Chapter 177

Judy’s POV

“Sorry I couldn’t make it out with you guys’ last night,” Tabby said as she spotted me during our weight training. “I wanted to have a clear head for training today.”

“Don’t be sorry. Honestly, you weren’t missing much,” I told her. “I probably shouldn’t have gone out either. The next and last part of the competition is crucial because this will determine the final winner. I probably should have a clear head too.”

“Have you been scouted yet?” Tabby asked, glancing around at the others who were hard at work and completely oblivious of us.

I frowned and shook my head.

“No, have you?” I asked.

Anyone could recruit us to their pack or gamma force without us having to win the competition. However, only those who win the competition can make it to the Elite Force.

“No, but I heard Sherry was recruited already. She still wants to compete though and try to get to the top,” Tabby told me.

I lifted the weight, it was heavier than what I was used to, but I was aiming to push myself a little further today.

“She would be stupid not to,” I said between grunts. “She’s really good at what she does.”

Tabby nodded in agreement, watching as I lifted the weight towards her and then back down.

“So, if you win and you make it on the Elite force, where do you want to be stationed? You know you get to choose your start base location.”

“I honestly hadn’t thought about it,” I told her.

The Lycans are in charge of the Elite Gamma Forces, so they were mainly stationed near their main packs. I knew there was an Elite Force station just outside of the Silver Crescent pack, so that would be ideal. But would Gavin even want me on that force? For some reason, I was nervous asking him.

“You live near Silver Crescent, right?” Tabby asked thoughtfully. “So, ideally, that would make the most sense. Unless you were looking for a change in scenery?”

“I mean, my family and friends all live there,” I told her, as I lifted the weight once again, my muscles screaming at me to stop and I knew I probably should have listened. The last thing I wanted was to hurt myself before the final rounds started. “So, yeah, it would be ideal. But I don’t know. I guess we will see. What about you? Have you thought about it?”

“I don’t live near any of the Lycans,” she said with a shrug. “So, I don’t really know. But I heard Alpha Landry has one of the better forces, so I would probably try to get into the Silver Crescent one.”

I finally put the weight down, feeling as if my arms were about to fall off.

I sat up, sweat caked on my face, and I used the back of my hand to wipe it off.

“We’d be neighbors,” I told her with a smile.

She laughed and nodded.

“Yeah, it would be pretty cool,” she breathed with a wide grin.

“Judy!” I heard my name coming from the gym entrance and I turned just in time to see Matt’s smiling face as he ran toward me, Irene quickly running after him. She looked as if she hadn’t slept a wink, and my chest tightened for her. I knew she was still heartbroken after the whole Ethan situation, not to mention being attacked at the club last night.

“Hey, what are you guys doing here?” I asked, sitting up on the bench. “Shouldn’t you be exploring the resort or tanning by the pool?”

“I wish,” Irene said, folding her arms across her chest and giving Matt a pointed look. “He was insisting that we came to see you before we did anything.”

I rubbed my hand through his hair and smiled down at him.

“Did Matthew miss me?” I teased, making him scowl.

“No,” he muttered. “I just wanted to see you in action… you know, for my own training,” he tried to play it off, but I could see through him.

I laughed.

“Oh, sure, I’m sure that’s what it is,” I teased again, making him roll his eyes. “Hey, this is Tabby. My friend on the team.”

“I saw you on TV!” Matt said with a grin. “You were on Judy’s team when you were on the island.”

Tabby nodded.

“Yes,” she replied. “Judy was pretty amazing with that bear.”

“It’s not like I did it alone,” I countered. “But anyways, Tabby, this is Matthew and Irene Landry.”

Tabby’s eyes grew wide, and her mouth nearly dropped to the ground.

“The Landry’s??” She asked in awe. “As in Gavin Landry?”

“They are his kids,” I explained.

“I knew he had a daughter, but I had no idea he had a son too,” Tabby said, furrowing her brows. “He really keeps his life private.”

Matt looked a bit sheepish and uncomfortable from the remark and I gave him a reassuring smile.

“Woah, who is that cutey?” Irene asked, her eyes staring off in the distance.

I followed her gaze and then smirked when I saw the man she was looking at. Turning back to her I replied, “That would be Chuck Evans. He’s from the Bloodmoon pack up North. His father is the head gamma there.”

“He was also on Judy’s team when she was on the island,” Matt also explained, eagerly. “He was kind of like the team captain.”

“Yeah, and nobody even questioned it,” I said with a headshake. “But leadership came naturally to him, almost like it was a given.”

Irene’s eyes were fixed on Chuck, not paying attention to what anyone was saying.

“Earth to Irene,” I said, waving my hand in front of her face, making her blink a few times like she was just finding out where she was.

“Sorry, what were you saying?” She asked, her cheeks turning a strange shade of red.

“I was saying, that’s Chuck Evans. Though he’s great at what he does, he’s kind of arrogant. I’d just be wary of him.”

“It’s not like I’m planning on doing anything with him,” Irene said a bit nervously. “I just got out of a serious relationship. I’m still kind of a mess over it.”

“Have you heard from him?” I asked.

She shook her head, looking as if she wanted to cry.

“No,” she breathed. “He made it perfectly clear that he never wanted me to begin with. It was always my father he was after…”

“He never deserved you,” I told her, wrapping a sweaty arm around her.

“He didn’t deserve you either,” she sighed, resting her head on my shoulder, not caring that I was sweaty.

“Who are we talking about?” Tabby asked, and her brows furrowed.

“My ex-mate,” I told her. “And Irene’s ex-fiancé.”

Her eyes grew wide.

“Woah, juicy,” she breathed.

I laughed and gave Irene a gentle squeeze.

Our conversation was interrupted by the sound of my phone ringing. I grabbed my phone out of my bag that sat beside the weights, and I saw that my mother was calling. My heart squeezed in my chest and suddenly, I was worried that something was wrong. She was still living in the Cash Manor after all. Did they do something to her after their connection with Irene and the Landry’s were cut?

I excused myself and rushed out of the gym so I could take the phone call privately. A million thoughts ran through my mind and for a moment, I was prepared to get a flight back home so I could be with my mother.

“Mom,” I greeted when I answered the phone. “Is everything okay?”

“Judy, it’s your father,” my mother sniffled on the other end.

My heart fell deep into my stomach at the thought of something happening to my father, knowing that it would also destroy my mother. If I lost him, I lost them both.

“Mom, what happened, is he okay?” I asked, panicking me.

“Yes, he’s fine,” my mother surprised me by saying. “He’s coming home, Judy. He’s getting out of jail today.”

My eyes grew impossibly large; out of all the things she could be calling me for, that was not something I even thought about. I remembered Gavin saying he had it handled, but I didn’t think it would be so fast.

“Are you serious?” I asked, my voice coming out as a breathy whisper. “How, why?”

“His debt was paid in full,” she said softly.

My heart swelled with joy at hearing her; I realized these weren’t tears of fear or heartbreak, she was crying for joy because her mate was returning to her.

“Oh, mom, that makes me so happy,” I said, my own eyes welling with tears.

“Alpha Landry also called me personally to tell me that he was going to make sure we were set up well,” she told me, surprising me further. “He rebought our house, Judy. The Cash family no longer owns it…we do. We get to finally move home, Judy!”