Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 85616 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 428(@200wpm)___ 342(@250wpm)___ 285(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85616 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 428(@200wpm)___ 342(@250wpm)___ 285(@300wpm)
I think I knew how I was going to find him.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Back To The Beginning
DYLAN
So this is what heartbreak felt like? As if I were dropped alive in a boiling pot of water? Every part of me ached, inside and out. It was excruciating. I was reminded again why I had kept myself with no-strings-attached hookups for so long. I was scared of this exact fucking feeling. I didn’t know what to do with myself. I couldn’t go out and celebrate after our win, I couldn’t sit on the couch with Nike and watch stupid shit, I couldn’t even go to bed early with how my brain was running overtime, thinking of all the what-ifs and could-have-beens.
I couldn’t take it. I had to burn this off. Had to go for a run.
I went out into the yard. A storm was moving in. I could smell the rain in the air.
Good. This was what I needed.
I opened myself up to the wolf inside me. I closed my eyes and fell to the grass as my body painlessly shifted. Moments later and the world appeared a hundred times brighter, the scents and sounds even more vibrant. A neighbor cooked a late meal—chicken and potatoes—while another was watching an action movie with their window open, the sounds of explosions loud in my ears. I flicked them back, scenting the air.
I could still smell Miles. It was like I had his scent ingrained in me.
I had to run from it. Put it behind me. Immerse myself in the scent of wet dirt and pine. Maybe I could chase down a rabbit, let the thrill of the hunt work to erase the hurt of the heartbreak.
So I ran. Took off into the woods that surrounded my house. It was freeing, being in my wolf form and feeling the wind flow through my fur. It was even better once I hit the rain wall, feeling it fall, soaking the ground underneath my paws. The sound of the storm instantly soothed me. Like coos from a doting mother. I slowed my run to a trot. Sniffed at the air, picking up on a deer nearby, but getting that scent tangled up with Miles’ again. I shook my head. Paused. Sniffed again at the air.
No matter how far I got from him, I could still smell him. How would I be able to move past this if I couldn’t even get far enough to forget about him? It was an impossible task.
So why had I taken it up? Why did I let my worries drive my choices?
I pinned my ears back and let out a low, pained whine. It was a decision made from fear. Doubt. Even though Miles had shown me there wasn’t much to doubt in the first place. He told me he loved me…
I started to run again. Unsure of where exactly I was headed. Just wanted to put as much distance between me and Miles as possible. Try to get his scent out of my head so I could think clearly. Because right now, all I wanted was to turn around, follow his scent, and try to figure things out. Open myself back up to him. Let the tokens fall where they fucking may.
I ran faster. Pushed myself. The forest was easy to maneuver at night when you could see through the dark as clearly as you could see through the day. Even without my sharper vision, I felt like I’d still be able to maneuver through the trees with how often I ran through them. The rain started to let up although the lightning continued to flash through the trees with a haunting light.
Miles’ scent grew stronger somehow. I saw him leave with the guys to go celebrate at the bar. Downtown should be miles—ha!—away, and should be getting further from me the deeper I got into the woods. Was this a fated mate thing? Did his scent grow stronger the more I thought about him or something?
Why him? Why me?
Four simple words that triggered so many emotions. As stormy as the clouds above me. I’d been wanting someone to call my own, even though I tried to stuff away that pesky need of mine. Seeing people around me find their connections—Eli and Gabe being the prime example—made me wonder what the hell I did wrong to deserve a fate fuck-up like this? Couldn’t things just be easy for once? Did history always have to repeat itself in some form or another? Did my dad really have to go and ruin the entire family because of some side piece?
And did I have to really shut Miles out because I was scared of the possibility of getting hurt down the line? Was love always this scary? The stronger the love, the higher the climb, the harder the fall? I didn’t know. I had nothing to compare this to.