Judy’s POV

My heart fell into my stomach. “What?!” I gasped.

We lived in a decent-sized house; my adoptive father, being a successful businessman and a Delta of the Redmoon pack, had a lot of money.

“He was arrested,” she explained. “He made a bad investment for the company, and he ended up losing all the money. He went completely bankrupt and now he owes the pack so much money. Until he pays it, they put him in jail.”

“They can’t just come and take him away like this,” I said, standing to my feet, hardly able to contain my emotions. “Without any warning? That’s not fair!”

“They can do whatever they want. The Beta is under the jurisdiction of the Lycans, and it was his decision. Loan sharks are ruthless, and nobody wishes to deal with them. It’s easier to just get rid of the problem and right now… your father is the problem.”

Before I could say anything more, my phone started to ring. I reached into my bag and pulled it out. I frowned when I saw the name flash across the screen.

“I heard about your father,” Ethan’s voice was soft as he spoke, and my traitorous heart skipped a beat. I hated how my body responded to him still; it was because of this stupid mate bond. Even though he rejected me, and I accepted it, that didn’t mean it severed our bond. It won’t be severed until he marks someone else.“I might have a suggestion though. But I’d like to tell you in person. Come outside.”

I quickly left the kitchen and walked out of the house. Ethan was leaning against his car with his arms folded across his chest.

Goddess, I hated how good he looked.

I had been in love with him for longer than 2 years. He was my friend, my confidant, my fated mate. When he rejected me, it destroyed everything I had dreamt of.

I wrapped my arms around my body, desperately trying to hold myself together.

“Why are you here?” I asked him after a long and awkward silence.

“I wanted to talk to you,” he replied.

“Why?”

The corner of his lips tipped upwards as he stared at me; I nearly melted under his scrutiny, and I had to shift my gaze to look at the ground.

“Because I can help you,” he answered. “Your father’s funding chain is broken, and he now owes a lot of money. I know for a fact that he doesn’t have that kind of money, especially now that his business has gone under. But I do.”

I lifted my gaze to meet him; he was serious.

“Are you saying you’d pay my father’s debt?” I asked him.

He nodded.

“Yes,” he answered.

“And what would we have to do in return?” I asked, almost afraid to ask.

He smirked, which gave me an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach.

“There is a condition,” he confessed. I waited silently for him to continue, my eyes never leaving his. “After I get married, I want you to drop out of school and become my mistress.”

I couldn’t have heard him correctly; I stared at him with my jaw practically on the ground.

“Excuse me?” I managed to sputter. “You want me to what??”

“Drop out of school and become my mistress. I already have a luxurious home for you to live in. You would never have to want for anything. I’ll pay off your father’s debt and give you more money than you could dream of.”

“How… how could you ask me to do such a thing?” I asked in a choked whisper; tears threatened to spill from my eyes, but I kept them away, not wanting him to see my break.

He stepped closer to me, and I felt rooted to the ground, unable to move away. My wolf was whimpering about his request; she couldn’t believe our mate could ask such a thing from us. She was gutted and I hated that she was put in this position.

“Because we’ve always been so good together, Judy,” he said, reaching out and touching my arm gently. “We will always have this strong connection, even if I mark someone else. You and your family would be set for life… all you have to do is say yes…”

He was rubbing his fingers up and down my arms and I felt sick to my stomach. I finally found the strength to step away from him, my body trembling.

“No,” I said, meeting his eyes. “I would never become your mistress.”

His eyes darkened.

“I’m about to become the Alpha, Judy. You must get with the times. Becoming my mistress would only benefit you and plus, don’t you want your father out of jail?”

“I will find another way,” I said through my teeth. “If that’s all you came here to say, then I’ve heard enough. You can leave.”

He raised his brows as he stared at me. He studied me for a moment longer like he expected me to change his mind at any moment.

“You’ll change your mind,” he told me as he stepped away from me and towards his car. “And when you do, I’ll be here. But until then, your father will remain in prison.”

“I’ll figure it out,” I said to his retreating back. “We don’t need you, Ethan!”

He chuckled as he opened his car door and then he turned back to gaze into my eyes.

“In order to get him out of prison, you’ll need at least 5 million dollars. When you realize that there’s no other option, you’ll come to your senses. I’m sure of it.”

Without another word, he got into his car. I watched as he drove away, disappearing into the night.

It was only when he disappeared that I allowed myself to fall to the ground. Tears streamed down my cheeks before I could stop them.

5 million dollars?

How was I going to come up with that kind of money?

——————

I had two classes this morning and one later in the afternoon. My first class was warrior training, and my second class was shifting, both of which I excelled at. I was going to college for Gamma training so that once I graduated, I could prove myself to the Gamma force and become a warrior. Then I would easily be able to pay off my father’s debt and save my family.

“You look like hell,” my best friend, Nan, pointed out as I sat beside her against the large Oaktree; the very tree we always met up at.

“It was a rough night,” I admitted as I took out my textbook to study.

“Where did you go last night? When I returned, you were gone. Did you leave early because of the engagement party?”

I bit my lower lip as I thought about what to say to her. If I lied, she’d be able to see right through me. I was a terrible liar initially, but Nan could read me like a book.

“I ripped my shirt, and someone brought me into his room to change,” I said, feeling my cheeks growing warm at the memory.

She raised her brows, and I could barely look at her.

“You went to someone’s room?” She asked. “Whose?”

I was quiet for a moment, and she grabbed my arm, getting my attention.

“Judy, who did you leave with?” She asked, now her voice was filled with alarm.

I knew there was no getting out of this conversation. I bit my lip and peeked up at her through my lashes.

“Gavin Landry,” I squeaked.

Judy’s POV

“Shut up!” She gasped. “Are you serious?? You went to Gavin Landry’s VIP suite? As in THE Gavin Landry?!”

I nearly tackled her; she was being so loud!

“Keep your voice down!” I scolded, attempting to cover her mouth with my hands but she was too quick and dodged me.

“How can I possibly keep it down when my best friend went to Gavin Landry’s hotel room last night and waited until now to tell me!” She exclaimed.

Nan was a waitress at the hotel restaurant the engagement party was at last night. The hotel, called Carter Resorts, was in the human territory, and it was owned by Patrick Carter, the Delta of the Silver Crescent pack. Which happened to be Gavin Landry’s pack.

I wasn’t surprised to see Gavin there last night, especially considering his daughter was the bride-to-be. I was less surprised to see that he had a VIP suite at the hotel.

I sighed.

“It all happened so fast, and I had a bit too much to drink,” I admitted. “I all but forgot when I got home because other stuff happened.”

I wrapped my arms around my body and looked up at her concerned eyes.

“What else happened?” She asked, her voice dropping to a whisper.

I took a deep breath, and I told Nan everything that happened, right up until Ethan came over and asked me to be his mistress in exchange for him paying off my father’s debt. By the time I finished talking, Nan’s jaw had dropped.

“The nerve of that asshole!” She hissed. “How dare he! He rejected you and now he wants you to be his little whore?! He has zero shame.”

“I’m not sure what I’m going to do, Nan,” I whispered. “There’s no way I could come up with 5 million dollars to pay off my father’s debt.”

We both fell silent as our thoughts consumed us and then her face lit up. I knew that look well and it grew nervous as a smile spread across her face. I knew right away that she had an idea, and I also knew that I wasn’t going to like it.

“You said that he gave you his shirt to wear?” She asked.

I nodded.

She gasped and grabbed my arm.

“Isn’t it obvious, Judy? Gavin is into you. That’s the only reason he’d give you his shirt. He wanted his scent on you! He's very picky. In all my time as a waitress, you're the first woman he's ever offered.”

I gawked at her. She had officially lost her mind.

“Gavin’s not into me,” I said, shaking my head. “He gave me his shirt because mine ripped. There was nothing to it.”

“Why would he even care?” Nan asked, folding her arms across her chest. “He’s Gavin Landry and doesn’t need to care about any of this. Besides, you mentioned that he kissed you heatedly. You were ready to go all the way with him, which is huge because you were planning on waiting until after you were married. There had to be some kind of connection last night.”

I glanced at my hands.

“Or maybe I was just hurting and wanted to get back at Ethan,” I murmured. “Plus, I had a little too much to drink.”

“Drunk actions are sober thoughts or something like that,” she said, waving away my words. Then, she smirked. “You could use this to your advantage. Do you still have that lingerie you bought for your wedding night? You should pay Gavin a little visit and make him an offer he can’t refuse.”

___

I knew it was a bad idea the moment she spoke the words, but her words continued to replay in my mind for the remainder of the day and night. When I woke up the next morning, my mind was made up.

I went to my closet and grabbed my red lingerie. I had only tried it on once and I felt a little self-conscious wearing it, but I knew the night of my wedding when I finally gave myself over to Ethan fully, it wouldn’t matter what I was wearing. My heart ached at the thought, and I quickly brushed it out of my head before I started to cry again.

I dressed in the lingerie, and I grabbed a long trench coat, wrapping it around my body. I left my hair down and I put on a little makeup to make my features pop.

For the last day or so, my mother had either been speaking on the phone to lawyers, visiting my father in prison, or in her room. I had barely seen or spoken to her since I told her Ethan wasn’t going to help us. I hated knowing I disappointed her, but hopefully, this would fix all our problems.

It was no secret where Gavin’s office was; everybody knew the famous Gavin Landry Corporation. When I walked through the front door, the receptionist was typing on her computer.

She barely spared me a look as I approached the desk.

“Good morning, I’m here to see Gavin Landry,” I said as politely as I could.

The receptionist looked upward at me and blinked a couple of times, looking less than amused.

“Do you have an appointment?”

“Uh, no, but—”

“Look, I don’t have time for this. Countless women come in here and request to speak with Gavin and I’m going to tell you what I tell them. Mr. Landry is incredibly busy, and he doesn’t have time or patience to be dealing with another fan girl,” she said bitterly.

“And what gives you the right to turn away those who come to see me?” A deep voice boomed.

Judy’s POV

“Mr. Landry,” the receptionist said, quickly standing to her feet. She suddenly seemed disheveled, and I wanted to smirk with satisfaction, but I kept it held in.

“I asked you a question, Laura,” he said, narrowing his eyes at her. “What gives you the right to send away guests? You know the protocol. You are to call my office, and I am the one who decides whether or not I will see them or not. Not you.”

She swallowed and glanced at the ground as if staring directly at him physically hurt her.

“Come with me.”

It took me a second to realize he was speaking to me, but when I saw the receptionist glaring at me and Gavin’s retreating back, I nearly stumbled over my feet to catch up to him. He walked through a luxurious waiting room until we reached a glass elevator.

It was very high-tech with a touch screen attached to it. He brought up a keypad and typed in some sequence before pressing the floor number.

He stood so close to me that the elevator felt almost cramped, despite it being a wide space. I could smell his incredible minty scent, mixed in with his aftershave and my heart skipped a beat.

He didn’t bother looking at me though and I was starting to doubt this plan would work. Maybe he didn’t like me as much as I thought he did. I felt awkward knowing that under this coat was nothing but lingerie.

The elevator came to a halt and the doors opened. It was an extremely large space with marble flooring and granite walls.

“Where exactly is your office?” I asked, staring around the gorgeous area.

He glanced at me; his face kept indifferent.

“This is my office.”

My eyes grew large at his words. He continued walking until he rounded the corner and sure enough, there was his desk right in front of large windows that overlooked the human city. It was gorgeous and my stomach twisted with nerves.

He didn’t bother sitting on his desk chair. Instead, he turned to face me, leaning against his desk and folding his arms across his chest. I swallowed the lump in my throat as I took him in. He wore a white dress shirt with sleeves rolled up halfway, showing off his incredible muscles and his dark dress pants hugged his waist perfectly, showcasing his incredible form.

My wolf purred with satisfaction, and I found myself staring at him for way longer than I intended to.

He cleared his throat, making me nearly jump out of my skin as my gaze shot upward and met his. He was smirking at me, as if to say, “Caught you.”

My cheeks burned from the embarrassment I felt.

“So, what did you come here for?” He asked, breaking the tension between us.

Oh. Right. The reason I’m here.

“I have a problem, and I need your help,” I said in a rush.

He raised his right brow.

“What kind of problem?”

I cleared my throat before continuing.

“My father was arrested the other night,” I blurted. “His business went bankrupt, and he owes a lot of money. Roughly 5 million dollars.”

He was silent as he stared at me; I realized he was waiting for me to continue. Probably wanted to know how I needed his help.

“I was hoping you’d be able to help him and maybe pay the debt for my father so he could get out of prison?” I asked, biting my lip.

He was quiet for another moment, processing my request before he ran his hands over his face.

“And what would I get in return for helping your family?” He asked.

I swallowed the lump in my throat.

Confidence: I needed confidence.

I held my head up high and looked him right in the eyes. It was known as a challenge to look an Alpha directly in the eyes, even worse so looking a Lycan directly in the eyes. But Gavin wasn’t as angry as I thought he would be, instead, he looked intrigued.

“Well,” I began, I dropped my voice low as I stepped closer to him. “At the party the other day, we obviously had a connection…” I felt my cheeks growing hot as I spoke those words. “And I thought maybe…”

I took a deep breath and undid my coat, revealing a portion of my lingerie, but not all of it. Not yet at least. His eyes darkened as he gazed over my body, and I nearly melted under his scrutiny.

I suddenly had a surge of confidence, and I reached my hand out to touch his arm.

“I thought maybe I could do some favors for you in return,” I said in a sultry voice. “I’m a college student and very clean. I haven’t had sex before, but I’m on birth control, so you don’t need to worry about anything.”

His breathing grew heavy as he straightened his posture, closing the small gap between us. His nearness was intoxicating, and my heart started to race against my chest. His scent enveloped me, and I couldn’t remember the last time I felt this delirious.

He reached his hand up and I felt his fingers glide down my cheek, sending a wave of warmth throughout my whole body. We were so close together that I thought I was going to pass out from the heat that consumed me.

His eyes were dark like they were the night in the VIP suite.

He swallowed hard and I watched his Adam’s apple move slightly. I closed my eyes, preparing for him to kiss me. I could feel his breath on my lips and just as I leaned in close to him, getting ready for his embrace, it never came.

Instead, I felt him adjusting my coat, covering my body.

My eyes flew open, and I looked at his stern expression.

“Do you really think I need to pay a woman for sex?” He asked, breaking the silence. “You said it yourself that I have many options.”

My cheeks flushed immediately.

“I just thought—”

“You thought you could use your body to pay for my help,” he said, interrupting me. “You are still young, Miss Montague. You will regret taking such shortcuts in the future.”

How did he know my name? I hadn’t told him. Had he looked into me? My heart skipped a beat at the thought, but his words were slowly crushing me.

He didn’t want me.

I lowered my gaze, hating how hot my face was getting. I knew he could see just how embarrassed I was.

When he spoke next, he softened his voice and spoke with compassion.

“Look, I have a daughter,” he told me. “I would never teach her to use her body as a transaction. I want more for her and her future, and I expect better from her.”

He reached his hand and caressed the nape of my neck with his fingertips; my breath hitched as I gazed into his eyes.

“I expected better from you,” he added; my heart fell into my stomach and disappointment consumed me.

He was right. I was better than this.

I nodded my head and opened my mouth to speak, but I heard footsteps behind me. I turned to see a couple of security guards standing nearby and I whipped around to look at Gavin with wide eyes.

“I’m afraid my time is up, and my patience has run out,” Gavin said, looking at me briefly before glancing at the security guards. “Escort Miss Montague out of the building, please.”

“Yes sir,” they both said.

They stood on each side of me, and I stared at Gavin with shock. I didn’t fight or argue with the security guards as they told me to come with them.

“Thank you for your time,” I managed to say before I turned and left the office. I wanted to cry because of the shame, but I knew more importantly I needed a new job.

….

“I’m so excited we get to work together,” Nan said with a wide smile. “And you look great in that uniform.”

I looked down at my uniform. I felt ridiculous in this thing; it was a short skirt and a crop top that showed way too much cleavage. I felt like I was on display.

Especially at night when this place pretty much turned into a club. These men are wealthy and would tip generously. It was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up when I was struggling for money.

“That’s what friends are for,” she said, nudging my arm with hers.

She looked behind me and sighed.

“Looks like we are getting a group of guys. Good luck,” she said.

I sighed and turned to greet the customers but then I froze when I saw who was amongst them.

Ethan.