As soon as Link emerged freshly washed from the bathroom, he made a beeline for the front door. Zack stopped him short of his goal, not saying a word, merely returning his confiscated cell phone. “I’m really sorry, Link,” he said yet again.
“No problem,” he replied, grabbing his phone and hitting the power button. The pinging of new messages seemed endless. Rosie must have called a hundred times, each ping felt like a dagger to his heart. It was easy to imagine she must have been beside herself with worry.
Now, he could fix all of that pain; he would make everything up to her. He just had to figure out where she was and the fastest way to get to her. In all the time he had been waiting in his house, he planned dozens of ways he would get back together with her, but now none of those plans seemed good enough.
He raced behind the house, phasing into his wolf as he went. Not really knowing if it would work, he hoped he could catch her in her fox form and tell her how he felt. He knew it was a long shot, but he had to try the fastest method first.
As soon as his mind functioned again after the change, he felt the connection as strong as ever; then, it ended just as fast. She must have been attempting to contact him and phased out just as he phased in. Furthermore, she had to be at their favorite location.
His mind reeled with intense excitement and trepidation. She wasn’t far away. He could reach her within minutes if he stayed as a wolf. Not bothering to think anything more, Link set off running faster than he ever had before.
Within minutes, he crossed out of pack territory and into Old Man Johnson’s property. He still called it that in his mind, even though the Re-TREE-t project was now the owner. Lifting his nose high into the air, he sniffed for any smell of Rosie. The scent was faint, but he could still follow it. Howling victoriously, he raced toward where he knew she would be.
Rosie trudged back to the waiting Uber. Having left Ellie, at her friend’s insistence, she had given her search for Link another chance by changing into her fox. At first, she believed there was some sort of difference, but she had to have been mistaken since she did not feel Link’s mind inside her own. More dejected than ever, Rosie twirled the engagement ring on her finger. How long should she wait for him? Forever! Her mind readily supplied.
She sat in the back seat of the car service, wishing there was some reason for her to stay longer. Looking back at the treehouse, which was meant to be hers with Link, she felt a tear begin to form. It was such a lovely dream, one which she knew was too good to be true.
The man driving stared at her in the rearview mirror and asked, “Are you ready to go?”
“Yes. Thanks.” Rosie closed her eyes, not wanting to look around at the beauty surrounding her. This was Link’s world, his dream; she only wanted to share it with him. She felt the car moving along the gravel road, hearing the crunching of the tires as if the sound only compounded her broken heart.
“Wow! Look at that wolf! I’ve never seen an animal that big before,” the driver exclaimed. He slowed as he continued to stare out the side window rather than watching where he was going.
“Stop the car! Stop!” Rosie pressed her face against the window. She would know that wolf anywhere. He had come back for her.
“Are you sure, ma’am? I think wolves can be dangerous.”
“Yes, yes. Stop now!” Rosie already had her hand on the door latch, ready to spring out of the moving vehicle if necessary. In a few more feet, the car came to a stop, and she flew out of the back seat, not caring what she stepped in. Her eyes were trained on the wolf bounding straight for her.
In only a second, the wolf leaped up from the ground, at the same time as Rosie held out her arms. Together, they crashed to the ground, rolling in a heap of fur and flesh. Luckily, Link had managed to twist them in midair, so he alone took the ground’s impact. Never again would he let Rosie get hurt by anything.
“I knew you’d come back,” Rosie cried into his chest. She inhaled his musky wolf scent, luxuriating in the soft feel of his fur.
“Ma’am, are you okay? I’m calling 9-1-1. They can send an ambulance to help you.” The driver stood only ten feet away from them, obviously panicking at the sight of the wolf pouncing on Rosie.
Rosie managed to sit up, straightening out her shirt and hair. “It’s fine. This is my wolf. I lost him a long time ago, and I thought I’d never see him again.” She stood, resting her hand on Link’s wolf shoulder, her smile clearly demonstrating to the driver that she was unharmed.
“Are you sure? I mean, that wolf’s huge.”
“I know, but I think he’s just perfect. In fact, I think it’ll be okay if you just go back to the city without me. I have a feeling I’m going to be staying here for a while until I can get everything settled with this boy.”
“Are you positive?”
“Absolutely. Everything I need is right here with me now.” Rosie looked at Link, his tongue lolling out of the side of his mouth. She had to laugh at his silliness. Leaning into his side, she hugged his neck and whispered into his ear, “I never gave up on you. I love you more than I can ever say.”
Link responded by licking the side of her neck and face. Rosie simply laughed. Now that they were together, nothing could ever tear them apart again.