Chapter 379

Judy’s POV

I woke up with the taste of silver on my tongue.

It wasn’t real, of course; just another dream lingering too long. The forest that wasn’t real, Eloise, who hovered like an angel of death, and the stone that she held in her hands. It was the first time I had seen the moon gem like that; it was like a living entity. The way it’s light had slid under my skin and settled there like a second pulse… how it breathed in time with my own breaths.

I lay still and listened. Gavin’s arm was heavy across my waist, and his breath was steady against the back of my neck. The normalcy of it… our room, the soft tick of the old clock, the morning light creeping under the curtains—felt like a dare.

“I dare you to pretend that everything is okay,” the voice whispered through my sleep.

Everything wasn’t okay. There was something inside of me itching to come out… something that’s been there the whole time, but was being blocked for whatever reason.

I eased out from under his arm, trying not to wake him. He made a quiet sound and tightened his hold without opening his eyes.

“Where are you going?” He murmured, sleeping, toughening his voice. “And were you going to tell me you were leaving?”

“The bathroom…” It was a half lie. Yes, I was heading into the bathroom to do my business and change clothes, but I wasn’t planning on returning to bed.

“You forget that we are bonded, and I can sense your urgency to leave,” he said, lifting his head and finally looking at me. “You can’t lie to me.”

I let out a breath. He was right; I couldn’t lie to him, and it wasn’t fair to keep this from him either.

“I need to see my parents,” I finally tell him.

That fully woke him. His eyes were clearer and sharper, like sunrise had flipped a switch.

“Now?”

I nodded.

“Yes.” My voice was nothing more than a whisper.

He pushed up on one elbow, his eyes scanning my face.

“I’ll come with you.”

I shook my head and lowered myself so I was eye-level with him. I pressed my lips to his, melting in the feel of him against me and the tenderness of the moment between us. My wolf purred in contentment, loving the feel of our mate so close and so in love. I was so stupidly in love with him that my heart ached.

Once all of this was dealt with, I vowed to focus entirely on marrying this man and being the best Luna I could be for him. But I couldn’t do that with everything hanging over my head. I needed to figure myself out before I did anything else.

“This is your first official day back since leaving a few days ago,” I reminded him. “You have to head into the office, and don’t you have pack members to meet with? Not to mention a meeting with Zachary Blackwell to prepare for. You don’t need to come with me and waste more time than necessary…”

“Being there for you is not a waste of time,: he said, his brows furrowing.

I smiled at him and kissed him once more.

“You’re an Alpha above anything—”

“Wrong,” he said, cutting me off. “I am your mate and a father above all.” He placed his hand over my belly, feeling the fluttering of our baby kicking between us. I couldn’t help but smile from the sensation, and I leaned into him, allowing his warmth and love to wrap around me like a blanket.

“I love you,” I tell him. “But this is something I need to do myself. Let me spend the afternoon with my parents and get my needed answers. In the meantime, you can deal with the pack issues and your meetings, and then we can meet later.” I let my voice trail off, the innuendo clear.

His eyes darkened, and I could see the haze of lust filling his gaze. He leaned in and pressed his lips to mine in a deep, passionate kiss. The kind that makes my toes curl and my mind go completely blank. When he finally pulled back, I forgot how to breathe.

He smiled at my flushed and breathless look on my face.

“You’ll keep me updated?”

“Of course,” I breathe without hesitation.

“Good,” he said, kissing the tip of my nose before pulling back.

After getting dressed, I slipped downstairs, grabbed the keys of one of Gavin’s cars… the one I liked most, and headed for the door before I could stop myself. Gavin didn’t try to stop me or force me to bring an escort. Of course, with the tight security between the two packs, I didn’t need an escort anymore. But besides, the only one I truly trusted to escort me around was Erik, who could not do so now.

I made a mental note to speak with him later and find out who his mate is, why he hadn’t mentioned her before, and why his wolf went psycho on the plane.

The drive to my parents' house felt like it had taken much longer than normal. I nodded my head at the gammas, who sat perched at the broders between the Silver Crescent Pack and the Redmoon Pack.

The sky hung low and pale, a blanket of cloud diffusing the light into something muted and gray. It fits the weight in my chest.

I didn’t bother knocking on the door. I had a key, so I opened it and welcomed myself into their home. My mother would have been upset if I had bothered knocking, like I was some kind of guest.

“This will always be your home,” she had told me.

I closed the door behind me, and then suddenly, I was standing in front of my mother, who had large eyes.

“Judy? We weren’t expecting you today. Is everything okay?”

“Hey, Mom,” I said; I sounded awkward even to my ears. “I’m sorry if this is a bad time.”

“Of course, it’s not a bad time. You know you’re always welcome here. At any time.”

“Judy?” my father said as he stepped out of the kitchen, holding a mug of coffee in his hands. He was dressed in a suit and tie, ready for work, and I smiled at him, thankful that they were both here for the time being.

“Good morning,” I said to him. “Are you in a rush to leave?”

“I have a few minutes,” he said, glancing at his watch. “Everything okay?”

“I was hoping to be able to talk to you both about something,” I said, nibbling on my lower lip.

“Come into the kitchen. Do you want a cup of coffee? I can make you breakfast,” my mother suggested as she tugged my arm and pulled me into the kitchen.

“You don’t need to go to any trouble,” I tell her, sitting at the kitchen table and tugging at my fingers nervously.

“It’s no trouble at all,” my mother said as she started to get the pans.

“Is everything okay?” My father asked, sitting at the table as well. “You seem off.”

My mother paused to look at me, a frown marring her lips.

“Yeah,” I said a bit breathlessly. “I guess I just have questions only you two can answer.”

My parents looked at one another. My father set the coffee mug on the table and even seemed to relax a little in his seat, a sign that he wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon. My mother gave me a small smile, though it didn’t reach her eyes.

“Let me make you some breakfast and get you a cup of decaf coffee, and then we can talk. Okay?”

I nodded, grateful for some time to get my thoughts together. I was about to ask my adoptive parents, the ones who took care of me and never made me feel less loved, about my birth parents, the ones who didn’t want me. I didn’t want my parents to think I wasn’t grateful or that I wanted to find my birth parents because that wasn’t the case. I didn’t want to hurt their feelings.

I spent my entire life without questioning my upbringing, and now suddenly, I’m curious. I wasn’t sure how to bring this up naturally to them. However, from the looks they kept sharing, I knew that they knew that I was about to ask them something big.

Soon, the kitchen was filling with the scent of eggs and bacon, and my mouth started to water. I didn’t realize how hungry I was until that moment. I suppose I left home pretty early this morning and didn’t bother stopping in the kitchen for a bite to eat.

My mother plated the food and brought it to the table, placing one plate in front of me and another in front of my father.

He thanked her and kissed her on the cheek. She smiled and then sat down, clasping her hands together.

I paused with the fork in my hand and frowned at her.

“You aren’t eating?” I asked.

“I’m not very hungry,” she said, a plastered smile on her lips. “Eat up and then we can talk.”

I stared at her for a moment longer, trying to figure out the expression on her face; it was one I had never seen before. But I didn’t dwell on it, so I ate the food, trying to swallow it down, though it sat like lead in the pit of my stomach.

I ate only half of the food before I couldn’t handle the silence any longer. I set my fork down and sipped the decaf coffee to wash the food down.

“I have to ask you both something, and I need you to be honest with me,” I rushed out, making them both freeze. My father put his fork down and turned to look at me, and I noticed my mother taking his hand…. It was at that moment I realized… they both knew.

“Okay,” my mother said. “What is it?”

“I want to know about my adoption… where did you find me?”