Chapter 124

Judy’s POV

I was stunned by her words and I slowly turned to look at her. She was looking anywhere but at me. Her hands fidgeted with the ends of her blouse and her breathing was heavier than usual.

“What?” I asked her, narrowing my eyes.

“I think he’s cheating on me,” she repeated, her tone breathy. I thought she was about to go into a panic attack. “I went to his house because I had barely seen him in days and there was a woman standing outside his house. She looked like she was going to knock, but when she saw me, she left…”

“A woman?” I asked, my chest twisting. “Do you know who it was?”

Irene shook her head.

“No, I’ve never seen her before.”

“What did she look like?” I asked.

Irene thought about it for a moment, a clouded expression falling over her face as realization consumed her. She narrowed her eyes at me, that bitter look I’ve gotten accustomed to these last few weeks returning to her face. It was as if she had just remembered who she was speaking to and now her guard was back up.

The look was so deadly and out of pocket that I instinctively took a step back.

“She looked like you,” she said bitterly. “I need to leave.”

Without another word, she walked back up the stairs.

I frowned as I stared after her.

That was strange, I thought to myself.

I brushed the thought out of my head and spent the rest of the day with Matt, tutoring him and then giving him more combat and defense lessons. I thought Gavin would have at least made one appearance today, but he didn’t return to the Villa. By the time I left for the evening, the sun had set, and I was exhausted.

Leroy was the one who brought me home; when I asked him if he heard from Gavin, he gave me a vague answer and said that the Alpha had been busy and that I shouldn’t worry too much about him.

“Busy with what?” I asked him.

He didn’t reply, which made me even more suspicious. Could it be because there was someone else in his life? Was he sleeping with another woman and now he was spending all his time with her? I thought about Skyla… maybe he had decided to get with her after all.

The thought made me sick to my stomach.

A part of me wanted to go to his office and find out what’s been going on and where he’s been. But another part of me didn’t want to face the rejection that would inevitably come.

I decided to let it go for now and hoped that he would come to me when he was ready.

He didn’t.

It’s been a week, and he still hasn’t come to me.

I was leaving tomorrow morning and Gavin still had no idea about it. At least I didn’t think he did. Adam did say he would tell Gavin, but I hadn’t heard a thing from either of them.

I spent the entire day packing and talking on the phone with Nan who was also packing. She hadn’t spoken to Chester since that awkward car ride home and Chester hadn’t mentioned anything about it either. He’s been quieter than usual, and he hasn’t been spotted around Harper much.

They both drowned themselves in work and kept their heads down.

Irene hadn’t spoken to me since last week; she’s been clearly avoiding me. I wondered if she was embarrassed about what she had confessed to me. Matt was upset when I told him that today would be our last training session for the next few weeks, but he was excited that I was nominated to participate in the Gamma competition, and he promised to watch me on TV when it was broadcast.

Every shifter in the world watched these competitions and I was nervous that I would be one of the ones they watched. I had to admit, I was excited to be getting away for a few weeks and even more excited to be participating in this competition.

I was also incredibly nervous, which came to no surprise to anyone.

This was everything I had wanted and worked towards for so long. My future came down to this competition and I couldn’t blow it.

My professors think that I’m more than ready and my family and friends are all supporting me, but the one person I wanted to support me the most, was MIA. My heart lurched at the thought of Gavin and how he’s been avoiding me these last few weeks.

At least, that’s what it seemed like.

As I was sparring with Matt, my thoughts got away from me. I knew it was a bad idea to be sparring with him while my mind wasn’t completely focused, but I told myself that it would be okay. That I was good enough to still do my job.

It wasn’t like me to make any mistakes, and I wasn’t planning on doing so today.

However, I messed up greatly while showing him a new move I’ve been working on with the bow and arrow. My aim was completely off, and I didn’t realize Matt had moved from his current position. As soon as the arrow flew from the air and I saw Matt in sight, I screamed out for him to move.

But it was too late.

Matt’s scream pierced through the night air.

I don’t remember running towards him, but soon, I was kneeling on the ground, grabbing at his leg which was now covered in blood with an arrow sticking out of it. My fingers trembled as I attempted to stop the bleeding, too afraid to remove the arrow, not wanting it to further any damage. I had never seen Matt cry and scream so much before but as I looked at his paling face, I saw streaks of tears washing over his features and his lips trembling as he grabbed a hold of me, not wanting me to leave him.

Thankfully, it was a flesh wound and despite not having a wolf yet, Matt would still heal fast from a wound like this. But he still needed medical attention and fast.

“Mathew!!” I heard Irene screaming as she ran towards us. How long had she been there for? Before I could ask her, she shoved me away from Matt and I fell onto my backside, startled by her sudden force. “You bitch! Look what you did to my brother! I saw the whole thing!! You shot him!!”

“N… no, I…” My voice faded.

I didn’t know what to say. It’s not like I could deny it. I wasn’t paying attention and misaimed. I shot Matt in the leg with an arrow. It could have been so much worse than it was… it could have been deadly.

I was careless.

“We need to get him to a hospital,” Irene said, panic clear in her tone.

I reached into my bag and grabbed my phone; I felt stupid for not doing this sooner, but everything happened so fast that I didn’t have time to react properly. My hands were covered in blood as I swiped across the scream and attempted to dial the emergency hotline.

I was numb to the world and barely even remembered the conversation that took place on the phone. I was seated against a tree, my phone still in hand. The call had ended, and I couldn’t pull my eyes away from Matt and the blood that seeped into the ground beneath him. Irene was holding him, attempting to stop the blood as well. She too was afraid to pull the arrow out of his leg, but he was losing blood fast and he was getting paler with each breath he took.

I had no idea what to do at that moment; I was helpless, and all my Gamma training had gone out the window.

“What happened?” Gavin asked as he rushed towards us. I hadn’t even known he was home. He must have heard the commotion from inside.

He was by Matt’s side before I could blink. He ripped off his shirt so he could use it to tie around the wound on Matt’s leg and stop the bleeding. I blinked and saw that the arrow was on the ground now.

When did he remove the arrow?

He worked effortlessly as he tied the shirt around Matt’s leg.

“It was Judy’s fault,” Irene said through her teeth, pointing at me. “She did this. She shot Matt.”

Gavin finally turned to look at me as if he was just noticing me for the first time; his eyes were dark, and his lips were pressed in a thin line as he fought to control his angry wolf. He studied my face for a moment and then his eyes drifted across my body, noticing the blood on my shirt and hands.

“Is this true?” He asked me, his tone growly and sending a chill down my spine. His gaze lifted and he met my eyes again.

“I…” I tried to speak, but my voice came out as a whisper and barely audible.

“Yes, it’s true,” Irene snapped. “I saw the whole thing. She did this on purpose. She’s dangerous, Daddy! This is the second time Matt got hurt in her care!!”

A low growl escaped Gavin’s throat; I wasn’t sure if he was growling at me or Irene, but his eyes never left mine. Neither of us said anything but allowed Irene’s words to sink in.

I could hear the sirens close by and I was relieved that they were finally there.

“I want you to leave,” he said after a short pause. “Don’t come back.”

His words were detached, and I could see the pure rage and hatred on his face. I swallowed the lump in my throat; he didn’t have to tell me twice. I quickly stood and wiped the tears out of my eyes. I hadn’t even realized I was crying until that moment. Blood smeared on my cheeks as I did so.

My entire body trembled. He had never looked at me like that before. My heart shattered in a million pieces and my wolf had her head buried in shame. My legs wouldn’t work; I knew I needed to leave… but I couldn’t will my legs to cooperate.

“I’m so sorry,” I whispered to a trembling Matt who was clinging to Gavin with all his strength. “I’m so sorry…” I said again, not sur what more to say to him but needing him to know that this was a complete accident.

Yeah, it could have been worse, and he could have been killed, but he wasn’t. He was going to be okay and soon the ambulance would be here and take him to the hospital. He was already getting some color back on his cheeks and his trembling wasn’t as bad.

I opened my mouth to say something more.

“Go!” Gavin barked, making me flinch and shut my mouth even further. I felt his Alpha powers washing over me, which startled me because he had never used his Alpha powers on me before. Despite my legs feeling wobbly, I had no other choice but to leave.

Without another word, I ran from the villa.