Chapter 375

Judy’s POV

For a heartbeat, the world stopped moving. The orchestra kept playing—violins humming, couples still spinning under the chandelier—but to me, everything had gone hollow. This was the reason we had come here… the moment of truth. I could practically hear her heart breaking before I looked at her face. All the color had drained from her, and she took an unsteady step back.

Everything happened so fast after that.

Irene’s glass slipped from her hand and shattered against the marble floor. The sound sliced through the music like thunder. Heads turned, and then the whispers followed.

Chuck, of course, noticed.

His head swiveled around, and when he caught sight of Irene, who was unable to pull her gaze from his, his eyes widened in shock. Clarissa stood by his side, her eyes also finding Irene, and I could see the confusion on her face even before her brows pinched together.

I wanted ot reach out to Irene and pull her into my arms. I wanted to tell her how sorry I was for Chuck being such a snake. But I was frozen… I knew that nothing I said could make anything better.

“What the actual fuck?” Gavin said through his teeth. “This better not be what it looks like.”

He was angry, and I couldn’t blame him for that. He was seeing his daughter mate with another woman, his hand possessively on the small of her back as if he had the right to touch another woman in that kind of way. Both of them still looked intimately close even after Chuck was just caught.

It was like he didn’t want Clarissa to know of his deception.

If what Tabby was saying was true, that meant Clarissa wasn’t the other woman… Irene was.

I felt sick to my stomach at the thought.

Chuck then turned towards Clarissa, who was still staring between the two with a furrowed crease between her brows.

“Hey, babe, can you go get us some drinks?” he whispered. I knew he was trying to keep his voice low enough for her ears only, but I still heard him just the same, and Irene probably did too. Her senses were higher than a normal werewolf’s, considering she had Lycan blood running through her veins and all.

Clarissa’s forehead creased, and for a moment, I thought she was going to deny him, but then she let out a breath and nodded.

“Okay,” she whispered back before she stood on her toes, pressing a kiss to his lips.

Chuck tensed at the motion, and Irene let out a choked sob, closing her eyes as if the mere sight of them together brought her physical pain. Which I’m sure it did… her wolf was most likely in agony right now, and I hated that for her.

Clarissa took off in the midst of the crowd, and once she was out of sight, Chuck turned ot look at Irene. His earlier fear was completely wiped, and now he just looked pathetic and panicked.

“Irene…” he started, stepping towards her, but she stepped back, needing that distance between the two. Gavin took a protective stance beside his daughter and let out a guttural growl of warning. Chuck flinched at the sound, but his eyes never left Irene’s. “I can explain… It’s not what you think.”

I wanted to laugh, “It’s not what you think?” Is that what all guys who were caught cheating say?

Irene had no words, and I knew from the way her eyes darted around that she was looking for a nearby exit. She wanted to leave, and I couldn’t blame her for that.

Chuck stepped closer as he said, “Please, let me explain. Let’s go somewhere and talk.”

Gavin stepped in front of Irene protectively, shielding her from Chuck.

I hadn’t noticed that the ball was starting to become quieter as more people noticed the stand-off.

Chuck’s focus switched to Gavin, and though it was clear he was terrified, he kept his back straight and his head held high.

“Please, Sir. This isn’t how it seemed. I had been with Clarissa for a couple of years, and I plan to end things so I can be with your daughter… I just hadn’t found the right moment yet and—”

A guttural growl came from somewhere other than Gavin, and I whipped around to see Erik stalking towards us. His eyes blazing with fury as he zeroed in on Chuck. Now most of the ball was paying attention to what was happening, and I felt my cheeks burning. I knew this wasn’t what Irene wanted, and I had to get her out of here.

“What is going on here?” Jeremy asked, walking towards us, his brows furrowed as he took in the scene.

“You fucking asshole!” Erik growled; he was having trouble containing his wolf, that much was clear. “You never deserved her!”

“Erik, that’s enough. We didn’t come here to fight,” Gavin said, his eyes never leaving Chuck. He was furious, but he was more in control and better at hiding it.

Irene was still frozen, unable to move or pry her eyes away from her mate. Her eyes were filled to the brim with unshed tears, and her body trembled slightly, but only noticeable if you were staring at her for a long while.

“Judy,” I heard my name coming from Gavin’s lips. I didn’t notice he was now standing in front of Erik, trying to get him to back off before he killed Chuck in front of everybody. “Get her out of here.”

I knew he was speaking about Irene, and I nodded in agreement. Nan and Eliza rushed towards us, worry evident on both their faces.

“Help me,” I pleaded as I took hold of Irene’s arm.

Nan took her other arm, and Eliza guided us out of the ballroom. Irene went with us numbly, finally able to pry her eyes away from Chuck.

He screamed for her to wait, but Erik was fast and had him by the throat. Gavin tried to get Erik to loosen his grip. Some other gammas guided us even further through the crowd until we were out of the room, the door shutting behind us and blocking my view of what was happening.

Once we were finally away from everything, Irene finally let out a sob. She covered her mouth with her hands and let all her tears fly free. Her entire body wracked with these sobs, and she couldn’t contain the tremors any longer. I was quick to wrap my arms around her, trying to hold her together the best that I could.

Nan also wrapped her arms around Irene, forming a strong and unbreakable bond. Eliza patted Irene on the back, unsure of what to do or say.

“Irene…” I whispered as she sobbed. “It’s going to be okay.”

I wiped hair away from her soaked face, trying to make her see the light. “He doesn’t deserve you. You deserve better.”

“He’s been with someone else…” she whimpered. “My mate lied to me. I feel sick to my stomach.”

“I know,” I said, my heart breaking even more. “I’m so sorry this is happening.”

“I hate him,” she whispered. “I hate him so much for treating me like I’m nothing.”

“You’re not nothing,” Nan said, pulling back to look at her. “He’s the fool… not you.”

Eliza reached into her purse, pulling out a napkin, and tried to hand it to Irene, but she refused it. Her breathing was heavy as she pulled away from us. Her wolf was rising fast, grief turning to rage. The wind stirred around her, the scene of her power bleeding into the night. Irene didn’t shift often, but when she did, she was a surprisingly powerful wolf. I suppose that had to do with her bloodline.

“Irene,” I warned softly. “Don’t shift. Not here.”

“And why not??” She asked, whipping around to face me. Her numbness was replaced with pure anger. “He deserves to feel my wrath… he should see what he’s done to me!”

“Because then you lose,” I said, stepping closer. “You give him the satisfaction of seeing you broken. You’re stronger than that.”

For a moment, I thought she might snap anyway, but then her eyes flicked to the doorway briefly. I turned to see Erik standing there; his suit was half ripped from a patrol shift, and his hair was a mess, but he was still oddly good-looking in a rugged kind of way. Not that I’d ever admit that to Gavin.

He wasn’t looking at any of us, though; he was looking at Irene. His eyes were stormy, and even I could feel the tension in the air; it was so thick it could be cut with a knife.

He looked like he wanted to say something, but he never got the chance. The light’s above us flickered; it was faint at first… then it grew harder.

Eliza frowned as she stared up at the ceiling, just like the rest of us.

“That’s strange…” she murmured, her brows pinched together.

I felt it then—a ripple beneath my skin, like static humming through my blood. It was a familiar sensation that put my wolf on edge almost immediately. My breathing grew shaky without me even realizing it, and then I felt Nan’s hand on my shoulder.

“Judy, what is it?” She asked, her voice soft and laced with worry.

“I…I don’t know,” I whispered, pressing a hand to my temple. An ache like no other started to form, and I winced at the tender spot. The world tilted slightly; the sound grew distant. “Somethings—”

Before I could finish, a shock of pain burst behind my eyes, and I screamed out.

“Judy!” Nan gasped, holding onto my arm even tighter.

“Get Gavin!” I heard Eliza yelling as she too rushed towards me, though they all seemed so far away now.

The last thing I heard was Nan shouting my name again and again as the ground rushed up to meet me.