Page 77 of Pack: Posy 3

I tried. I opened my mouth and gulped in air, but it clogged in my throat and choked me.

Someone that smelled of vanilla dropped down next to me.

"He's alive, Posy." He took my other hand and held it over Cole's mouth and nose. "Feel that? He's breathing. You need to breathe, too. Come on, cutie. Calm down."

I could hear their words, but they made no sense.

Someone took my head, turned it gently, and laid my ear on Cole's chest.

"Listen! He isn't dead or dying!"

Thump-thump. Thump-thump.

What was that?

Thump-thump. Thump-thump.

A heartbeat?

Thump-thump. Thump-thump.

It was! A strong and steady heartbeat!

"Cole?" My mouth formed the word, but no sound came out.

"He's going to be fine. He just needs time to recover. He and Topaz fought a long, hard battle all alone."

"Wyatt?"

"Here, cutie." He brought Cole's hand up to my face and held it under my nose. "Smell."

Sipping the air, I groaned as the smell of pine went up my nose and pressed my whole face into Cole's palm.

"Keep breathing, princess. That's all you have to do right now."

"Ash?" I whispered.

"Shh. It's okay. Everything's okay, I promise."

I nodded, closed my eyes, and laid on Cole's chest as Mason, Wyatt, and Ash stroked my hair and back.

"Posy," a weak voice croaked, and I sat up, my mates' hands dropping away from me.

"Cole?" I stroked his long hair back from his face. "Open your eyes, Cole."

"Didn't mean ... what I said. Don't leave ... don't leave us. Love you."

"Cole, please open your eyes," I begged.

His eyelids fluttered, then slowly rose until I could see his fern-green eyes again. I let out a heavy sigh, almost convinced he was alive.

"Sorry. So ... sorry. Wasn't me ... talking, Posy. I swear ... by the moon."

"Is Topaz all right?" Neither Lark nor I couldn't reach him, and I worried that the parasite had eaten him like it had Luna Quake's wolf.

"Honey, ... I love you. I love you ... so damn much!"

He started to cough and tried to roll on his side. I helped him as best I could, but hewasthe size of a bear and almost as heavy, and Mason had to help me.

---