Page 15 of Untamed

My mother’s breathing deepens before panting filters through the line. Like mother like daughter with angry shifting. Shifters can move into their wolf form at will, but during certain heightened emotions, the shift can take hold of us, and we can’t stop it. We’re supposed to be able to—especially someone my mother’s age—but apparently she’s beyond control.

“Calm down,” my father’s voice demands in the background. A weening cry sounds from the phone and then the line muffles. I sit up in bed, clutching a pillow to my chest. Two seconds later, my father pipes up, “Kinsey?”

“Yeah, it’s me. Is Mom okay?”

“She needs to go for a run. She hasn’t gone in hours. She’s been waiting to hear from you.”

I don’t bother telling my father what Mom and I talked about. They’re mates, and despite the fact that he was right next to her, they can also communicate telepathically. I used to hate that fact when I was a kid because they would always have silent conversations in their heads, mainly about bedtime or if I could get dessert, and I’d always be stuck in the dark.

Thinking about my childhood makes my heart ache. I always saw their love. The accusations that my mother strayed outside of her bonded mate seemed like such an out-there theory.

“I know this is hard, Kinsey. Your mother and I will convince the Council...again. You just need to worry about Jonah because we want you to come back to us.”

A howl sounds in the background, and a jagged crack splits my heart. “I love you, Mom,” I whisper.

“She knows. We both love you.”

My mouth feels thick, like my tongue is too filled with the truth to speak, and my father won’t want to hear it anyway, but I can’t stand not to be honest with them. “Dad, it’s not fair. I’m supposed to win Jonah back when he—” My voice breaks.

“Kinsey.” Dad’s voice hardens, taking me off guard. “You love Jonah. Jonah is your mate. This is a hiccup in the beginning of everything you will be together. Think of all the shifter babies you’ll have. How you’ll bless the pack. It’s a miracle. You’ll do anything to fix this, right?”

His voice is strained so hard it could cut steel. He’s never spoken to me like this before. I pull the phone away to make sure I’m still talking to the right person. Sure enough, the screen readsHome.

That’s not true anymore either, though. Greystone is my home now.

“Right?” my father insists.

“Right,” I respond, matching his own tone. “I’ll talk to you later, Dad.”

Right before I hang up, I hear his long howl that gets cut off when the line goes dead. I groan in frustration and throw my phone on the bed. Those weren’t my dad’s words. He was saying them, but they weren’thim. It was as if he was trying to convey something to me in them. Maybe I should be as steadfast as he is. It doesn’t matter that it’s not fair. If I don’t find a relationship with Jonah, I’m gone. That’s the reality of the situation.

A knock sounds on my door. Mia and Nathan’s voices filter toward me, so I call out, “Come in.”

They enter the room as if we’ve been doing this for weeks. Months, even. Relationships made here are fast-forwarded since you never know when that person might leave. Mom said she didn’t think I should make friends. Is this why? Because I’ll miss them when I’m gone? Or because making friends means I’ve resigned myself to staying here? I wish I’d had the opportunity to ask her before she lost control.

“You look...sad,” Mia hedges.

“Just having an existential crisis,” I mutter.

“Oh, did someone only now realize where she is?”

Nathan laughs while he sits in the chair in front of my desk, and I smirk at Mia as she sits on my bed. Another form follows them into the room, and I cut off my reply and stare at the newcomer. It’s the girl who was crying this morning in the cafeteria.

“This is Nadia,” Mia informs me. “Horizon Pack.”

During Shifter History at Lunar High, I learned about the eight different packs, but I’ve never once traveled to any of them. That’s for the alphas and the higher-ups. The rest of us stay within our own, making sure the pack itself is self-sufficient and sustaining. It would be nice to see some of the others one day.

Nadia waves, and even that is sad. My heart goes out to her. Maybe if I was normal, I’d be broken, too, just like Ms. Ebon suggested.

“What’s this?” Nathan asks, peering into the bag on the desk.

My face colors again, heat creeping up my neck. “New makeup.”

“Forgot to pack it?” Mia asks.

“Nope. Today, Ms. Ebon took me into the salon. Apparently, I’m lucky enough that my mate thinks I’m good looking, but she asked me if I wanted anything anyway.”

Mia blinks at me. “Youwhat?”

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