Page 153 of Untamed

45 - Fickle Wind

Alpha Jax

"Fuck," I grit my teeth, the curse falling from my lips in a whisper. "Motherfucker, that hurts." I clutch my chest, the pain rippling through my heart as though someone had reached in and tore something away from the organ.

My wolf screams, frantic, furious, confused. I panic, just a little, at his confusion. It feels like we are being attacked, but there is nothing here to hurt us.

Burning pain fills my chest, my heart racing faster and faster. I sink to my knees with my body trembling. Bowing my head, I try to breathe through the agony taking a slice out of my flesh. Beads of sweat roll down my face and drip down off my nose to the floor. What is happening? This is insane.

"Jax?" Snow's sweet voice makes my head come up. "Jax!" her soft form wavers, blurry as I blink my eyes frantically. My wolf whines, wanting to protect our fairy princess from whatever this unseen enemy is.

"Dove," I croak. I don't want her to see me like this. She's had enough heartache to last a lifetime. Is that what this is? Is this a heart attack? Something worse? Holyshit, it hurts.

"Jax?" her hands gently smooth over my brow, calm and soothing.

A deep groan rips free from my chest. My lungs fill with fresh air as the feeling of pain starts to fade. My eyes close, too heavy to keep open. I focus on Snow's sweet voice, her gentle touch. My wolf whimpers again, softer, leaning into her touch, scenting her. The purity of our Snow helps ease the pain.

My heart tears, the pieces falling apart from each other. What remains beats erratically, fast, then slow, then back to fast. It's nothing like what I thought a heart attack would feel like. I can feel my body, no tingling in my left arm or numbness in my limbs. None of that shit. Just agony in my chest.

I gather Snow in my arms blindly, pushing away the tremors wracking my body as adrenaline and pain scorch through my muscles and nerves react. "It's OK," I tell her. Lie. "I'm OK, Dove."

"W-what happened, Jax?" Snow asks me tearfully.

My eyelashes feel as though they are stuck together. The act of forcing them open feels like a herculean task. "My chest," I murmur.

"I need to make you something to help!" she exclaims. I tighten my grip when she tries to stand, not letting her up. Not letting her leave me.

My eyes finally open, and I smile at the bright blue, shining with worry and nothing else. No greed, no avarice, no lies.

I suck in a breath. My heart beats, strong and whole again. My heart... the remainder feels lighter, suddenly, as if the piece that was torn away was a tumor. The echo of pain is just that, an echo of something that isn't there anymore. A dead limb that has been amputated and made me lighter as a result.

The truth is like a fucking two-by-four to the face.

Jessie is dead.

"Our little female killed her," I rasp out, stunned. A smile crawls over my face, even though it hurts. "Little Luna wasn't kidding, Dove. Holy shit."

"Willa? Who did she..." Snow's voice trails off as comprehension dawns in her wide, blue eyes. "Your mate," she whispers, her voice flat. "It hurt you." She looks conflicted, jealous, and hurt, and maybe a bit guilty, too.

"A good hurt," I tell her, trying to soothe my female. "But, if you want, you can kiss the pain away," I tease. I tap my lips in suggestion.

Snow gasps. "Jax!" Then she blushes and smiles at me.

Laughing, I close the distance and kiss her...finally.

I'm an old male. Too old for this fairy-tale beauty. I've done horrible things, made terrible decisions, carried the burden of my mistakes and choices for years. But, hell, my lips on Snow's makes all of the pain fall away. My wolf nudges me, insistent, demanding.

I pull away just enough to tell her, "Snow, I love you, my Dove. Goddess, I love you. I'll make you happy for the rest of your life if you let me. Let me mate you?"

She smiles shyly but is confident when she whispers, "yes."

I stand carefully and scoop her into my arms, ignoring the twinges that remind me of the pain my heart just went through to exorcise that female from my life. Snow squeaks, giggling softly. "Where are we going?"

"We've waited long enough. I've waitedyearsfor this."

"In a way, we both have been waiting," she says quietly.

I smile down at her and know from the look of blushing surprise that my grin is as lustful and wicked as I feel. "Then I should hurry, Dove. Strike while the iron is hot and all that."

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