Chapter 171

Christina's POV I remained silent. I didn't know the whole story. I knew his mother had died when he was young. That couldn't have been easy. During our last visit to the Sabreridge pack house, it was clear he could barely tolerate Gwendolyn. But now he ran the pack, and everyone treated him with reverence—no, with fear. "I understand," I said. "I'll ask if he wants to do something for his birthday." "Don't ask him directly," Gwendolyn's voice sharpened. "Come over tomorrow to help set things up. When everything's ready, call him. Tell him it's a surprise. He'll listen to you. You're basically family now. One meal together—maybe he'll let his guard down." I hesitated. "Okay." I didn't think she meant to hurt Hudson. Maybe she didn't particularly like him, but she wasn't stupid enough to antagonize him. Besides, he'd gone all out for me—the Nyx stocks, the fireworks, the cake. I wanted to return the favor. After hanging up, I went downstairs for water. While filling the glass, I wracked