Page 4 of An Omega Fox for Walker (Beartastic Summer of Love #4)
Fennec
Not once had my car ever broken down. Not in the city. Not on multiple road trips with friends. Never. An accident, yes, but engine trouble? No.
I couldn’t say that anymore. Only twenty miles from my destination, the damned thing sputtered out and smoke billowed from the hood.
The Uber to the resort after having my car towed to the nearest mechanic felt like a ride of shame. My life was in shambles. My fox was MIA, and now my car was broken.
Adding insult to injury.
I checked in after three in the afternoon, even though I was set to arrive early in the morning so I could roam a bit.
The resort was even more stunning in person than the pictures online.
The mountain range took my breath away. The sky was clear, not a cloud in sight.
The woods called to me already and though my heart sank in my chest, thinking that I might never run or play as a fox again, I still wanted to go into the grouping of trees and walk through them.
This place was spectacular and only a few hours from where I lived. I lamented never coming here before.
I quickly made my way to my room, intent on spending the rest of the afternoon outside, especially checking out the lake and the sandy area surrounding it.
The land, valleys, and trees called to my shifter side, even though I was currently not in touch with that side, but the water and the beach had always been soothing to my human side.
This resort was a place for shifters to run freely, so I wanted to take advantage of that as soon as possible.
Plus, the main reason I’d come here was to get my fox and I on the same page.
The cabin I’d booked was incredible, a place I could imagine myself living on a full-time basis.
This was the type of vacation venue that made people question whether or not to make a big change in their lives.
Who would want to return to a bland apartment when you could live in a cabin on the outskirts of picturesque beauty?
Plus, there was a fireplace. I was a damned sucker for a fireplace.
The bed was soft and inviting with a huge, plush comforter and sheets that not only smelled clean but were soft and warm.
Flannel sheets were the absolute best. Though the bed and the cabin invited me without words to stay and enjoy myself, I had a plan.
I had to try today, before the sun set, to get my fox out.
If not out, to at least talk to him again.
Coax him using the great outdoors as a promise that he could run free.
There were not very many cars here. Plus, they were confined to the parking lot. The forest was far from traffic and even the noises of the highway. Maybe the silence and the peace would be the break he needed to come out and play again.
A fox could hope.
I tore myself from the comfort of the log cabin and made my way to the hiking trails.
My shifter senses didn’t work anymore since I wasn’t in touch with my animal, but my human nose learned to pick up things.
I sensed other animals. Other shifters, probably.
Their scents of fur and the sheer power of the shifter hung in the air.
Branches on the dark-green fir trees swayed above me as I walked farther into the forest.
My stomach clenched as I neared a clearing where I would try to shift. I stopped inside the clearing and closed my eyes, trying to calm myself before even trying. Anxiety over shifting, I was sure, was part of the problem at this point.
I pulled my clothes off after listening for people around me. I wasn’t embarrassed about my nudity, but I didn’t really want an audience for what might be a colossal failure in the shifter department.
I took a long, deep breath and focused on what was once a solid connection with my fox.
Come on, fox. Please.
Standing there, waiting for him to respond, even in the smallest of ways, tears flowed down my face. Goddess, maybe this had been a mistake. Coming here, trying to bribe my fox with this majestic place.
Maybe it had all been in vain.
After over an hour and all cried out, I made my way to the beach.
This was the point where phase two of my plan would officially come into play.
I would never ever give up on my fox. No shifter ever would.
My fox was the other half of me. A best friend that had my back when no one else in the world did.
He always had my best interests at heart.
I’d begun to think about it like something lost in my house.
One of my parents always said that the best way to find something was to quit looking for it.
Can’t find your keys? Stop looking for them, and they will show up.
Funnily enough, that system always worked.
Frustrating as hell, of course, but guaranteed.
Maybe my fox was like that. Perhaps I was putting too much pressure on him. Trying to force the shift and the connection had possibly caused him to retreat further into our consciousness. The more I tried, the more he hid.
If I let go, he might have the room to walk back into my life.
I changed to swim trunks and sat on the beach.
For a second, I thought about taking one of those silly photos of my feet in the foreground and the water in the back but thought better of it.
I’d never been one to document every facet of my life and now was not the time to start.
In fact, I unlocked my phone and turned it on airplane mode after shooting my brother a quick text telling him I’d arrived okay.
There weren’t many people around. The sun warmed my body and gave me a blanket of comfort as I listened to the small waves push in and out. The rhythm soothed me, and soon I found my eyelids were drawing closed on their own. I wrapped my arms around myself and soon, the world faded away.