"What do you want me to do? I called her. I already called her like three times."
He didn't expect an actual answer, but his soul was screaming.
The shifter side of him won out. He fought against the shift, but knew this time he wasn't going to win. The animal side of him knew the only thing that would make him complete. The only woman that would be able to tame the anger within him, the storm that came with being who he was.
Blinking, the instinct took over. His massive paws hit the ground running. Just because everyone knew about shifters, didn't mean the animal instincts within him were okay with it all. He hid behind the shadows as he ran a now familiar path to her apartment.
She was the only damn woman who could soothe both his cougar as well as the man. He needed her, too bad he needed his mom to finally admit the truth. Deep down he'd known he wasn't his father, but until the words finally came from the first woman to break him, he wouldn't let himself be happy.
Finally, now it was time to be happy. If he hadn't already ruined things. Instincts said she would be at home and that is where he headed.
He'd told her to leave. The ripping ache encircling her chest said that her heart had understood every word. Her head though. Raine circled back to the hospital. She'd walked the sidewalk without thought. She didn't want to go home. She didn't want to be alone, yet here she was, alone. Gran hadn't shown up, and Raine for once saw what life would be without her.
"What does it even matter if I end up alone," she whispered.
Raine knew alone was fine. She was stronger for it. She hadn't minded it, until she'd ran into a six-foot something mountain with crappy pick up lines, eyes that flashed gold, and a smile that could melt her panties right off.
She hugged herself as memories flooded her brain. The heat of his touch trailing down her body. She touched her lips remembering the burn of each kiss. She heaved in air as the pain threatened to suffocate her. These feelings were why she stayed single. Single meant she couldn't hurt like this.
"Gran? Why? Why would you do this to me? I was perfectly fine."
Sirens filled the stillness around her. Looking up, she tried to focus on where exactly she'd stopped.
Tall buildings loomed above. Lights reflecting off of dark windows, laughing at her.
Love was for everyone except her. She didn't need it. She had her career. She had her students. And for now she had Gran.
Her voice chocked as she yelled out again, "Gran? Where are you when I need you?"
Her head fell. Watching as her feet found a rhythm she headed for the hospital to get her car.
Each step pulled her closer to the place her heart had officially been ripped out.
Raine ignored the cool trickle down her face. She'd finally realized that he was everything her soul had needed, and yet he'd just taken the flame and doused it with ice water.
She stopped at a sunken bit of sidewalk where water had collected. Stepping around, she paused to see her reflection looking back at her. No one special. Just her. Her life. She was in charge of her life.
"Sweetheart? What are you doing?"
Raine looked up to see Gran.
"Wallowing in self-pity. Where have you been?"
Gran floated around. "Well, where I have been isn't anything for you to worry about. Why aren't you with Kian?"
Her mouth opened, but Raine didn't know what to say. Tell Gran he'd left her? Or tell Gran that they just weren't meant to be? What? What did you tell an old woman who loved you and seemed to need to move on?
"I. He. I. I don't really know. Guess, I just needed some fresh air?"
"Really Raine? I think we've established I am not a senile old lady. Now tell me why you are out here? Where exactly are we anyway?"
The night sky above offered her nothing as she tried to look away from Gran. Could she just run away? At what age would it be considered weird to run away? Probably when she had her own apartment and wasn't running away from anyone.
Pulling in air past the constricting pain winding throughout her body, she finally spoke.
"Gran. You were wrong." She sniffled. "I know you didn't want me alone. I know that the last wish you had before you leave me was to see me not alone. But what if alone is how I’m meant to be?"
The tickle of cold air around Raine made her smile at a distant memory of how her Gran used to hold her.
"Sweetheart. You aren't meant to be alone. I would not have gone through all the trouble to have you find Geri if you were meant to be alone. Whatever he did, just go give him another chance. Men are little boys at heart, just with a whole lot more testosterone."
As Raine tried to squeeze Gran's hands, the chill a simple reminder that Gran wasn't really there.
"That doesn't really help Gran. But thanks. I think I just need to go home and start new tomorrow. I'll get past this pain. I always do."
Starting back to her car, Gran intersected her path making it hard not to listen.
"Raine. You won't get past him. He is your soul mate. He can't get over you either. He is a shifter, and his cougar will not let him forget you. Just give him time."
Raine's pace sped up. "I don't want to think about it anymore. He told me to leave. So I did. Gran. Don't worry about me. I'll always love you, but I will be fine alone."
Without paying any more attention she started to run. The pounding of her heart, the sirens and horns of the city, the tears starting to fall were all too much. The voice of Gran drowned into the
