Judy’s POV The drive home was longer than expected; Gavin kept glancing at me periodically like he expected me to just vanish at any moment. I felt like I might if I were to be honest with myself. I felt like I was about to sink into the chair and allow the world to swallow me whole. I felt breakable, like I might shatter if touched. I didn’t expect my conversation with Cora to end the way it did. I’m not sure what I was expecting… but to be the heiress of the Blackwell family, it was a little bit too much for me to handle. I felt a bit sick to my stomach at the very thought of it. That meant my family… my birth family… had been right under my nose the entire time, and Lila was meant to be a Montgomery… not a Blackwell. That didn’t sit right with me either; I loved my adoptive parents. They were everything I needed and then some… I knew Lila would never appreciate them the way I did. Then again, maybe she would be different if she grew up with them. Then would I be different as well? I wouldn’t need to make money because I would have the Blackwell fortune, so I wouldn’t need to work as a tutor to Matt, and I probably wouldn’t have gotten to know Gavin the way I did. Would Lila be the one who worked for Gavin? Would she be the one he fell in love with? Had a baby with? I felt green at the thought and a bit woozy.“Where did you go?” Gavin asked, reaching over and taking a gentle hold of my hand, bringing me back to the present moment. I blinked a few times and looked over at him. “I just got lost in thought,” I admitted. “Things would have been so different if we had never been switched.” He frowned, and I felt his thumb tracing small circles on my knuckles. “But you were switched. You shouldn’t be thinking about the what-ifs.” I knew he was right, but I couldn’t help myself. “It could have been her you fell in love with—” “I’m going to stop you right there,” he said a bit too sharply. “Because I could never fall in love with anyone else other than you. You are my mate, and I don’t think your upbringing has anything to do with that. No matter what life we live, I will always find you.” My heart swelled at his admission, and tears suddenly filled my eyes. He glanced at me, a smirk playing on his lips. “Are you crying?” He asked, teasingly. I felt my cheeks heating as I wiped away the tears. “Pregnancy hormones,” I said with a choked laugh. “Mhm,” he said, clearly not believing me, but he had a smile on his face, which caused a smile to form on my face as well.When we pulled into the villa lot, I was surprised to see Nan’s car in one of the parking spaces. The moment I was out of the car, Nan rushed down the front steps of the villa and towards me. Her eyes were wide with worry, and I could practically see the anxiety rolling off her in waves. Before I could open my mouth to say anything, her arms were wrapping around me, and she was pulling me into a tight hug. “Judy, you had me worried sick,” she breathed. “How could you not answer your phone? I called you like a million times.” I frowned at her words as I pulled back. She was pale, and it was clear she was stressed. I hated that I caused her worry, but I wasn’t sure what I had done to make her worry so badly. I reached into my bag and pulled out my phone, trying to turn it on, and I frowned even deeper. “Sorry, I guess my phone died,” I informed her before shoving it back into the bag and turning to look at her. She tucked a long strand of hair behind her ear and peered at me with glossy eyes, making my heart feel even heavier in my chest than it had been previously. “Is everything okay?” I asked her. “Is it Emalyn? Chester?” Suddenly, panic was seizing me, and I was coming up with the worst scenarios. “They are both fine,” she told me, waving off my concern. “But Erik told me where you were going and why, and I was beyond scared that something would happen.” “I had Gavin with me,” I told her, glancing over my shoulder at Gavin, who stood behind us, giving us a moment to talk. She nodded. “Yeah, but we don’t know this Coraline person. For all I know, she’s this all-powerful witch who wanted to cause you harm. She didn’t do anything to you, did she?” I shook my head. “I promise you, I’m okay,” I assured her. Her eyes searched mine, not fully convinced, but she didn’t poke any further. She let out a breath and nodded as she stepped away from me. “How did things go?” Nan asked. “Maybe we should talk about this later,” Gavin said, draping a protective arm around my shoulders. “It’s been a long day, and Judy needs to rest. She’s exhausted.” I nodded in agreement, though I wanted to tell Nan everything that happened; something inside of me was telling me to keep it quiet for right now, at least until I can understand what’s happening and what I need to do next. Nan frowned as she studied my face. “How about we have a movie night?” She asked. “We can forget about everything and just hang out… like old times…”She looked so hopeful that I didn’t want to deny her, so I nodded. “A movie night sounds great,” I told her. “I’ll make you girls some popcorn,” Gavin said, kissing my cheek softly before he retreated and went inside. I smiled at his back, my heart swelling with love and joy at the sight of him. Nan looped her arm through mine and guided me towards the front door. “You’ll eventually clue me in, though, right?” She asked, keeping her tone hushed. “Of course,” I assured her. “Don’t worry. I’ll tell you everything soon enough, but trust me… It’s a doozy.” “I’m on the edge of my seat,” she teased. We spent the next couple of hours eating popcorn, mindlessly gossiping, and watching a cheesy rom-com. By the time the movie started to come to an end, I began drifting off to sleep, my head barely able to remain lifted and my eyes heavy with exhaustion. Nan said goodnight to me and hugged me before returning home to her mate and baby. I went upstairs only to find that our bedroom was empty. I let out a breath and went towards Gavin’s office. I wasn’t surprised to see him sitting behind his desk, his eyes glued to something on his computer. I knocked lightly on the open door and leaned against the frame. His gaze shifted to me, and he gave me a faint smile. “Getting ready for bed?” He asked.I nodded. “Yeah, Nan just left,” I told him. “I was hoping you’d be in bed waiting for me.” “Sorry, babe. I had some work I needed to catch up on. I’ll only be a few more minutes. I’ll join you soon,” he assured me. I smiled at him. “I’ll hold you to that,” I teased before pushing myself off the doorframe and turning away from him. “Please don’t be long.” I left without another word, retreating to our bedroom where I closed the door behind me and sank down onto my bed. I moved to my side, resting my hand gently over my stomach. At this moment, it was just my baby and me, and I felt more connected to him than ever. My eyes were heavy, and though I wanted to wait until Gavin returned before I fell asleep, it was a losing battle. I started to drift off to sleep, the villa quiet and lulling me past my breaking point. And then it happened. A high-pitched howl ripped through the villa grounds, violent and sharp. I bolted upright, my breathing heavy as my chest heaved as I fought to catch my breath. I heard Gavin’s wolf growling before I knew what was truly happening, and I felt it the moment he left the villa. I ran towards the doorway and through it, only to run directly into Erik.“Erik?” I asked, my breath ragged. “What’s going on? Where’s Gavin?” “You need to stay in here,” Erik told me. “And I have to check on Irene… but you need to promise me you’ll stay here, Judy.” “Tell me what’s going on,” I said, tears blurring my vision. “What’s happening, Erik?” “There was an attack,” he said, his eyes finding mind. “Rogues… they are attacking the pack.”