Chapter 372

Judy’s POV

Tabby was a little tipsy when she arrived. She gave me a large smile and wrapped her arms around me in a big hug. She looked exactly the same, but stronger, and her hair was shorter.

“You smell like tequila,” I giggled, pulling her into the room.

“I just returned from patrol and had a few drinks with some others on the force,” she admitted. “I called you from the bar up the street.”

“It’s so good to see you, Tabby,” I said, meaning it. I had missed my friend, and I felt bad that I didn’t tell her I was going to be in her region. But she was here now, and that was all that mattered.

“Tabby!” Nan said, hugging her next. “Was wondering when I was going to get to see you.”

“Well, if you guys told me you’d be here this weekend, I would have made sure to see you sooner.”

“We just got in this morning,” I tell her. “We spent the day resting. We are jet-lagged and exhausted. But in much need of a girl’s night.”

“We were just about to order room service,” Nan added, handing her a room service menu. “Pick out what you want. I’ll call them and order.”

“Get extra wine,” I tell her as I go into the small kitchen to grab the cups and plates.

“Of course,” Nan said with a grin. “Although you can’t drink it.”

“It’s not for me,” I call back with a chuckle as I grab a water bottle from the fridge.

When I returned to the living space, Irene was seated on the couch, her hands tucked beneath her. She wasn’t looking at Tabby, but she was worrying her bottom lip, so I knew she wanted to ask questions, and she was suppressing them.

“So, what’s been going on with you girls?” Tabby said, sitting on one of the love sofas, her feet tucked beneath her. “What have I missed?”

“A lot, it seems,” I say, glancing at Irene’s face, unsure if I should say anything or just let Irene talk about it when she’s ready. “What about you, Tabby? Anything new happening around here?”

“I’ve been so wrapped up in work that it’s hard for me to have a life,” she admitted. “This week is the only time I have semi-time to myself, so this was a good week for you to visit. Are you here for the ball on Saturday?”

I nodded.

“Yeah, Alpha Jeremy invited us.”

“That’s odd; he never invites outsiders. But I know he’s been wanting to expand and make better connections. So, it makes sense that he’d start with the Landry foundation.”

I bit my lip; I knew it had nothing to do with Gavin’s company and everything to do with the favor Erik pulled. But I wasn’t going to tell Tabby that information, at least not right now.

“Why do you look so down?” Tabby asked, narrowing her eyes at Irene. “I know we aren’t close, but you could at least say hello.”

“She’s not trying to be rude; she’s just going through a lot,” Nan said in Irene’s defense.

“What’s going on?” Tabby asked, glancing around the room with a frown. “Why do I get the feeling you aren’t telling me something?”

“Have you seen Chuck around?” I blurt, making Irene’s eyes go wide.

Tabby frowned at my question.

“Sure; he’s in my unit,” she replied with a slight shrug. “He’s as cocky as ever. Why do you ask?”

“Is he around this week as well?”

She nodded, her brows furrowing.

“Yes, but right now he’s on patrol with some others,” she replied. “What's this about?”

“Do you remember the last time you, Chuck, and Shirley visited our pack?” I asked. “Do you remember how close he was to Irene?”

She thought about it for a moment before a flicker of something went through her eyes, though it was gone in an instant.

“Oh, yes,” she said, glancing at Irene worriedly. “I do remember them spending a lot of time together and disappearing quite often.”

I glanced at Irene; she was watching me, waiting for me to continue, and my heart was in my throat.

“Is it okay if I tell her?”

After a moment of hesitation, Irene nodded, giving me the consent I needed to tell Tabby the entire truth.

“Turns out they are mates.”

Tabby gasped and covered her mouth with her hands; her eyes went wider than I had ever seen them.

“I didn’t see that coming,” she breathed. “Like fated mates?”

I nodded.

“Yeah, like wolves can’t get enough of each other type of mates,” I say, leaning back against the couch cushion.

Nan joined me on the couch, her phone in her hands.

“Room service is on the way,” she announced. “Hope you’re hungry because I ordered a lot of food and even more wine.”

“Perfect,” Tabby said with a grin before she turned back to me. “So, tell me what’s going on? Chuck is Irene’s mate? He’s such a flirt, I honestly thought nothing of it at the time.”

Irene flinched at her words.

“Have you seen Chuck around lately? Like… with anyone else?” I asked, hating that this line of questioning was hurting Irene.

She thought about it for a moment, her eyes darting between me and Irene.

“I mean, we’ve all been really busy. So, it’s hard to tell,” she said, confusion still evident on her face. “Why do you ask? Is he in trouble for something? I mean, it wouldn’t surprise me.”

“It’s hard for me to talk about,” Irene finally said. “But the gist of it is…he won’t mark me. Whenever the subject comes up, he changes it. He also doesn’t let me visit him. When I do see him, he usually comes to me. It’s been months since we found out we were mates, and he hasn’t asked me to move to his pack or anything…”

Tabby’s brows furrowed.

“Well, like I’ve said… we’ve been busy and—”

“A woman answered his phone when I called him the other day,” she blurted, tears blurring her vision as she stared down at her hands. “I didn’t want to believe it either. But I can’t tell if he’s cheating on me because I’m not marked by him, and our bond isn’t strong enough for my wolf to sense deceit. I’m not sure what else to do… so that’s why we are here.”

Tabby worried her bottom lip; her cheeks flushed as she stared down at her own hands. There was something she wasn’t saying, and it was obvious. I looked around the room, wondering if anyone else had noticed Tabby’s sudden change of demeanor, but none of them seemed to.

“Do you think he’ll be around at all this weekend?” Nan asked, her eyes shifting to Tabby. “Like at the masquerade ball?”

She nodded, her eyes still refusing to lift.

“Yes, we are all supposed to be there. It’s a huge event, and they need all the security they can get. Chuck is scheduled to attend.”

“So, that’s our chance. He can’t know that Irene is here. She can surprise him at the ball this weekend. Then we could see if he took another woman,” Nan said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

I chewed my lower lip; my eyes remained fixed on Tabby, who nodded along with Nan.

“Yeah, that makes sense,” she said softly, her eyes finding Irene. “Don’t worry. I’m sure it’s just a misunderstanding.”

She didn’t look so certain, but Irene nodded anyway.

There was a knock on the door, and Nan jumped to her feet.

“Room service!” she said happily as she rushed to the door, making the rest of us chuckle; even Irene had a ghost of a smile on her lips.

I stood and headed towards the kitchen.

“Tabby, can you help me grab something in the kitchen?” I asked over my shoulder.

Tabby stood, smoothing her hands over her pants as she nodded.

“Yeah, sure,” she said, excusing herself from the others before following me into the kitchen.

The second we were alone, I rounded on her.

“What is it?” I asked her, my eyes narrowed.

“W…what?” She stammered.

“You’re hiding something. Don’t deny it. It’s obvious. Tell me what it is,” I said, folding my arms across my chest.

She nibbled on her lower lip, her eyes going everywhere but me. I could see the slight blush on her cheeks as she suppressed her words.

“Tabby,” I said again, my tone a warning. “Tell me what it is you know.”

She let out a breath before her eyes finally met mine.

“Fine,” she said softly. “I didn’t want to hurt her. Please don’t tell her…I can’t be the messenger she hates.”

“Tell her what?” I asked, my stomach knotting. I was already expecting the worst.

She took a deep breath before speaking, and I wasn’t prepared for what she had to tell me.

“Chuck has a girlfriend,” she said, wrapping her arms around herself. “She’s actually a friend of mine. You might have already met her…”

I let out a breath like the wind was knocked out of me. So, Irene was right… he was fooling around with someone behind her back. How could he do that to his own fated mate?

“Is it the girl who works downstairs?” I asked, afraid to know the answer.

She nodded.

“Clarissa,” she said softly. “Yes. They’ve been together for almost a year. When Irene said that Chuck was her mate, I thought that maybe he dumped Clarissa after finding his true mate. But after hearing the rest of the story, I realized that wasn’t the truth. He’s still very much with her…”

“You should have said that to Irene,” I said with narrowed eyes. “She’ll be devastated when she finds out.”

“As I said… I can’t be that messenger, Judy. She needs to see it for herself in order to believe it,” Tabby said, her eyes shifting to the little window that looked into the living room. Irene sat on the couch, watching as Nan picked through the food from the room service. “I don’t want her to shoot the messenger, or just not believe me.”

“And you think she’ll find out while at the ball?” I asked; she didn’t need to confirm it for me to know.

“Yes,” Tabby said. “Chuck mentioned last week that he plans to propose during this ball. If he really is still with her… I have a feeling Irene is about to get all the proof she needs.”