“I didn’t speak to Danny,” Uncle Dalton replied quietly. “But I’ve known Chance a long time. I don’t think he’d lie to me.”
“But he—” I gagged and shook my head. No, that wasn’t right. Daniel didn’t like leaving me behind. He was just in a tight spot. Even my pop said so. He was being pulled in two different directions, so he was doing the best he could. That was all. He wouldn’t leave me longer than was necessary. Three hours. That was the limithe’dset.
“Why don’t you climb in, and I’ll drive you home,” Uncle Dalton said soothingly. “You made it a hell of a lot further than I thought you would before I got here.”
“No,” I replied, shaking my head as I sidestepped closer to the road. “No, something is wrong. I know something’s wrong.”
“It’s the bond,” Uncle Dalton argued. “I know it’s confusing, Flower, but you need to trust me on this. Your body doesn’t like the separation, and it’s making the situation feel like life and death. It isn’t. Danny is fine.”
“No, he’s not,” I barked, lifting my hands to my hair. I wrapped it around my fingers and clenched my hands into fists, trying to make the sting in my scalp focus my thoughts.
“I’ll call him,” Uncle Dalton said, lifting the phone to his ear. “How about that?”
I nodded silently, watching the phone like a hawk.
“Chance,” Uncle Dalton greeted. “Any way I can talk to Danny?” He paused. “I’ve got a very concerned mate on my hands, and I’m not sure she’ll listen to anything I say unless she speaks to him first.” He waited for a moment and then nodded, extending the phone to me.
I felt like my body wasn’t my own as I put the phone to my ear.
“Rosemary?” Daniel called. “What’s going on, baby?”
I felt like I was being strangled.
“You there? I’m sorry it’s taking longer than I thought, but I’ll be back within the hour, okay?” He waited for me to respond. “Rosie? Where are you?”
A car pulled up slowly beside us, but Uncle Dalton waved them on, assuring them we were fine.
“Did you leave the house?” Daniel asked, his voice rougher than before. “Please tell me you didn’t fucking leave the house.”
My hand felt numb as I dropped it back down to my side, the phone dangling precariously from my fingertips.
What had I become? Who was this person? Because I no longer felt like me.
I felt like a shell of myself. The strong, independent, capable woman I’d always been had been replaced by this whimperingmess, my body too weak to do anything of note, my mind no longer logical but filled with anxiety and fear.
I was standing on the side of the road—on the verge of collapse—and I’d run there myself, with bare feet and no bra, because I’d been in so much relentless pain and in such a panic that my mate was in trouble that I hadn’t even taken the time to realize I could’ve driven my pop’s truck.
And the whole time, my mate had been perfectly fine.
He’d just lost track of time.
Something inside me splintered.
“I’m sorry,” Uncle Dalton said, catching me as my legs buckled. “I’m sorry. I’ll hurry.”
I knew he was worried that the touch hurt, but honestly? I couldn’t feel it beyond everything else.
I already felt like I’d been run over.
It took only a few minutes to drive me back to Pop’s. It would’ve been funny, considering how long it had taken to run there, if it hadn’t been so fucking sad. As soon as he put the truck in park, I tiredly opened my door and slid out.
Pop was waiting for me on the porch.
“You scared the shit outta me,” he chastised as I made my way toward him. “What the hell were you thinking?”
“She wasn’t,” Uncle Dalton answered for me. “It was instinct. You remember what it’s like at the beginning of a bond?—”
The last of his words were cut off as I walked inside. They could talk about me all they wanted. I didn’t really care.
