Chapter 74

Gavin’s POV

I was hesitant for a moment as I stood outside the closed door. This was ridiculous, I shouldn’t be this nervous. But I couldn’t get Judy’s words out of my head. Why would I want this for my own daughter? It was obvious Ethan wasn’t serious about his mating with her, so why should I allow it to happen in the first place?

I was Gavin Landry, the Lycan Chairmen and a powerful Alpha. If I wanted something, I could get it in a heartbeat. But the thought of losing my daughter over this made me feel even more unsettled.

I took a deep breath and knocked on the door. I waited a few heartbeats before the door slowly opened and Irene stood on the other side. She looked up at me with a wary expression; her eyes were red, so I know she’s been crying. I hated that she was in pain, and I could only blame Ethan for this. He was hurting my daughter, and I would make sure he paid for these crimes.

“We need to talk,” I told her before I could back out.

She sighed and stepped away from her door so I could enter her room. It was dark and she hadn’t cleaned up in what looked like days.

“I’m really tired, can it be fast?” She asked as she made her way over to her bed. I shut the door behind me and stepped further into her room.

“It’s about Ethan,” I told her, making her entire body still. She glanced up at me, her eyes narrowed.

“What about him?”

I ran my fingers through my hair.

“Are you sure you truly want to marry him, Irene?” I finally asked. “He makes you miserable and—”

“He doesn’t make me miserable, Daddy,” Irene said, standing to her feet and folding her arms across her chest. “He’s the only one who makes me happy.”

I raised my brows.

“Then why are you locking yourself in your room?” I asked her.

She rolled her eyes.

“I’m just going through something…” she murmured. “It has nothing to do with Ethan.”

She was lying; I could tell easily.

“Irene, whatever it is, you can talk to me. I’m your father and—”

“Oh, now you want to pretend like you’re a caring father?” Irene spat, taking me by surprise. “You have never been there for me or Matt. You are only around now because you have a gross crush on Matt’s tutor. But Dad, newsflash, I’m grown now, and I don’t need you meddling in my life. I would have loved to have you in my life growing up, but you were always too busy. Do you have any idea what it’s like living in your shadow? It’s exhausting….”

I was shocked by her words, and I wasn’t sure what to say. I had no idea she felt that way… or maybe she was lashing out at me because didn’t know who else to take her frustrations out on. Either way, I could see the pure pain in her eyes, and it was directed towards me.

“You have barely been a father to me,” she continued, tears filling her eyes. “And now you want to take away the only happiness I had ever known? Do you want me to end it all? Because I’m about ready to take a knife and—”

“Don’t you dare speak like that, Irene!” I growled. “You know I don’t want to take anything away form you. I’m just worried about you. I want what’s best…”

“Ethan is what’s best,” she huffed, wiping away the stray tears from her cheeks. “He’s all I want and I’m not giving up on our relationship no matter what happens. He’s mine... and I won’t let you take him away from me!”

I wasn’t sure what more to say, so I nodded.

“Okay,” I finally said after a beat of silence. “We don’t need to talk about this any further.”

“Can you leave now?” She murmured. “I’m really tired.”

I nodded and started to leave, but then I paused and glanced over my shoulder at her.

“I thought you’d like to know that Ethan is sleeping in a guest room. We found him passed out in the bar and it looked like a prostitute was about to take advantage of him.”

Irene’s face paled immediately, and I could practically hear her heart thumping out of her chest.

“What?” She gasped. “Why didn’t you say something sooner? I need to go see him,” she said as she ran towards the doorway.

I didn’t stop her, but I did call after her once she was in the hallway.

“Irene,” I said, halting her movements. “I love you. I hope you know that.”

She studied me for a moment before she nodded. She didn’t say anything as she turned and quickly hurried to find Ethan.

I sighed. There was no getting through to her.

I was surprised to see that Judy returned the next evening to train Matt; I honestly thought she would have called in sick after our last encounter. I was pleased to see her though; I wanted to tell her that I was sorry for what I had said in the heat of the moment.

Then again, it wasn’t my place to make her see reason. I decided to give her a bit of space this evening, but I admittedly watched from afar with my wolf itching to get closer. I kept my footing though, unable to take my eyes off her.

Irene and Ethan spent the entire day together; Ethan seemed to have forgotten what had happened last night and Irene was just pleased to have him by her side. I’ve noticed there was some tension between Judy and Irene earlier and I wasn’t sure where it was coming from. Irene kept glancing at Judy whenever they were in the same area, and I swear I saw her giving Judy a dirty look.

I thought they were friends… what had happened?

Judy grabbed her phone out of her bag and frowned when she saw the screen. She glanced down at Matt and said something to him. He nodded and started to practice on her own while Judy went to take a phone call.

My curiosity got the best of me… who did she run off to speak to so urgently?

…..

Judy’s POV

When I saw Nan had called me back while I was in the middle of my training session with Matt, my heart leapt into my throat. I hadn’t spoken to her in a couple of days because we hadn’t had school and I’ve been so busy. I left her a message earlier, telling her I needed to ask her something important.

I had no other options.

Nan lived in an apartment by herself… so I needed to see if I could crash on her couch for a while. At least until I can figure out my next move.

“I’ll be right back,” I told Matt. “I need to make a phone call. Just practice your aiming and I’ll be return as soon as I can.”

“Okay,” he said with a nod before going off to practice on his own.

I hurried away from the field and brought up Nan’s contact information. I clicked on the call button and pressed the phone to my cheek, waiting with bated breath.

“What’s so important?” Nan asked; she sounded tired, and I knew she had just gotten out of work.

“Busy day?” I asked, admittedly stalling because I was too nervous to ask.

“An annoying day,” she murmured. “I got in trouble for smacking a dude after he grabbed my ass and told me he’ll have that as a meal.”

I gasped.

“That dog!” I exclaimed. “I’m sorry you have to deal with that.”

“It’s part of the job,” she murmured. “But exhausting. So, seriously What’s so important? You sounded urgent on the phone.”

I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair, tugging at the ends.

“My mom is selling the house,” I blurted.

“What??” Nan gasped. “Why would she do that? She loves that house. Her and your father worked hard in the beginning to get to that house. She always used to tell us stories about it.”

“I know,” I told her, closing my eyes. “But somehow, Ethans’ parents convinced her to sell the house and move in with them until she’s back on her feet.”

“Those conniving assholes,” she hissed. “They did this on purpose!”

“I’m well aware,” I murmured, rolling my eyes at the very thought.

“So, what are you going to do?” Nan asked. “You can’t live there. Is your mother that gullible?”

“Apparently she is,” I sighed. “She told me we are moving in a couple of days.”

“You can’t be serious, Judy,” Nan groaned. “You living in the Cash household will be so damaging to you and your wolf.”

“I can’t live there, Nan,” I told her, dropping my voice even lower. “My mother is adamant about it and even said if I’m not on board, then I can find somewhere else to live.”

“So, what are you going to do?” Nan asked.

I was quiet for a moment as I chewed my bottom lip.

“I was kind of hoping I could crash on your couch until I can figure something out?” I asked her, holding my breath until she answered.

After a beat of silence, she finally replied, heaping a large sigh.

“Oh, Judy. I would love to have you stay with me, but my landlord is a complete asshole. I signed a contract stating that I won’t have anyone staying here for more than a couple days…” she told me sadly. “I’m so sorry…”

Disappointment filled me. She was my only hope. I truly will have to live with Ethan’s family. My entire stomach turned into a nervous pit, and I fought the urge to cry.

“It’s okay, I understand,” I told her softly.

“I’ll do some research and try to find someone who needs a roomie though. I’m sure there’s something around here,” she assured me, her tone compassionate. “We will figure this out, Judy. Don’t worry.”

I smiled, despite wanting to cry.

“Thanks, Nan.”

After a quick goodbye, I hung up the phone. I turned around so I could head back to Matt but froze when I saw Gavin’s dark eyes staring at me. I had been avoiding him because of how ashamed I was for running out on him last night. I wanted to apologize, but I wasn’t sure how to start.

“Hey…” I said a bit awkwardly. “About last night—”

“Never mind that,” he said, stopping my words. “Did I hear you say something about your mother selling your house?”

My face paled.

“You were listening to my conversation?” I asked, feeling a bit defensive and embarrassed all at once.

“It wasn’t intentional,” he said, narrowing his eyes at me. “But is it true?”

I bit my lip; there was no use lying to him if he heard the conversation, so I nodded.

“Yes,” I said softly. “It’s true and I’ll most likely have to live with Ethan’s family for a while.”

His energy seemed to have darkened a bit upon hearing me say those words and a small growl escaped his throat. I raised my brows at his reaction, and he shook his head, ridding himself of that strange outburst of emotions.

“There’s another option,” he finally said after a beat of silence.

“And what would that be?” I asked, meeting his eyes.

“Move in with me.”