Chapter 7

Third Person POV

“I don’t mix personal relationships with other matters,” Gavin replied as he sat back in his seat and continued to stare out the window. He didn’t want to continue this conversation. He had already made up his mind that he wasn’t to see Judy Montague again.

“Or are you just afraid,” Taylor asked, his tone teasing and a smirk playing on his lips.

Gavin scowled at his Beta.

“Taylor you’re fired,” he muttered.

This made Taylor laugh.

“And how many times have you fired me?” Taylor asked, still laughing and shaking his head.

“This week? More times than I can count. One of these days I’m going to mean it,” Gavin replied, rolling his eyes.

“And you think that’s going to stop me from telling you my thoughts? We’ve known one another for a long time, Alpha. What makes you think I’m going to keep quiet?”

“Just focus on driving, Beta,” Gavin said through his teeth.

Taylor was about to say something more, but then his phone rang, making him stop in the middle of his sentence. He pulled his phone out and pressed the talk button. A familiar voice sounded on Bluetooth.

“Butler Adam, you are on speaker phone. I have Alpha Gavin with me,” Taylor said.

Adam had been part of Gavin’s family for a long time and a trustworthy butler. Gavin personally put him in charge of caring for 7-year-old Matt while he was away. He didn’t usually call like this unless it was Matt-related. As soon as Gavin heard that it was Adam on the phone, he was immediately on high alert.

“Oh, good Alpha. I must speak with you about your son. Another tutor quit this evening,” Adam said, sounding a bit irritated.

“Another one?” Gavin asked, pressing his lips together.

That would be number 49. His tutors never lasted more than a few days. Matt wasn’t a bad kid, but Gavin knew he was a bit troubled at times.

“Yes, sir. Master Matthew scared her off like he had the others. I’m not sure what more to do for him. I’ve tried speaking to him, but he only lashes out at me, Alpha.”

“Widen the recruitment scope and increase the salary offers,” Gavin demanded. “Maybe a bit more money will keep them around longer.”

Adam sighed.

“Yes, Alpha. I’ll see what I can do,” he murmured before the line disconnected.

Beta Taylor was quiet for a short while, stealing glances into the mirror periodically.

“Do you suppose he’s developing issues concerning his mother?” Taylor finally asked.

Gavin glared at him through the mirror.

“He doesn’t speak to his mother,” Gavin said bitterly. “Nor will he for quite a while if I have anything to say about it.”

…..

Judy’s POV

It’s been a disheartening couple of days. All my job applications kept getting rejected.

I didn’t understand why I wasn’t getting any of these jobs. My application was flawless; I had a ton of experience from former jobs, not to mention a ton of education due to college. I was also young and in good shape. Yet I kept facing rejection after rejection.

Pulling out my phone, I decided to search the job boards. I applied to a few of these businesses already and most of them I hadn’t heard back from. Then, something new appeared and my brows raised.

It was posted a little over an hour ago.

A tutoring job for a 7-year-old boy; multiple subjects including basic combat skills and defense. Must be knowledgeable and experienced.

I bit my lower lip as I sent in my resume; a tutoring job would be nice, and I would be able to do it after my own school schedule as well. The job was posted on a werewolf job board and the location was in the Silver Crescent pack, which wasn’t far from the Redmoon pack.

Instead of waiting around for them to call me, I decided to use the number listed on the board and give Mr. Adam Conners a call.

“Adam Conners speaking,” a deep voice said on the other end.

“Hello, Mr. Conners. My name is Judy Montague. I stumbled across your ad seeking a tutor for a 7-year-old boy. I just sent in my resume, and I would like the opportunity to meet with you.”

There was silence on the other end, and it made me feel nervous. A swarm of butterflies flapped away in my belly as I waited for his response.

“This job isn’t for the weak, madam. May I ask if you’ve ever tutored before?” He asked.

“I have helped my peers with their schoolwork in high school. I’m currently a student at Royal Academy studying combat and shifting. I’m skilled in most subjects. I graduated top of my class in high school, and I aim to do the same in college as well,” I told him.

“I see,” he said thoughtfully. “That’s quite impressive. Master Matthew is a bit troubled though and might need someone strong enough to handle him,” he said a bit hesitantly.

“My goal after college is to become a Gamma warrior. If I’m not strong enough to handle a troubled 7-year-old, then there’s a bigger issue at hand, Mr. Conners,” I said without missing a beat.

There was a brief pause on the other end, and then I heard him chuckling.

“I must say, I like your confidence, Miss Montague,” he replied.

“Please, call me Judy,” I insisted.

“Alright, Judy. Well, I just pulled up the resume you sent me and it’s quite impressive indeed. Why does someone with your skill sets and ambitions want to tutor a child?”

I decided to just be as honest as I could.

“My family recently fell upon some hardships, and we could use the extra money. I saw the salary you are offering to tutor this child, and it was an opportunity I couldn’t resist. It’s also a job I can do after my own school hours, so my studies won’t fall behind,” I answered.

“Are you free this afternoon? I will text you an address to meet me at and you can meet with Master Matthew before you decide on anything,” he suggested.

I smiled. This was better than nothing.

“I would like that,” I told him.

It didn’t take long for Adam to send me the address via text message after we hung up. It was late morning, and they wanted me to meet him in a couple of hours. That gave me time to get dressed and call for an Uber. I decided to dress in comfortable clothing; something that I could easily move around in. I took a shower, made a small bite to eat, making sure to leave my mother some extra food in case she was feeling up to eating today, and then I called for an Uber.

It didn’t take long for the Uber to arrive. I got into the backseat of the car and soon I was off to the Silver Crescent pack.

The Silver Crescent pack was the largest pack in the world, and it was filled with modern luxuries. Most of the pack members were swimming in money and they made sure all surrounding packs knew that fact.

People from other packs were allowed to travel to different packs, as long as they had proper ID. Gammas were stationed at the borders, examining visitors before they allowed entryway. Every packmate had an ID, including children. Both the Uber driver and I had our IDs ready before we reached the borders.

This pack belonged to Gavin Landry, and though his pack wasn’t far from mine, I never actually stepped foot in it before.

For a second, I thought the driver pulled up to the wrong house. He stopped in front of a gorgeous, and huge, villa. It looked just like a hotel resort right down to the gorgeous marble water fountain statue out front.

“Are you sure this is the right place?” I asked the driver, still staring up at the large and rustic-looking building.

“Yes, mam,” he answered.

I thanked him and got out of the car. As I started towards the large set of stairs that led towards the front doors, the doorway opened and a tall man with greying hair and pale blue eyes stood in front of me. He had a kind smile on his lips and bowed as I approached him.

“Good afternoon; you must be Judy Montague,” the deep voice said, and I immediately recognized the voice to be Adams.

“Yes, sir,” I said, smiling at him.

“I am Adam Conners. You may call me Adam. I am the butler at the estate, and I’ve been personally assigned as the caretaker for Master Matthew when his father isn’t home.”

“What about his mother?” I found myself asking.

“It’s… a complicated story,” Adam said. “She isn’t in the picture though. Master Matthew is out back right now practicing his archery with another potential tutor.”

My stomach dropped; there was someone else here seeking the tutoring job? That meant I had to fight for this position.

I followed him outside and across the green grass field; in the distance, I saw the archery set up. A young woman, maybe a little older than me was trying to teach him. But he seemed to be giving her attitude and yelling at her. She was paling even more by the second and by the time we reached them, she was in tears.

“I can’t do this,” she cried, backing away from the boy. “I’m sorry.”

She ran without another word; only the sounds of her sobs could be heard.

Adam sighed and looked as if he aged another few years as he watched her go. Matthew didn’t seem phased though; his thick brows were tilted downward as he struggled to hit his target with the arrows. I could tell he was growing frustrated; he kept grunting and groaning as he pulled back the string and released the arrow, only for the arrow to land a few feet in front of him, sticking out of the ground.

“Can I see?” I asked.

He glanced at me from over his shoulder with a frown. He sized me up; his eyes scanning me from my feet to my head. I never felt so judged by a 7-year-old in my life. But I maintained a cool posture with a soft smile.

He eventually relented and handed me the bow and arrow.

With little to no effort I pulled the string back and allowed the arrow to fly through the air and towards the target. It hit the bullseye with a loud thud.

Matthew gasped.

“Woah…” he said with wide eyes.

I smirked as I grabbed another arrow from the quiver and repeated the same process even quicker, hitting the spot right next to the one I just hit.

His mouth was practically on the ground, as was Adam’s.

Matthew looked up at Adam in awe.

“What is her name?”