Page 72 of Wild Wolf
She cradled him in her arms. “You did it, sweetheart. You and your pack defeated Risa and Elaine. You savedeveryone.”
Coughing, he shuddered and she felt his muscles tense. “Didn’t do it for them. Did it…for you. I…love you,Jordan.”
Tears swam in her eyes. “I always love you, Nolan. Always have. Best friendsforever.”
Wheezing sounds from his chest. He lifted his hand to touch her face. “Love…you.”
A soft cloud of silver mist appeared as the pack gathered close. Jordan looked up, saw the Silver Wizard. Tristan touched her shoulder and she felt warmth spread through her body, and the terrible burning painvanish.
It didn’t matter about her wounds. Her grip tightened around hermate.
“Don’t you dare touch him! He’s mine! You can’t takehim!”
Tristan made no move to come closer. Instead, the wizard looked around at the pack, his expression a severe scowl. “Your alpha is dying. Come, you who dared to challenge him before. Which one of you wishes to take his place? Now is yourchance.”
Sobs floated through the air. The three young Lupines who had taunted Nolan last week looked away, their expressionsmiserable.
“We never wanted to lose him. Never wanted this to happen,” Toddprotested.
“We need you, Nolan,” Palmer cried out. “Don’t freaking die and leaveus!”
Jordan closed her eyes, feeling hot tears spill behind her lids. She cared nothing about the pack’s protests. For all she knew, she and Nolan could have beenalone.
“Jordan.” Tristan’s voice wasgentle.
Her eyes opened and she let the tears flow. “Please,” she whispered. “I can’t let himgo.”
Nolan shuddered again in obviouspain.
Tristan squatted down by her. “Even if it means he is atpeace?”
“He doesn’t want peace. He wantsme.”
A small smile touched Tristan’smouth.
“He deserves a life with me, at his side. He deserves every inch of my ornery, wild self. He needs to live. Please, don’t takehim.”
The last sentence came out in the barest ofwhispers.
“There is little I can do,” Tristan observed. “But the power is within you to heal, just as the power is in you todestroy.”
Puzzled, she shook her head. “I have no such power over life anddeath.”
“You do not,” he agreed. “But your magick can strengthen his own ability to recover. You did it with the grapes in thevineyard.”
“Fruit is a lot different from a living Lupine,” shesnapped.
“Do not doubt yourself, Jordan. Concentrate on all your feelings for him.” The wizard arched a dark brow. “Unless your feelings are false and your marriage is afarce.”
“Never. I knew I wanted to be his mate from the time when we were children. I’ve never wanted anything else. I used to think about a life with him, here. I even dreamed about it still when Ileft.”
Her voice cracked. “Hard as I tried to forget him, Icouldn’t.”
Tristan gently took her palm, placing it on Nolan’s chest. “Pour your magick into him. See your power filling him, racing through his veins, each of his cells, mending hisinjuries.”
Jordan closed her eyes. She envisioned all her magick, all her strength leaving her and entering Nolan’s body, fusing them together, a bond of pure energy much as they shared their bodies duringsex.
Soothing wind and chants filled the air. Warmth surrounded her, as if dozens of luminous lights ringed them. Jordan began to sing, the notes clear and pure as she kept pouring her magick into her mate. And then she felt weary, her limbs quivering, her heartstuttering.
