Derek's POV
As the hammer went down, the bidding for Hope Ranch came to an end. I got the ranch, but the joy of victory didn't last in my heart.
My gaze followed Tabitha, her figure appearing lonely and desolate.
Her sad look made me heartbroken.
Although our mate bond had been severed, I could somehow sense her pain.
Standing in the venue, I wanted to walk towards her out of impulse.
My wolf Leo growled in my mind, telling me that Tabitha's pain had much to do with me.
"What did you feel?" I talked to my wolf in my mind.
"I can feel her pain. Go over to her. I need to know if she's our second chance mate." Leo's voice was deep and powerful, his words direct and honest.
I furrowed my brow. "We lost her. She's no longer our mate. And I don't think there's a chance she's our second chance mate."
"I need to confirm that!" Leo roared out his displeasure.
I couldn't ignore Leo.
So I went to chase after Tabitha immediately. When I got to the Council of Elders, I found Gloria had driven away.
As I was about to drive to catch them up, Daphne stopped me.
"You're amazing, Derek!" Daphne's voice was unpleasantly sweet. I could see admiration and gratitude in her eyes as if taking me winning the auction as her victory.
Her friend Lyrique stood beside her, with a mocking smile on her lips. "Tabitha thinks too much of herself. How could she possibly rival you?!"
My brow furrowed as displeasure somehow surged within me.
I was unhappy about Lyrique's mockery.
Not noticing my emotions, Lyrique continued, "Thankfully you won the bid, otherwise the ranch would be left in bad hands."
"Derek, thank you for giving Hope Ranch to me. I will take good care of it."
I gave Lyrique a cold glance before turning to Daphne. "I never said I'd give Hope Ranch to you."
Daphne was shocked. Clearly, she didn't expect me to refuse.
"Why? Didn't you bid for it because of me?" she asked in surprise.
"You can go and tour around there whenever you want. But you're not gonna be the owner of the Hope Ranch." With that, I turned around and left.
After taking the first step, I stopped and turned to Daphne. "Go make friends with someone better. You'll harm my reputation if you keep hanging out with Lyrique. I don't want what happened today to happen again."
With that, I left resolutely.
I drove to Tabitha's apartment and waited outside. But Tabitha didn't come back at all.
There was no light in her apartment.
I felt conflicted and uneasy.
Her image kept surfacing in my mind: her smile, her frown, her everything.
A bad feeling rose in me when I thought about how she had almost donated all her alimony.
I needed to know what happened to her.
I took out my phone, clicked open the contacts, and found Tabitha's name.
My finger hovered over the Dial button. After hesitating for a moment, I finally pressed on it.
But all I got was a cold response from the Customer Center. "The number you have dialed is currently unavailable. Please try again later."
Getting even more uneasy, I tried sending a message, hoping she would at least reply to my message.
But my message got blocked.
My number was deleted from her contact list! I felt bumped after finding out about this. Anger and helplessness intertwined in my heart.
"Alpha Derek?" Alvin's voice sounded beside me.
"You can return to pack now. I got something to ask Tabitha." I said coldly without even turning to look at him.
"Tabitha and Gloria are dining outside now. They won't be back for a while." Alvin sighed.
"Where is she now?" I asked immediately.
"According to Tabitha's tweet on Instagram, they're at Duke Seafood Restaurant now."
I clicked open the app and scrolled through, but didn't find Tabitha's tweet.
"When did she post it?"
"Thirty minutes ago." Alvin looked at me, his voice getting smaller. "You cannot find the tweet?"
"She defriended me!" I gritted my teeth, gripping the phone tightly.
I then snatched Alvin's phone from his hand.
Her avatar was changed to a picture of herself. In the picture, her profile was blurred under the dim streetlight; the wind blew her hair; and her smile looked particularly sweet. Everything was so romantic.
My fingers touched her lips in the picture but only felt the cold screen.
"Why did she change her avatar?" I asked.
"I'm no expert in this area cuz I didn't have a mate. But most girls change avatars when they experience something dramatic. Alpha Derek, what you did to her today..."
Alvin's voice trailed off.
I knew I hurt Tabitha's feelings today.
"I knew what you meant."
"Alpha Derek, you're just too indulgent towards Daphne. The Hope Ranch means a lot to Tabitha. But you just gave it to Daphne. Tabitha must have been deeply hurt."
"Take me to Duke Seafood Restaurant," I ordered without making any explanation.