Tabitha pushed through her hotel door and whistled as she entered the room.

“Where have you been?” Marco snarled from the entryway to the bedroom.

Tabitha shivered as the sound of her mate’s voice hummed through her body. Her wolf howled with excitement that they were close to their mate. She sauntered over to Marco and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “I was out and about with Esha. Why were you looking for me?”

Marco reached for Tabitha’s arms, pulled them away from his shoulders, and dropped them. “You’ve been ignoring my calls and my mind links,” he growled.

Tabitha looked at Marco with sad puppy eyes, “I’m sorry, I was still hurt from how you were treating me this morning.” she admitted. “I didn’t mean to make you worry.” She tried to wrap her arms around him again, but he stepped back and brought his hands up between them to block her.

Tabitha’s eyes filled with hurt. Why was he not letting this go and forgive her already? “Why are you doing this?” she asked him.

Marco’s heart ached hearing the pain in Tabitha’s voice, but he needed to be strong. Tabitha wasn’t acting like her usual self, and he could no longer give in to her manipulations of the situation. “I can’t keep pretending that how you are acting is okay. This isn’t you, Tabitha. You are sweet, kind, and always there for your friends. Since we got here, you’ve been self-absorbed and not caring about other people’s feelings. That’s not you.”

Tabitha could feel her wolf wanting to bend for their mate, but Tabitha refused. “What if this is the real me? Huh? What are you going to do about it? For the first time in my life, I’m living free, with no rules to follow and no one to bow down to. I can make my own decisions without worrying about how it affects the pack. Why should we leave when we can live like kings and queens here?” she retorted.

Marco walked up to her, cupped his hands on her face, and looked deeply into her eyes. “This isn’t you talking; where’s Tabitha? Where is my mate? I know you are still in there somewhere inside. I miss my girl. But if what you say is true and this is the real you, then you’re not the girl I fell in love with.” Marco pressed his lips to her forehead and kissed her gently.

Tabitha’s heart crumbled as the tears fell down her cheeks.

“I’ll be staying in Colson and Gretchen’s room from now on,” he told her as he stepped away from her and grabbed his bag.

Tabitha grabbed the doorway with one hand, and the other rested on her heart. She turned to watch Marco walk away, not saying a word to stop him. He didn’t turn to look back at her and made his way out the door hearing the door shut once he left.

Tabitha pressed her back against the doorway as she slid down onto the floor. She allowed the tears to continue to fall as she tried to call out for her mate. No sound came out of her mouth as she tried to yell for Marco to come back. What had she done? Was Marco going to reject her?

Tabitha’s wolf, Safra, howled with sadness over their mate leaving them. Tabitha wrapped her arms over her stomach and rocked herself. She would fix this, she told herself. One way or another, Tabitha would fix the mess she made, and Marco would be back.

***

Hudson stared as he watched his mate pick herself off the floor after ending the call with whoever she was talking to.

Amanda shivered and knew Hudson was nearby; she turned and smiled when she saw her mate standing behind the line staring at her. Her smile slipped as she noticed the Alpha wolf wasn’t too happy with her.

Hudson motioned with his finger for her to come over to him.

Amanda sucked in a breath and bravely walked to her upset man. Amanda started to talk, “Hudson, I’m sorry …”

But Hudson didn’t let her finish as he pressed his fingers against her lips.

Amanda tried to hide the smirk, but it was difficult to hide.

Hudson leaned forward and whispered close to his mate's ear, “You have some explaining to do, my wife.” A growl rumbled from his chest when he was finished.

Amanda licked her lips as she tried to gather her thoughts. All her reasons seemed to slip away, and she didn’t know where to begin.

“How about you explain to me why you are no longer in heat?” he asked with curiosity.

Amanda nodded her head. Yes, that would be an excellent place to start, but it wasn’t exactly crucial at the moment. “I wish I had an answer, but I don’t. Being here in this house is awakening my bloodline to the coven. So many things have happened; I wish I could sit here and talk about it all with you, but I can’t. I have to find answers to help Vita and the rest of them,” she explained.

Hudson sighed and nodded his head.

Amanda rested her hand on his cheek. “Thank you for being supportive without explanations.”

Hudson grunted.

Amanda walked back over to the glass case and lifted the lid. A part of her was nervous about touching this book again. The last time she felt it, she was zapped. Amanda needed to find a way to talk with Merida. She touched the book and instantly calmed when no shock or anything awaited her. Amanda pulled the book out of the case and rested it on the stand. Her fingers brushed over the book softly as magical power radiated from the book. Amanda sucked in a deep breath and opened the book. The pages glowed in front of her as she ran her fingers over the handwriting of her ancestors.

“Maybe you’ll find something in there to help Tabitha pull her head out of her butt,” Hudson suggested.

Amanda looked at Hudson, confused. “What’s wrong with Tabitha?”

Hudson waved his hand in the air. “It’s nothing; I’m sure she’s fine. When I talked with her earlier, she didn’t seem like herself.” He told her.

Amanda closed the book and walked over to Hudson. She wrapped her arms around his waist, “I think I might be down here for a while. Do you mind getting me something to eat and drink?” she asked.

Hudson studied his mate for a long moment and then sighed. He kissed her forehead before turning and leaving the room. “I’ll be back in a little bit,” he told her.

Amanda smiled as she watched her mate make his way out of the room. Once he was gone, she pulled out her phone and pressed a name in her contact list.

The phone rang a few times and then finally was answered. “Hello?”

“Hey, I hear you need a friend right now,” Amanda said.