Page 23 of The Return
I took a bite out of a puff pizza, and groaned when cheese and the spiciest pizza sauce I’d ever had squirted out and landed on my shirt.
“Shit,” I grumbled, I put the plate down and was about to try and find a way to clean the mess when Amy came over, napkin in hand.
“Let me,” she said, taking the fabric between her thumb and forefinger, then dabbing at it.
“No, it’s okay. I can—”
“Let her, Corey,” Doug told me. “Doing things for you makes us happy.”
And by me, I knew he didn’t mean Corey the person, but Corey the mate of their upcoming Alpha.
Jonas grinned, leaned over, and kissed me on the cheek. “I have to go address the masses. I don’t want everyone here too late.”
He sauntered through the crowd, stopping to shake hands with a few people, then got to the front of the room. He waved a hand, and the room went quiet again. Very disconcerting.
“Thank you all for coming on such short notice,” he said, his voice booming through the room without a microphone. “I’m going to try to keep this short so you can all get back home. As many of you heard through the rumor mill….” He gave Angela and her friends a wink. “I am back. My dad will be stepping down next week, and we’ll have the transfer ceremony then. I hope you can all make it.”
He leaned back, his butt resting on the edge of one of the tables surrounding the room.
“I need to make a few things clear before we go any further. You are all well aware of what happened with Adam. It’s not a secret, and I don’t expect anyone to treat it as such. I also will not apologize for what I did, because Adam violated pack law in a most egregious way. He put his hands on Corey, causing him injury. That would be enough for me to end his life, but I didn’t. What set me off was when he….” Jonas sought me out, and when he saw me, took a deep breath. “He made comments about the rape of my mate.”
The gasp was insanely loud. My stomach clenched. I hadn’t known about that at all.
“I was going to kill him for that. I would have killed him, but my dad stopped me. He reminded me that we don’t do those things anymore, if we can avoid them. That’s the reason Adam’s family left the pack. They were given the choice of one-on-one combat with me and Adam, or to be banished. His mom made the decision to leave.”
There were angry murmurs throughout the room. I thought they were mad at me or at Jonas, but then snippets of conversation reached me.
“…rape Corey? That’s bullshit.”
“…knew there was something off with Adam.”
“…thing his mother left.”
They weren’t upset with me. They were angry on my behalf.
“At this time, I want to make a formal declaration. Corey, could you come up here, please?”
Well, great. The spot that Amy had tried to clean was now a huge wet stain. Still, I had to do as asked, because I didn’t want Jonas to appear as weak in front of everyone. I made my way through the room, noticing how many people patted my shoulder or back, then stopped beside Jonas.
“Ladies and gentlemen, you’ve known Corey Mills for years as our neighbor. You watched as he grew up as a member of our pack, and you accepted him as a friend. What you may not know is that Corey was keeping a secret. He’s known since we were younger that Harken’s Corners is a haven for werewolves.”
Another gasp went up and heads turned in my direction, but Jonas asked for quiet.
“He kept that secret, even from me. He has been more than friend. He has been our ally, even without us knowing. And today, I’m proud to stand before one and all and tell you that Corey Mills is also my mate.”
A swell of sound rose, and I shrank away, expecting the worst. Then I noticed that people were smiling and cheering. Jonas came forward and pulled me into the throng, who surrounded us. They were touching me, telling me how happy they were that I was part of the pack and how much it meant to them that I stood by them, even without knowing what was happening.
It was humbling, and heat rose in my cheeks.
Jonas tugged me into an embrace, and I let myself relax as he stroked a hand over my back. He put his mouth next to my ear. “Welcome to our world, Corey.”
And I knew this place, with these people, at this time? Despite my fears, it was where I belonged.
JONAS
I doubtanyone was more surprised than I was at how Corey became the center of attention. People were going up to him and asking him questions ranging from “How does it feel to know you’re mated to our Alpha?” to “Can you teach me to make those choux buns?” Through it all, Corey smiled, though it didn’t reach his eyes.
My mate was overwhelmed. Tired. Unsettled in his skin. Still, he persevered. When I approached and put a hand on him, he calmed.
