Judgment for Jude: Wolves of Solara IIII Read online

  "You're really going to let me walk around like this? It's cold as hell!" I was surprised, but they saw fit to just ignore my complaints. Typical.

  I was led down another series of hallways, finally to what I assumed to be the main lobby here. And sitting down waiting for me was... not Silver. The one I had expected to see.

  Instead, it was their Alpha, Jude.

  "Wow," he said as he rose to his feet, dressed much more casually this time. Although I'd worn this outfit within the confines of the Gilded Heart, I felt much more naked standing in front of him—and out in public for other people to see—but there wasn't much I could do to hide what I was wearing.

  "Stop staring," I demanded, squeezing my legs together and turning partially to the side. Jude shook his head as he approached me and removed the heavy coat he was wearing, leaving him in a black turtleneck and black pants.

  I accepted it in a hurry and wrapped it around my body. Thankfully, due to my much shorter stature, it hung down past my knees, covering me up appropriately.

  "Come on. We're getting you out of here," he told me, looking me up and down once more before leading me outside. Through the glass of the door, I saw the thick blanketing of snow before us, and the winds that were blowing heavily through the bare trees, before turning to stare down at my bare feet. I gritted my teeth as I followed him onto the front stoop of the building.

  "Fuck me, it's freezing!" I squealed, my teeth chattering already. I had thought it was cold inside, but this was horrid.

  Jude stuck an arm out underneath my knees. I thought I was about to fall and smash my head back onto the ground for the second time, but his other arm extended out to catch my back, and in a swinging motion he held me up in his arms.

  "Hey! I didn't say you could touch me!" I protested and struggled a bit, but his grip only tightened around me. I stared up into his hardened face, his brows furrowed as he walked me through the parking lot.

  "Shut up—unless you'd rather have your feet fall off from frostbite," he warned, though he seemed to be forcing back a smile due to the tensing muscles in his cheeks. My lips were pressed thin at his comment, but I bit my tongue instead of saying anything back. To my surprise, I found myself starting to bury my face against his chest, seeking the warmth and protection there from the wind that whipped across my face.

  Before I knew it, he had us at his car and opened the door with a click of a button on his keys. He leaned me away from him and placed me into the vehicle, shutting the door gently before joining me on the other side and sliding into the drivers' seat, slamming his own door shut.

  "I'll turn the heat on. Wasn't expecting a blizzard." He flung his head to and fro like a dog to rid himself of the snowflakes that clung to his hair.

  "I wasn't expecting to be practically naked and booted out like that, either." I sighed, leaning into the seats. I touched the handle of the door, sliding my fingers along it to feel the cool black leather, and the several buttons within. Window up, down. Door locked, unlocked.

  Seat warmers?

  I turned the ON button for my own seat, and my ass instantly started to warm up from the numbness that clung to it.

  "Nice car," I complimented, watching through the window as we pulled out of the parking lot and receiving a grunt in response. "Silver guilt you into this?"

  He gave me a sideways glance before focusing back on the road as his fingers tightened around the steering wheel.

  "Into what?"

  "Bailing me out."

  Another grunt. Fine. He obviously didn't want to talk. So, we'd just have to sit in awkward silence on the way to wherever the fuck it was we were going.

  Anywhere was better than jail.

  "Holy shit," I breathed, the fog of my breath filling my vision. I waved it away, again finding myself in Jude's arms. It had taken quite a while to get here, and this apartment complex looked more like a hotel. It was immaculate, and tall as hell. I figured it was one of the tallest buildings in town. "This is nice."

  "Home, sweet home, I guess," He shrugged, setting me down onto my feet after we entered the lobby, the door held open for us by a kind, older gentleman. "Follow me."

  I did as I was told, but that didn't stop me from trying to take in as much of the grandeur of the complex as possible. Everything seemed so glossy, polished and shining beautifully. A large Christmas tree near the front desk caught my attention. The lights were already being taken down, but it was massive. I don't think I'd ever seen a Christmas tree so tall!

  "Whoa..."

  "Watch where you're walking," Jude barked as I stumbled into his back, not paying attention to where we were going as my eyes were focused on the massive evergreen.

  "Sorry. I was just..."

  "Jude. Welcome back, sir," another man smiled. I leaned from behind the Alpha, spying another older gentleman at the doors to the elevator before we entered.

  "Thanks. Back home, please," Jude told him, folding his arms across his chest and leaning into the mirrored walls.

  "Penthouse level it is," the man said with a nod of his head while pressing the very top button of the multiple rows of numbers.

  Penthouse, huh? So, not only was he handsome, he was loaded.

  I made a face, not staring blatantly in Jude's direction but rather at his reflection on the mirrored walls. His eyes were closed, and the circles under them were almost as heavy as my own. He was either working tirelessly to maintain this lifestyle, or he was severely stressed about something, I deduced.

  Just because one had undereye bags didn't mean they were simply tired. What caused them to be tired? What made them stay awake at all hours of the night? That's what I was trying to determine. Just like how I coerced customers at the Gilded Heart. It wasn't only about seeing what was on the surface, you had to be clever enough to deduce the possibilities that led to that surface facade.

  And I was good at that. Probably why I was able to keep regulars longer than any of the other working boys.

  "Penthouse level. Have a good day, boys," the man said to us, waving us out of the elevator. Jude's eyes snapped open as he walked out, not waiting for me to follow him this time. I could see the elderly man's eyes glance to my bare feet. I flushed, not from the cold this time, but from how it must have looked for someone without shoes to be walking around in a place like this.

  "Welcome to my home," Jude said, opening the unlocked door at the very end of the hallway and kicking his snowy boots at the entry.

  "Shit."

  My mouth fell open as I looked up at the tall vaulted ceilings that greeted us inside the foyer.

  "Jude, you're back!" A strange wolf rushed forward, a baby on his hip. I briefly recalled his face from the night the sex club was raided but couldn't place a name to it. "And you have a guest." His eyes darted down to my bare feet.

  I gave him a small wave as he switched his gaze to focus on his leader.

  "You actually did it! Silver's gonna be so excited!!"

  "Is he here right now?" I asked, stepping past Jude toward the wolf at the mention of Silver.

  "Yeah, but he's still asleep. It's pretty early in the morning. Oh! I should make breakfast!"

  "Forest, don't you mean you're gonna wake up Jason and have him cook breakfast?" Jude replied coolly. Forest stuck his tongue out at him, his baby giggling at the sight of it. Just seeing the small child made me think about Xander, and the joyful feeling I had started to fall away.

  "Get him some clothes. He doesn't have any," Jude told his pack mate, rolling his head around and rubbing the side of his neck. "I'm gonna go back to sleep. And I've got some work to do after, so just bring me some food when it's done."

  "Those stocks won't trade themselves." Forest smiled before reaching out for me, grabbing me by the hand and pulling me towards him.

  "Come on. I think you'll fit most of my stuff. It's not very fashionable, but at least it'll fit."

  6

  Jude

  "Oh, my Gods," I groaned, running a hand over my face be
fore resting my chin onto it. I stared blankly at the spreadsheet I had open, my mind drawing a blank as I attempted to wrap my brain around what stocks I was supposed to be trading out today. The main one that I had invested most of my money into, was plummeting rapidly, while some of my more minimal investments were rising gradually. Was I going to maintain my primary stock, or was I trading it out for the gradual ones? Was I going to ride the wave? Or was I gonna sell half of it?

  I couldn't remember right now, and the numbers on the screen weren't making any sense to me anymore.

  Although I had said earlier that I was gonna go to sleep, I had ended up spending the entire day locked in my room working on these numbers. I stared over at the stale toast, cold eggs, and ham in the plate on my desk. Forest had brought it in for me, but I hadn't been in the mood to eat.

  My stomach was rumbling, but the stress had kept my mind off of food most of the day.

  Paying for Glenn's bail. Supporting everyone in this fucking house, I had to constantly be on my own ass to ensure that everyone was taken care of. Not to mention Alfie's medical bills that had been piling up.

  A knock at my door brought me out of my thoughts.

  "What is it?" I snapped, turning around as my dark room was lit up with light from the kitchen and living room.

  "Uh... Forest said it's time for dinner. You comin' or nah?" Lucas faked a smile for me, but I could clearly see the small bit of concern on his face, probably due to how disheveled I was.

  "Fine. Get out before you make it stink in here." I wrinkled my nose and the smile he forced faded away.

  "Hey! I spent all day at the doctors with Silver. I haven't had a chance to shower yet. You need one too." He frowned and slammed the door behind him.

  He wasn't wrong. And although I didn't really want to congregate, as more work needed to be done, I still got up from my desk and headed towards the kitchen.

  Outside of the room, my eyes finally adjusting to the light, I was taken aback to see the spread that had been prepared for everyone. There was an array of meats—poultry, beef, pork—and small side dishes of vegetables, mostly roasted, some pickled like a type of kimchi, and a salad. Already, I noticed, Glenn had a heap of vegetables on his plate, while the others were busy scooping meats onto their own. What a weird wolf.

  Silver smiled towards me as he gestured to a chair across from himself. I returned the smile, as tired as I was, and padded across the kitchen to the table set up. Finally taking a seat to join them, inhaling the hunger-inducing smells that came from the food.

  "Jason outdid himself, didn't he?" I grinned at Forest. The top of his cheeks flushed into a bright hue, as he looked away and back to the food he was plating for himself.

  "How do you know Jason made this and not me?"

  "Forest, we all know that. You can't do anything like this," Lucas mocked him, only to receive a jab in the side from Silver's elbow.

  Good, he was keeping him in check more often instead of running off. I enjoyed seeing that side of Silver.

  Jason had been quiet during the exchange, whispering something to Forest who giggled in response, while Silver had turned to Glenn to chat. Lucas butted in every now and again with his 'hilarious' quips.

  "So what's the occasion, anyway?" I asked. "Back to back cooking, and you didn't even need me to watch Willow." Jason and Forest shared a long stare at one another.

  Oh, they're about to lay something on me, I just knew it.

  "Well..." Forest began, setting his utensils down and pressing his forefingers together in thought.

  "Should I?" Jason asked him, his wrists resting on the table as he nervously tapped his claws into his palms.

  "Please."

  "Forest thought it'd be a good idea to give everyone a farewell present. And since Jude has everything except a butler, we figured some nice home-cooked meals would suffice. You have been looking a bit thin," Jason stared right at me as he spoke, although the others were honed in on him and Forest.

  "Wait, a farewell?" Lucas piped up, a bit of food hanging from the side of his mouth, hooked to a fang.

  "Yes. Jason has been working really hard lately, if you haven't noticed," Forest teased him back, while the pup's mate placed a hand calmingly onto his shoulder.

  "I've finally found a place for us to move to. For real this time. No deals from the devil. I've been saving everything I've made thus far and I can afford a place for us to go. Two fewer people for Jude to worry about anyway."

  I stared at the redhead, trying to stay calm.

  "That's good. I'm... proud of you both." I nodded and went back to my food.

  "You're proud of 'em? That's all you have to say?" Lucas continued, as though he was trying to rile me up on purpose.

  "Yes. I am. Just because we're all a pack, doesn't mean that we need to be up each other's asses all the time. It'll be nice to have some space," I snapped back.

  "And if they move, Alfie will have a room to move into after he's finally let out of the hospital," Silver added gleefully. That was my thought as well. While it was sad to see two of my pack mates go off on their own, it wasn't as if we couldn't still see one another.

  "Oh, damn. Someone woke up." Jason sighed, pushing himself out of the chair at the sudden sounds of the wailing baby.

  "At least we won't have to hear that every night now." Lucas laughed, though Silver only gave him a dirty look.

  But out of everyone here, the only person who wasn't speaking up was Glenn. Even if he wasn't a member of the pack, he was strangely quiet. Not a congratulations or anything.

  His eyes did follow Jason though. Or rather, Willow. He watched the pair as they came to the kitchen table. Jason passed his child to Forest, who gave the pup small kisses on the nose to quiet him down. While Glenn continued to just stare.

  Finally, he stared down at his plate of food with a sigh, and began to poke at it with his fork, not actually eating.

  I wasn't the only one to notice the change in him either. Silver finished lecturing Lucas on his table manners and focused on Glenn.

  "Are you all right?" he inquired, head tilting to the side. Glenn looked around him suddenly, his gaze catching mine before both of us quickly looked away from one another.

  "I'm fine."

  "Did you wanna hold him?" I heard Forest ask, now headed over towards Glenn.

  "Can I?"

  "Of course. Just tuck your arm under his bottom when you have him on your shoulder, and—"

  "And a hand on the back," Glenn finished. "Hey there, little guy," Glenn's face brightened up immediately, and Willow did not protest to the exchange, even when finding himself in a stranger's grasp. His light coos and mumbling softened as the pup snuggled into Glenn, burying his tiny face into the crook of the newcomer's neck and shoulder.

  "Wow. You're a natural at that." Jason smiled, he appeared to be genuinely surprised.

  "I've had a lot of practice," Glenn's lips tightened, though the face he made quickly dissipated as he put on a happier exterior. "Is he walking yet?"

  "He's getting there. He can take a couple of steps before he falls over."

  "But he can crawl faster than any other baby I've ever seen," Forest said, sending a dreamy look towards his future husband. "Right?"

  "Of course, that's our baby."

  Glenn lifted Willow off of his shoulder, holding the babe in front of him before passing him back to his parents.

  "You're so lucky. I love babies."

  "You'll get to play uncle when I give birth to mine," Silver chimed in, partially exposing his swollen stomach.

  "Thanks, but..."

  "Nothing will replace Xander. I know," Silver replied, turning back to his food.

  "Don't worry. We'll find your son. I promise. And then we can all be a big happy family together right here."

  "Excuse me?" I tilted my head to the side, eyebrow cocked at the sudden proclamation.

  "Yeah, he's not even a part of this pack. You know how fuckin' sensitive Jude can be about how his pac
k stays line. Don't offer up any help unless you have permission" Lucas snickered, but I didn't laugh at his stupid comment. Neither did I acknowledge it—for now. Silver smacking him on the back of the head would have to suffice.

  "Thanks for the notion, at least." Glenn nodded and went back to his food.

  But even if he tried his best to put on a decent unaffected face, something about his demeanor was bothering me. More than Lucas' lame jokes. I changed the subject.

  "Forest and Jason are gonna get married. Silver is going to be giving birth soon. Alfie is awake and well. Why don't we celebrate these momentous occasions?"

  "Ooh! A bachelor-baby shower-welcome home party?! Those are my favorite." Lucas smiled while chomping down on some more of his food.

  "Something like that. We can rent out the back room of a lounge and—" I began, but I turned to Forest to gauge his response.

  "I know I haven't had the best experience with clubs—I don't think any of us have lately—but I think this time it'll be good," Forest said.

  "Good. Maybe Alfie will even be able to come, so long as he's in a wheelchair. I'll have to get in contact with the hospital to find out."

  "Ohhh, I'm so excited!" Silver clapped.

  "I'm gonna get wasted!" Lucas chuckled.

  But of everyone's reactions, I side glanced Glenn to see his. That was whose response I felt the most curious to discern. And while he was smiling with the others, I could tell there was some hesitation on his part.

  I tuned out the rest of the conversation, going over numbers and costs in my head for the party as I tucked into my meal.

  7

  Glenn

  "That looks great on you." I stared as Forest glanced at himself in the mirror, eyeing the suit he was wearing. Well, not so much a traditional suit like what Jason was going to be wearing to their wedding. But something akin to it. The cuts and seams were far more flowing and uniquely feminine to his form. The collar was deep and v-cut, but the shirt that was underneath, actually sewn into the breast of the top was high up his neck, a solid creamy lace that partially exposed the bare skin underneath.