Chapter 18

Third Person POV

Ethan’s phone rang. He took a sip of his whiskey and put it on the bar in front of him, motioning for the bartender to bring him another.

He cleared his throat before answering the phone.

“You better have good news,” he said without greeting the person on the other end.

“Judy never got fired from her job,” Ethan’s subordinate murmured. “She was able to get Matt to do his work regardless of the videos. Even Adam tried to talk to Alpha Gavin about it, but it was no use. Judy was persuasive and Matt did get all his tasks done.”

Ethan cursed under his breath.

The bartender returned with a fresh glass of whiskey; Ethan nodded his thanks as he took a sip of the drink.

“What about school? Did you do what I asked?” Ethan asked, feeling himself losing patience by the second.

“Yes, I bribed one of her teachers,” his subordinate answered. “He’s going to pin some stuff on Judy and get her expelled.”

“Perfect,” Ethan murmured. “At least that’s one thing I won’t have to worry about.”

“I also spoke to one of her enemies at school; she’s going to dig up some information about Judy and report back to me. Any information I find out I will let you know. You might be able to use it against her.”

“I knew I could count on you,” Ethan replied. “Keep me posted.”

“Will do, boss,” his subordinate said just before the line went dead.

Ethan took a sip of his whiskey, a smile spreading across his lips. Soon, he will get everything he wants. He will marry Irene, become the Alpha, and possess Judy.

…..

Judy’s POV

“I feel way underdressed,” I said, staring at all the students wearing luxurious gowns and designer clothing. I was wearing a nice blouse and a black tight skirt that hugged my form perfectly; I was dressed for a business function, not a ball.

The function was in the reception hall of the school, and it was decorated beautifully. After the ceremony, I knew there was going to be a feast for a celebration and to thank the students for attending the award ceremony. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous about this ceremony. If I won the award, I would be getting an incredibly good scholarship, and I could use that scholarship to continue my education and not worry about the cost next year.

“Why is everybody dressed up so much?” I asked Nan who stood beside me, eagerly looking around.

She peeked over at me with a frown.

“Didn’t you hear?” She asked. “Gavin Landry might actually show up this year. He’s invited every year, but he never attends. However, there's a rumor going around that he personally told the dean that he would be attending this year. So, all his fan girls are dressed up for the occasion.”

A pit formed in the middle of my stomach at the thought of Gavin and his fan girls. I was surprised that he was actually going to be here. Of course, I knew he was invited every year, but I never imagined he would actually show up to the school award ceremony.

On the stage, there were a few seats lined up, each one with different place cards. My name was in the center seat right next to Carol’s. There were a couple of others on each side of us as well, one of which had already taken their seat and was waiting patiently for the ceremony to begin.

The doors swung open, and I watched as Silver Crescent Gamma warriors piled into the reception hall, surrounding a very powerful Lycan.

Gavin and his men walked into the building as if they owned the place. For a moment, everyone fell silent as they watched them walk down the aisle to find their seats in the front row. I found myself holding my breath, my eyes finding Gavin in the middle of his crew. The girls around the room began their excited chattering and gushing at how handsome he was.

“Wow,” Nan breathed. “He actually showed up.”

“I’m just as surprised,” I admitted, my eyes never leaving Gavin who reached his designated seat.

“If only everyone around here knew that you almost slept with him,” Nan chuckled, shoving me playfully. “They would lose their minds!”

“They will never know,” I told her, shaking my head. “I don’t want to be on their hit list.”

“Hey, Judy,” a friend of mine, Water, said as he paused beside Nan. Walter was a sweet guy that I befriended in high school. He is also one of the top students and a candidate for the scholarship. Unlike Carol, Walter had always been a friendly competitor.

He gave me a broad and toothy smile, making Nan smirk.

“I heard about your family’s financial problems,” Walter went right into saying, making me frown immediately. This was not the topic I wanted to discuss, and I had to bite my tongue before I said something I would regret. “I’m really sorry that’s happening.”

“Thank you, Walter,” I said, keeping a plastered smile on my face. “That’s kind of you to say.”

“As you know, my family has a lot of money. If this scholarship doesn’t work out, you should let me pay for your schooling. That way you can save whatever money you have to help your father,” he suggested.

Nan chuckled and nudged Walter with her arm.

“Do you have a crush on her or something, Walter? What kind of offer is that?” She asked teasingly.

Walter’s cheeks turned red, and he glanced at the ground. To save him from further embarrassment, I stepped closer to him and put a hand on his shoulder, drawing his attention back to me.

“That’s very kind of you to offer, Walter. But it’s quite alright. I’ll be fine. Thank you though,” I told him.

He smiled and nodded in return.

“I’m going to find my seat,” Walter said. “I think I sit next to you.”

“I’ll see you up there,” I told him.

He nodded and walked past me, towards the stage.

Nan laughed again, shaking her head as she watched Walter walk away.

“That boy has got it bad,” she teased.

“Nan, no he doesn’t,” I retorted. “Walter is just a friend.”

“You might think so, but he’s had a crush on you for a long time,” she replied. “Someday, you’ll see exactly what I mean.”

I stared after Walter with a frown; he was a good-looking guy with his shaggy brown hair and nicely built frame. He always wore nice clothing, and I had to admit that he smelled nice because of the expensive cologne he wore. But to be honest, I wasn’t into Walter in that kind of way.

“Ladies, the ceremony is getting started. Please find your seats,” one of the professors said as she walked by.

Nan hugged me tightly.

“Good luck, Judy. I’ll be here rooting for you.”

I smiled and hugged her back.

I quickly made my way to the back of the stage and sat with the other candidates. Carol snarled at me, but I acted as if I hadn’t noticed. My eyes instinctively found Gavin’s who was sitting in the front row, and I was shocked to find that he was watching me.

My cheeks immediately warmed, and I had to look away quickly before I combusted.

The dean stood up on the stage and began his speech in the microphone; the students and guests were immediately silenced.

The dean started off by introducing himself and the reason behind the award ceremony. Then, he turned his attention to us, and he introduced each of the candidates by name, followed by their majors. We each stood upon hearing our names and the students all clapped and cheered for each of us.

When he reached my name, I could hear Nan screaming towards the back of the room and I smiled as I felt my cheeks warming. I could still feel Gavin’s eyes on me as I took my seat.

It was a nice event; the band students played a couple of songs, as did the chorus students. Former top students who had won the award in previous years were there to give a speech and congratulate us as well.

The dean felt it was even appropriate to introduce Gavin as well considering he was a Lycan, and this was the first time he had attended this award ceremony. He stood and waved at the students who cheered and gushed over him.

The she-wolves practically fell at his feet.

Then, it was finally time for the dean to announce the winner of this year's top student award along with the scholarship award.

“The winner of this year's award goes to….” He said as he opened the envelope. He smiled thoughtfully when he read the name and then turned to look at us. “Judy Montague!”

The audience went wild as my heart leaped into my throat. I could hardly believe this was happening! I won the scholarship! That meant I wasn’t going to have to worry about school and making loan payments next year because I got a scholarship!

My eyes found Nan’s who was hopping up and down and clapping the loudest. My smile was wide as I stood to my feet. Gavin was watching me with a perplexed look on his face and I hated not knowing what he was thinking.

Was he proud of me?

I wanted to laugh at that ridiculous thought. Of course, he wasn’t proud of me. Why would he be? I wasn’t anything to him.

I brushed the thought out of my head and walked across the stage and to the podium. I shook the dean’s hand and took the envelope from him.

The dean started by telling everyone about how I deserved this reward the most not only because I’m the top student, but because of my family’s financial problems and how I could benefit from this scholarship. Now it was one last thing I had to worry about.

I should have been mortified that he took it upon himself to announce such a thing to the entire school, but I wasn’t. They were already talking about it anyways.

“Congratulations, Judy. You deserve this. Would you like to make a speech?” He asked.

“Thank you,” I told him. “Yes, I would like that.”

I turned to the podium and smiled as the cheering continued. Just as it started to silence and I was about to speak into the mic, I heard a loud voice coming from behind me.

“That’s enough! Judy Montague is a fake!!”

I whipped around to see Carol standing up from her seat and staring at me. I was too stunned to say anything, but the murmur quickly began.

“Miss Declaire, what is this about?” The Dean asked, narrowing his eyes.

She put her hands on her hips and continued to glare at me.

“Judy doesn’t deserve this award,” Carol smeared. “She’s unworthy of this scholarship!”