Page 22 of Untamed

“Interesting,” she murmurs. Turning toward me, she says, “That was an email from Jonah. He was confirming your story. He and his father placed those cameras, so he knew they would’ve captured you both.” A light shines in her eyes, and I get the feeling she’s thinking way more into this than she should. She must believe he’s come to save the day.

She’s sorely mistaken if that’s the case.

“I’m sure his email will also help smooth things over with Lydia.”

Highly unlikely if Lydia has it out for my family, but I’m not going to burst her bubble. Especially if it lets me off the hook more easily.

Ms. Ebon does a few things on the computer before facing me again. She leans over the desk, clasping her hands. “Kinsey, I’m going to need you to tell me everything that happened on your run with Jonah.”

I blink at her but she’s not remotely joking.

Horror races through me. If I have to explain to an adult what happened in the forest with Jonah, I’ll die of embarrassment. “You’re kidding....”

10

Ms. Ebon’s words settle in my stomach like bricks holding down a decaying corpse.

“At this point, you really need to stop saying that to me.”

We sit there mute, neither one of us giving an inch. I have a feeling she could literally do this all day, so eventually I give in. In my own way. “We played. We shifted. We fought.”

She purses her lips, her elegant, red lipstick creasing. “What did you fight over?”

I panic for a moment.

“Same old stuff. He said he didn’t want to get close to me because we still might not be able to make it work. I got mad. I shifted and sped through the grounds.”

Ms. Ebon taps her pen on the desk for a couple of seconds and then drops it again. “Kinsey, I need you to think about something long and hard. Do you want to live Feral?”

“No,” I respond immediately.

“Exactly.”

She keeps staring at me which spurs me to ask, “Exactly what?”

“I understand your anger. I get your hurt, your pain. What I need you to think about right now is the hurt and pain you’ll feel if you can’t ever have Jonah. If he rejects you for good, and you go packless, living out in the wild, which will eventually lead to death. I say all this not to scare you but to make you wake up. Jonah isn’t a choice. He’s your savior.”

My wolf perks up, but I slam her right back down. Figuratively, of course. But honestly, I’m interested in Ms. Ebon’s thoughts. Some of it rings true. Some of it makes me want to sit up and take notice.

“Think about being out on your own in the wild. Do you think your stubbornness is going to save you from longing for Jonah? Do you think your superior ability to compartmentalize your feelings is going to allow you and your wolf to live in peace when your heart will only beat for the one person you can’t have? I can give you statistics. I can give you all the numbers in the world. We’ve studied fated pairs who live Feral for what little time they survive. I can break out testimonies from wolves who’ve lost their mate. Think about your own parents. What would happen to one of them if something happened to the other?”

Damn. She is good. I blow out a breath. “He doesn’t like me. I’ve never been able to get anyone to like me,” I confess, voice wavering.

“That’s not true,” Ms. Ebon states, gesturing toward the door behind me. “You have new friends. Hell, I like you. You’re kind of a pain in my ass, but I like you. Don’t let your past ruin your future.”

Her words feel as if they were shot out of a barrel of a gun aimed right at my chest.Don’t let your past ruin your future.“I don’t know how to do that,” I admit.

“Firstly, trust my process. Be honest. Be open. Even if it hurts. Even if it feels as if it’s tearing you open from the inside out.”

I swallow, leaning back in the chair. I’m not going to like this one bit. I already know it.

She stares at me for another little while, and when she nods, it’s as if she’s telling me I’m ready for the next step. “Now,” she says. “I have your schedule.” Turning back to her computer, she hits a few buttons until the printer to her left kicks to life. “I’m warning you now, you’re not going to like some of it. But you have to put your trust in me. I know what I’m doing.”

I’m not sure her warning me ahead of time is going to do any good. I still am who I am regardless of what I’m told to do.

“I’m going to also let you in on a little secret. It isn’t always the case that mates are so hands-on when it comes to their bonded ones being here. As I’m sure Mia and Nathan have told you, some of them try to remove themselves from the process completely. Jonah hasn’t.”

Hmm. Look at that. I still can’t find a will to like him.

---