Chapter 186

Judy’s POV

“So, what’s going on between you and my father?” Irene asked, making my entire body freeze.

It was the next day; the day after I won the competition. We were gathered in my suite, getting dressed for the celebration. I was a bit nervous about it as is because I really wasn’t a fan of that much attention. There were going to be paparazzi there, and a lot of people were asking questions. I’m not sure I’m ready to answer any of these questions or what I’m going to say to anyone.

I wondered if the competitors were going to say nice things about me, or if they were going to snub me.

I shook the thought out of my head and then turned to Irene, her question registering in my head.

“What do you mean?” I asked her with a frown. “There’s nothing going on between your father and me.”

“Oh, please,” Irene said, rolling her eyes. “I saw the way you two were acting around each other earlier. There’s a lot of hostility. Seriously, is everything okay?”

“Everything is fine,” I said, trying to sound casual, though I knew I didn’t.

“Are you sure about that?” Irene asked, raising her brows. “It seemed pretty hostile between you two.”

I frowned and shook my head, just as Nan walked out of the bathroom.

“I’m positive,” I tell her.

“Are we almost ready to go?” Nan asked, staring between the two of us. “The celebration is going to be starting soon, and Judy is featured in it.”

I blushed at her words. I turned to look in the mirror one last time, straightening out the skirt of my dress with the palms of my hands.

“Okay, yes, I’m ready,” I breathed, turning to face them.

“Chester said he’ll come later with Matt,” Nan said, draping her arm through mine.

“How are you and Chester doing?” I asked as we headed out of the room. “You seem to be getting along better.”

She sighed.

“It’s still complicated, but I agreed to go out with him once we get back to our territory. Baby steps,” she said softly.

“I’ve known Chester for quite a while; he’s worked for the family in the North mansion for a long time. He’s a good guy, despite being a player. I think he had a rough breakup once and that was why he stopped allowing himself to feel,” Irene said with a frown, getting both our attention.

This was new information that I didn’t know, and telling from the look on Nan’s face, she didn’t know either.

“A breakup?” I was the one who asked when it was clear Nan wasn’t going to.

Irene nodded, a sad smile on her face.

“Yeah, I forget what her name was. Irrelevant to me at the time but Chester was head over heels in love with her,” she said, shaking her head at the memory. “She broke his heart and shattered the little trust he had in women. Since then, he started sleeping around and didn’t allow himself to commit.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat when I thought of Chester feeling so broken that he swore himself off normal relationships. I wondered why he didn’t tell me; we had been friends when I moved into the mansion; friends since before he found out my best friend was his fated mate.

So, why would he keep such information from me?

The rest of the way to the ceremony was spent in silence as we processed this new information. Nan was completely lost in thought, and I could see the worry lines forming on her face.

The moment we stepped into the ceremony, I was bombarded by more paparazzi. They were never going to leave me alone; at least not until I answered some of their questions, relieving their piqued curiosity.

Thankfully, Alpha Levi and Alpha Jeremy were there to get me through the crowd, telling them I will answer all their questions later. They brought me over to where the other competitors were. Everyone dressed elegantly with champagne flutes and talking amongst themselves. Most looked completely healed; some of them were from the very first round and got eliminated early on, like Chrissy, Alpha Levi’s daughter.

Before the first round of the competition started, I met Chrissy and her friends in the bathroom. They tried to intimidate me, but it didn’t work. She was with the same friends I saw her with that day. They were talking and laughing amongst themselves, it was clear that Chrissy was the center of their attention.

“Judy!” I heard a familiar voice, and my heart melted when I saw Tabby rushing towards me.

She looked beautiful in her maroon dress that hugged her curves perfectly and her pixie styled hair. She had a bright smile on her face and looked way better than the last time I saw her on the arena ground. She was badly injured and taken away by medics; I had been worried about her, though I heard she was okay.

“Tabby,” I said, walking towards her, hugging her once she reached me. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”

“I can’t believe you won!” She shrieked. “I am so happy for you! Of course, I’m bummed I lost how and when I did, but I’m so grateful to be given the chance and to fight along your side. You deserved this win.”

“That means so much,” I breathed, tears burning my eyes. “It’s all so surreal if I am to be honest. It feels like a dream I’m going to wake up from at any moment.”

She laughed and patted me on the back.

“Well, start believing it, because you are kind of a star now. Every shifter in the world knows your name. It’s pretty incredible.”

I blushed at her words and nibbled on my lower lip nervously. I wasn’t sure what to expect going forward; would things start to change at school? Would people look at me differently? What about my family?

“There she is… the girl who made me surrender,” another voice said and I turned to see Sherry walking towards us.

She looked a lot better as well, though she walked with a slight limp and had a couple of scratches on her arms. She had a soft smile on her lips as she approached and when she stopped in front of me, she bowed her head.

“Congratulations. Your win was well deserved,” she murmured, holding out her hand for me to shake.

I smiled at her.

“You were a tough fight,” I admitted, taking her hand and shaking it firmly. “For a second, I thought you’d win. It would have been an honor to lose to you.”

She grinned.

“You win some, you lose some,” she said with a shrug.

Most of my conversations with the other competitors were more or less the same. They congratulated me and told me I fought tough and then they moved onto the next person.

As the ceremony commenced, food and drinks were served. There was more mingling, and I was even able to answer some of the questions for the paparazzi. They took a ton of photos of me for headliners, I also took photos with other competitors.

At one point, Chester arrived with Matt and Matt was excited to be involved in the whole thing. He got some autographs from his favorite competitors.

For the most part, I managed to avoid Gavin for the night. Though, sometimes I could see his penetrating gaze on me, but I made it a point to acknowledge it. Every time I looked at him, all I saw was him and Daisy. Seeing them together hurt more than anything, seeing her practically naked in his room at night while he was in the shower was driving me insane.

There was no sign of Daisy yet, but I knew she’d probably make an appearance soon enough.

“You look like you’re on edge,” Nan pointed out. “Still thinking about Gavin and Daisy?”

I nod.

“I’m trying hard not to, especially in front of Irene, but I can’t help it, nan. Every time I close my eyes I see them together. It’s driving me crazy and making me feel sick to my stomach.”

She grabbed another champagne flute and handed it to me.

“Then, let’s forget about them,” she said, raising her own glass in the air. “At least for tonight, let’s just forget.”

She downs the champagne in one go and I take a long and steady sip of mine.

Then her eyes shifted behind me, and she frowned, corking her head to the side.

“Isn’t that Sammy?”

I turned around and sure enough, I saw Sammy seated at one of the tables alone. She was wearing a pretty dress too, and her hair was done, but it looked like she had been crying, though she was trying to put on a brave face.

“Yeah, it is,” I said as I made my way to the table with Nan behind me. “Hey, Sammy.”

She looked up at me and gave me a small smile.

“Hey,” she said softly, her smile never reaching her eyes.

I sat down with her.

“Everything okay?” I asked; Nan sat across from her, concern etched in her features as well.

She shook her head.

“My boyfriend and I broke up,” she told me. “I don’t really want to get into it. But he’s not who I thought he was.”

“How long have you been together?” Nan asked curiously.

“A year,” she sighed. “I thought he could be the one, but I was wrong. He’s just like every other man.”

“I’m so sorry, Sammy,” I said, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. “You don’t deserve that.”

“I just need to get away for a while and start fresh…” she told me softly. “So, I went to Gavin Landry…”

My brows shot up and I looked at Nan who was equally surprised.

“You what?” I asked her, my voice coming out as a breathy whisper.

She nodded and nibbled on her lower lip.

“He pulled some strings and now I’m attending the Shifter Academy,” she said with a shrug. “It’s a change, but I’m ready for it.”

My eyes grew wider; that was my academy. She was told to go to the same school as me?”