Chapter 367

Judy’s POV

The air was murky as I sat by the riverbank, overlooking the crossing borders between Silver Crescent and Redmoon. My toes disappeared in the water, the fish nibbling at my toes. The sun was warm, though it didn’t feel hot enough to burn. I let out a breath, allowing the sun to soak through me, washing away the stresses. My belly was big, and I could feel my baby moving inside of me.

I placed my hand on the swell of my belly, feeling his feet push against me, and I couldn’t help the smile that grew on my face. I lay on my back, closing my eyes, resting in this solitude for the time being.

But then I felt the sun disappearing and the clouds that appeared overhead. I opened my eyes, frowning up at the darkened sky. An eerie feeling washed over me, causing me to sit up. I was no longer in a tranquil state of mind; anxiety had taken over completely. I looked around, suddenly feeling as though I wasn’t alone.

My breath hitched when I saw a woman walk towards me; smoke rose from the ground, surrounding her as she walked. As she neared, my eyes grew large.

“Esme…” I whispered, not believing fully that it was her. She was a lot younger than she had been when I last saw her at the Blackwell Manor. She wasn’t in a wheelchair either; she was walking towards me, as if she owned the very ground she occupied. She wore a white dress, which stood out in the sudden smoky atmosphere, and her eyes shone with something defined.

She stopped only inches from me, her eyes never leaving mine.

“Your destiny is waiting,” she said, her voice powerful and yet musical at the same time. “We have been waiting a long time for your return. You mustn’t run. You must take charge.”

“I don’t understand,” I said, my voice echoing. “Who are you? What destiny are you talking about?”

“Trust your instincts,” she said, ignoring my questions. “Your destiny is waiting.”

“Please, can you give me any kind of answers?”

My baby kicked rapidly in my belly, and my heart lurched as I pressed my hands to my stomach, my fingers trembling. Was something wrong with my baby?

“Blood call to blood.” That was all she said before my eyes flew open and I sat up quickly in bed.

The alarm clock on the end table was going off loudly, blaring through the bedroom at 4 am. My heart was racing, and I could feel sweat trickling down my forehead and across my face. I placed my hands on my belly, my fingers still trembling. My belly was a lot smaller than it had been in my dream, and my baby wasn’t kicking nearly as much, only a small flutter here and there.

The spot beside me was empty, and I had a moment of panic because I had no idea where Gavin was. But then I heard movement in the bathroom, and I let out a breath. He must have woken early so he could take a shower. I lay back in bed, my heart still beating rapidly in my chest.

It was just a dream, I told myself. Nothing but a dream. But then why did it feel so real? And why did it feel like a warning?

I closed my eyes, trying to level my breathing. I was okay… my baby was okay. That was all that mattered right now. I was lost in thought, my body relaxing, and I didn’t notice the bathroom door opening or Gavin approaching until I felt the warmth of his lips on the corner of my mouth.

I opened my eyes slowly to see him staring down at me. His eyes were shining with compassion and love. His hair was wet from his shower, and he smelled like him, making my heart swell.

“Good morning,” he said softly, placing another soft kiss on my lips. I smiled at him, unable to help myself. The dread from the dream I had faded away, and all that was left was just me and him. “Did your alarm go off?”

He glanced at the clock on my bedside table with a small frown.

“Yeah, I wasn’t sleeping,” I tell him as I sit up, my hair falling over my shoulders. “I was just resting my eyes.”

A smile tugged at the corner of his lips, and I knew from the look he gave me that he didn’t believe me.

“Resting your eyes, huh?” He asked.

“Yup,” I tell him. “No sleeping here.”

He moved so fast, I didn’t see him coming until he was practically on top of me, tickling my sides and making me laugh so hard I nearly peed myself. I wrapped my arms and legs around him like a koala, keeping him in place.

He smirked.

“Do you really think this position will save you?” He moved in a way that showed me just how much he was affected by this position. I could feel every inch of rubbing against my core, making me nearly salivate with need. He smirked when he smelled my desires, and then he pressed his lips to mine in a deep and hungry kiss, but it didn’t last nearly as long as I wanted it to before he pulled himself off me. “We don’t have time. We have to finish packing, get dressed, round everybody up, and get going. Our flight takes off in under 2 hours.”

I sighed and sat up fully, staring at him as he crossed the room, grabbing a shirt out of the closet. I could help but stare at his muscles as he put the shirt over his head. I wanted to reach out and touch him. My heart was racing so fast, and I just needed to be close to my mate. My wolf needed it too.

“Stop looking at me like that, baby,” he said, staring at me with a dark and lust-filled gaze. “Or we’ll never leave this room. Get dressed. We really have to get going.”

I rolled my eyes as I got out of bed.

“It’s your private plane. They take off whenever you tell them to take off,” I remind him as I grab my own clothes and head towards the bathroom.

“Even my private plane has a schedule to maintain,” he calls after me just as I shut the door.

After I showered and got dressed for the day, I finished packing up the rest of my last-minute stuff. Gavin went to wake up Matt and finish getting him packed as well. Nan and Chester arrived within 30 minutes of me finishing; they had all their belongings and were eagerly waiting for the rest of us. Irene was the very last one to finish packing. In a typical Irene fashion, she packed her entire life away.

“You don’t need all that stuff,” Gavin said, rolling his eyes at his daughter.

“Um, yes, I do,” she said, raising her brows. “I’m going there to see my mate; I need to look my best.”

“He’s your mate. He’ll love you no matter what you look like,” Gavin told her, tucking her hair behind her ear. “You don’t need to try that hard.”

She smiled at him, but I didn’t miss the flicker of doubt in her eyes and a bit of sadness on her face.

When we got outside, Erik was waiting for us in front of a shuttle bus. I was honestly surprised to see a bus and not a limo. When I looked at Gavin to ask him about it, he just shrugged.

“I figured it’d be better to transport our belongings in a bus than it would be in a limo.”

I nodded in agreement.

We got into the bus and Erik drove us down to the Silver Crescent airstrip, where Gavin’s plane stayed.

There were a couple of gammas there as well, waiting for us. They helped us load our luggage into the plane, and then we boarded. I forgot how luxurious Gavin’s plane was. The polished mahogany trim, the soft leather seats that wrapped around you like a warm hug, and the faint scent of cedar and Gavin’s cologne lingering in the air. Everything about it screamed Gavin’s name.

Eliza and Taylor had already found their seats; she was going over medical notes on her tablet while Taylor was pretending to nap, but his eyes opened slightly as Matt darted past him.

Nan and Chester had just found their seats as well, and he was wrapping his arms around her protectively, like he feared what might happen if he didn’t hold her. Then there was Irene, who was sitting alone, clearly lost in thought, and Erik, who was also sitting alone, but I didn’t miss the way he kept glancing at Irene, and it made me raise my brows. This was something I hadn’t considered; he’s worked alongside the Gavin family for so long, could he possibly have feelings for Landry Heiress?

Gavin pulled me into a seat and wrapped an arm around me. I smiled up at him, all other thoughts leaving my mind the moment his lips were on mine.

“So, are you going to tell me what this is really about?” He asked, once we pulled apart.

I blinked at him.

“What do you mean?” I asked him, trying to sound as innocent as possible.

“Alpha Jeremy has held this masquerade every year for over a decade, and he’s never once invited outsiders, even other Lycans. Then suddenly we are all invited. It’s not a coincidence, Judy,” he says as he bends down and brushes his lips across mine in a sweet and yet quick kiss. “This has your name written all over it. Now, tell me what you did.”