Page 28 of Untamed

Wow. I’m suddenly feeling super stabby about what he does in his spare time, and I know I should keep my mouth shut, but I can’t stop myself. I sigh and run my hands through my hair, my hackles rising. I don’t like the idea of him being away from me, and I’m wonderingwhathe’s doing. I fan my face. “I got, like, a whole jealousy thing going on, and I don’t know. I’m about to ask you something stupid, but you’re going to have to answer me straight. Are you seeing anyone in Lunar?”

He growls. “Of course not. Are you seeing anyone here?”

I recoil. “No, I’ll be freaking shipped off to Feralville.”

He steps forward, looming over me. “Is that the only reason?”

His husky voice makes me swallow. I shake my head, feeling small in his overwhelming presence. “No,” I squeak.

“Good.” His chest rumbles.

Dear fucking heaven. This boy. My wolf is ready to lay down and have him go at it. My face flames hotter, legs weakening.

“Now that we have that out of the way....”

I raise a finger. “Actually, I have another question.” He lifts an amused brow, so I go on. “I said you were my first kiss, but you never said….” I peek at the floor, unable to meet his eyes. “Was I your first kiss?”

His breathing deepens. I almost tell him to forget I asked, but my stupid curiosity and natural jealousy won’t let me, and I can’t stop it now if I tried. Giving into my wolf instinct isn’t all good apparently. Right now, I’d like to use one of the girls he’s kissed as my own personal scratching post.

He places a finger under my chin and lifts until I’m staring into his sharp gaze. “I need you to listen to me, Little Mate. My head is so filled with you, I can’t remember what the others were like.” A growl starts in my chest, and he pinches my chin. “I understand how you’re feeling. My wolf roared in triumph when you said I was your first kiss. I wish I could give that reassurance to you. I really do.”

I bite down on my lip. I expected that I wasn’t his first kiss. Sifting through my memories, I can’t bring an image forth of him dating another girl, but I’m sure it happened. He’s Jonah fucking Livestrong, and I’m nobody. That doesn’t take away the fact I wish he could give me that reassurance, too. My heart beats a mile a minute. I clench my hands to fists at my side, and my fingertips bite into my skin.

There’s a mentality in young pups to have fun while you can because when you do get paired, your heart is no longer yours. But it’s not supposed to be like that. Fate, the Gods, whoever it is, is the ultimate. And you don’t realize that until you get older and you’re staring at your mate the way Jonah’s staring at me—as if he would happily strip away the past and give me his first everything.

The emotion is so powerful that it threatens to knock me off my feet.

He stares at my lips, then backs away, releasing his taut hold on my chin. The breath whooshes out of me.

The sound of heels on wood echo off the gymnasium floor, and I slide away from Jonah as if we’re doing something wrong. “Miss Walker?” I tilt my head up, finding my advisor just inside the door. “I need to see you in my office.”

I swallow. What the hell is wrong now?

13

The clock on the wall ticks behind me as I sit across the desk from Ms. Ebon. Jonah stands just off to the side. His mere presence is a crushing sort of domineering warmth that spreads over my shoulders and down my front. Even Ms. Ebon keeps flicking her gaze above my head to the imposing figure.

“What’s this about?” Jonah asks.

Ms. Ebon slides her stare to him and then back to me. “I’ve heard from Greystone Academy administration regarding your rule infraction. I have the punishment at hand.”

My heart beats a crazy, disjointed rhythm. Mindbogglingly, Jonah steps closer. He’s practically on top of me. I need to fan my face again. The number of emotions flowing through me can’t be healthy. One second, it feels as if my heart is going to stop ticking for good. In the next, it’s as if it’s soaring off on a rocket ship.

“I explained to you that it wasn’t her fault,” Jonah states evenly, almost dismissively. His cool tone exudes power, and despite where I’m sitting, his confidence turns me on.

“Yes, well, Lydia Greystone differs in opinion.”

A rumble starts in his chest. “I wrote her as well.”

I spin in my chair. “You wrote the alpha’s sister for me?” I can’t believe it. Not one single person has ever interfered on my behalf. Never.

With his hands behind his back, his biceps bulge, and I trace the hard line of his body as if I could jump him right here. Unfortunately, he’s not looking at me. Instead, he addresses Ms. Ebon again. “What is the punishment?”

I turn around, making myself pay attention to what’s actually going on. This is serious.

She leans back, gaze tracking over the two of us. She doesn’t make any outward show of it, but her studious nature must sense something different between us. When she answers his question, she looks at me. “You’re forbidden from shifting while staying at Greystone.”

Horror rips through me. I stand with my hands clenched to fists. “No.”

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