Just as s
The Dean stepped to the podium, her aura bright and strong as everyone silenced, waiting for her to speak. When “she did speak, her tone was just as strong as her aura. She spoke about the accomplishments of each student that
she’s noticed in her first year as our dean; she spoke about how proud she is and how honored she is to be here with us this evening.
Her eyes scanned each of the graduates until they landed on me, and her smile tugged at the corner of her lips.
“I’d like to call Judy Montague to the podium. Judy is graduating top of her class, though most of you know her as the Gamma Completion victor.”
Everybody went nuts as they called my name. I grabbed my speech from my purse and took a deep breath as 1 stood.
Their cheers grew louder as I walked towards the center stage, ascending the steps and joining the Dean at the podium.
“Good luck,” she whispered with a nod as she stepped away, giving me room to say my speech.
All eyes were on me; though I was good at competing in front of an audience, I wasn’t great at speaking in front of people.
My eyes kept drifting to Irene and the empty seat beside her; my heart had shattered.
Gavin didn’t show up. Which meant he truly didn’t care about me whatsoever. 3
Irene looked gutted as well; tears welling in her eyes. She wouldn’t meet mine, and it made me wonder if she was thinking the same thing I was. She had given me her blessing to be with her father, but her father didn’t want to be with me.
I fought back the tears that threatened my eyes and stared at the rest of the crowd, who were eagerly awaiting my speech.
Clearing my throat, I spoke.
“I can’t believe we are here,” I began. “It’s been a wild ride but we are actually graduating, and I couldn’t be prouder of us.” I paused as everyone cheered. Once they started to be silent, I continued. “Thank you to the packs, our friends, our families, our Alphas and Betas, our professors, and the Dean, for joining us in this celebration. It seems like yesterday since I was just a freshman, walking onto this campus for the very first time and getting lost trying to find my first class. I had no idea of the road I would take, the friends I’d make, and the challenges I’d face. But here I am, standing in front of you, the champion of a Gamma competition when 4 years ago, I could barely even run a single lap without getting winded.” There were some chuckles, and I couldn’t help but smile at my own memory. “As I look around, I see many packs being joined together, and it brings utter joy to my heart knowing that we can stand together as one entity and celebrate our accomplishments. They say that high school marks the day your life begins, and that might be true for some, but it’s not true for us. Earning a degree at the Shifter Academy is the day that our lives truly begin.”
I paused again as cheered erupted around me. Just as I was about to speak, I heard dinging from phones all around the ceremony, and I frowned. I saw some embarrassed faces of those who forgot to silence their phones, but their expressions changed when they saw that they glanced at their screens. I glanced at Irene who was also frowning at her own phone, her face had gone completely pale.
My eyes eventually found Nan who was also looking around with a perplexed look. She glanced at Chester from across the room, his eyes were on his screen too and then he lifted his gaze to meet hers, gesturing towards his
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phone. With hesitant movements, Nan reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. She swiped across the screen for a moment, unlocking it.
The Dean cleared her throat and stepped onto the stage.
“Please, can we silence our phones and pay attention to the speech Judy worked so hard on?” She asked, trying to gain their attention again, but everyone seemed preoccupied. Excited and curious whispers were starting to spread across the room.
Irene had quickly gotten up and was rushing towards the exit. I wanted to chase after her and find out what’s happening.
My eyes met Nan, who was now watching me, her expression wary and her face almost pale.
My brows furrowed in a question, but she looked away, unable to look at me.
As the dean continued to gain everyone’s attention, I reached into the pocket of my robe where I kept my phone and pulled it out. I glanced at the screen and saw the breaking news article pop up almost immediately. I clicked on the link, and it took me right to the article.
From there, my entire heart dropped.
Gavin Landry is expecting a child with mystery woman, Rachel Barron.
Gavin was having a baby?! 12
