(Olivia’s POV)

    Killian looked on in astonishment, reaching out as if to grab me. However, his hand froze in mid-air as he met the gaze of the neer.

    My eyes met Matthew’s calm ones, and I bit my lip, suppressing my emotions.

    He held me aloft, his voice low and directed at me. “Where were you going to have me sit?”

    His words implied that while our daughter Aurora might be innocently possessive, I was being deliberately distant. In the crowded concert hall, I felt a wave of embarrassment at being held so intimately by Matthew.

    I pressed my hands against the arm around my waist, but he refused to let go. Meanwhile, Aurora beamed with pride.

    “See, Mommy? Daddy always keeps his promises.”

    “At some point, you have to tell me what happened, Judy,” Nan said, stepping around me so she could look at my face. “You were devasted when I picked you upst night.”

    I nibbled on my lower lip.

    The problem was, that I was embarrassed. I was embarrassed about my mistake; I was embarrassed that I put Matt in harm’s way. I was embarrassed that Gavin kicked me out without hearing my exnation. He Alphamanded me to leave, and my body wouldn’t be satisfied until we were far away.

    Irene finally got what she wanted; I was leaving.

    “Not right now,” I finally conceded. “We have to go, or we are going to miss our flight,” I told her.

    She sighed but said nothing more.

    Nan drove to the airport in her car. The further we got away from the pack, the better. I felt more at ease as she parked the car, and we shuffled our belongings inside the airport.

    It was a busy morning at the airport; most everyone in business attire, rushed towards their terminals to catch theirst- minute flights. Nan and I seemed out of ce in our yoga pants and sweatshirts. I looked up at her and she gave me an identical look back, knowing we were both thinking just about the same thing.

    We walked over to the bag-checking station and got our backs checked. I kept my backpack as a carry-on and Nan had a small duffle bag as hers. We thanked the woman at the counter and then I grabbed my ne ticket from my bag, ncing at the terminal number.

    “I think we are upstairs,” I told her.

    Nan nodded and after we went through security, we rushed up the stairs and towards our terminal number.

    “We have some time; can we get coffee?” Nan asked, eyeing the coffee station as we passed.

    “Sure,” I said, digging in my bag for my wallet.

    Nan and I ordered our usual coffees before we headed towards our terminal. I nced at the time. We weren’t scheduled to board for another 30 minutes, so at least we can rx now. We sat down in one of the seats.

    As we were sitting and waiting to be called, my eyes wandered over to a young girl who seemed slightly younger than me. She had short blonde hair and pale green eyes. She was thin and looked incredibly nervous. The one thing that drew my attention was her Gamma sweatshirt.

    Without saying a word to Nan, I stood up and walked over to her.

    Nan followed after me.

    “Where are you going?” She asked, a frown decorating her lips.

    I stopped in front of the girl and gave her a warm smile as she startled and nced up at me.

    “Hi,” I said to her.

    “Uh… hi… “she said back, hesitantly, as she nced between Nan and me.

    “Are you going to the Gamma Competition too?” I asked her.

    She blinked.

    “What?”

    I pointed at her sweatshirt.

    “That’s a Gamma sweatshirt,” I told her.

    She nced down at her sweatshirt and her cheeks reddened.

    “Oh, uh… yeah. I’m heading to thepetition,” she replied.

    “Us too,” I said, sitting down beside her. “I’m Judy by the way and this is my friend, Nan.”

    Nan gave the girl a small wave.

    “Hello,” she replied, still looking uneasy. “I’m Sammy.”

    “What pack are you from?” Nan asked.

    “Moonshine.”

    “Oh, that’s a bit away from our pack,” I said, nodding thoughtfully. “Maybe about an hour’s drive.”

    “Where are you from?” she asked, her tone soft and wouldn’t be audible if I weren’t sitting right next to her. “Redmoon,” I replied.

    “Oh,” she breathed. “I heard you just lost your Alpha.”

    “A while ago, yes,” I replied. “He died in a battle. We have quite a fewpeting for the new role.”

    She nodded.

    “There’s a few male wolves in my pack who also wanted that position,” she admitted. “But I told them if they were to make anyone an Alpha for the Redmoon pack, it would be someone from that pack.”

    “Not necessarily,” I shrugged. “It could be anyone at this point.”

    “So, who’s running your pack currently while you wait for a new Alpha to be appointed?” Sammy asked.

    “The Cash family kind of runs everything,” Nan murmured, rolling her eyes. “They are like the It family of Redmoon.”

    “I’ve heard of them,” Sammy said. “They are the Beta’s right? And very rich.”

    I nodded.

    “Yes,” I replied. “Raymond Cash was the Alpha’s Beta. “My father was the Delta.”

    Her eyes grew wide.

    “Wow,” she breathed. “So, you’re kind of a big deal too, huh?”

    “I wouldn’t say that,” I murmured.

    “Are you kidding me? Judy is the best deal,” Nan said, wrapping an arm around my shoulder. “She’s been training for years to be a Gamma warrior and Levi Churchill nominated her topete in thepetition.”

    At the mention of Alpha Levi’s name, Sammy tensed, and her cheeks grew red.

    “Oh, I see,” she murmured. “Then you must be very special.”

    “What about you?” I asked. “Aren’t youpeting?”

    She looked down at her sweatshirt again and her shoulders slumped slightly.

    “No,” she said softly. “But I’m required to be there to support my gamma.”

    “Oh?” I asked.