Chapter 301

Judy’s POV

I could hear the shower from the living room. Spencer excused himself to shower, leaving me alone for the time being. There were no TVs, probably because there was no cable this deep in the forest, but there were a ton of books. I didn’t know Spencer was a reader; we never really talked about it these last couple of weeks.

After going through some of the books on his shelf, I decided to go into the kitchen to grab a drink of water. I hadn’t realized how parched I was until that very moment. But my throat was dry, probably from how much I was crying. I stepped into the modernly updated kitchen, surprised by how spacious and beautiful it was. It didn’t look like a kitchen in a cabin, but a kitchen in a loving home.

As I walked around the granite counter island to get to the fridge, I accidently brushed against Spencer’s coat, which was sprawled on top of the counter, landing it on the ground. I quickly grabbed it and was about to place it back on the counter when something fell out of his pocket.

I frowned down at the masking spray.

Masking spray isn’t supposed to leave the pack ground without the Alpha’s permission; he could have accidently put it in his pocket and brought it with him. It wasn’t unlikely that he’d forget about it, so I put the masking spray back into his pocket, which is when my fingers brushed across something else.

It was a piece of paper. Against my better judgment, I pulled the paper out of his pocket and unfolded it, furrowing my brows when I saw that they were coordinates.

Coordinates for what?

I tried to think back; the coordinates were somewhat familiar, but I didn’t have enough time to analyze them too closely.

I heard the shower turning off and movement coming from the bathroom around the corner, and I knew I needed to put this stuff away before he caught me snooping. I grabbed a sticky note off the fridge and a pen out of the pen cup. I scribbled down the coordinates on the sticky and shoved it into my bra. Just as I heard the bathroom door opening, I shoved the original coordinate paper back into Spencer’s coat pocket.

“What are you doing with my coat?” Spencer asked, frowning as he walked into the kitchen.

“Oh, I accidently knocked it down,” I confessed. “I was just picking it back up. Sorry.”

He nodded and reached for his coat.

“It’s fine. So, are you hungry? I can make some food,” he suggested, placing his coat on the back of the dining chair before turning to face me, a smile lighting up his boyish features. Now that he was showered and changed out of his gamma uniform, he looked more like the friend I was starting to know.

He wore a plain T-shirt and a pair of shorts that rested at his knees. Spencer admittedly had a nice body, but it only brought me back to Gavin, who had the body of a God. I don’t think anyone could ever be as good as him, and my cheeks flushed at the very thought.

“I could eat,” I tell him.

He nodded and walked around the kitchen island to reach the fridge. He started to pull out ingredients, and my brows raised. I imagined he would make something frozen, so this was a surprising turn of events.

“You cook?” I asked him as he laid out the ingredients.

He grinned.

“I make some pretty mean dishes,” he told me with a slight shrug. “I’m making risotto. It’s my grandmother’s recipe.”

“Did she teach you how to cook?” I asked, trying to make conversation to distract myself.

“Yeah, she always said a way to a woman’s heart is through her stomach,” he said with a light chuckle. “She said she wanted to teach me to cook so I don’t die alone.”

I laughed.

“Your grandmother is a wise woman,” I tell him. I’ve met her a couple of times, and she’s the sweetest. She always has home-cooked meals prepared and baked goods that make her entire small home smell incredible. Spencer’s grandmother wasn’t just his, she was everybody’s. She shined a light on the pack, and everyone could feel it. I’m honored to have met her, and the heart of this pack.

“She’s one of the best,” Spencer agreed with a thoughtful smile. But I didn’t miss the lingering darkness that flashed through them, and it made me frown. It was almost like a dark thought that had crossed his mind.

At that moment, I wondered what he was thinking.

“She’s lucky to have someone like you to take care of her,” I tell him. “I know things haven’t been easy after your parents died.”

I knew very little of Spencer’s life before I arrived at the pack; he’s kind of a closed book despite our close friendship. But I have heard that his grandmother basically raised him after his parents passed away. He was only a young boy at the time, and whatever happened, it shaped who he was as a person.

Deciding to change the subject, I said, “Well, I guess I’ll be the judge of your cooking, and I’ll let you know if it’s good enough to snag a lady.”

He grinned, the tension between us seeming to loosen.

I watched as he cooked; I sat at the island counter, watching how serious he was when he cut the ingredients on the cutting board.

“We should head back to the pack tomorrow,” I tell him, breaking the silence that started to consume us. “I don’t want to be away too long. I just needed some space from everything.”

I fully plan on resolving things with Gavin; I was hurt by what he had said to me earlier, but at the end of the day, I knew in my heart what I had to do. It was going to be hard, though, because I didn’t want to say goodbye to the friends I’ve made in this pack.

My wolf whimpered inside of me, being away from Gavin was tough on her, and I felt bad. There was also a lingering unease deep within her… or maybe it was deep within me? I couldn’t quite tell where this unease was coming from, but it was itching for me to return to the pack. I realized I didn’t have my beeper or gamma phone on me, and suddenly, I was feeling a bit detached from the others.

I knew that they wouldn’t call me for anything now that Sampson knew of my pregnancy, but I’d at least still feel like part of the team, and I’d be able to read the group texts as they came through.

“Yeah,” Spencer said without looking at me. “If you think you’re ready, we can return tomorrow.”

“I just needed the night to think about things,” I told him. “I needed space from everyone. I appreciate you for sharing your special place with me.”

He nodded, his face unreadable as he continued to cook.

“Of course,” he said, a forced smile on his lips.

Why was he giving me a forced smile suddenly? Had I said something to upset him?

By the time he finished cooking, the entire kitchen smelled incredible. My mouth was watering as he passed a plate of food in my direction. He grabbed himself a plate as well and sat beside me.

“I hope it tastes okay,” he said, a little shyly, which I found kind of adorable.

“It smells delicious,” I tell him reassuringly as I scoop up some of the risotto and bring it to my lips.

I wrapped my lips around the spoon, closing my eyes as the taste exploded in my mouth. I couldn’t help the moan that escaped my lips, completely unaware that Spencer was watching me with wide eyes.

“This is divine,” I tell him, going for another spoonful. I wiggled in my seat, a little happy dance from this incredible food that my mouth was being gifted with.

I don’t miss the small blush that decorates Spencer's nose and cheeks.

“I’m glad you like it,” he said softly, his eyes never leaving my mouth as my lips wrapped around the spoon again.

“Aren’t you going to eat?” I asked, once I realized his food remained untouched, and he seemed almost frozen in place as he watched me eat.

He blinked a few times, and it looked as if I had just slapped him. He cleared his throat and glanced at his place.

“Yeah,” he murmured, spooning some of the food and bringing it to his mouth.

We continued to eat in silence, and the longer the silence stretched, the more anxiety I started to feel. Once we were done, Spencer grabbed both plates and started to clean.

“Guest room is the first door on the right,” he tells me from over his shoulder. “It has its own bathroom too. I built it myself. Feel free to shower or whatever. You should get some rest, too.”

I nodded as I slid off the stool.

“Thanks, Spencer,” I tell him sincerely. “I honestly appreciate it.”

I turned at that moment and started towards the guest room, my mind rattling and my belly full. I put my hands on my stomach, feeling a warmth spread out from my fingertips.

And then a pending dread fell over me… a feeling I couldn’t quite explain.

But as I walked into the guest room, the only thought I could think was, “Am I really willing to walk away from my baby’s father?”