Chapter 684

Gavin's POV

I never laid a finger on my mother before; never even thought about it. But the second she struck Judy, drawing blood from her lip, I saw nothing but red. The fury and red-hot boiling rage that burned inside of me was too much for even me to handle. My wolf saw a thousand different scenarios of killing the woman in front of me, the woman who called herself my mother.

If it wasn't for Judy's calm and gentle touch, bringing me back to reality, I probably would have played out some of those scenarios right then and there. Thankfully, it didn't resort to that.

When I told my mother about Judy being my second chance mate and carrying my pup, her reaction honestly took me by surprise. I thought she would have known or at least pretended not to know. But her sudden realization and shock were hard to miss, and suddenly, something in my chest tightened.

She had no idea, and that confused me more than anything.noveldrama

"No, but then why would you auction off the Moon Gem if you weren't giving up on the idea of me and Daisy being together?"

There was a long stretch of silence as the confusion clouded my mother's face. Her brows pinched together.

"Who said I was auctioning off the Moon Gem??"

Now it was my turn to be confused. There was no hint of lying or deceit.

"There's an auction in Windleton. Beta Taylor got word that the Moon Gem was going to be auctioned," I told her. "You didn't know about this?"

She let out a laugh, but it was filled with confusion and disbelief.

"The Gem is not being auctioned. Don't be ridiculous. It's a family heirloom, part of your heritage. It belongs to you after you mate and pick a Luna for the pack. Regardless of who that might be... It's in your father's will and his father before that... and so on. Not even I could change that."

"So, you're telling me that you have the gem here?" I asked, a hope rising in my chest.

"Of course I do. It's in my lock box," she said. "I keep it close. It's in my quarters."

"Show it to me," I said without

hesitation. stood up, still holding

onto Judy's hand. I wasn't letting go of her; initially, it was because I couldn't stand not being near couldn't stand not touching her. But now it was more for protection. I didn't trust my mother not to attack her again, and my wolf was still on edge from the first time. Judy's cheek was still red, and her lip was still split. I knew it was going to heal quickly, but not quickly enough.

My mother looked between the two of us, a frown marring her lips.

"You want me to show you to my personal quarters?" She asked.

I rolled my eyes.

"I'm your son," I reminded her. "Not some stranger, and this is my mate. She goes where I go. Yes, show us your room and show us the lock box. I need to be sure that the gem is there."

"I assure you... It's there,” she said, folding her arms across her chest. "I have the

key right here..." She froze as she touched her bare chest.

Her frown deepened as she clutched at nothing, and my stomach twisted.

"What is it?" I asked her.

It seemed she was lost in thought for a moment before realization dawned on her.

"I forgot, I was given a new necklace for an event I attended last week," she said,

giving an awkward chuckle. "I removed the other necklace and put it down. The key was attached ot that necklace. It's in my room, though."

"Take us," I told her for the final time, my tone leaving no room for arguments. I was running out of patience, and we had a welcoming party at the Redmoon packhouse. It was an important event to not only welcome Judy home and announce our mating and pregnaney, but it was also an introduction to the Redcliff pack and the merger.

My mother sighed and eventually turned and started out of the sitting room. I looked at Judy and nodded at her. I released her hand, but place my hand on her lower back and had her go in front of me Together, we followed after my mother. We walked up the windy stairs until we reached the second floor, and then we traveled down the hallway; it was brightly lit and a wide space, with a crystal chandelier hanging in the glass casings that held my mother's collections, glistening.

She stopped outside a large set of doors and pulled them open, stepping into her bedroom.

Judy, who remained in front of me, hesitated outside the door, unsure if she was allowed to enter. I gave her a gentle push, and she stepped forward into the room. I followed after her, keeping my hand on her lower back.