Chapter 580

Judy's POV

My mind was a whirlwind of thoughts. I couldn't believe I was stupid enough to get pregnant with Gavin Landry's baby. I was on birth control, but either I missed a pill that morning, or my birth control failed. If I missed a pill, I hadn't noticed. I leaned against the tree, my knees pressed to my chest; the cold afternoon air whipped around me, and a slight chill crept up my spine.noveldrama

I kept my sniper rifle in hand, loaded and ready to go at any moment. I loved being on post because it was all about being quiet. I needed the solitude; I needed to figure out what I was going to do about this pregnancy. Could I really have a baby on my own? Should I tell Gavin about what was going on?

My wolf wanted me to share the news with him, but I knew what was going to happen; he would deny both me and the baby. He wanted Rachel... not me. A part of me thought about calling my mom; she would know exactly what to do in this situation, but it would also worry her, and she would insist that I come home. I couldn't come home right now; not while Gavin was still marrying Rachel and expecting a baby with her. I wouldn't allow my child to feel unwanted; that was the last thing I wanted.

A twig snapping brought my attention to the perimeter, breaking through the haze of my thoughts. My body tensed as I pulled my wolf's eyes forward so I could search my surrounding area easily. I sniffed the air, frowning when I didn't smell anything. Typically, I'd be able to smell a rogue easily or an intruder. There were no others from the force scheduled to be in this area right now, so I knew it wasn't one of the other team members. Whoever it was that was approaching was masking their scent.

A shadow in the distance drew her attention, and though I couldn't see what it was, I knew something, or rather someone, was there. I positioned her sniper and peeked through the scope to get a better look; between my wolf sight and the sniper scope, I was able to finally get an outline of a person.

My heart nearly stopped when I saw that it was a young girl... a teenager. She was stumbling past the borders and onto the Redcliff pack territory. Her clothes were ripped from what looked like a struggle; she had bruises all over her body and blood on her clothes. Her blond hair was a mess, and her eyes were bloodshot from crying. She had bruises beneath her eyes, and her lip was split open.

It was clear she was beaten.

The worst part was... I recognized her.

I reached into my bag and pulled out my walkie-talkie; I couldn't mindlink with the team leader yet, so he gave me a walkie-talkie so I could keep communication with him while on post.

I pressed the button to connect to him and brought it to my lips.

"Someone is crossing the border. A teenage girl, blonde hair and, small frame. Looks to be wearing jeans with flowers on the bottom cuffs and a loose-fitted blouse," I say into the walkie-talkie.

For a moment, there was no response. I kept my eyes on the girl as she struggled to walk through the perimeter. She stopped a few times to take several deep breaths, as if the short distance she just walked was too much for her to handle, and she was already winded.

"There are reports of a missing girl from last night," Marlo said into the walkie-

talkie. "Cindy Carson, Janet's daughter."

Oh, right!

I remembered meeting Cindy once. Janet, I've seen you a few times at the grocery store when I stocked my kitchen with food last week. Janet owned the store, and when Cindy wasn't in school, she worked part-time at the store. She was a

sweet girl, very reserved and

gorgeous. I almost didn't recognize

her.

I had no idea that the rogues from last night had taken her, and my heart broke for

her family.

"Her father was found dead this morning along with others," Marlo continued.

"How's Janet?" I asked. "Did she survive?"

"She wasn't home at the time of the attack. She was across the pack at her store. She was thankfully safe from the attack."

Relief flooded me at hearing that, but my heart ached at the thought of Janet losing both her husband and her child. But it looked like Cindy was being returned... but the question was... why?

"Should I approach her?" I asked Marlo.

"No, I'm sending backup. Keep your post. This could be a trap."

I didn't think about that; my heart was hammering against my chest.

I kept my eyes on the girl, Cindy. She stumbled a few more times before resting against a tree; her shoulders sulking. A small sob escaped her lips as tears ran down her cheeks. There was something strange about how she was moving and the way she was acting. I knew she was beaten; she was certainly in pain, but why wasn't she trying to get home as fast as she could? Why wasn't she rushing away from the borders? A place where they clearly tortured and tormented her?