Chapter 69

Judy’s POV

“Mom, you can’t be serious!” I gasped. “How could you agree to such a thing.”

“I know it’s not the ideal situation but—”

“Not the ideal situation?!”

“Don’t raise your voice at me, Judy,” my mother scolded. “We need the money, and I am running out of options.”

“If they are so keen on you selling our house for the money, then why not let us borrow money? I thought you were going to ask them!” I exclaimed, shaking my head at the logic. “It doesn’t make any sense.”

“I couldn’t bring myself to ask them. Especially after Raymond explained how he made some risky investments and he’s worried about the turnout,” she explained, sighing. “Plus, my pride wouldn’t allow me to ask them for handouts.”

“But you have no problems having me ask Ethan for handouts?” I countered, raising my brows.

“That’s different,” she murmured. “He’s your fated mate and you were supposed to marry him.”

“Isn’t Meredith your friend?” I asked her, giving her a pointed look. “Why not ask her for money?”

She bit her lower lip and stared down at the towel in her hands.

“I just can’t bring myself to do it. This is the easiest solution, and I’ll still have my pride. Living here won’t be so bad. They were kind enough to open their doors to us and I’m going to accept their offer.”

“Is living here not damaging to your pride as well?” I asked her.

She sighed and lifted her gaze to meet mine.

“It’s different,” she told me gently. “I’m sorry for upsetting you, Judy. But if you can’t get the money from Ethan, then this is the next best solution. I’m not sure what else to do, but after selling the house, we will be a little closer to helping your father. That’s all that matters to me right now.”

Tears filled my eyes before I could stop them; I didn’t want to cry here while I was in the Cash family manor. I didn’t want to cry at all, but this couldn’t be helped.

“I can’t live here, Mom…” I whispered.

“Oh, sweetie. If this is because of Ethan and Irene, they won’t be living here. They will be living in the packhouse after Ethan becomes our Alpha. You won’t have to see them every day,” she assured me. “Besides, once he marks and mates with Irene, your mate bond will officially be broken, and you won’t have to endure the pain of the severed bond any longer.”

“That’s not what this is about,” I told her, shaking my head. “His family doesn’t like me. They will make my life a living hell. I was only here for a few minutes and his sister already spilled wine on me.”

She sighed.

“I’m sure it was an accident. Kelsey is very sweet; she’s only a child,” my mother tried to justify.

“She’s 18, Mom. She’s an adult,” I reminded her.

“That’s hardly an adult,” she murmured. “I’m sure she didn’t mean anything by it.”

“She told me that Ethan deserved better than me,” I whispered. “That I wasn’t good enough for her brother.”

“She’s only being protective,” my mother said. She cleaned off the hand towel before putting it away. She turned to me and put her hands on my shoulders. I lifted my tear-filled gaze to meet hers and I could see the worry she had in her eyes. She was scared for our future, and I wasn’t making things any easier for her.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and sniffled, wiping away the stray tears on my cheeks.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I don’t mean to sound ungrateful. I know you are trying your best.”

She nodded and took a deep breath.

“I love you, Judy,” she told me softly. “I’m sorry to spring this news on you so quickly. But if you don’t think you’ll be able to live here, then maybe Nan will have an extra room for you?”

Her words were like a punch in the gut; so, it was either I live with the Cash family, or I had to find another place to go. My mother made her choice and like everyone else in my life…she wasn’t choosing me. She was leaving, abandoning me; just like Kelsey had said. Did she know about this? Maybe that was why she brought up the fact that everyone in my life leaves me.

I bit my lower lip, trying to will my tears to go away. I didn’t want to cry any further, but I wasn’t sure if I could hold them in either.

“How about we enjoy the rest of the barbeque,” she said, lifting my chin so my eyes would meet hers. “Oh, by the way, do you know Alpha Gavin Landry? It seemed as if he knew you.”

I bit my lip and shook my head. I hated lying to her, but I couldn’t tell her the truth.

“Not really,” I told her. “I work as a tutor in his pack, so I met him a few times. Nothing too serious though.” I decided on the half-truth.

“He’s a ruthless Alpha,” my mother warned. “He’s a Lycan chairman, and very powerful. Be careful around him. Make sure to show him respect.”

I nodded.

My mother finished cleaning our mess in the bathroom before she turned and walked out, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I stared at myself in the mirror, my heart heavy in my chest. I was just about to walk out of the bathroom after a bit of staying behind, but the door opened before I could touch the knob.

I froze when I saw Gavin standing in front of me.

“W…what are you doing in here?” I asked him in a hushed whisper. He made his way into the bathroom and shut the door behind him, saying nothing in response. “Gavin—” I tried again, but he stopped me as he pushed me against the counter and covered my lips with his.

His kiss was warm and tender, sending my heart into complete turmoil to the point where I thought it was going to beat out of my chest. I sighed contently at the feeling of him pressing against me; It felt as if my entire body was on fire. Our lips moved together in perfect harmony and when I felt him nipping at my bottom lip with his teeth, I couldn’t help but let out a little moan.

Remembering where we were, I put my hand on his chest and gave him a small push.

“Gavin, we can’t do this here,” I told him breathlessly. He let out a small growl as he pressed his forehead against mine.

“Then let’s get out of here,” he murmured.

I smiled at his eagerness, but I also felt a bit sad knowing that I had to stay for a little longer. I was no longer there for Irene; I was there for my mother. I had to make sure she was okay and that they weren’t going to make her feel bad about her situation.

“I can’t just yet,” I whispered. “I don’t trust them with my mother.”

He pulled back slightly, and his frown deepened.

“Have they always treated you like this?”

I bit my lip, but I nodded.

“They never liked me,” I murmured.

“They have no right to treat you in that kind of way. I’ll make sure it never happens again,” he said, his aura darkening.

I smiled at him; I liked that he was protective, but it was going to get us both into trouble if he wasn’t careful.

“I appreciate that, but I can handle it myself,” I assured him.

“She spilled wine on you,” he reminded me. “Is that you handling things on your own?”

“It was an oversight,” I said, shrugging. “I won’t be blind like that again.”

“Judy—”

“Please, Gavin,” I pleaded. “Just let it go.”

He looked at me for a long while before sighing; then, he nodded.

“Okay, but if they say anything more disrespectful towards you, I can’t promise I won’t step in,” he told me.

I smiled and stood on my toes to kiss him. When our lips met, my heart began to race again. The effect this man had on my body was limitless and it also scared me. What we were doing was meant to be fun and nothing too serious. It was only to get others off our backs and to scratch an itch, but I felt myself growing closer to him with each kiss and that worried me.

…..

Third Person POV

“You embarrassed our family in front of Gavin Landry. You should be ashamed of yourself!” Raymond scolded his wife. He had finished defusing the situation and talking to Gavin just before Gavin excused himself to use the restroom.

“It was a mistake,” Meredith tried to explain. “I didn’t recognize him.”

“And that makes it right?” He asked through his teeth. “We are a noble family, and we need to act as such.”

“We are already doing a charitable thing for the Montague family,” Meredith said, folding her arms across her chest. “It doesn’t get more noble than that.”

They had agreed to open their doors to Judy and her mother because they would soon find themselves homeless. Meredith got what she wanted; she is now on top and it’s the Montagues who find themselves on the bottom. She couldn’t hide the joy on her face as she spoke about doing that charitable action for the poor family.

“You’ll be lucky if I can get Gavin back on our side,” Raymond said, shaking his head. Not even Raymond’s wife knew the impact that Gavin had on the business that allowed them to live the lifestyle they currently live. Getting on Gavin’s bad side could mean ruining their entire family.

Meredith's frown deepened.

It was sour luck that Gavin Landry happened to show up at that exact moment and why was he acting as if he knew Judy? It felt as if something was seriously up between the two of them, but that couldn’t be possible. Gavin wouldn’t be with a nobody like Judy Montague.

There had to be a reason why he came to her rescue and Meredith was going to find out why.