Noah leaned back, swirling his winezily.


    “Interesting that nobody even knew about her until recently,” he said, his eyes shifting <i>to </i>me and then to Judy. “No announcement… no Luna ceremony. Keeping your mate a dirty little secret?”


    Judy’s eyes shed gold for the briefest heartbeat. I wasn’t even sure if anyone else noticed it… But I did.


    “Our mating is new,” I exined calmly; I knew I didn’t have to exin myself, but for Judy’s peace of mind, I felt it needed to be said. I didn’t want her to think, or have Noah put it in her head, that I was hiding or ashamed of her in any way, because that couldn’t be further from the truth. She might be young, but she was mine. “There will be an announcement soon and a weddingter this year.”


    “How many months pregnant are you?” Selene asked suddenly, changing the subject and clearing the


    tension in the air.


    “4,” Judy answered.


    “Do you already know the gender?”


    “A boy,” Judy replied with a small smile, her hand immediately going to her belly.


    “A heir,” Zachary said with a nod. “I’m sure you’re very excited to have a heir for your foundation.” 1


    “I already have a heir, but it’ll be nice having another,” I said bluntly.


    “You already have an heir?” Zachary asked, his brows raising. “I wasn’t aware.”


    “Yes, my son Matthew.”


    “I see,” Zachary said, his eyes shifting from Judy to me. “I’m assuming the mother isn’t your mate?”


    “That’s not any of your business,” I said a little too sharply. None of this was their business; I wanted to find out why the fuck they decided to invite me to dinner. Surely it wasn’t to talk about Judy or my


    children. <fn7158> Th? link to the orig?n of this information r?sts ?n FindN()vel</fn7158>


    We continued to eat; they made no more mention of Matthew or Judy’s due date, much to my relief. Judy seemed to rx a little in her seat now that the attention was off her. Noah kept stealing nces at Judy, which made my blood boil, but I bit my tongue.


    By the time the meal ended and dessert arrived, I was about to jump across the table and rip his head off for his continuous stares. Noah had always been a flirt, but this was crossing a serious line.


    Suddenly, the sound of his phone ringing drew his attention away from Judy. He frowned at the name that shed across his screen.


    “I need to take this,” he said, standing to his feet. “It was good to see you again, Gavin. I’m sure there will


    +15 <b>BONUS </b>


    be plenty more opportunities for us to talk.”


    He nced at Judy once more, and a slow smile spread across his face.


    “Miss Montague. It was a pleasure to finally meet you,” he said, holding out his hand for her.


    Judy didn’t take it.


    She stared at him with a frown as she said, “You as well.”


    He curled his fingers in and dropped his hand to his side before nodding at her. Then the asshole winked


    before he turned and left.


    “Sorry about him,” Zachary murmured, shaking his head at the closed door. “He forgets himself


    sometimes.”


    “I’m sure there’s a reason you invited me to dinner this evening. We should get to it then. It’s been a long day, and we have a long journey home.”


    Zachary nodded and cleared his throat.


    “Right,” he said, ncing at Selene. “Would you excuse us. It’s time for the men to have a real talk.”


    Selene nodded and put her napkin on her te before standing.


    “Of course,<i>” </i>she replied. “Come along, everyone. Let the gentlemen speak privately. Judy, how about I show you around the manor?”


    Before Judy could reply, my hold on her hand tightened.


    “She stays with me.”


    “That won’t be necessary. I assure you, she’s perfectly safe here,” Zachary said.


    “She’s not leaving my side,” I said through my teeth.


    Selene looked startled by this, maybe even a little hurt.


    “It’s okay,” Judy said quickly, ncing at me. “I’ll go with Madam Selene. I’ll be okay.”


    My eyes widened. We agreed that she wouldn’t leave my side. That was the opposite of that.


    “Judy-“I started to say, but she leaned in closer.


    “Let me go with her,” she whispered. “Please… we will talk about everythingter. But I’d like to see more of this ce, and I have some questions of my own.”


    My stubborn mate peeked up at me through hershes, and my heart crumbled. As much as I wanted to keep her pinned to my side, I knew I couldn’t keep her caged. With a reluctant sigh, I nodded.


    <b>“</b>Okay,” I said, leaning in to kiss her briefly as I murmured. “But the second I sense distress, I’ming to get you. The second you block your emotions from me, I’ming to find you. Don’t test me.”


    She smiled against my lips.


    “I wouldn’t dream of it.”


    With that, she stood, excusing herself, and I watched as she followed Selene out of the dining hall.


    Zachary turned to look at me as Emmet and L left as well, wheeling Esme along with them.


    “Now, the real reason I asked you toe here today…” 1