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“Same here,” said the bearcat. “Although I hate that the bastards went after Havana, I’m glad they made a mistake.”
“It was indeed mistake to target Havana. Tate is furious. He will see that these people pay.”
Aspen stared at him through the window, her eyes narrowed. “Who’s that woman he’s talking to?”
Valentina’s face clouded with annoyance. “His ex, Ashlynn. Do not worry that she is back, Havana. She is no competition. He is done with her.”
Havana stilled. Wait, his ex was back? Her stomach sank.
Aspen’s eyes cut to Valentina. “What happened between them?”
“Ordinarily, I would say that it is Tate’s business and you must ask him. But he says little about her, and I do not want Havana worrying about it.” Valentina’s lips flattened. “I did not like that he took chance on Ashlynn. I sensed she pined for our old pride mate, Koby, who she claims is her true mate. But he had imprinted on another female, Gita. When Gita died, Ashlynn left Tate hoping she could finally have Koby. The imprinting threads snapped. It was very tough time for Tate.”
Hell. Havana’s heart literally ached for him right then. That woman out there had seriously put him through the ringer. “Did she mate with Koby?”
“No. He still did not want her. She asked Tate to take her back.”
Aspen gaped. “She had the downright gall to ask him that?”
“Oh yes,” confirmed Valentina. “When he rejected her, she left pride. No matter how much her family begged, she refused to come home. Cowardly, in my opinion. She is too weak to be natural-born alpha. I despise weakness. That was three years ago. Now, all of sudden, she has returned.”
Havana’s gut twisted. It was possible the skank had come back for Tate.
Havana looked out of the window just in time to see him sexily prowl toward the store with Luke and Farrell flanking him. But then the three males stopped as one of their pride mates jogged over to Tate. She also noticed that Ashlynn hadn’t moved from her spot and was watching him very closely. Such a pretty name for a hoe bag.
If she did want him back, if she managed to earn his forgiveness, he might well take her back if he still cared for her. Which would be none of Havana’s business, of course. He was free to do whatever he pleased with whoever he pleased. But, well, he deserved better. And Ashlynn deserved a punch in the tit. Both tits, even. A kick up the ass wouldn’t go amiss either.
Valentina sniffed in Ashlynn’s direction. “I blame her for how commitment shy he became.” She looked at Havana. “But he has kept you in his life for over four months now. I am very hopeful that this means good things. I adore Tate. I want him to be happy. If she tries to come between you and him, do not let her. You and Tate make good couple.”
Havana forced a wan smile. “Sorry to disappoint, but our fling is kind of over.”
“What? Do not tell me that foolish cat ended it.”
“He didn’t end it. I did.” Havana shrugged. “It wasn’t going anywhere, so I walked.”
“And he did not go after you?” Valentina made an exasperated sound. “That boy. He is like my son, Alex. Only learns his lessons hard way. Perhaps it is Devereaux trait that all males in family carry.” She cupped Havana’s cheek. “You keep chin up. He will see sense eventually. Tate is complex man, but not stupid. Now, I must go pass on a message to my pride mate. I will see you both again soon. Say hello to Bailey for me.”
As the wolverine hurried away, Havana began to walk down the aisle with Aspen at her side, feeling down and deflated. “I think I’ll get a pizza-to-go from here so that I don’t have to cook tonight.” She wasn’t in the mood to do anything other than veg out in front of the TV and stuff junk food down her throat.
“I’ll go order it for you before I pick up some things,” said Aspen. “Hey, did you know the full story about Tate’s ex?”
Havana shook her head. “He never spoke of her, and I never asked.”
“Maybe the reason he has such razor-sharp boundaries is that he’s trying to avoid ever triggering the imprinting process to start. I mean, if you felt the pain that came with the snapping of imprint threads, it’d make you reluctant to go down that road again, right?”
“Probably. But I really don’t want to talk about Tate or his ex or anything else that has the potential to give me indigestion. I just want to get this grocery shopping done so I can head home and pig out.”
“I’ll go to the pizza counter, place your order, and wait for it to cook. I’m guessing you want the usual toppings.”
