Page 236 of His Hungry Wolf

“I love that man. I love him more than I thought possible. So, if there’s anything you can tell me, anything that will allow me to tell him how much of a fool I’ve been, I will owe you forever. Please, Lou. Please!”

Lou’s gaze was ice-cold, until in an instant when his tension melted and tears pooled in his eyes.

“Why can’t a guy ever say those things about me?” Lou said overwhelmed. “Okay, let’s go.”

“Where are we going?”

“To the airport. They might not have left as long ago as I said. But they’re taking a private jet so if we don’t get there soon, they’ll be gone.”

Lou didn’t have to say any more. Hurrying back to my truck, we climbed in and raced to the airport. It wasn’t the one my team flew out from when we traveled for games, it was the one for private planes. I had never been there and knew nothing about it.

Pulling up, I found an open spot next to the entrance of the building. Sprinting out, I entered the terminal and looked around. The place was much smaller than I ever imagined it. I could see everyone in the open space in one sweep. Taking a second scan to be sure, Quin wasn’t here.

“There!” Lou said pointing to a door marked ‘Exit’.

He didn’t have to say anymore. Running to it, someone yelled, “Hey!”

Exiting the terminal, I stepped onto the tarmac. Still, there was no Quin. Had they gone? Was I too late?

No. There was only one place he could be. It was on a plane circling the tarmac and heading to the runway. I ran after it.

“Quin! Wait! Stop! Don’t go! I have to talk to you!” I yelled.

It was no use. I could barely hear myself over the roar of the engine. All I could do was sprint towards the runway and hope he saw me.

Racing as if for a touchdown, I leaped everything in my way and spun around the things I couldn’t. I was two hundred feet away as the plane raced past me. I couldn’t stop it. But as it crossed in front of me, I saw a familiar face in one of the windows. It was Quin. Our eyes met.

It wasn’t enough, though. Nothing I had done had been enough. With the force of a rocket, the plane approached the end of the runway and took off. He was flying away. Quin was gone. I had waited too long. It was over.

Watching his plane disappear into the air, I slowed down giving up. The second I did, I was taken down by a linebacker. Maybe he wasn’t that big. Maybe it was just that I hadn’t seen the hit coming.

Whatever it was, my face was now pressed against the ground. A man was kneeling on my back. All hope was lost.

“Do you realize how illegal it is to run onto a tarmac? It’s a federal crime? You’re going to jail for a long time,” a large, angry, out of breath man yelled into my ear.

If I wasn’t going to be with Quin, what did it matter if I was in jail? I was realizing that, without Quin, nothing mattered. He was gone and it had all been my fault. I didn’t care what happened to me now because I had let the best thing in my life slip away. From here on out, I deserved everything I got.

When another man joined us, they grabbed my arms and pulled me to my feet. I didn’t resist. I was going to let them do their job. My fight was gone. My will to go on was gone… until I heard something I hadn’t expected.

The plane that had taken off with Quin in it was circling and heading back down.

“Wait, look,” I told the guys turning their attention to the landing plane.

The three of us watched it. As soon as it touched down and came to a stop, the door opened. Someone raced out. It was Quin Toro, the love of my life, and he was running towards me.

Two freight trains couldn’t keep me from him after that. Pulling from my captors and running to Quin, I didn’t stop until I was right in front of him. He leaped into my arms.

“You’re here! I didn’t want to leave without saying goodbye,” Quin declared.

“Why are you going? Please don’t go.”

“Why shouldn’t I? I have nothing to stay for.”

“What are you talking about? You have Lou and school. But, more than that, you have me. I love you, Quin. I was crazy not to do everything I could to be with you.”

“But, what’s changed. I still don’t know if I want to be a shifter. You still have your responsibilities with your mom and your pack. We can’t deny that.”

“No, we can’t. But I’m willing to do whatever I have to to have you in my life. I’ll go wherever you need me to go and do whatever you need me to do. If you don’t want to be a shifter, then I’ll love the human part of you twice as much. All I ask is for you to love me.”