Judy’s POV Waking up felt different. It wasn’t painful like I expected it to be, and I didn’t feel foggy. I just felt different. My fingers were the first to move, and then the rest of my hands, before I thought of the cushioned bed I was lying on. I recognized the scent of the room and the soft feeling of the cotton sheets beneath my almost bare body. I was in Eliza’s clinic. I couldn’t entirely remember what had happened earlier… but I knew it couldn’t be good if I was lying in the clinic and my eyes were having trouble opening. However, I wasn’t feeling weak… in fact, it was quite the opposite. I had this strange surge of energy surging through my veins, making me feel stronger than ever. My breathing deepened, and I clenched my fists, feeling my fingernails digging into the palms of my hands, creating little moons. It felt like every inch of my body had been unplugged and reconnected for the first time in my life. My eyes blinked open slowly. The clinic ceiling came into focus first, then the warm glow of a lamp, and then there he was… sitting by my bedside, his eyes fixed on my face. I could see how worried he was when he looked down at me, and for a moment, it looked as if he had been crying. I reached up and touched his face, making him take a sharp breath.“Gavin…” I whispered, my voice slightly shaky. “What happened?” “You gave me a scare… that’s what happened,” he said, his fingertips gliding up my arm, leaving goosebumps in their trails as he cupped my wrist and kissed the inside of it. And he lowered our clasped hands to my lap, his thumb gently rubbing circles around my knuckles. “Sorry…” I said softly, making a slight smile twitch at the corner of my lips. “You don’t have to be sorry,” he said, lowering himself and pressing his forehead against mine, inhaling a deep and steady breath. “How are you feeling?” I hesitated as my focus began to adjust a little more and the haze of sleep started to settle…. That was a loaded question. I didn’t feel the way I thought I should. I thought I’d feel weaker, but I was wrong. I felt strong… alert… maybe a little warm… and humming. Like something inside of me was awake and stretching after a long sleep. My wolf felt more powerful as well, and my heart raced with anticipation. I had no idea what was happening, but I knew I didn’t want it to stop. The feeling was euphoric. I looked up at him with wonder clear in my eyes. “I feel… powerful,” I admitted, exhaling slowly. Gavin froze. “Powerful?”I nodded; I couldn’t explain this feeling that was burning through me… but I felt more powerful than ever. I stared down at my hands, my fingers trembling. “Yes,” I breathed, my eyes glued to my hands, expecting a buzzing sensation to surface on them for whatever reason. “Oh, good, you’re awake,” Eliza said as she approached. “You gave everyone quite a scare. I’m glad to report that both you and the baby are in good health.” I let out a breath of relief as I put my hands on my belly. “My baby is okay?” I asked, my voice coming out barely above a whisper. “He is,” Eliza said with a smile, tugging her lips. “You have nothing to worry about in that department.” “Thank you so much,” I breathed, tears filled my eyes. She gave me a short nod before she turned and started towards a different room. Gavin had me wrapped in his arms the second we were alone. His nose was buried in my hair, and he held me even tighter, like he thought I might slip through his fingers at any moment. “I was so worried about you,” he whispered, his eyes shutting as he processed all that had happened. “Do you remember anything?” I bit my lip as I thought about it.“I remember the Moon Gem hitting my chest,” I told him, reaching up to the part where the Gem had pierced my chest, but I felt nothing there. My heart fell into my stomach as I felt around my chest. “You healed fast,” Gavin said, watching my movements. “I’m not sure what that Gem did to you… But it made you heal faster than I ever saw before.” I blinked, confused by his words. “How long have I been out of it for?” I asked. “A few hours,” he told me, brushing a strand of hair behind my ear. “There’s somebody here who wants to speak with you. I told her I wasn’t leaving the room, though. Are you up for a visitor?” “Who is it?” “Esme Blackwell,” he said, shocking me. My eyes grew wide, and my mouth felt dry. “Esme Blackwell is here to see me?” I asked, even more confused now. “Alone?” “Yes, but I won’t let her be alone with you,” Gavin said, his eyes never leaving mine. “Whatever she needs to say to you can be said in front of me.” I nodded without hesitation, my heart racing in my chest. “Okay,” I say without thought. “But I’d like to speak with her.” He nodded, like he already knew I would say that, and it made me smile knowing that he wasn’t going to argue with me about this. He went over to the door and pulled it open. He stepped out into the hallway, and I could hear low murmured voices. And then suddenly, Esme Blackwell was stepping into the room, and Gavin was there beside her, keeping his eyes on her like he was afraid she would try something right in front of him. “You’re here…” I whispered, disbelief riddling my voice. Esme nodded. “I am.” She was speaking… my heart was practically in my throat. “Y…you’re talking,” I stammered. She nodded again. “I am,” she said again. “There is much we need to discuss, but first… are we safe to speak freely here?” She was directing her question at Gavin. He nodded without hesitation. “Yes, it’s safe here. Say what you need to say.” Esme turned to look at me again, her eyes shining with adoration and something I hadn’t seen from her before… was it love? Why would she be looking at me like she loved me? “I haven’t seen you since you were only a baby,” she breathed, stepping closer. “I have missed you so much…” “Y… you knew that I was switched?” I asked, needing her to admit it out loud… to confirm what I already knew. “Yes,” she said. “I watched her switch you… I tried to stop her, to tell her that there was another way, but she cursed me into silence, and I couldn’t speak a word after that. I couldn’t move either… I was rooted to the ground, my body no longer acting as my own. That was the last time I had ever seen her…or seen you.” “How are you moving now?” I asked. “How are you speaking if she cursed you?” “Because she returned and undid the magic that held me hostage,” she explained. “She is after redemption… speaking with your parents as we speak.” My frown deepened. “M…my parents?” “Your real parents… my son Zachary and his wife, Selene. They are your true parents, Judy. It was always meant to be you… never Lila. She is the true daughter of Megan Churchill and Ryder Thomas, a rogue who was killed at the hands of Arthur Churchill.” “So, it’s all true then…” I whispered, my mind whirling with this information. “Yes… Everything is true. Cora told me how you went to see her, and she told you the entire story and that she plans to speak with Zachary and Selene as well. She’s done running from the past…. She misses her family and wishes to redeem herself. “Your magic had been restored to you… And now you must be warned that you are not safe… the Churchills can detect you now. All Alphas everywhere felt the shift… the moment your magic was restored… they could feel it.” “The shift?” Gavin asked. “I didn’t feel any shift.” “Because you were too preoccupied with the fact that your mate was hurt,” Esme explained. “Which is understood… but if her well-being wasn't in question, you would have felt it just as well as the others.” “Shift or not, I’m not going to let anything happen to Judy or our baby,” Gavin said, protectively, and made my heart warm. “I know she is safe…” Esme said, giving Gavin a pointed look. “But that doesn’t mean they won’t come for her.” “Then let them,” Gavin said, a snarl to his words. “I’ll put a stop to them just as I’ve always done. The Churchills won’t get near my mate or anyone in my family.” “And you aren’t going to be alone,” another voice said from the doorway. I turned to see Zachary and Selene entering, and behind them stood none other than Cora.