Judy’s POV I was beyond pleased to see Nan in the packhouse kitchen, hard at work alongside her mate. They both looked so in their element and happy, and it made me smile despite the turmoil in the pit of my stomach. When Nan noticed me in the doorway, her smile grew. “Judy, hey,” she said, putting down whatever she was working on and walking over to me. “Hey,” I said in return, throwing my arm around her and melting in her warm embrace. It was nice to see a familiar and comforting face after everything that has happened today. My mind was one giant mess, and I needed someone to talk to about all of this. I needed my best friend. “It’s good to see you. I really didn’t think you’d be here.” “I closed early today for some convention, so I came here to help out,” she explained, pulling back slightly. When she looked at my face, her smile faltered. “What happened?” “It’s just an emotional day,” I tell her, trying hard not to cry. “A lot to tell you.” She seemed to get the hint and quickly turned to her mate. “Can you handle this without me for a bit?” She asked. Chester nodded, giving her the “go ahead” symbol. She blew him a kiss and turned to look at me, wrapping her arm around mine and pulling me out of the kitchen. We passed by packmates who gave me strange looks; some smiled and gave me head nods. I didn’t come to this packhouse often, but I suppose I needed to come here more now that I was going to be there, Luna and all. I should have more of a presence. The packhouse parlor was much bigger than the parlor in the villa, mainly because this was where they held many events. Thankfully, there wasn’t anything huge going on in the parlor, so there were only a few people who occupied the space. There was an event of a sort happening in the back of the packhouse, though, which made the packhouse itself busier than normal. I wasn’t planning on attending this event, nor was Gavin, but now that I’m here, I might hang out for a bit and enjoy some of the company and maybe get to know more of the packmates. Nan pulled me down on one of the couches, keeping her arm clung to mine. “Okay, spill it. Tell me what happened today.” I let out a breath, and I didn’t hold back; I told her every detail. I told her everything my parents had told me about my birth mother, and against my better judgment, despite what I promised Erik, I told her about him and Irene as well. By the time I finished the story, her jaw was practically on the ground. It felt good to get it all out, and she listened without interruption, but I think it was because she was too shocked to actually speak. “Hold the fuck up,” Nan said, her eyes wide. “Irene was played by a siren?? I didn’t know sirens existed!” “Neither did I,” I admitted, nibbling on my lower lip. “I’m just not sure what to do.” “Well, I think you were right. The Alpha needs to know about this. He would want to know, for starters, but also, he might be able to help. He’s very powerful after all,” she told me with a shrug. “As for your parents go, I think it’s the wrong move to go to Blackwell’s point blank. I mean, what exactly are you going to ask them? They might not know anything about your Birth mom. It might just be an E thing, and she doesn’t speak if the rumors are correct. From what you said, it didn’t seem like the Blackwells had any interaction with your birth mother and barely any interaction with your adoptive parents.” “So what do you think I should do?” She thought about it for a moment before her eyes lit up. “Erik said that he saw a Seer, right? Is she someone that he trusts?” I shrugged. “I’m not sure; he didn’t really say much about them,” I admitted. “I was thinking maybe he could give you a recommendation. If anyone can see into your past and figure out what family you belong to and where you can get answers, it’s Seers. I’ve heard good things about them, I mean, they’re accurate. But their information will always come at a cost. But maybe Erik knows a Seer who will help you out at a low cost.” I hadn’t thought about seeing a Seer about this; this was why I talked to Nan, because she always seemed to have good ideas. I found myself relaxing for the first time all day. I had a game plan… I was going to see a Seer and try to find out who my birth mother was, so afraid of… and if they were still out there somewhere. “Will you come with me?” I asked before I could stop myself. “I’m not sure if I can do this myself.” She nodded eagerly. “Yes, absolutely. Just let me know when, and we can go together. I’ll take some time off if I need to. I mean, I am the boss after all. I can pretty much do whatever I want,” she said with a wink. “Where’s Emalyn, by the way?” I asked, glancing around. “Oh, we hired a babysitter,” she said, her cheeks flushing slightly. “I didn’t want to keep bothering your parents. So, we hired a teen. She babysits for a couple of hours after school, and during the day, I enrolled her in daycare so we can work without worry.” I nodded, knowing this was something I’ll have to think of when I give birth as well. I put my hands on my belly for the hundredth time today. Nan’s gaze softened, as did her smile. “How’s our future Alpha?” I smiled, my heart swelling. “Active,” I told her. “He’s going to be a strong one, like his father.” She laughed. “I don’t doubt that.” She watched me for a moment longer. “Do you feel any better? You seem to look lighter.” I shrugged. “Yeah, it always helps talking to you,” I admit. “Thanks for being here.” “Always,’ she said, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and pulling me close. “That’s what best friends are for. We’ve been facing this world together forever, and we’ll continue to face it together, no matter what happens.” I felt at ease hearing Nan say that. Nan and I chatted for a little longer before we went back into the kitchen. I decided ot help out a little, wanting to keep my mind and body busy. As the time went on, I glanced at the clock and my heart stuttered. Gavin would most likely be arriving at home soon; I completely lost track of time. I grabbed my phone from my pocket and saw that he had sent me a couple of texts that he was leaving work and was about to pick up the pizza. My stomach growled at the thought. I told him I was at the packhouse and would be home soon. Gavin: I’ll just pick you up at the packhouse. I’ll be driving by there anyway. Me: Okay. I’ll wait for you. I was kind of relieved that he was going to pick me up, and I wouldn’t have to bother Erik. He wasn’t in the right mind space right now, and I honestly didn’t want him to return to the villa tonight. He needed to take some space and breathe, not to mention I was certain Irene needed space from him as well. “I should go,” I told Nan as I slid off the barstool in the kitchen. “Gavin will be here soon.” Nan nodded and quickly gave me a hug. “Okay, be safe and call me tomorrow. We can figure out a time to see a Seer.” “You’re going to a Seer?” Chester asked, raising his brows. Nan kissed his cheek gently. “It’s a long story that I’ll fill you in on later,” she assured him. He nodded, kissing her back. “If you see Erik tonight, can you ask him for a recommendation?” “Of course,” Nan said. “He’s usually here around dinner time, so I’m sure I’ll see him before we leave.” “Thanks, Nan,” I said, hugging her again before I retreated from the kitchen. I started towards the front door so I could wait for Gavin on the front patio. I was excited to see him; I had so much to tell him, and honestly, I just wanted him to make it all better. I didn’t get too far, though, before I heard some murmurs from around the corner; packmates I didn’t quite know that well, but I recognized them from around town. “I can’t believe she’s going to be our Luna…” “Come on, Liv. We don’t even know her… she might be good. You saw her at the gamma competition…she’s kind of a badass.” The first girl, Liv, scoffed. “You really think a gamma is going to make a good Luna? She’s not trained for it… she doesn’t even know any of us. I bet she doesn’t know any of our names. Is she really someone we can trust if she doesn’t even know us?” “Liv is right,” another voice said, and I realized there was a small group of girls standing around and talking about me. My heart sank at their words, and my cheeks burned. “Just because she can fight doesn’t make her a good Luna. I don’t think that she and Alpha Gavin make a good pair.” “Definitely not,” another voice said, sounding aggravated. “He deserves better than someone who could be his daughter. She’s pretty much our age. She’s not someone I trust as my Luna.” “Then we are in agreement, then?” Liv asked. “We don’t want her, and we’ll protest against her being our Luna.” “Yes,” the others all said at the same time, and I stepped back. “I still think we should give her a chance…” “You’re either with us or against us, Tori. Don’t make us kick you out of our group,” Liv all but hissed. This silenced the girl, Tori, and she let out a breath. “Okay,” she finally said after a moment. “I’m with you… We’ll protest against Judy being our Luna.”