Chapter 232

Judy’s POV

“Miss Judy, I was told to bring you home,” Taylor said from the doorway, staring around the room awkwardly, attempting to avoid my eyes. My mouth opened wide as I stared at him. So, Gavin didn’t trust that I would get home on my own? He had to send Beta Taylor to bring me home himself? The audacity of that man. I had half a mind to tell him off.

“No need. I have my car,” I said, folding my arms across my chest defiantly.

Taylor shuffled in his shoes; his eyes fixed on the ground like he was afraid I could kill him with just one look.

“Yes, your car will be sent to you by the end of the evening,” he told me, clearing his throat.

My eyes grew wide.

“You’re not serious,” I shot back, staring at him with shock. I looked at Irene, who also looked shocked.

“Taylor, just let her drive herself when she’s ready. What’s the rush?” Irene argued, she was holding the baby while Nan was cooing over it. Cheser sat awkwardly, watching his mate coo over a baby, his cheeks flushed. I was in the middle of teasing him when Taylor came and interrupted us. I wanted to spend some time with my friends; was that such a crime?

“I’m sorry, Miss Irene. But your father had given me his orders,” Taylor told her.

Irene rolled her eyes.

“Come on, Taylor. He’s your best friend. What do you think he’s going to do? It’s not like he’d fire you or banish you,” Irene told him. She had a point; Taylor and Gavin grew up together and had been friends their entire lives. If anyone could break the rules and get away with it, it was definitely Beta Taylor.

“I’m a professional and I know when it’s acceptable to push his buttons and when it’s not. I have a job to do… my Alpha told me to take Judy home, so that is what I must do,” Taylor said, his normal playful demeanor changing into a stubborn Beta. It even took Irene by surprise as she stared at him, the fight leaving her.

I wasn’t in the mood to argue with him, so I sighed and grabbed my bag off the coffee table.

“Fine,” I muttered. “I’ll leave.”

Irene sighed and gave me a hug.

“Sorry,” she whispered against my ear. “I’ll give him hell for this.”

I smiled at her, knowing she’d be true to her word. I turned to Nan and hugged her.

“Thanks for telling me about all of this,” I said softly. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She nodded as I pulled away from her. I fist-bumped Cheser and pointed at him while saying, “Behave.”

He held up his hands in defense; Nan told me about their little argument earlier from when she caught him flirting with a maid, and I wasn’t going to let that go. But right now, it was not the time to discuss it.

I turned to Taylor.

“Lead the way, warden,” I said sarcastically.

He rolled his eyes, but I could tell he was hiding his smirk as he turned and started towards the doorway. As we reached the car and I got into the backseat, I felt like a defeated child. I didn’t get why Gavin was so adamant about keeping me away from the mansion. It’s not like he was trying to keep me away from his life, and that thought hurt more than anything.

My stomach turned into a giant knot as I thought about Sammy. I wondered what was going to happen to her.

“Did Gavin mention anything about Sammy?” I asked. “Or was he too focused on making sure I leave his mansion?”

Taylor glanced at me through the mirror.

“He texted me a few minutes ago. I have a ton of work to do tonight. He can’t exactly accuse Sammy of being a traitor based on the words of your best friend and her mate. He needs solid proof. Because she’s of Lycan blood, he can’t mind commanding her. Her phone had been wiped clean… apparently, she knew they were onto her, so she got rid of all the evidence. So, I have done what I can to find evidence.”

I remained silent for a long while as I processed this information.

“You should check with Ethan,” I murmured. “He probably has a ton of evidence, and he isn’t smart enough to erase it.”

“That’s my next stop after I drop you off.”

I smirked at him, my eyes remaining on the mirror, where I could see his face.

“I could help you if you want,” I said. “Maybe I can steal his phone or something.”

“Thank you for the offer, but it’s alright. I can handle it,” Taylor said with his own smirk lighting up his face.

“It was worth a shot,” I sighed.

His shoulders shook with suppressed laughter.

Taylor pulled into the driveway and put the car in park before turning to look at me.

“I know it’s hard to see, but the Alpha truly does care about you, Miss Judy,” he tells me gently, his eyes softening. “He’s not great at expressing his feelings… he never has been. But he does the best he can. Cut him some slack.”

My heart was heavy in my chest as I thought about what he was saying. I found myself nodding and nibbling on my lower lip.

“When can I expect my car?” I asked, not wanting to talk about it anymore.

“Give me a few hours,” he told me. “I’ll have it sent here soon.”

I nodded as I got out of the car, slamming the door shut behind me. Taylor didn’t leave until I was securely in the house, which I found to be odder than usual. I wondered if Gavin ordered him not to stay outside the house until I was inside.

I seriously didn’t understand what was happening, but I pushed it aside so I could have a normal family dinner with my parents.

I told my mom what had happened with Sammy at the mansion, and she was shocked to say the least. My father agreed that it was best if I stayed away from them for a while. He didn’t want more trouble for the Montague family, and that’s what it seemed like was happening… trouble.

It took a couple of hours, but soon, Gamma Eric was bringing me my car, and another Gamma was picking him up. My mom, in her motherly fashion, while he waited for the other Gamma to arrive, kept offering him food, but he politely declined, saying he was planning on going out later that evening for food.

“A date?” I asked when my mother finally went inside.

We were sitting on the porch; having Eric being my main driver over the course of the year, we became friends of a sort.

He grinned.

“Maybe,” he said. “Guess we will see how it goes.”

His ride appears, and he nudges my shoulder.

“See you later,” he said before running to the car. I shook my head and laughed.

It was starting to become late, and I knew my parents were settling down for the night. My mind kept wandering over Sammy and all the lies she had told me. My chest was conflicted at the thought of her betraying me. I hated that feeling… I wanted to talk to her about it.

I knew I probably shouldn’t go against Gavin’s wishes, but I had to find out for sure what Sammy was thinking and what was going on with her. So, instead of going inside, I got right into my car and drove to Gavin’s villa. I parked in a secluded area so he wouldn’t see my car. He was gone, so I didn’t think he’d be here, but I knew his staff would tell him everything.

I got out of the car and got inside the villa, only to be stopped by the Butler, Alex.

“You aren’t supposed to be here,” Alex said, folding his arms across his chest. “I thought you were moving home.”

“I did, but I forgot some things,” I lied.

He rolled his eyes.

“Should have called; I would have had someone bring it to you,” he told me.

I shrugged.

“It’s no problem,” I told him. “I didn’t want to make a fuss out of it. I can grab it. I left it upstairs.”

Thankfully, he didn’t argue with me. He let me go upstairs, and I pretended to walk towards Gavin’s room, where I had been staying these last couple of weeks, but instead, I headed towards the guest wing. I picked up Sammy’s scent right away; I had always been good at picking up on scent, so it didn’t take long to find her room.

I knocked on her door, thankful there weren’t any guards outside of it. When she opened the door, I was even more relieved that it wasn’t locked, but I saw an ankle monitor on her leg, making me frown.

“What is that?” I asked her, stepping into her room.

“I can’t leave this room, or Alpha Gavin will be alerted. He also took my phone,” she murmured, shutting the door.

She looked drained and defeated; despite everything, I still felt bad that she was going through this. There had to be an actual explanation for all of this. There was no way she was lying from the very beginning.

Then Sammy asked, “What are you even doing here?”