Urge To Go Home

As soon as his wife had left, Mark's heart was filled with worry. He immediately searched for his phone, his hand shaking as he found it.

The sight of Judith walking away from their house without her wig made his heart ache with longing yet a smile had broken on his face.

He missed her terribly, but the hurt in her eyes earlier made him realize how much pain she might be in.

She had received some photographs that convinced her he was cheating, and he didn't blame her for being angry.

In their past lives, they might have been enemies, but in this one, he loved her with all his heart.

Perhaps it was his way of making up for the times he couldn't be there for her.

Mark dialed Serena's number, feeling his anxiety rising with every ring. When she finally picked up, he spoke urgently, his words clipped with tension.

"What happened when I left the house?" He practically yelled at her, feeling a surge of anger that she might have had something to do with the photographs.

But Serena brushed aside his question, asking her own instead. "Where is my Alpha?"

Mark took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. "She got angry and stormed out of the house. She's at Peace's place now. But let's get back to my question, what happened?"

"It was Rena," she responded truthfully, her voice laced with guilt and regret

He demanded, "Can you tell me what those photographs were?" His mind raced with the possibility of the photographs being a threat.

He and Rena could never seem to agree on anything. They were constantly at odds with each other. So what picture could his wife have seen of them that had made her this angry?

She continued, "Do you recall our werewolf get-together? We appeared to be taking photos together. While I was sleeping, Rena took advantage of the opportunity to send them to her. On her part, I apologize."

He was caught off guard by her apology. In both of his lives, no female werewolf from the Hilltop pack, especially a Beta who despised him, had ever apologized when they were wrong.

Something didn't feel right.

"Yes, you guessed correctly," Serena confirmed. "I recall the prophecies concerning Judith stating that as long as she is alive, you will be alive as well. Only you, most likely, can awaken Ezer."

Mark had a sinking feeling in his stomach.

Mark couldn't believe what he was hearing. The prophecy had always been a source of tension between him and Judith.

One of the reasons Mark had despised Judith was because of the prophecy. Having Serena remind him of that got him all worked up.

"We didn't make the rules," Serena sneered, the words dripping with contempt.

Mark's wolf growled inside of him, 'Let's tear her throat apart when we see her in person,' But Mark knew that violence was not the answer, not when so much was at stake, so he shook his head in disagreement.

"Figure out how that can assist you. It's time for us to return home!"

His pack, the Ace pack, was also counting on him to do something, but he wasn't the one who was born with the numerous abilities—he only was mated to her.

Mark was under increasing duress

The weight of his responsibility was crushing, and he could feel the pressure building inside of him.

"Are you up for a run?" Sage offered, oblivious to Mark's inner turmoil and that he was on the phone with someone else.

"Sure," he replied, grateful for the chance to clear his head.

He tossed the phone on the couch, ignoring Serena's further talks. It was now Serena's turn to be enraged about it. She was always hanging up the call on him. Today was different.

Sage eagerly grabbed the keys to his Alpha's car and drove them to their favorite hangout spot.

The anticipation of shifting into their wolf forms was already building within them, and they could feel their wolves stirring with excitement.

As they made their way deeper into the woods, the two men scanned their surroundings, checking for any signs of danger.

Finally, satisfied that they were alone, Sage stripped off his shirt and Mark quickly followed suit.

With a loud cracking of bones, they both shifted into their wolf forms and bounded off into the forest.

The thrill of running through the woods was exhilarating, the wind rushing past their fur and the scent of the wilderness filling their nostrils.

But then, suddenly, they heard a loud bang that echoed through the trees. It was a gunshot.

Mark and Sage skidded to a stop, their wolf instincts on high alert. They quickly assessed each other for any injuries, relieved to find that they were unharmed.

'Was that a hunter?' Mark mind-linked Sage, his voice tight with tension.

'Probably,' Sage replied, his wolf senses on full alert. 'Let me mind-link the others to come and help.'

In a matter of minutes, one of their packmates arrived in the woods to speak with the hunter and divert his attention away from the werewolves.

Mark and Sage cautiously shifted back to their human forms, making sure the hunter had stopped shooting before joining them.

The hunter was an elderly man, obsessed with werewolves.

He had sketches and trackings of them all over his papers, convinced that he had seen them in the area and was determined to hunt them down.

"You made them run away!" the hunter yelled at them once the wolves were no longer in sight. He sat on the ground, scribbling on the papers in front of him.

Mark and Sage had had enough of this. They knew they had to leave before the hunter caused any more trouble.

As they made their way back home, they discussed what they should do about the hunter and how to prevent any future incidents like this from happening again.

***** *

JUDITH'S P.O.V.

As I approached the door, I could hear the sound of voices inside. It was my husband and Sage, and the thought of facing them made me uneasy.

I knew I owed my husband an apology for my behavior earlier.

"Good evening," I greeted, my voice barely above a whisper. Sage was the only one who responded, and I couldn't blame him for getting up to leave.

"Please, sit," I insisted as he rose from his chair. "I need to apologize for the way I acted earlier. I wasn't myself and I know I didn't treat you both fairly. You didn't deserve that." I looked directly at Sage as I spoke, hoping he could see the sincerity in my eyes.

"I'm truly sorry," I mentioned one more time.

"Oh, nuh worry, wi ah fambly," Sage responded with a reassuring smile. "Mi dey yah," he added, his Jamaican accent making it difficult for me to fully understand him.

I knew Sage had spent his childhood in Jamaica because of his parent's decision to move there to change their environment.

He had gone to high school and university there before returning home. Unlike me, who had never been to the country, it made it hard for me to fully comprehend him.

"Don't worry, I'm okay. We're family, we always support each other when one is going through a tough time," Sage repeated himself in his Jamaican accent, his warm smile easing the tension in the room.

Mark remained fixated on the TV, avoiding my gaze completely. When I asked him to join me in the bedroom, he tensed up before finally relenting and standing up.

"I'm glad everything went smoothly. You should have at least asked Sage to call me," I spoke, trying to keep the frustration out of my voice.

"I didn't want to bother you with updates. That was my mistake," he responded with a pause.

"I love you so much. I can't even imagine what I would do if I found out you were cheating on me," I admitted, my grip on him tightening involuntarily.

"I know, babe. I love you too. And if there's anything you need to talk to me about, please do it directly. It took me a while to catch up while I was missing you," he chuckled and pulled me in for a tight embrace.

How could I have ever doubted him? As he disappeared into the bathroom, I couldn't help but smile in relief, grateful to have him back in my arms.

The light on his phone flashed, and Serena's name appeared on the screen.

'Is she home now?'

10:11 pm