Chapter 179

Judy’s POV

Despite the good news from my parents about them being able to move home soon, my wolf was on edge. Something was wrong and I couldn’t quite figure out what it was. I classified it as basic nerves for what was about to come tomorrow. It was the finals for this competition, and it would determine the winner. If we weren’t careful, we could lose our lives. My wolf wasn’t the type to back down or surrender, so I worried getting her to submit would be hard, if not impossible.

“Are you okay?” Nan asked when she noticed my expression. I was struggling at keeping my wolf under control. Something was seriously wrong with her right now and it worried me.

I nodded though, not wanting to worry my best friend.

“Yeah, I think I just need some air,” I told her truthfully, my heart hammering in my chest.

She nodded, a small frown marring her lips as she watched me leave the hotel suite. She didn’t follow after me, which I was grateful for. I wasn’t sure why, but I just needed to be alone for a little while. I needed to clear my thoughts and settle my wolf before she did something she would regret.

I didn’t get to make it outside though.

“Miss Montague,” Alpha Levi said, falling into step beside me. “Mind if I have a word with you?”

I frowned up at him, not sure what he could possibly want to speak to me about, but he was in charge of this competition so maybe it was related.

I nodded my head slowly.

“Of course, Alpha,” I said to him.

“Are you prepared for tomorrow?” He asked me, his eyes searching my face for something I wasn’t sure what.

I nodded, though I wasn’t entirely sure myself if I was prepared or not.

“Yes, Alpha,” I told him. “As prepared as I can be.”

“That’s good to hear. I have high hopes for you tomorrow,” he surprised me by saying. “I recruited you for a reason and that’s because I have faith in your abitlies. You are going to make the Elite team a stronger force with your presence.

“That’s if I win, Alpha,” I remind him. “There’s no guarantees to that.”

He nodded thoughtfully.

“Still, I’d like to offer you a position with the Elite team in pack,” he shocked me by saying.

My mouth nearly fell open. Being invited to the Elite team without having won the competition yet was a huge deal. But did I really want to work under Alpha Levi instead of Gavin? Then again, Gavin didn’t offer me any kind of position and I wasn’t sure if he was going to or not.

For right now, I need to keep my options open and take what I can get.

“Wow, that’s a huge honor,” I told him thoughtfully. “But are you sure it’s me you want? There are other great candidates.”

“Nobody can do what you can,” he told me. “You are a very unique individual and it would be an honor to have you working for me on the Elite team. I still want you to try your best tomorrow, but just know, you’ve already won in my eyes.”

A smile tipped the corner of my lips.

“Thank you, Alpha,” I said, bowing my head out of respect to him. “That means a lot coming from a Lycan.”

He nodded, his eyes sparkling with something I couldn’t quite understand but I chose not to dwell on it for much longer. The longer we spoke, the more on edge my wolf was. She was desperate to go out and shift. I didn’t want to shift right now though because there was no telling what she would do and where she’d go if she did break free from me. Right now, it felt as if I was the only thing holding her back from doing something reckless.

“Think about what I said and get back to me soon,” he said, holding out his hand for me to shake.

I reached my hand out and he took it gently, bringing it to his lips. The kiss was featherlike, and he held my eyes the entire time, something dancing in his gaze that I couldn’t quite pin. As he kissed my knuckles, he lowered my hand back down, his fingers lingering a bit longer than necessary before he released me.

“Until next time,” he said and then he turned and left without another word.

I was still reeling from that conversation when I stepped outside. It was quiet outside; most were either at dinner or somewhere else in the resort. The night air was cool against my warm flesh and the moon hung lazily in the sky, casting its rays down on the gorgeous resort.

Though it was peaceful, and the air was nice in my lungs, my wolf was still clearly on edge.

“What’s wrong?” I whispered to her, hoping for some kind of answer.

But all I got in return was silence. I placed my hand on my chest, feeling my rapid heartbeat, my brows furrowed.

“Congratulations on making it to the final round.”

His voice cut through my thoughts and suddenly, without even looking, I knew why my wolf was on edge. I spun around, my eyes wide as I stared at my ex-mate, my heart in my throat.

“Ethan?” I asked, my voice rough as I stared into his eyes. “W…what are you doing here?”

“Can’t I come and support my mate on her victory?” Ethan asked, stepping towards me.

I immediately stepped back; I hated that he still affected my wolf whenever he was around. I should have known that was the reason for her being on edge for the last few hours. He must have arrived here earlier today, and she could sense him nearby.

“We stopped being mates the second you cheated on me,” I said, folding my arms across my chest and glaring at him with my lips pressed together. “So, I’ll ask again, why are you here?”

He narrowed his eyes.

“You still wear my mark on your neck,” he said, his eyes scanning my neck where his mark remained. I reached up and touched it; he was right. I wore his mark, and I hated every second of it. Every time he fucked another woman I could feel it; though the pain was hardly there anymore, it still did wonders on my wolf knowing that our mate was with someone else.

“This mark was a mistake,” I hissed. “Clearly nothing but a joke to you.”

“That’s where you’re wrong, Judy,” he said, stepping closer to me. “My mark is not a joke… it's a symbol of our mating. We were good together once, remember?”

“Yeah, and then you chose Irene over me,” I said through my teeth. “You broke our mating the second you chose someone else, Ethan.”

“We broke up,” Ethan said, holding his hands up in mock surrender. “So, you don’t have to worry about her anymore.”

“Yeah, I heard about your breakup,” I said, rolling my eyes. “You are pathetic, Ethan. I don’t trust you. You’ll only cheat on me again. I don’t understand what you even want with me.”

“I want my mate back,” he said, his wolf flashing through his eyes. “And I’m not going to give up without a fight.”

“Give it up,” I said, shaking my head. “First, you cheat on me, and then you ask me to be your mistress… now you want me back? You are delusional if you think for a second, I would ever consider taking you back.”

I turn away from him, fully understanding why my wolf was on edge now. satisfied that I have answers and can settle her, I started to head back inside.

“Do you really think Gavin Landry cares about you?” He asked, making me freeze momentarily. “He doesn’t care about you at all, Judy. Not like I do.”

“You have no idea what you are talking about,” I said through my teeth.

“I know you are sleeping with him,” Ethan said, stepping closer to me. I refused to turn around to look at him, but I knew he was getting closer. “I can feel it just like you can feel when I’m with others. I know you care for him… possibly even falling for him. But he doesn’t feel the same way, Judy. For him, you are just an easy fuck. No strings attached, quick pussy.”

I spun around and slapped him in the face; his head jerked to the side and his eyes flashed red for a moment.

“Don’t you dare speak to me like that,” I hissed. “You know nothing about anything. Leave me alone, Ethan.”

With that, I stormed back inside, leaving him standing outside, watching after me.

I didn’t stop walking until I was in the elevator, heading back to the top floor. I stepped out of the elevator and started towards my room but paused outside of Gavin’s room. I stood at the door for a brief moment before I took a deep breath and knocked on it. I wasn’t sure what I was doing; it was kind of late and it was definitely stupid, but I couldn’t help myself. So much had happened today, and he was the only one I really wanted to talk to about it all.

I rose early and knocked on the door.

I waited with bated breath, hearing shuffling and then the doorknob turned. Once the door opened, my heart fell deep into my stomach.

A woman stared back at me, she was wearing nothing, but a robe and her blonde curls looked disheveled from the bed as she gave me a small smile, a sparkle of something in her eyes.

“Can we help you?”