Chapter 8

Judy’s POV

“Are you afraid of me?” I asked the boy, my eyes narrowed. “Or are you incapable of asking me for my name yourself?”

Matthew looked stunned by my directness. I was never one to sugarcoat anything and clearly his former tutors were exactly that type. His cheeks turned a bright shade of pink as he glanced at the ground; Adam just looked amused.

“I am Matt. What is your name?”

I smiled at the small child and lowered myself, so I was at eye level with him.

“You may call me Judy,” I told him.

He lifted his head and squared his shoulders as if he was getting ready to fight.

“You are really good at shooting, but that doesn’t mean you are good at everything,” he said to me, his tone hardening, and the look in his eyes gave my chest a sinking feeling. “My tutors are all weak and I bet you’re the same. You don’t look very strong or intelligent. I need someone capable.”

He put his hands on his hips.

“You are certainly very vocal for a 7-year-old,” I praised. “And how do you expect I should prove myself, Master Matt?”

He smirked and then walked over to a bucket I hadn’t known was there. I frowned when I saw the contents inside. They looked like daggers. I also noticed the dummies that were set up; they must be for dagger throwing. I knew that was a common practice warriors had so I wasn’t surprised to see it. But I was surprised to see Matt pick up a couple of daggers and hold them like he was about to stab me.

I looked at Adam who looked ready to intervene; his face had paled drastically. It only took me a second to realize what was about to happen. Soon, a dagger was being thrown directly at me at a quick pace. He had quite an arm and an aim when it came to dagger throwing.

I would be lying if I said I wasn’t impressed. Thankfully, I always had good reflexes.

I did a quick flip and dodged the flying dagger, only to see another one coming straight for my head. I effortlessly landed on my back, cushioning my fall with my hand as the dagger missed my nose by a centimeter. Another dagger flew directly at me, and I spun around, getting lower to the ground as the dagger passed by, landing an inch away from me. Another dagger flew at me and used my arms and legs to jump back to my feet and over the dagger.

A final dagger came spinning directly at me; this throw was sloppy, and I knew it was because he was losing his focus. I squinted at the fast dagger and timed it perfectly; I spun my foot around and kicked the handle, so the dagger flew in the opposite direction.

Panic set in when I realized what I had done and just as I was about to scream for Matt to watch out, he dodged to the ground, missing the dagger only by a second.

Relief flooded me and I let out the breath I had been holding inside of myself.

“How did you do that??” Matt asked as he stood up, brushing the dirt off his clothes.

I also brushed the dirt off my clothes, and I shrugged.

“I’ve been training for this type of thing for a long time,” I told him. “If I’m going to be a Gamma warrior, I need to be prepared for every attack.”

When he stared at me dumbfounded, I raised my brows at him.

“You didn’t know I was training to be a warrior?” I asked him. “Do you normally throw daggers at those who haven’t trained?”

His cheeks grew pink again and that was all the answers I needed. I looked at Adam who looked sheepish. He kept his eyes fixed on the ground and I could see the shame on his face. Things were starting to make sense now. Matt truly was a menace.

A loud and deep barking sound brought me out of my thoughts. When I turned, I saw a huge black dog running towards us with its tongue out. Its bushy tail wagged back and forth rapidly as it greeted Matt.

Matt smiled at the dog and wrapped his arms around his large neck. The dog was bigger than he was!

“Shadow, what are you doing out here, boy? I thought you were inside,” Matt said as the dog licked his face, making him chuckle.

I smiled and bent down to the ground so I could be at eye level with the dog. He hadn’t noticed me yet, but as soon as I moved, he whipped around to face me, his eyes turning to slits.

“Shadow doesn’t like anyone else, other than Master Matthew,” Adam warmed. “He bit the last tutor, and she had to go to the pack clinic for stitches.”

I raised my brows.

“Her wolf didn’t heal her?” I asked.

“She was an Omega without a wolf,” Adam explained.

I nodded thoughtfully and turned my attention back to Matt and Shadow. Shadow was glaring at me, and I could see his canines as he growled. I kept my calm composure though and outstretched my hand. Shadow took a step closer to me and I could feel Adam’s anxieties from behind me. But I kept myself calm and my eyes on the dog.

I am not threatening, I kept saying in my mind. I am a friend.

Shadow sniffed my fingers, and I lowered my hand to the ground. Then, to everyone’s surprise, Shadow licked my fingertips and trotted the rest of the way over to me, allowing me to pet him. I smiled as my fingers ran through his soft fur and he panted excitedly as his tail thumped on the ground, nearly knocking me over as the ground shook under his weight.

“H…how did you do that?” Matt asked, shocked. “Shadow doesn’t like strangers.”

I shrugged casually.

“I’ve always been good with animals,” I confessed. “When I was young, I used to have a dog as well. Her name was Caramel because she was the color of Caramel.”

Matt snickered at the name, and I smiled. Shadow rubbed himself all over me before returning to Matt’s side.

“My parents got her for me because they were never home. Caramel kept me company,” I finished explaining.

Something flashed in Matt’s eyes as he fixated his attention on his dog. It almost looked like sadness.

“My dad is never home,” he murmured. “So, Shadow keeps me company. He protects me from bad and conniving people. That’s why he bit the last tutor. She was conniving and only agreed to tutor me so she could get close to my father.”

I raised my brows.

How could a woman do such a thing? I felt sick at the very thought that she was using this little boy only for his father. Who was his father to this woman?

“How about I bring Shadow back inside so you can finish getting to know one another,” Adam suggested as he walked towards the dog who only growled at him.

Matt smirked.

“Careful Adam; or you might end up dog food,” Matt warned.

Adam mumbled something under his breath that I didn’t quite get but he managed to get Shadow and bring him into the villa while I stayed behind with Matt.

Matt stared at me; his arms folded across his chest as he examined me.

“You have good reflexes and aim,” he murmured. “But that doesn’t mean you are strong or smart.”

“Well, if it’s my brain you are worried about, I am top of my class in all my subjects. I graduated high school with high honors and I’m currently a college student,” I told him. I felt a little silly telling all this to a 7-year-old. But I could tell he was mature for his age, and he was having trouble trusting my capabilities. “As for my strength, as I said, I’m training to be a Gamma warrior. How can I prove my strength to you?”

He smirked; giving me a look I was starting to grow accustomed to. I knew that meant he was up to something.

I stepped backward, narrowing my eyes.

“Let’s play a game,” he finally said, surprising me.

“Okay, what kind of game?”

“Escape. Ever play it?”

Escape was a game where the opponent tries to escape the other person’s hold. I’ve only played it with others around my age, never ones much younger than me. This should certainly be interesting.

“Would you wish to escape from me?” I asked him.

He nodded.

“I might be 7, but I’m very strong,” he said, putting his hands on his hips.

I smiled.

“I don’t doubt that,” I told him. “Okay, let’s give it a shot.”

Before he was even ready, I already had him tackled to the ground. I must say, he did put up a pretty fair fight. I could tell he’s done some training, and it made me wonder why he trained so hard at a young age. It took me a minute to get my bearings and get control of the situation, but I eventually had him pinned and he couldn’t move. He struggled against me, and I just smiled as he attempted to get out of my hold.

“I thought you were stronger than that?” I teased.

His cheeks grew pink from embarrassment, and I laughed wholeheartedly.

“If I become your tutor, we can work on this,” I assured him.

As he attempted to escape from me, I heard some footsteps from nearby and I assumed Adam was returning. But then I heard another set of footsteps; Matt must have heard them as well because he froze and looked in the direction of the sound.

I watched as his face lit up in delight; a look I had yet to see from him.

“Dad!!” He yelled excitedly.

I looked in the same direction and my entire heart fell deep into my stomach.

His father, the man of the house, was none other than Gavin Landry.