Page 55 of Vicious Wolf Mate

“What the fuck happened?”

“We slammed into a boulder,” I explain.

“Where are Jax and Mace?”

My voice breaks. “Jax…he’s—”

Before I tell him, there’s a loud slump coming from Jax’s side. We run towards him. Mace managed to move the car to open the door. Jax hits the ground, his body entangled with his seatbelt.

Mace leans over him, giving CPR. Gnash and I stare by the side, waiting for Jax to wake up. Waiting for at least some reaction to let us know he’s alive.

“Come on, Jax. You’re fine. You’re fine,” Mace says with each compression.

There’s no response. His eyes are still closed. His body’s only moving because of Mace.

He’s a wolf shifter. I’m sure CPR will take him a bit longer to react. I know it didn’t take long for Gnash and Mace but…

Jax’s paranoia and anxiety is affecting his body. It probably shut down so he can catch a break. Right? There’s no other way to it.

My hope dies with each minute that passes. Each time, Mace’s force is greater than the last. I’m afraid he’ll completely shatter his torso, even though it might be too late.

My eyes are misty again. Each time I called him an idiot or just bitchy, I regret it all. Please, any God out there, wake Jax up. For the sake of Gnash and Mace, especially.

But he doesn’t. No matter how many times Made yells at him. Even slaps him for drastic measures.

“Come on, Jax! Wake the fuck up!”

Mace grits his teeth, almost cracking them. His compressions get faster. It looks like Jax is convulsing. It’s too late now.

Gnash and I look at each other. Just by his expression alone, I know he knows that it can't be helped. He closes his eyes for a moment, squeezing him tight. He’s trying to keep himself strong even though it’s killing him inside.

I press my lips together, holding my own tears back. There’s a silent understanding between us that there’s no use. Mace has been doing CPR for far too long. We have to stop him before he mangles Jax’s body.

Ganesh walks towards Mace. He pulls him away from Jax. Mace fights him on it, reaching for his friend.

“No! Jax, get up! Get up right now!”

He shoves off Gnash. “Get off me!”

He goes back to the compression. He does them sloppily and with less strength. It’s like seeing a cub try to nudge its perished parent awake.

Mace’s hands tremble. He’s slowing down. His whole body shakes.

“Jax…please…I’m begging you,” he whispers.

I can only stare with horror. This all has to be a nightmare. We just lost one of Mace’s best friends.

39

MACE

“Son? Are you listening to me?” The PEACE Agent shines a flashlight in my eyes.

“Yeah, I’m listening.” No, I’m not. Instead, I’m watching as two other PEACE Agents are carrying off a body bag with Jax inside. My mind is blank except for that. Jax is gone and I couldn’t save him.

The PEACE Agents showed up pretty quickly after the crash. I have no idea who called them but they wasted no time. Almost immediately Mckenna, Gnash, and I were separated for questioning. Not that there is much to tell.

“So, tell me again, what exactly happened?”

---