Page 38 of Untamed

His answer doesn’t sit right with me, but I can’t very well tell him not to leave my side. That isn’t the purpose of this party. This party is to show him that I can be a part of the pack, so I have to try.

My heart thumps while we drive into town. We skirt the outermost side streets and then head toward the lake. I press my nose against the glass as we pass the public parking where Mom and Dad have taken me before, and we keep going until we’ve almost circled the body of water. Jonah pulls over on the side of the road behind a line of cars.

Would throwing up count against me? I’m pretty sure it would.

My wolf straightens her shoulders, and through her, I gather some strength. It honestly doesn’t matter what these people think of me. Fate paired Jonah and I together, so everyone else will have to get over it.

Jonah opens my door and helps me out of the truck. We turn toward the massive, modern house, and I loop my arm through his. He freezes at first, but then he brings me closer, tucking me into his side while we make the trek over the loose-pebble driveway.

Music drifts outside as a guy steps out of the doorway ahead of us. “’Sup, Jonah?” he calls, but when he sees me, his face falls.

Instead of letting that be it, I smile even though it’s the last thing I want to do. “Hi, Spencer. Good to see you again.”

He mumbles something unintelligible in response, and I’m totally putting that in the plus column. Maybe if I act as if I’ve been friends with these guys all along, they’ll be so shocked, they won’t talk to me. That’s a win-win scenario.

Jonah pulls the door open, and we step inside. It’s the typical scene I’ve devoured from movies. One area—the living space, in this case—is for dancing. The bar in the kitchen is lined with drinks. A slider on the opposite wall opens to a deck where more people are hanging out. In the grand scheme of things, there aren’t a lot of people here. There isn’t much inter-pack mingling until you get older, and even then, it depends on the position you hold.

“Do you want a drink?” Jonah asks.

I shake my head. “Ms. Ebon went over the rules with me. I’m not allowed to consume alcohol.”

“A soda, then?”

“Sure.”

We walk toward the kitchen. I ignore the way my feet want to lag behind, and instead, stay with Jonah by plastering myself to his side. I almost don’t let him go so he can grab two cans of soda from the fridge but when I realize what I’m doing, I let go of him with flaming cheeks.

Jonah glances at me and smirks. My wolf and I are getting better smiles from him, but they’re still not full-blown, ecstatic ones. He pops the tab on my drink and hands it to me. I take a few huge gulps and then stop myself. If I down this, I’ll have to use the bathroom, and that’s one place Jonah won’t follow me.

“I want to say hi to Jesse. He’s probably outside.”

My stomach squeezes, but I don’t linger on it. I smile at Jonah, and we pass through the slider that opens to a large deck. The lake lies beyond, the moonlight playing over the surface and reflecting the night sky above. It’s so beautiful that I stop and stare.

Jonah pulls his hand from me and greets someone. I’m not paying attention because I’m too busy staring out at the water. It isn’t until he nudges me in the ribs that I shake my head and bring myself back to reality.

The future alpha stands in front of me. He and Jonah are about the same size, but I’m pretty sure Jonah beats him by a little. I plaster a smile on my face and remember what Mrs. Graves taught me. Greet and compliment. “Jesse, hi. Good to see you. I was just admiring your view. The lake is so beautiful.”

His gaze travels down the length of me and back up. Waiting for his response starts butterflies flapping in my stomach. He frowns but says, “Hello, Kinsey.”

Jonah relaxes next to me, threading my arm through his again, and they start a conversation about alpha family things. I follow along fine until Jesse’s girlfriend pops up. I try to keep the smile on my face but I’m sure it wavered. She was one of the biggest bitches with the loudest mouth. She graduated with us and she didn’t bond with anyone in our class. No doubt she’s waiting for Jesse to shift next year to see if they’re true mates.

She puckers her lips, kissing Jesse on the cheek. “Hey, babe. Jonah,” she says giving him a huge smile.

I tense. I’m in a shifting ban, but all bets are off if she tries to hug him or something. I will literally rip her head off. Luckily, she has enough sense in her airhead brain. “Kinsey, look at you.”

“Hi, Laura,” I force out. “Good to see you. How are you enjoying Brixton?”

She blinks at me, her eyes narrowing before turning to Jesse. “Do we have to do this?”

It’s evident she said it loud enough for me to hear. She’d be getting an F if Mrs. Graves were here. Total bitch.

“Yes,” Jesse whispers back. To me, he says, “I’m sure Laura meant to tell you how much she’s enjoying Brixton.”

The shifter in question rolls her eyes, so Jesse tugs on her arm and they walk away.

When they leave, I shake my hands out, close my eyes, and take several deep breaths. The wind off the lake helps calm my nerves. When I open my eyes again, Jonah is watching me. “That went well.”

I refrain from rolling my eyes like the Queen Bitch just did. “Swell,” I tell him. “Lovely.”

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