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didn't normally do quiet. They kept glancing at her and she made sure to keep her face a mask. She just didn’t want to discuss it. Not right now when she was sure she would be unable to stop herself from crying. Her thoughts whirled inside her head, a furious maelstrom that never stopped. She felt physically sick. The creeping numbness was the only thing keeping her from a full-blown meltdown and she needed to be alone before that happened.
    Her mate had just condemned her to a life alone. How could she mate with anyone else, knowing that she had a true mate out there? Even one who had rejected her. Didn’t he feel the connection that she felt? What was so wrong with her that her mate could deny their natures, their bond? She just wanted to be alone, to lick her wounds in private. She couldn’t bear the humiliation of explaining the situation, even to her friends. It was exceedingly rare for anyone to deny their true mate. People would be shocked. They would whisper about her. Wondering what was wrong with her. What was wrong with her?
    Reaching her house, she turned to tell her friends that they could go, that she’d be fine by herself. Katie shot her down before she could even speak.
    “Don’t even think about it, Dana.” Katie fixed her with an I Mean Business stare. “You still have a creepy stalker so you’re not staying here by yourself. Besides, you’re hurting and even if we don’t know why, we’re not leaving you here alone.”
    “We’re your friends, sweetie,” Fiona added, wrapping an arm around her. “We want to help and you can tell us anything. You know that.”
    Dana felt her eyes stinging. She blinked furiously but couldn’t stop the tears from falling. First one fell. Then another.
    Fiona hugged her fiercely. “Let’s get you inside.”
    Dana let herself be guided along the pathway to her front door. On the doorstep was a box. A much larger one than before.
    “I’ll get it,” Katie murmured, as Fiona opened the door and steered her into the house, settling her on the sofa and handing her some tissues.
    Katie brought in the box and dumped it in the corner. “We can worry about that later. Now, hon, tell us what the jerk did. I’d like to know why I’m beating the crap out of him tomorrow.”
    Dana took a few deep, shuddering breaths while Fiona rubbed her back soothingly. Katie sat on the coffee table, her hand on Dana’s knee, waiting for her to speak.
    “He’s my mate,” Dana said quietly with a sniff. “My true mate.” She wiped at her eyes.
    Katie shrugged. “We guessed that. The way you looked at each other, it was obvious. That should be a good thing, yet you’re not happy. Don’t you like him?”
    She did like him. It just made things worse. She was such an idiot. She liked him a lot and he didn’t want her. She barely knew him and yet she felt devastated. It was pathetic. She felt more tears run down her face.
    “She likes him,” Fiona said quietly, hugging her and handing her fresh tissues.
    Katie’s mouth drew into a thin line. “I see. So what the hell is wrong with him?”
    Dana gave a sad little hiccup. “He said he doesn’t want a mate. My true mate just rejected me.”
    Katie growled. Actually growled. “Is he mentally defective?”
    “Clearly.” Fiona shrugged.
    “I can kill him for you, if you like,” Katie offered.
    Dana smiled through her tears. “I don’t think having a dead true mate is much better than one who is AWOL. Especially not if one of my besties is in jail.”
    “Bah,” Katie snorted. “Like I’d get caught.”
    “You’re kind of scary sometimes,” Fiona said, her voice a little awed. “But let me know if I can help with torturing The Jerk.”
    Dana leaned into Fiona, appreciating the comfort. She listened as her friends discussed various things they could do to Ethan, now known as The Jerk. The suggestions grew ever more outrageous, making her smile, even through the pain. Thank heavens for friends like hers. The tight