okay?”

“For now, yes… however, this is an extremely high-risk pregnancy. You’ve had a lot of stress and trauma these last few months. Your body is carrying more than it should. This time is crucial. You’re going to need biweekly appointments and strict rest, no exceptions. Vitamins, close monitoring, and Alpha…” her eyes flickered to Gavin. “You’ll need to make sure she doesn’t push herself.”

“Is our baby going to be okay?” I asked, my heart squeezing painfully in my chest.

“If we keep an eye on things and keep your stress level low, then yes. You’re baby will be just fine.”

I let out a breath, though the worry never left me.

“I’ll make sur she gets rest,” Gavin said, his words final.

Eliza relaxed and nodded. After she cleaned off my stomach and put the ultrasound machine away, Gavin helped me off the table and onto my feet. He kept his arm around me before taking the vitamins from Eliza and putting them in his pocket.

“Let’s get you home,” he said, holding me even tighter.

I nodded and gave Eliza a quick hug before retreating from the clinic.

The late afternoon sky was painted in streaks of pink and gold, but I could barely see through the mist of my tears. Gavin stopped us beneath the wide branches of an old oak tree, tilting my face up towards his.

“You gave me another son,” he said quietly, reverently. “I can’t—Judy, I can’t lose either of you. Not now. Not ever.”

“You won’t,” I whispered. “I promise.”

He leaned down, his forehead pressing against mine. For a moment, we just stood there, breathing the same air. My heart pounded in my chest, and then he pressed his lips to mine, our mouths fusing together. I melted against him, feeling my entire body relaxing as he wrapped me in his arms and deepened the kiss.

“Soon,” he whispered. “Soon we will marry, and I will make you my Luna officially.”

My heart skipped a beat; I never imagined myself as a Luna, even when I was with Ethan. I knew his long-term goals had always been to be an Alpha, but I always imagined myself to be just a gamma warrior.

A car pulled up beside us, and I immediately recognized it to be Taylor’s car. Gavin must have mindlinked him to pick us up. Gavin didn’t wait for Taylor to get out of the car; he immediately opened the backseat door and helped me in. He closed the door and ran around the other side, nodding at Taylor in greeting before sliding into the car beside me. His arms immiedalty wrapped around me again, as if he were afraid I’d fall out of the car if he didn’t hold me.

“Alpha, there’s something I need to—”

“Later,” Gavin said sharply. “We will meet in my office this evening. Let’s just get back to the villa first.”

Gavin’s jaw was tense, and I could feel something stirring in the pit of my stomach. I glanced up at him, but he kept his face neutral.

Whatever it was that Taylor wanted to tell Gavin, I had a feeling it wasn’t good, and Gavin didn’t want me to know what it was.

……

Gavin’s POV

“How’s Judy?” Irene asked as I walked down the stairs.

“Resting,” I told her. “Don’t disturb her.”

“Did you find out the gender?” She asked, following me to the last step.

“Yes. We are having a boy.”

Irene squealed, and the corner of my lips tipped up at her excitement. I knew she’d be happy about this, though she expressed her desires for a little sister.

“Matt is going to be so happy to have a little brother.”

“I’ll let you be the one to tell him,” I say. “I need to head to my office for a bit.”

She frowned as I stepped around her.

“Is everything okay?” She asked. “Shouldn’t you be happier? You just found out the gender of your baby. Judy’s okay, right?”

My expression, and maybe even my tone, caught her attention.

“Judy’s fine. I just have a meeting with Taylor,” I told her over my shoulder.

She watched as I retreated down the corridor and towards my office.

Taylor was already there when I entered. I shut the door, and without a word, I walked around to my desk. I already knew what he had to say… I had a feeling this wasn’t over. It wasn’t even close to being over; the best I can do right now is shield Judy from it. She can’t handle any more stress in her life while she’s carrying my pup.

“Levi is still in custody, correct?” I asked.

“He is.”

“And Rachel… or uh… Lila?” I was never going to get used to calling her by that name when I’ve known her for so long as Rachel.

From Levi’s expression, I knew that’s what this was about.

“They had no grounds to hold her,” Taylor said, shaking his head. “She was an accessory to Levi and his best spy, but she didn’t do any actual crime other than lying.”

“So, she’s been released.”

It wasn’t a question.

“Yes,” he replied. “But that’s not all. Lila is a Blackwell.”

My heart stopped.

“What?”

Blackwell… I hadn’t heard that name in years. They had been quiet for several years, nearly falling off the face of the earth. Besides my family, they were the most well-known families in the world.

Zachary Blackwell used to be friends with my father a long time ago, but something happened to start a feud. My father never spoke about it, but suddenly the Blackwells were no longer part of our inner circle. Zachary was also a Lycan, but what made him one of the most feared men in the world was his witch bloodline, on top of being a Lycan.

Not to mention his billion-dollar empire, which is almost as successful as the Landry Foundation.

When I was a child, my father told me that Zachary had always had a rebellious streak. He didn’t want to rule as a Lycan, and he didn’t want to follow the orders of one either. When he aged, he left the typical Lycan dynamic and built his empire in one of the neutral territories. He could have been part of the chairman's council, and later, his sons could have been as well, but they chose a different type of life, and now they are one of the most prestigious and feared families.

However, their name hasn’t been spoken in years since they’ve gone quiet.

Why are they now resurfacing?

“We did an extensive background check on Lila. She comes from Blackwell Manor. She’s Zachary and Nora’s daughter,” Taylor explained. “What she’s doing with Levi… I’m not sure.”

“They’ve been quiet for a long time,” I murmured. “I guess it’s time that we reach out to an old rival.”

Taylor nodded.

“One rival is locked up and another resurfaces. It can’t be a coincidence,” Taylor sighed. “Will this shit ever end?”

“Regardless of what happens, we need to keep Judy as far away from it as possible. Her pregnancy is high-risk, and she can’t have any more stress in her life. I don’t want Judy anywhere near this Blackwell shit, understood?”

Taylor smirked as he leaned back in his seat.

“You know, you can’t hide things from her, right? She will always find out. You have a stubborn mate… which I suppose suits you because you’re a stubborn one too,” Taylor teased.

The corner of my lips twitched as I suppressed a smile.

My phone rang before I could reply. I reached for it on my desk and saw my mother’s name flashing across the screen. I sighed and answered the phone.

“Yes, mother?” I asked, trying not to sound annoyed by her interruption.

“Gavin, there’s a problem,” she said, her voice coming out rushed.

I frowned at her worried tone; she didn’t sound like her normal self… she sounded scared.

“What is it?”

“The moon gem that was auctioned was a fake,” she said. “It’s not real, Gavin.”

“What do you mean it’s not real?”

I had given the moon gem back to my mother so she could keep it in her lockbox. My father had claimed that the gem made the Landry men even more powerful, and when I was ready, it would be passed down to me. But I didn’t need the gem to make me powerful, so I gave it back to my mother for safety after I got it from the auction.

“I’m saying I don’t have the real moon gem. It’s been stolen. And because you were the one who gave it to me straight from the auction, I don’t think it was ever there.”

At that moment I knew… we might have one a battle, but the war was far from being over.