Chapter 371

Judy’s POV

We didn’t end up going to the Blood Thorne Packhouse for dinner this evening. Gavin called Alpha Jeremy and told him I was feeling unwell and that if I wanted to attend the ball on Saturday, I needed to be well rested. Only Beta Taylor and Eliza went to dinner.

Irene told everybody that she was too exhausted to go anywhere, and Nan and Chester disappeared for the evening. I could only imagine what they were up to; then again, maybe I didn’t want to know.

Gavin and I ended up ordering room service, and we cuddled in bed the entire evening. Neither of us spoke about the elephant in the room… my dreams and the connection I might have with the Blackwell family. I knew we were both feeling the strange sense of dread, or a promise that something severe was going to happen in the near future.

I knew for certain that my life was going to change. I wasn’t sure if that meant for the better or for the worse. But I also knew that Gavin was going to stick by me no matter what, and as long as I had him in my corner, I was going to be okay.

My phone chimed, and I let out a breath before I reached for it on the nightstand. I smiled when I saw that it was a text from Nan.

Nan: Sorry, I missed your call earlier. I was kind of… busy.

I let out a breathy laugh, ignoring the raised-brow look Gavin was giving me. I had called Nan earlier to ask her what her plans were after Irene bailed on dinner. Matthew was in our room earlier for the room service we ordered, and with Erik eating with the rest of the gammas, I figured Nan and Chester would want to join us for dinner.

But she didn’t answer her phone.

Me: Busy, huh?

I added a wink emoji. Her response was almost immediate with an embarrassed emoji, making me laugh out loud.

Me: Just wanted to see if you wanted any dinner. But I’m trusting you were taken care of.

Nan: I was very well taken care of

She added a wink emoji as well, and my smile grew wider.

Nan: Have you spoken to Irene? I tried texting, but she didn’t respond.

Me: She said she was too tired and wanted to go to bed early.

Nan: I’m worried about her.

I was about to reply that I was worried too, but then I got a new incoming text message from a different person, and my eyes widened when I read the text in the notification bar.

Tabby: Are you seriously in Blood Thorne and you didn’t think to tell me??

Holy crap, how could I have forgotten that this was Tabby’s main pack? She traveled a lot on the gamma force, so I didn’t think she would be in town, but from her text, I could see that I was very wrong.

Me: Are you in town?

Tabby: We came back a couple of weeks ago and aren’t scheduled to leave again until next week. Can we meet up?

I told her the hotel we were staying at, and against my better judgment, I gave her Irene’s room number as our meet-up location. Then I pulled up my text thread with Nan.

Me: Meet me at Irene’s room if you can pull yourself away from your mate.

Nan: Give me 20 more minutes, and then I’m all yours for the night

I chuckled before I turned to see Gavin watching me with a whimsical look on his face.

“Why do I get the feeling I lost you for the night?”

I smiled at him and then brushed my lips against his.

“Because I think your daughter needs me,” I told him. “I’m worried about her. I don’t want to see her hurting, and she so clearly is. I doubt she ate all night. I was just texting Nan and Tabby, and they are going to meet me at Irene’s room.”

Gavin raised his brows.

“Tabby?”

I nodded.

“My friend from the competition. Remember how she came to visit the Silver Crescent pack with Shirley and Chuck?”

Gavin nodded as the memory came back to him.

“Oh, yes. Right. How is she? I forgot she was from this pack,” he told me.

“She’s been traveling a lot, but yes. This is her pack. She’s from the same pack as Chuck. She might be able to give us some insight.”

Gavin kissed my cheek softly.

“Thank you for being there for her in a way that I cannot.”

I smiled at him.

“Even if she wasn’t your daughter, I’d still do this for her. She’s my friend and I care about her,” I tell him as he wraps me tighter in his arms.

“You’re a good friend,” he whispered into my hair.

I kissed his lips, savoring his taste for a moment before I pulled back.

“I need the key to Irene and Matt’s room. I don’t want to risk alerting Irene that we are there because she will most likely refuse us.”

He raised his brows, but I could see a bit of humor in his eyes.

“So, your idea of a night is ambushing her?”

My smile only grew wider.

“Exactly.”

Within the hour, Nan and I were meeting at Irene’s door. I unlocked the door with the key-card, the spare that Gavin had of their room for emergencies. Matt was sitting on the couch playing video games, and he quickly spun around when he heard the door open.

He let out a breath when he saw that it was just me.

“You scared me,” he said, shaking his head. “Why are you here?”

“Sorry to scare you,” I tell him, giving him a small smile. “But I’m going to have you sleep in my suite tonight with your father. We are spending the night here. It’s a girl’s night. There’s an extra bedroom in the suite with a TV, so you’ll have space for your gaming.”

Matt frowned.

“I don’t want to leave,” he argued. “Besides, Irene hasn’t come out of her room all day.”

I looked at Nan, who had a worried crease between her brows.

“Well, the boys are heading to my suite as well for a boys' night. Chester and Erik, I think. Erik is off duty tonight and wanted to hang out, so they are heading there as we speak. I figured you’d want to see them, that's all.”

Matt’s eyes grew wide; he loved Erik. He was the kind of gamma that Matt aspired to be, and it’s funny because I believed Matt was a better fighter.

“Okay, I’ll go,” Matt said, standing to his feet. “But you owe me.”

I laughed.

“I wouldn’t think otherwise,” I tell him, running my fingers through his brown, shabby hair. “Enjoy your night.”

He grabbed his gaming set and was out there within minutes

“So, what do we do now?” Nan asked, looking around the suite.

“If this suite is like mine, there should be snacks in the cabinet. See if there’s popcorn and start popping some. I’m going to drag Irene out of her room,” I say as I head towards Irene’s bedroom. I had a feeling I knew which one was Irene’s because Matt left his door open.

I pushed the door to Irene’s room open and peered inside. She was lying in bed, beneath the covers, and only the top of her blonde hair could be seen. My heart squeezed for her; she was so heartbroken that the only thing she could do right now was sleep.

I put my hand on her back and shook her gently.

“Irene, wake up,” I say softly.

She starts to stir, murmuring something sleepily that I didn’t quite get. I smiled at her sleeping face as it appeared once the covers shifted. But then my heart stopped when I saw the old tears on her cheeks and how pale she was.

“Hey,” I say, shaking her again. “Wake up, Irene. Please.”

I spoke a little louder this time, and her eyes fluttered open; the pale blues focusing on me for a moment before confusion fell across her face. Her perfectly trimmed brows knitted together.

“Judy?” She asked, her voice a croak and filled with exhaustion as she lifted her head, peeking around the dark room. “What’s going on?”

“I’m dragging you out of bed,” I tell her, folding my arms across my chest. “It’s not healthy for you to stay in this room all night, wallowing in self-pity when you should be planning for the future.”

She shook her head, still confused.

“What time is it?”

“9,” I replied, glancing at the clock on her bedside table. “A little bit after nine, actually.”

“I slept all day?” She asked, sitting up further, her blonde hair falling across her shoulders. “I didn’t mean to sleep so long.”

“You haven’t eaten or done anything to take care of yourself since we arrived this morning,” I tell her, raising my brows. I glanced at her luggage that sat on the ground by her bed; Erik and the other gammas were kind enough to bring our things to our rooms, so they were waiting for us by the time we arrived. I spent time unpacking my things and putting them away, since we were going to be here until the end of the weekend. I wanted to be comfortable. “You hadn’t unpacked.”

“I didn’t think to,” she said softly. “We are only here for a short time.”

“It might make you feel better… maybe more organized, if you unpacked a bit,” I tell her. “Come hang out with us. Nan is getting snacks. We can order late-night room service and have a girls' night.”

She let out a breath.

“No offence, but I’m not in the mood for a girl’s night.”

I smiled at her, though I knew it didn’t reach my eyes.

“Exactly why you need one,” I tell her, reaching out and taking a hold of her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “I think we could all use one. We are in this gorgeous country, and we need to make the most out of it. Even if we don’t leave this hotel room, it’ll do you some good to get out of bed. Please, Irene. Hang out with us.”

She thought about it for a moment, her eyes shifting from me to the doorway. As I saw her resolve cracking, she let out a breath.

“Okay,” she finally relented as she got out of bed. “But I’m not changing out of my pajamas.”

I giggled.

“I didn’t think you would. I’ll have room service bring us some more food and wine,” I say as I loop my arm with hers and guide her towards the living space where Nan was setting up bowls of popcorn.

A knock sounded on the door, and my grin only grew because I knew exactly who was at the door.

“Who is here?” Irene asked, her brows furrowed. “You didn’t call room service yet.”

“Nope,” I tell her. “But if we are lucky, the person at the door will have the answers to some of your questions.”