Page 51 of Vicious Wolf Mate

As we walk, I’m sure we’re all thinking the same thing. Walking to Albuquerque is not an option. It’s too far away. Even if I wasn’t a factor and it was just the shifters, it’d take too long.

So, we all let out a collective sigh of relief when we spot our first bit of civilization since escaping the Insignys facility, a supermarket parking lot. Gnash quickly sprints past us over to one of the parked cars. Jax and I join him while Mace runs ahead to the road.

Gnash expertly picks the car’s lock before I even make it to him. “See Jax,” he explains. “It’s really simple. Once we get home, I’ll show you.” Gnash breaks off a panel below the steering wheel and begins hot-wiring it.

“I just don’t know why you haven’t taught me already,” Jax mumbles to himself.

Mace runs back from the road. “I know exactly where we are. Albuquerque is only about fifty miles.”

“Perfect,” Gnash says as the car’s engine roars to life. “Everyone get in.” Gnash stays behind the wheel Jax gets in the passenger seat and Mace and I climb in the back. Drario slowly walks up to the car with his arms crossed.

Mace leans out the car window. “Drario, come on, get in.”

“No,” Drario says with a scarily calm rage in his voice. “I only came this far because you were in Sand Rock territory. I wanted to make sure you left without causing any more trouble. Our working relationship is done, Mace. I’ll never forgive you for framing my clan.”

Oh fuck. That explains the energy between the two of them since they rescued me from my cell. Drario must have found out somehow. Did Mace tell him it was originally my idea? Judging by Drario’s angry eyes being directed at just Mace, he must have protected me.

“Guys,” I chime in. “We don’t have time for this, we have to get moving now. Let Drario work this out on his own. We can hash all of this out when we’re done.”

Mace slowly retracts himself back into the car while Drario turns his back on all of us. Gnash puts the car into gear and we drive off, beginning our journey to Albuquerque once again. Mace turns around in his seat and watches Drario as he shifts into a wolf and disappears back into the Arizona wilderness.

Once Drario is completely out of view, Mace quietly turns back around. He silently looks out the window. In fact, we all drive in silence for a while.

I look over at Mace, in the reflection on the window, I can see the pain on his face. My instinct is to comfort him, I hate seeing Mace like this. But I don’t know how he’d feel about me doing that with Gnash and Jax in the front seats.

I’m pretty sure he feels as strongly for me as I feel for him. The look on his face when he learned about Dave told me that. Still, it’s a tricky line we’ve found ourselves on, he’s the alpha of his clan and my father is trying to kill them all. Our relationship is at best complicated at the moment.

Also, I know how guys can sometimes be about physical affection around their friends. It can be seen as weak to have to be comforted or to even show warmth in any way. Even shifters can be caught in that mentality.

The last thing I’d want to do is make him uncomfortable right now. Comforting him in full view of Gnash and Jax might do just that. Yet, I can feel the pain radiating off him. I need him to know he’s not alone.

I finally decide to reach out and take his hand in mine. He slowly looks away from the window and gives me a weak smile as he squeezes my hand.

“Are you okay?” I ask with a whisper.

“No,” he whispers back. “But we still need to do this.”

In the corner of my eye, I notice Jax looking at us in the back seat. I quickly pull my hand away from Mace’s. Jax looks back and forth between the two of us. He definitely saw us holding hands but says nothing.

After I pull my hands away, I also see the pain on Mace’s face only grow. God, why did I do that? I was trying to help him but I think I only hurt him even more. He turns away from me to look back out the window.

“So-” Jax begins turning his attention to Gnash. “Is there anything else you overheard from your cell? Anything we might want to know before we get to Albuquerque?”

“Well,” Gnash taps his fingers on the steering wheel as he thinks. “I told you pretty much everything I- Oh!”

“What?” I lean forward.

“It’s coming back to me, Project Oxytocin, the release date for the operation is… oh… fuck… when was… July 4th!”

“July 4th? Are you sure Gnash?” I lean almost all the way into the front seat. I need to make sure he’s serious.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m sure. They said, July 4th, I remember thinking, ‘so much for Independence Day in America.’ Why?”

I feel my heart drop. An intense sense of dread fills my chest like a lead balloon. We were in dire straits before, when there was no ticking clock. Now everything is so much worse.

Next to me, Mace turns his head away from the window to look at Gnash. In the passenger seat, Jax has also fallen silent. I can see the fear on both of their faces as well.

“What?” Gnash says. “Why do you all look like that?” Oh god, he has no idea how long he was locked up for.

---