Chapter 269

Judy’s POV

“That dress is gorgeous on you,” Irene breathed with a large smile on her face. “And you are glowing. Have you always glowed like this?”

“She’s right,” Nan said, her eyes wide. “You are glowing, Judy.”

I looked down at the sundress I was wearing, my cheeks flushed. I was graduating tonight, as was Nan. Today was the second biggest day of my life; the first being winning the Gamma competition. My entire family was going to be there, all of my friends; pretty much the whole pack, though I’m not expecting the Cash family to arrive, and some members of the Silver Crescent pack will be there as well.

Rumors were already flying all around that Gavin was planning on making an appearance as well. My heart was thudding wildly in my chest. It’s been about 2 weeks since I last saw him, and every time I ask someone about him, like Matt, Irene, Erik, or even Beta Taylor, they would all tell me the same things.

“He’s been busy.”

“He’s barely around anymore.”

“I never saw or talked to him either.”

I felt a little better knowing it wasn’t just me but also felt crappy knowing that he slept with me and then went off the grid for 2 weeks. The last official thing I knew of him was that he was with Rachel at the hospital, and now, nothing. I tried to brush the thought from my mind because today was supposed to be a joyous day. I had worked hard to get to where I am. I was finally graduating and starting my life, which meant I had some serious decisions to make.

I’ve had job offers left and right since the competition and now I was finally ready to think more seriously about them.

Alpha Levi’s beta, Ron, had also been in contact with me about the job opportunity they are offering me in one of their packs. It was a huge opportunity, and truth be told, I’d be stupid to turn it down. I keep waiting for Gavin to offer me something, but he still hasn’t.

Some say he’s waiting until I officially graduate, but honestly, wouldn’t he have said something to me by now about it?

“I can’t believe my Judy is graduating,” my mom said, wrapping me in her arms, tears in her eyes. “After everything you’ve been through, I’m so very proud of you for accomplishing this huge goal.

“Thanks, Mom,” I say to her, hugging her tightly.

“Have you already written your speech?” Nan asked.

I nodded.

“Yes, I wrote my speech,” I confirmed, patting my purse. “It’s all in here. Hopefully, it sounds good.”

“I’m sure it’ll be great,” Irene says, nudging me playfully. “We should go through. We don’t want to be late for the ceremony.”

“Are you sure Emalyn will be okay in the care of a maid?” I asked.

“I trust her,” Irene assured me. “She’ll be fine. Besides, there’s no choice. I’m not bringing a baby to a graduation ceremony. Chester is going to the ceremony to support Nan. There’s no one else to watch her.”

I nodded.

“Okay, well, as long as you trust her. That’s all that’s important.”

We had to take several cars to the ceremony; I rode with my parents. I was nervous. My heart was hammering in my chest the closer we got to the ceremony. As the car pulled up to the front doors, I saw a cluster of students getting their graduation robes on. Nan and Chester had arrived before us, so she was already getting her robes on.

She beamed when she saw me approaching.

She waved me over to a group of girls who were all standing around, talking about the event before them. They were all whispering about Gavin Landry and how he’s supposed to be arriving at the ceremony soon.

I was nervous to see him; I wanted to talk to him about why he disappeared, but I knew now was not the time to have that conversation.

“You look so nervous,” Nan chuckled, handing me my robes.

I smiled gratefully at her and started to put the robes on.

“I am,” I admitted.

We walked into a busy ceremony hall; some other students were already seated, those who weren’t graduating this year. Lukas, being one of them, waved at me when he saw me walking down the long aisle that led to the center stage.

I sat with the other graduating students in front; it was by alphabetical order, so I couldn’t sit with Nan.

As seats started to fill, I glanced around the place, my eyes finding my parents, who were waving and smiling at me. I couldn’t help but smile back. My eyes continued to scan the place, and then they landed on Irene, who gave me a wry smile in return. The seat beside her, reserved for her father, was empty. My heart fell into my stomach.

He wasn’t here.

My eyes found hers again, and she gave me a slight shrug and mouthed, “He’ll be here.”

I nodded, forcing a smile myself.

Nan caught my eye from the front row, and she gave me a small smile; I returned it, though mine felt more forced.

The Dean stepped to the podium, her aura bright and strong as everyone silenced, waiting for her to speak. When she did speak, her tone was just as strong as her aura. She spoke about the accomplishments of each student that she’s noticed in her first year as our dean; she spoke about how proud she is and how honored she is to be here with us this evening.

Her eyes scanned each of the graduates until they landed on me, and her smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

“I’d like to call Judy Montague to the podium. Judy is graduating top of her class, though most of you know her as the Gamma Completion victor.”

Everybody went nuts as they called my name. I grabbed my speech from my purse and took a deep breath as I stood.

Their cheers grew louder as I walked towards the center stage, ascending the steps and joining the Dean at the podium.

“Good luck,” she whispered with a nod as she stepped away, giving me room to say my speech.

All eyes were on me; though I was good at competing in front of an audience, I wasn’t great at speaking in front of people.

My eyes kept drifting to Irene and the empty seat beside her; my heart had shattered.

Gavin didn’t show up. Which meant he truly didn’t care about me whatsoever.

Irene looked gutted as well; tears welling in her eyes. She wouldn’t meet mine, and it made me wonder if she was thinking the same thing I was. She had given me her blessing to be with her father, but her father didn’t want to be with me.

I fought back the tears that threatened my eyes and stared at the rest of the crowd, who were eagerly awaiting my speech.

Clearing my throat, I spoke.

“I can’t believe we are here,” I began. “It’s been a wild ride, but we are actually graduating, and I couldn’t be prouder of us.” I paused as everyone cheered. Once they started to be silent, I continued. “Thank you to the packs, our friends, our families, our Alphas and Betas, our professors, and the Dean, for joining us in this celebration. It seems like yesterday since I was just a freshman, walking onto this campus for the very first time and getting lost trying to find my first class. I had no idea of the road I would take, the friends I’d make, and the challenges I’d face. But here I am, standing in front of you, the champion of a Gamma competition when 4 years ago, I could barely even run a single lap without getting winded.” There were some chuckles, and I couldn’t help but smile at my own memory. “As I look around, I see many packs being joined together, and it brings utter joy to my heart knowing that we can stand together as one entity and celebrate our accomplishments. They say that high school marks the day your life begins, and that might be true for some, but it’s not true for us. Earning a degree at the Shifter Academy is the day that our lives truly begin.”

I paused again as cheered erupted around me. Just as I was about to speak, I heard dinging from phones all around the ceremony, and I frowned. I saw some embarrassed faces of those who forgot to silence their phones, but their expressions changed when they saw that they glanced at their screens. I glanced at Irene who was also frowning at her own phone, her face had gone completely pale.

My eyes eventually found Nan who was also looking around with a perplexed look. She glanced at Chester from across the room, his eyes were on his screen too and then he lifted his gaze to meet hers, gesturing towards his phone. With hesitant movements, Nan reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. She swiped across the screen for a moment, unlocking it.

The Dean cleared her throat and stepped onto the stage.

“Please, can we silence our phones and pay attention to the speech Judy worked so hard on?” She asked, trying to gain their attention again, but everyone seemed preoccupied. Excited and curious whispers were starting to spread across the room.

Irene had quickly gotten up and was rushing towards the exit. I wanted to chase after her and find out what’s happening.

My eyes met Nan, who was now watching me, her expression wary and her face almost pale.

My brows furrowed in a question, but she looked away, unable to look at me.

As the dean continued to gain everyone’s attention, I reached into the pocket of my robe where I kept my phone and pulled it out. I glanced at the screen and saw the breaking news article pop up almost immediately. I clicked on the link, and it took me right to the article.

From there, my entire heart dropped.

Gavin Landry is expecting a child with mystery woman, Rachel Barron.

Gavin was having a baby?!