Chapter 75

Judy’s POV

I stared at Gavin completely dumbfounded.

“What did you just say?” I asked, my voice coming out breathy.

“I asked you to move in with me,” he repeated, his face serene as he stared back at me.

Even though he repeated it, I still wasn’t convinced I heard him correctly.

“You’re joking…” I said, it wasn’t a question.

“I am not,” he replied.

“You want me to move in… here?” I asked, glancing around at my surroundings. “With your family?”

He frowned and then shook his head.

“No, I have a mansion just North from here,” he answered. “It’s fully staffed. I use it when I have work to do in the North of the border.”

I raised my brows; I had no idea he had another home within his pack. I must have looked as surprised as I felt because his gaze softened.

“You obviously need a place to stay,” he told me. “And I’m offering you one.”

“And you would be living there as well?”

He was quiet for a moment as he thought about an answer to my question.

“I can’t live there full time, but I’ll be there often enough,” he told me. “I’m there enough as is because there’s constant work to do in the North. It won’t be much different. But if I stayed there full time, it would be a bit suspicious to my children. I can’t just leave them to live here by themselves, especially not Matthew.”

I nodded, understanding what he was saying.

“Can I think about it?” I asked him.

“Of course,” he replied. “Take all the time you need. I have business to attend to, so I’ll be leaving you now.”

I nodded and watched as he left. I turned away and went back to Matt who was still practicing with the bow and arrow.

“Okay, how about we switch to swords now,” I suggested. “Afterwards I’ll make us some lunch.”

He eagerly nodded and we continued practicing for the next hour.

…..

Third Person POV

What were Judy and Gavin speaking about so privately?

The thought of Judy cozying up to her father unsettled Irene more than words could describe. She spent the last couple of days with Ethan; he’s made his recent behaviors up to her. She hadn’t confronted him with what she had discovered, but it didn’t really matter anymore. What mattered was that Ethan seemingly had left Judy for her.

But then why was Judy always around him?

Could it be because she was having trouble letting go? She cursed under her breath at the thought of Judy wanting her mate back. She let Ethan go in the first place, she had no right to hold onto him like this. Ethan now belonged to Irene, and she wasn’t going to give up on him that easily.

Irene hid herself in the shadows when Judy passed her and went back Matt. They spoke for a few minutes and then they began sparring. Judy mentioned something about Lunch. All Irene knew at this moment was that she needed to make sure that Judy was gone. She didn’t want her anywhere near the villa any longer… she especially wanted her nowhere near Ethan.

She walked inside, plastering a smile on her lips for the servants who walked by. None of them knew how tormented Irene truly was on the inside. All she really wanted was for someone to love her for her… but that seemed like a fairy tale. Ethan was the closest thing she’s ever had to having her own mate, and now she’s realizing how far from the truth that was.

She wasn’t sure how long she spent pacing the kitchen, but when the door opened, she was still deep in thought, trying to figure out how to get Judy out of the villa and away from her man.

“Irene?” Judy asked, tentatively from the doorway.

Irene spun around, her face red having been caught.

“Judy!” She gasped, her eyes wide. “How long have you been there? I didn’t hear you enter.”

Judy shut the door behind her.

“I just walked in a moment ago and saw you pacing. Are you alright?” She asked.

“I’m fine,” Irene lied, forcing a smile at her.

Judy looked unsure as she walked around the counters.

“It’s just that I feel as if you’ve been avoiding me,” Judy told her, a frown forming on her face. “I was wondering if it was something I had done?”

“What? Of course not,” Irene lied once again; she was getting pretty good at this lying thing. “I could never be upset with you.”

“Are you sure?” Judy asked, raising her brows.

She grabbed a loaf of bread and placed it on the counter before grabbing the strawberry jam from the fridge.

“I’m positive,” Irene assured her, biting her lower lip. “Can I ask what you are doing?”

“Oh, I’m just making lunch for Matt,” she said. “A jam sandwich, with chips.”

Irene nodded thoughtfully and watched as Judy got to work. Then, an idea formed. However, with the idea, came a dire consequence if not careful. Judy was focused on the sandwich, not paying any attention to Irene who used that as her advantage. She walked over to one of the drawers to make sure the item she needed was still there. Gavin was usually pretty good at keeping a spare Epi-pen in almost every room of the house for Matt.

When she found the Epi-pen in its usual place, she grabbed it and put it into her back pocket, knowing she was going to need it for what she was about to do.

“I’ve missed talking to you,” Judy continued as she spread the red jam on the slice of bread. “I truly do think of you as a friend, Irene.”

So, Irene wasn’t the only one accustomed to lying. There was no way Judy thought of her as a friend. Irene felt sick to her stomach listening to her lies, but she forced a smile on her pretty face and nodded.

“I agree completely. We’ll have to get together soon for a real chat,” Irene suggested.

Judy smiled, looking more relaxed than when she had first come into the kitchen. She applied another layer of jam before putting the other slice of bread on top. She cut the sandwich in a triangle, which even Irene knew was her brother’s favorite shape.

Judy walked across the kitchen in search of chips.

“I believe Matt’s favorite chips are in the bottom cabinet,” Irene said as she made her way across the kitchen and around the counters, behind Judy’s back. Judy searched the bottom cabinet for the chips just as Irene grabbed the peanut butter out of the top cabinet.

“I don’t see them,” Judy said, sighing.

“Oh, maybe they are on the top shelf,” Irene said, chuckling.

Judy closed the bottom cabinet and then started to search the top cabinet while Irene got the lid of the peanut butter off and hid the container behind her back.

Judy finally found the chips and opened them. She walked back to the sandwich and placed a handful of chips on the plate.

“Oh, juice!” Judy said as she closed the bag of chips. “He likes apple juice, right?”

Irene nodded.

“Yes,” she answered. “It’s in the fridge and his favorite Star Wars cup is in the top shelf above the stove.”

Judy nodded thoughtfully and turned her back towards Irene so she could search for the required items. Irene took that time to stick her finger in the peanut butter and open one of sandwich triangles. She smeared peanut butter across the jam and then did the same thing with the other side.

When she heard the cabinet door shutting, Irene spun around and breathed out a sigh of relief when she saw that Judy was still not paying attention to her. She was pouring the juice in a cup for Matt.

Once she finished, she put the juice away, which Irene took that time to lick the excess peanut butter, and a bit of jam, off her fingers to clean the evidence.

Judy walked back to the plate and her eyes met Irenes.

“Are you sure we are okay?” She asked.

Irene plastered a smile on her lips.

“Never better,” Irene lied.

Judy looked relieved and gave her a faint smile as she grabbed the plate off the counter.

“I’m glad we talked,” Judy breathed before walking towards the door to the parlor.

“Me too…” Irene said, her aura darkening as Judy left the kitchen. She let out a breath of relief that she hadn’t been caught. This was the price she had to pay to get Judy out of this Villa for good. There was no way her father would let her stay around them if she thought for a second Judy was dangerous and tried to poison Matthew. She quickly closed the peanut butter and was about to walk into the parlor to watch her handy work unfold, but then she heard Judy screaming.

She quickened her pace and burst into the parlor. Matt was on the ground, his face blowing up like a red balloon and his hands around his throat as he struggled to breathe. She thought she was prepared to see Matt’s allergic reaction, but the last thing this had happened, Irene was much younger and didn’t need to be the one to save him. She could hardly remember what he was like when it was discovered he was allergic to peanuts.

She didn’t think it would be like this though… it was heart wrenching and terrifying.

“Irene!” Judy screamed, and from that tone, it wasn’t the first time she tried to get Irene’s attention. “I asked you if you have an Epi-pen somewhere??”

Matt tried to answer, but the more he attempted to talk, the worse the outcome was. Panic was clear on Judy’s face as tears streamed down her face. She was holding him in his arms and her entire body was trembling as she whispered soothing things to him.

Irene had the Epi-pen in her back pocket, but how would she explain having it on her without giving herself away? She was completely frozen and not sure what to do in this situation. Her legs grew weak, and she thought she was going to fall over.

The door of the parlor burst open, and Gavin ran in along with one of the maids. She must have gone to get him after witnessing Matt’s allergic reaction. Irene’s father pushed past her and grabbed the Epi-pen out of the top drawer of the parlor desk before returning to Matt.

Without hesitation, he jabbed the pen on top of Matt’s thigh and released the Epi into his system. Within seconds, Matt was breathing again.

Irene couldn’t believe what had happened.

She almost just killed her own brother. .