Landon’s panther sat below the tree where Kaylene’s owl had finally found a perch. His tail flicked impatiently, watching the owl’s movements, muscles tensed up and ready to spring into action should he need to chase his mate again into the night. The panther was in control at the moment, complaining and carrying on at the owl high up in the tree. He wanted to be near her. It was taking every last ounce of resistance on Landon’s part to keep his panther from scaling the tree at the moment.

He had done such a great job at staying in control, and the music had helped. The moment that he scented Kaylene outside though, it became an internal struggle. He strummed and played and sang his heart out, trying to focus his mind. That didn’t last long though, because she didn’t go inside of the cabin and her scent didn’t disappear. It grew stronger and the fiery need to see his mate burned fiercer in his heart. He ended up on the porch, and one look was all it took for his panther to seize the moment and shift into action.

Stella was going to set Brady on him when he got back, he just knew it. For now though, he had to figure out how to get his panther to give up the fight and go home. Clawing at the tree, his panther complained louder at her and still the owl didn’t budge. They were in an endless loop of staring at one another, waiting for the other to make a move.

Landon’s panther wanted answers, but Landon wanted to keep everything in the past and pretend it didn’t exist. He wished he could read Kaylene’s mind and figure out where she and her owl stood in all of this. All of this was just so much to process, even though he had had all day and all of last night to prepare himself. He knew deep down though that he could’ve had an eternity to prepare for this moment right here: the chance to confront her and get the answers he so desperately craved for closure.

Mate. Mate. Mate. Must. Get. Closer. Must. Get. Answers. Must. Make. Mine.

Landon felt like he was at a loss. He was a spectator in his own body as the panther refused to give up without the answers he wanted. Resigned to his defeat, he promised his animal he would at least talk to her if he would give him his body back.

There was a moment of hesitation on his panther’s end before his body began to flex and bones began to crack and reshape. After several seconds, he was standing back on two feet again but he didn’t move to cover his now naked human form. He was comfortable with his nudity, and it wasn’t like Kaylene had never seen his genitals before.

Glaring up at the owl in the tree, Landon said, “You told me you’d never come back. I know why you’re here: you’re here to help Stella and Brady with their baby. That’s fine. They deserve the best care for the cub growing within Stella’s womb. But I want to make things clear. Just because you’re back doesn’t mean we’re doing this thing between us again. You left me, Kaylene. Flew the coop, just like you did the minute you saw me just now. One minute I think everything is fine between us and you would come bust me out of that cell they were holding me in any second, the next I was standing alone in a parking lot with a note that had been slipped into my jeans that told me you never wanted to see me again. That I had ruined you. That I had ruined your life. You couldn’t even be an adult and say it to my face. You just left your note and disappeared.

“Oh yeah, then to make things worse. You tracked me down. That’s right. I saw you that night. The night you came to the bar in Oklahoma to watch the band play. I couldn’t take my eyes off of you. I almost shifted then, in front of all of those people. But I managed to keep control and watch you. You even had the audacity to wear the fucking boots I bought you as a gift for your birthday that year. Who even does shit like that? I hoped you had come to your senses and come home to me. That we would be together. Song after song, it grew closer to the end. Then I started playing that cover to that song, the same one I was playing tonight. Yet again, you disappeared into the night. No explanation. Not a single. Fucking. Word. From you.

“I chased after you but didn’t make the parking lot until your Jeep’s taillights were several miles down the road. You wrecked me, Kaylene. You. Left. Me. Two strikes, Kaylene. TWO FUCKING STRIKES! I’m done pitching to you. I’m not going to watch you strike out. I will not chase you. I will not come after you. I don’t care what my fucking panther wants. You left. Zero explanation. I know I can’t avoid you while you’re here. But let me make this very clear to you right now. I will not trust you again. You made your bed, now lie in it.”

By the time Landon got everything out of his system, he was huffing and puffing, his chest rising and falling hard with every breath. There. It was all out on the table now. Nodding in satisfaction at his ability to maintain control of his panther and get that out of his system, he gave his body back to the panther and convinced him to follow the scent of deer deep into the mountains.

Ghosting a look over his shoulder, he watched as Kaylene’s owl spread its wings and turned back towards home. Good. Maybe she got the point. But he couldn’t ignore the gaping wound inside of him. He had done a half ass job at stitching up his broken heart, and now after all this time, the stitches had been ripped out again and his heart was bleeding on the floor. He meant every word of what he had said to Kaylene, so why was he feeling like he might regret what he said later?