Chapter 363

Judy’s POV

“No, absolutely not,” Gavin said on the phone, making my roll my eyes.

“What do you mean, no?” I asked, defensive. “This is your daughter, Gavin.”

“And I’ll deal with it myself. You aren’t going halfway across the world to catch Chuck cheating,” Gavin said. “That’s final.”

I pressed my lips into a thin line.

“You can send security with us,” I suggested. “And just let Alpha Jeremy know that we are heading to his territory. It’s not like we won’t be safe.”

“You are pregnant, Judy, and I don’t exactly have the time to go away right now,” he said firmly, but then he softened his tone. “Can you just trust me on this? You are a stubborn one, but I need you to listen to me for once.”

I glanced over my shoulder at Nan and Irene, who were now speaking with Sarah about design ideas. A few minutes prior, Sasha had her security drag Kerris out of the store. I’d be lying if I said I was upset about that; she got what she deserved, and Sasha seemed amazing, just as Irene had told me. I didn’t want her business to struggle just because of one incompetent employee.

Though Irene was engaged in the conversation, I could tell her mind was elsewhere, and her red eyes were void of emotion.

“You’re not here, Gavin. She’s hurting, and I hate to see it,” I said, my voice coming out barely above a whisper. “Haven’t you noticed that he hadn’t come to see her in the last couple of weeks? He keeps making excuses as to why he can’t visit… and why she can’t come see him despite her asking. He hasn’t marked her yet… she’s really upset.”

He let out a breath.

“We will talk more about this tonight,” he said gently. “Don’t make any decisions until we talk.”

A flutter of hope rose in my chest, and I nodded, despite him not being able to see me.

“Okay,” I agreed.

“I love you. Enjoy your day with the girls and don’t worry about the money. Spend till your heart's desire.”

I couldn’t help the small smile that tugged at my lips.

“You don’t have to tell me twice,” I retorted. “I love you, too, by the way.”

With that, I hung up and shoved my phone back into my purse before rejoining the girls. Sasha soon had me on a pedestal… literally… and she was taking measurements. She wrote down notes, and both Irene and Nan went over some of the “must have” details for the wedding dress, including the magazine clippings they saved from earlier.

We spent a ton of time in the boutique, and by the time we were finished, Sasha had a design to work with. I was exhausted and starving; my belly was rumbling angrily.

I needed to get some food in my system as soon as possible.

“We should get going,” Nan said, rising to her feet. “I’m starving, and Judy looks more tired than she did earlier. It’s probably not good for the baby if she’s not resting.”

Sasha nodded.

“It was so nice to meet you, Nan, and lovely to meet you finally, Judy,” Sasha said, giving me a kind smile.

I smiled back.

“Yeah, you as well,” I said in return.

She turned to Irene and gave her a big hug.

“It was so wonderful to see you again. I know you’re busy and all, but don’t be a stranger,” she said, giving Irene another air kiss before pulling away.

“I’ll make sure to visit often,” Irene assured her.

With that, we turned and walked out, only to find Erik standing at the doorway.

“I thought you were going to wait in the car,” Irene said, folding her arms across her chest.

“You girls took a long time, so I came here to make sure you were okay,” he explained. “Your father would have my head if I let anything happen to you.”

“We don’t need babysitters,” Irene muttered, brushing past him. “But since you’re here, you might as well join us for lunch.”

She sounded annoyed and unlike herself. I knew it had something to do with Chuck; she was hardening her heart because of him.

“I could eat,” Erik said with a shrug.

As we walked, Erik leaned in closer to me.

“What crawled up her ass?” He whispered, as if Irene couldn’t hear us with her wolf’s hearing.

I gave him a look.

“Not the time,” I muttered.

“You’re in a bad mood too?” He asked, raising his brows. “Is everyone in a bad mood?”

“I’m not,” Nan said with a bright smile. “I’m in a great mood.”

“Then I’ll stick by your side,” Erik said, moving to the other side of me where Nan walked. “These two are seriously about to give me gray hair.”

Nan laughed. The two of them continued to talk while I caught up with Irene.

“Do you want to talk about it?” I asked her.

She glanced at me, her eyes showcasing her sadness.

“Not right now,” she said with a soft sigh. “I’m assuming my father doesn’t want us going to Jeremy’s territory to confront Chuck…”

“It’s not that… it’s just… well… I mean… yeah,” I finally confessed. “But he said we can talk about it later.”

“It’s not fair,” she said, shaking her head. “Everybody gets to be happy except for me. Am I doomed to be alone forever? Is that my fate? First, my chosen mate… and now my true mate… what’s wrong with me?”

“Nothing is wrong with you, Irene,” I assured her, putting an arm around her shoulders. “You are incredible and deserve all the happiness in the world. Also, you’re a Landry for crying out loud. Chuck is an idiot to play you like this, and even if he’s not exactly playing you, he’s an idiot for not cherishing you in the way that he should.”

“I was thinking that maybe I’m just unlovable.”

“That’s the furthest thing from the truth,” I told her. “These men are just assholes. But that’s no fault of yours.”

She let out a breath and, through her tear-filled eyes, she rewarded me with a smile.

“You know… it may be weird to call you mom, but you make a really good one.”

My cheeks flushed at the compliment, and I had to look away from her.

“You think so?”

“I know so,” she said, her eyes lighting up a bit. “I never had a mom because mine died when I was born. And you might be my best friend, but you are the closest thing I have to an actual mom. So, thanks for being here.”

My heart swelled from her words. I was glad to be there for her in a way that a mom would be. It made me feel good inside.

We finally reached the Carter resort restaurant for a late lunch. Amelia, a new waitress at the resort, immediately greeted us. Nan personally trained her before she left to pursue her own dreams of owning a restaurant.

“Hey, Mia,” Nan greeted, giving her a quick hug. “Mind if we get a table?”

“Only if I can be your waitress,” Mia said, shifting her gaze to Irene for a moment. Even I could see the dollar signs in Amelia’s eyes. Anybody around here would want to serve a Landry’s table because they always tip well.

Nan taught her that information, and it proved true on many occasions.

Nan just laughed as she said, “Of course.”

Amelia beamed and brought us towards a booth near a window that overlooked the harbor.

“Take a minute to look over the menus, and I’ll be right back,” she said after she finished pouring us glasses of water.

After she left us alone, Erik leaned in and dropped his voice to a whisper.

“So, what was with all the drama at the boutique? Everything okay?”

“Which part?” I asked. “How Sasha’s new assistant practically kicked Nan and me out because we weren’t dressed to standards, and she thought we couldn’t afford anything?”

“What a bitch she was,” Nan said, rolling her eyes. “So glad she got fired.”

“I knew I should have gone in with you. We could have avoided all of that,” Erik said, shaking his head with a deep frown.

“Yeah, but her true colors wouldn’t have come out, and she would still be working there. Sasha deserves better than that,” I tell him.

He shrugs.

“Still, when your mate finds out about this, he’s going to be pissed,” Erik warned. “And trust me, these packs might be huge, and we might be in neutral territory, but word will eventually get back to him even if we don’t tell him ourselves.”

I knew he was right; Gavin always seemed to find out everything.

His eyes flickered over to Irene.

“What about you? What were you doing during that? Did they not recognize you?” He asked. Irene was a fashion goddess, and she was featured in numerous magazines worldwide. If you work in the fashion industry, then you know exactly who Irene Landry is.

“I had to take a phone call during all that,” she murmured. “But I showed up at the end and called her out for her bullshit.”

Erik nodded approvingly.

“Good. Was the phone call anything important?”

“I don’t see how it’s any of your business,” she said, narrowing her eyes at him.

He held up his hand in mock defense.

“I just need to make sure my boss's daughter isn’t getting herself into any trouble while under my watch,” he said. “I might be the driver, but I’m also a gamma and assigned to be our security officer. Don’t make me lose your father’s trust.”

“It’s nothing you need to concern yourself with,” she said, glancing down at her menu even though we all knew she already knew what she was going to order. She ordered the same side salad every time she came here.

“As long as you’re okay, that’s all I care about,” he replied, taking a sip of his water.

Her cheeks flushed, and she looked like she wanted to burst into tears again.

“If you call suspecting my mate is cheating on me, okay… then yeah, I’m great.”

Erik’s eyes snapped to hers and darkened.

“Wait, what?” he asked. “Chuck is cheating on you? How do you know that?”

Irene went on to explain what had happened on the phone call, and Erik cursed under his breath.

“So, when are you going there to kick his ass?” He asked, staring between us.

I wanted to laugh because I was thinking the same thing.

“Gavin already said no,” I muttered.

“That’s not good enough; we need to try. Or maybe I can take some leave and go myself.”

“Without actual proof?” Nan said, raising her brows. “We need to find proof first before we accuse him. It could literally mean anything.”

“He did say we can discuss it further later tonight. So, it’s not a definite no just yet,’ I assured them. “I’ll see what I can do.”

Erik shook his head as he grabbed his phone.

“I have connections in Jeremy’s territory. Give me the rest of today, and I can have us all on a flight in 48 hours, tops.”

With that, he stood and walked towards the bathroom with his phone pressed to his ear, and the three were left staring after him with our mouths hanging open in shock.