by E. M. Moore
I told Mia that no one deserves to be in Greystone Academy, but I would love to see Laura’s ass in those walls, taking Ms. Ebon’s notes. She’d be the worst student with too big of a chip on her shoulder to learn anything.
The night’s festivities start with appetizers. Mr. and Mrs. Livestrong socialize with the other couples attending while Jonah and Jesse stay close to each other along with the future beta. If I take my past experience with the pack out of the equation, this isn’t so bad. I can even converse with them without wanting to scream that they were arrogant assholes for most of my life.
It’s Laura that gets under my skin the most. Even when she’s being nice, I see through her carefully constructed façade. Her holier-than-thou attitude—as if I don’t deserve to be at the top with them—makes me want to cunch her.
Mia came up with that word the other day when we were talking about Nathan’s mate. It means cunt punch. And Laura, more than anyone, deserves a freaking cunt punch.
Now that Jonah has come out with his feelings to the school and his parents, he doesn’t shy away from being affectionate, which helps me with my confidence. If I’m good enough for Jonah Livestrong then I don’t really care about Laura, head of the bitches.
However, it doesn’t keep me from watching my back, waiting for Lydia Greystone to arrive. Jonah’s mom made a point to ask where she was when I was within earshot, and the alpha’s wife explained that she would be late. We locked eyes briefly, and I silently thanked her.
Not embarrassing myself and staying away from Lydia are my two goals for tonight. When this is over, I’ll tell Jonah what his mom told me and ask him if he knows what the hell it means. We both know Lydia has something against me because of my no shifting rule but his mom’s warning seems bigger than that. And that’s saying something.
Ms. Ebon is lobbying for me to regain my shifting rights, but I sense my wolf and I are already behind in our relationship. Around me, my past wolfpeers are discussing a reduction in shift pain as the transition becomes more seamless. Jonah steers the conversation away to save me from having to answer how my own relationship with my wolf is going, and I squeeze his hand in thanks.
After an hour, the alpha’s wife announces that dinner is ready. We’re a party of twelve as we take our places at the table, and thankfully, no one tries to mix up the pairs. Each of us are sitting with our own fated mates, or in Jesse’s case, with the leech dressed in lipstick.
Jonah leans over as he grabs his cloth napkin from his lap. “Thank you for enduring this for me.”
A smile crawls over my lips. In moments like this, I know it will be easy to do these alpha dinners for years to come. Who knows? Maybe it won’t always feel like I’m separate from them. For the first time, I want to belong if only because it will make Jonah happy.
Mrs. Graves drilling dinner etiquette into me was almost a waste of time. I could easily turn my head and see what Jonah does so I don’t fall into any faux pas. By the time the dinner is finished, I can barely believe I made it out intact. I got a few funny looks at the table, but nothing that a warm smile couldn’t handle. It at least forced them to smile in return, and pressing them to be nice to me, even if only for social graces, felt like it was my biggest weapon.
The alpha claps his hands together as the liquor glasses empty. “It’s time for our ritual run.”
I stiffen, but Jonah clasps his hand on my knee. Discreetly, he leans over. “It’s okay. I’ve already arranged ahead of time to leave after dinner.”
I give him a grateful smile. It would be unheard of to turn down a run with the alpha; not to mention that everyone would figure out that I’ve had my shifting abilities taken away. I don’t need another rumor hanging over my head, that’s for sure.
While the party congregates in the sitting room, Jonah, his parents, and I approach the alpha and his wife. I thank them for inviting me, and they’re both so cordial that when we turn to leave, I can’t believe I’ve actually accomplished the very thing I was so distressed about. We say our goodbyes to his parents by the main door, and Mrs. Livestrong even hugs me. “You did amazing,” she whispers. “I’ll be glad to have you as part of the family.”
A lump lodges in my throat, and it stays there until we get outside. Jonah nudges me. “My mom likes you.”
I smile and gaze up at him with tears threatening my eyes.
“Happy tears, I hope?”
I loathe to tell him that it feels like I’m being included for the first time, but I don’t have to say a word. He gets it. I can’t hide my feelings from him. It’s as if we’re an open energy line, and we keep sending signals upon signals to each other without trying.
He helps me into the truck, a wide grin on his face. “I’m going to talk to them tomorrow about you. I want to move forward with this, Kinsey.” He turns toward me. “You can’t stay at Greystone anymore. I’m going to go out of my mind.”
I went from praying not to be mated to resenting Jonah and now to not being able to imagine my life without him. Call it fate. Call it a wolf’s natural instinct, but honestly, I call it so much more than that. “Me too.”
He gets in the other side of the truck and tucks his hand around my thigh again, drawing circles over the cloth of my dress—slow caresses that drive me wild. When he takes the backroads, I don’t understand where he’s going until he parks the car in front of his parents’ house again. He peers over at me with a soft smile. “I want to show you something.”
My heart jumps into my throat. “Okay....”
He hops out of the truck, and I meet him around front. He frowns at my shoes. “You’ll want to leave them here.” Without giving me a chance to take them off, he picks me up and sits me on the hood. Prying the shoes off, he drops them onto the front seat of the truck through the open window and then helps me down again. Instead of going into the house, he takes me around the rear. A fountain trickles in the distance, a blue light making the water glow.
We follow a stone path, and Jonah picks up the pace. I have to hurry to keep up with him, and when we enter the woods, my heart hammers. The moon filters through the canopy of leaves above us, lighting the path as it curves. A single light shines in the distance, and when we get close enough to make it out, my heart starts careening. It’s not all of my own emotions either. It’s Jonah’s, too.
He brings us to a stop in front of a small, stone cottage. “My parents and I built this house for me to live in after graduation. We knew I would want my own space, and honestly, I wasn’t expecting to mate with someone so soon. Somehow, I think you might be the only person who would love this place as much as me.”
I gawk at it. The single story house looks straight out of a fairy tale. Hundred-year-old trees surround it in an ethereal barricade. Even though the stone construction is new, everything is situated so perfectly that the structure becomes one with the forest. Huge, flat stones lead to a sunshine yellow door. Ornate sconces frame the entryway and match the window trim for a quaint yet dreamy style. “This is your house?”
He squeezes my hand. “I was kind of hoping it would be ours when you get out of Greystone.”
Before I can react, Jonah scoops me up in his arms. “Not the dress,” I protest. “Mrs. Graves will kill me.”
He chuckles low in his throat. “Mrs. Graves will consider it a job well done for what I have planned for you, Kinsey Walker.”
Molten heat flows toward my core. He nudges the door open, and I spot the same earthy tones and embellishments as outside. Rustic, wood trim lines the doorways and the mantle over the fireplace in the small living room. A quick glimpse inside the kitchen boasts a farmhouse sink with white cabinets and bronze finishes. Jonah’s house definitely has a cozy cottage feel. Nothing like the two houses I was in today, and I’m absolutely fine with that.
“Tour later,” he tells me. “I really want to show you the bedroom.”
He moves straight down the hall and turns right into a large room. Kicking the door shut behind us, he sets me on my
feet. I have to steady myself in the wake of the turn of events tonight took. I went from scared to death to reeling. He’s thought about moving me in here. I could be back in Lunar, next to my parents, with my pack.
He yanks me toward him, and my hands land on his chest. I peer up at his heated eyes. “You haven’t let me answer,” I say coyly. He waits for my response as he glances from my lips to my eyes. Reaching up, he unclasps the clip in my hair, and my long waves pool over my shoulders. A smile pulls my lips apart before I even say anything.
He growls. “This is not the time to joke with me about Nathan.”
Fuck. He knows me too well. “Fine. I guess I’ll just have to accept your offer.” I jump into his arms, and a ripping sound meets my ears when I suddenly get way more room in the skirt.
“That was you,” he mumbles before claiming my lips.
His hands are everywhere, kneading my ass, slipping up over my spine, and finally in my hair. When he’s finished exploring, he lowers the zipper on the dress. He moves inside, caressing the bare skin of my back, moaning when he realizes I’m not wearing a bra. I pull away, but he keeps moving forward. I have to press against his chest to create space between us. Our breaths mix. “Jonah, this is perfect. The house. You. Everything.”
“So, you’ll move in with me?”
He searches my gaze, and his ability to still remain uncertain makes me want to prove it to him. I shimmy down his torso and stand. Slowly, I undress him, taking off his suit coat, then his belt, and move to the buttons on his shirt. His abs flex underneath my touch when I run my hands over his bare torso.
All he has to do is pull my dress past my shoulders, and it drops down, pooling at my ankles until I’m standing there in my panties. My wolf is so ready for this, eager to solidify the bond with the wolf that lives inside Jonah.
I slip his shirt over his corded muscles and work on his fly next. Tugging his pants open, I marvel at his erection and then shove the material down his hips. I move to stroke him, but he interrupts, pushing me backward until I fall onto the bed. He stalks closer, his eyes switching between the same brown with green accents and yellow.
“Is this where you bring me into your dreams?” I ask.
“I haven’t slept here yet,” he informs me. “When fate paired me with you, I held off on moving in until I knew for sure what was going to happen. Most of all, I wanted to bring my mate here so we could start this life together.”
I grin. “I’m already in your bed, you don’t need to keep sweet talking me.”
He gives me a teasing smile before pulling his boxers down and revealing the cock that is definitely proportionate to his body. He reaches into the drawer next to the bed and throws a few condoms on the sheets. “I’m just telling you the truth, Little Mate.” He grabs my chin again and forces my gaze to his. “Tonight, I intend to make good on every fantasy I have with you.”
“My curfew?”
“I got Ms. Ebon to allow us extra time. She really likes me.”
“Well, I guess that makes two of us.”
He crawls over me, irises glowing yellow. “My wolf senses yours.” He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, shuddering. My own wolf rattles the cages of her confines. She wants out. Jonah nuzzles my neck, thick cock rubbing my thigh. “Soon,” he promises her.
A breath releases from my chest, and my back arches. Fur cascades down my arms and then retreats, leaving my human hair sticking out on end. Jonah matches my movements, his russet hair tickling my bare skin briefly before it retreats.
He reaches down, moving my panties to my ankles, and I kick them off. He hovers over me, lips just out of reach. “I’m going to be as gentle as possible. I don’t want to hurt you, so talk to me, okay?”
Nerves ricochet around my chest but as soon as Jonah trails his fingers across my thigh and to my heat, I’ve already forgotten what I should be scared about. I arch into him as he strokes and plays, dipping his fingers inside agonizingly slowly until I’m writhing against him.
I yank him down, sealing our lips together, and he has to pull his hand out to catch himself from falling on me. He moans into my mouth and reaches for the first condom. Sitting on his haunches, I watch as he tears it open, discarding the wrapper over the side of the bed and rolling the rubber down his length.
Lowering himself over me again, he nudges my thighs apart and reaches out to place a few strands of hair around my ear and stares straight into my eyes. “Little Mate, I accept you.”
24
All my life, I’ve bucked against the system. I’ve shied away from the pack bonds, believing I was better without them. When Jonah uttered those three words, I realized that acceptance was all I’ve ever wanted.
A half-human, half-wolf howl works up my throat and echoes through the room. Who knew I accept you would mean so much more to me than the human affirmation of love?
The tip of his cock pushes past my folds. I clutch his shoulders, sucking in a breath at the feeling of him stretching me. “Jonah, yes. I accept you.”
Jonah filters his fingers through my hair once he’s fully seated inside. “Are you okay, Little Mate?”
I wiggle around him, getting used to the feeling of him inside me. More than anything, I feel full…and happy. Nothing has ever felt as right as this. “I’m more than okay.”
He groans. “Thank fuck because I need to move.”
Jonah retreats, pulling out before sliding in again. Pressing his lips together, he watches my face, reads my body. When I start to move with him, welcoming his thrusts, he takes it up a notch until pleasure highlights every little movement. I exhale on a moan. “Is it supposed to feel this good?”
The corners of his lips quirk, and he nudges my head to the side to kiss a trail from my jaw to my ear. “It is for us.” He nips my ear, grabbing my lobe between his teeth and yanking on it playfully. “Fuck. You’re so tight.”
His words spur my confidence. I explore his taut body with abandon, skating my fingertips over his hips and then around to his muscular back. His skin flexes under my touch in ripples of satisfaction.
My heels dig into the mattress as he crushes his hips to mine. Shifting weight from one arm to another, he traces up my side, skirting up my rib cage until he palms my breast. “So perfect.”
I arch against him, and his movements stutter.
“Mmm, Little Mate. I’m trying to be good.”
I reach around and clasp his ass, sinking my fingers deep into his muscles. “Are you holding back on me?”
“I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Hurt me,” I beg, not imagining that it could feel much better than it already does.
I was wrong.
Jonah tweaks my nipple, smirking before he starts a steady rhythm that shakes me and the bed beneath us. I gasp at his speed, reveling in the way he pins me to the mattress. Excitement threads through my very being as he consumes me completely.
He grasps my hands and holds them over my head. “This is fucking. This is what my body is demanding I do.”
He slows his pace, biting his own lip before kissing the tip of my nose. He trails his expert mouth over my chin, down my neck, and to my collarbone. As he lowers further, his cock slowly retracts. Before I can protest, he sucks my nipple into his mouth.
I buck into him. “Jonah.”
“This is me worshipping you,” he murmurs, trailing a line of kisses all over my exposed skin. I arch into him, searching for his dick. I want more. I need more. “Proving to you how beautiful you are. How fucking sexy every little piece of you is.” He shifts upward, entering me in one swift motion again. “And this pussy is my home.”
I cry out. “Yes, Jonah. Please.” He takes his time, his thrusts a steady tease. I start to shake. “I want to come around you.”
“Mmm.” He sits back on his haunches, dragging my lower half with him until my ass is on his thighs while my shoulders stay on the mattress. He pinches my nipples and skirts his right hand down to find my clit. With one thumb circling
my nipple, the other on my clit, and his cock pumping inside me, my body doesn’t know what to do with itself. It starts to shudder, pleasure lapping at me from all angles. I wrap my legs around his torso, bringing us closer as my excitement builds.
I grab the sheets, fisting them in my hands. Short cries and moans push past my lips.
Half-lidded eyes meet mine. “Talk to me, Kinsey. How does that feel?”
My toes curl. “I’m going to come. God, you feel so good. More Jonah, please.”
He quickens his movements. The only thing I feel is the heightening arousal between my legs that propels me forward until I fall over the ledge in bliss. Grabbing my hips, he yanks me toward him in one intense maneuver that has me gasping. I climax around him, my heart threatening to beat right out of my chest. He shivers as he watches me, eyes closing briefly.
Jonah’s expansive chest heaves. I study him as he wrangles himself under control while I come down from my high, my heart too full for words.
He shifts us until he’s hovering over me once more, claiming my mouth and sucking up all the air in the room. He elicits more moans from me, breaking free only to thrust inside me again. “I felt every single squeeze.” Torment crosses his face. “Kinsey, give it to me again. Give it to me before I lose myself inside you.”
A sheen of sweat starts across his forehead. I work my fingers into his hair as he ravages my body. This is the Jonah show, and I’m here for it. His moans mix with mine on the bed he built and invited me into. His home. Our home.
Pelts of fur raise over his arms before he shakes them away. My own wolf rises to the surface as he drives me into the mattress. My teeth elongate, biting into my lip. “Fuck me, Jonah,” I growl in a voice half my own, crazy with need, and half given way to the wolf inside me. “Make me come.”
He roars, his body taking over, propelling me higher and higher. My wolf clamors to the surface, staying just below the surface. I feel her there, rippling beneath me as Jonah and I come together in a flurry of primal need.