Page 29 of Untamed

Jonah’s at my side in an instant, snarling under his breath. “That’s degrading.”

Ms. Ebon’s hands tighten around the arm of her chair. “It wasn’t my decision. I understand your frustration; however, Mrs. Greystone believes this is the worthy punishment for your actions.”

Jonah paces, his hulking form too big for even this huge office. I glance at the floor, anger and shock rippling through me. It’s as if I’ve taken a few huge leaps forward and then someone came behind me and put me in my place again.

Jonah moves toward me, grabbing my forearm. “I’ll fix this.”

“There’s nothing to be done,” my advisor states. “I’ve already argued on Miss Walker’s behalf, but Lydia’s opinion is final. Your interference will only make it worse.”

I stare down at my hands. My wolf starts to claw at my chest now as if she’s just realized how serious this is. I’ve only shifted a grand total of three fucking times. Three. And once was a damn accident. I grit my teeth. I’m used to putting my wolf in a box, but I’ve been trying to let her out, to give her more freedom. The weeks after your first shift are supposed to be when you bond with your wolf fully. Now, I can’t let her take control at all.

“This is bullshit,” Jonah bellows, and I swear the glass in the cabinets rattles.

“Mr. Livestrong,” Ms. Ebon admonishes.

It’s as if everything is happening outside my body. One good day. One fucking good day, and now this. A cruel, unusual punishment for someone who was only following her nature. This has to be because of who I am.

Two pairs of eyes watch me as I stand there in silence. The true sympathy in Jonah’s gaze does nothing to deter what I’m about to say. “The only thing that’s bullshit is that I’m here in the first place.” I turn, giving them both my back, and stride toward the door. “I’ll lock her up. Don’t worry, I’m used to it.”

The usually heavy door throws open easier with the adrenaline pumping through me. I have no idea how I’m going to keep my wolf inside when what she really wants to do is escape and tear into people. I speak calmly to her, reassuring her that we’ll get out of this. It’s taking all my willpower to keep her at bay right now, so I don’t hear the heavy footsteps approaching me from behind.

A hand closes around my arm, and a growl rips from my chest, ending in a ferocious snarl. Gritting my jaw together to stop the change doesn’t work. My teeth elongate, pushing through my lips with a sharp pain, and a keening sound starts low in my throat.

Jonah pulls me into a dark alcove. He places his huge, meaty paws behind my head and backs me into a wall. “Shhh,” he soothes, barricading my body. Instead of making my wolf tense up, it does the opposite. She starts to withdraw. His very presence reads safety to her. I breathe in deeply, exhaling in heavy pants. Eventually, my wolf calms down enough to realize that Jonah and I are close again. Close enough that I could look up and....

And I’m doing it. Fuck it.

I tip my head back, my gaze tracking from his yellow eyes to his full lips. I’m not tall enough to bridge the distance between us unless I climb him like a tree—which I’m not above doing—but I don’t have to. Jonah swoops down, capturing my mouth with his. He thrusts his tongue inside, an invasion of my body and mind as I’m swept away by him more and more. Deftly maneuvering around my sharpened teeth, he kisses me until they retreat. He moans, passing his tongue over the cut on my lip, and my legs turn to mush, crumbling beneath me.

He plucks me from the air with ease and holds me against the wall as he strokes my mouth into pure submission. I feed my fingers through his hair, tugging and clawing, caught between wanting to keep him there and wanting to make him suffer for what he’s done.

I’m damaged. I’m broken. But most of all, I’m conflicted.

He breaks away, a groan piercing the silence between us. Reaching up, he touches a spot of blood that’s blooming on his bottom lip.

I bit him. Holy shit.

Pinning me to the wall once more, he runs his hands from my lower back to my neck, then down again. “Take it out on me. I can handle it. Just don’t shift,” he rumbles.

“I hate you,” I growl as I slam my mouth against his again. I lick the length of his lower lip, catching a drop of blood before we clash. It’s as if we’re at war, fighting over who can invade the other first. I rake my hands over his shoulders. His muscles bunch underneath my touch, tensing while I inflict physical pain on him.

Coincidentally, other than trying to plunder my mouth, he’s soft with me. His fingers massage the back of my neck while his other hand creeps down my spine, dipping lower to squeeze my ass.

I break the kiss, gasping into the air while my hips rock forward and find his waiting cock. “Jonah,” I groan, a fire stoking in my core.

He places his large, outstretched hands around my head, using his lower body to keep me suspended. With my legs wrapped around his midsection, my skirt hikes all the way to my navel. All I can feel is him.

He rolls his hips into mine and a delirious friction sparks the nerve endings between my legs. As embarrassing as it is, I whimper. I bite my lip, stifling the sob inching up my throat. The good news is my wolf no longer wants to claw her way out of my body. However, my body, on the other hand, has other ideas. I press forward, searching for him and am rewarded, once again, with his erect cock sliding against my panties. “That feels good,” I moan.

Fuck. I need this. I need the reassurance of my mate. It’s not just how sexy he is, it’s the comfort he’ll bring. It’s finding solace in the one person who’s supposed to be with me forever.

“Touch me. Do something.” I capture his mouth again, feeding into our kiss. I push the pace until I’m moaning, dry humping his cock.

It takes me too fucking long to realize he’s stock still. I peek up to find him staring at me. Indecision clouds his gaze, and it extinguishes all the fire inside my body at once.

I drop my head against the wall, chest heaving. I close my eyes, but Jonah isn’t having any of that. “Open up those eyes, Kinsey.” I swallow. When I return my gaze to his, he makes sure he has my attention before saying, “I can’t do this with you right now. It doesn’t mean I don’t want to. Obviously, you can tell I fucking want to.”

Judging by the fact that he’s still hard, yeah, I can see that.

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