Page 79 of The Return
She slapped Jonas across the face. “Don’t you dare speak about Adam. You don’t know about his life. What he went through after—after—”
“After your mate abandoned you? Left you and Adam alone? I do know, Kimber. I read it all, and I felt bad for you and Adam. The problem here is bad feelings don’t—well, can’t—get in the way of pack cohesion. Adam did horrible, awful things. He beat a pack member, who ended up in the hospital because he didn’t have any accelerated healing. He could have killed him—do you understand that? And I’m not speaking as Corey’s mate here.”
“Then what are you talking about?”
Jonas stood, his chest puffed out. “I’m speaking as the pack Alpha.”
Her eyes widened. “But the ceremony hasn’t taken place yet.”
“No, it hasn’t.” He flexed his wrists. A simple gesture, something that would have been like me lifting a coffee cup. For Jonas, the ropes shredded like string and fell to the ground. “That should tell you what kind of Alpha I am going to be. Corey is my true mate. My strength. He’s with me now, listening to every word you say.”
He knew? How the hell could he know?
Yes, Core. I know. I can feel you in my head and heart. Even from this distance, you’re here with me. It’s you who makes me this strong, do you understand? You’re the one I’ve wanted to get back to for years, and I will not die here.
He had to be speaking metaphorically. No way could he—
No, I’m not speaking metaphorically. I can hear you in my head. Having you here is… comforting. No, empowering. I like it. We’re in Pine Bluff, about sixty miles west of Harken’s Corners.
“Then I can kill you both!” she shouted, leveling the gun at Jonas’s head.
I knew about werewolves. I knew they were stronger than humans. I knew their senses were sharper. I knew all of this. What I didn’t realize until this moment was how fast Jonas was. He was on her before she could pull the trigger, his shift to his third form far quicker than I would have thought possible. He batted the gun from her hand and locked his fingers around her throat, his hand engulfing the fragile, birdlike woman.
She was defiant. Her eyes gleamed with hatred and… pain. Not the kind that was borne of anger, but that came from loss and grief. She was lost, adrift in a world with no anchor. Even without the pack, Adam had her. She lost the pack, and then Adam, leaving her well and truly alone.
She struggled in Jonas’s grip, digging her nails into his wrist, but Jonas stood resolute. I could tell he wanted to tighten his fist, feel the tensing of his fingers. He could easily snap her neck and end this whole thing. She’d inflicted so much damage. Burned my shop and injured someone in the process, shot and nearly killed a pack member. But did she deserve to die for her transgressions? I thought of DD and Sawyer. Of Lance, who wanted to be with the fire chief, and what he could have lost if Sawyer had died. I thought of all those things and could only come up with one answer.
No, she didn’t. She deserved pity. She needed help.
And now you understand your role in my life. You temper my anger. You make me think beyond the rage. I want to break her neck like a twig and toss her body on Adam’s grave. I won’t. Not because I don’t want to, but becauseyoudon’t want me to.
You’re more than a mate, Core. You’re mytruemate. No matter what Dad said, there’s a world of difference between the two. I understand her pain, though. I felt it every day when I was away from you. The only difference between us? I had the pack bond. On the worst days, I was never alone. I can’t kill her for something she couldn’t control. We’ll get her help, I promise.
My body jolted when Dad shook me hard. “Corey! Do you know where he is?”
His tone bordered on hysteria. Dad loved Jonas, and I could feel it inside my head now. In fact, I could feel everyone in there. A buzz in the back of my skull that brought me… comfort. I could feel Sawyer’s frustration as Lance spoon-fed him soup. DD as she took a few tentative steps to test out her healing body. Of Kinsey and Matt as they clung to one another in the afterglow of sex.
Everything. All of it. I could feel it, and without knowing for certain, I could understand why Adam would break down if he lost it. Now that I’d experienced it, I think I could probably go mad if it was taken from me.
“He’s waiting for the Council in Pine Bluff, about sixty miles west of Harken’s Corners.”
“Is she dead?” Councilor Delray asked, anger steeped in her voice.
Pride bloomed in my chest. “No. Jonas refused to kill her. He wants to help.”
“That’s my boy,” Dad said quietly.
“I can feel the pack in my head,” I told him.
“That means you’ve finally fully accepted your role as Alpha Mate. You’re one of us.”
And all the hurt I’d felt when he’d taken Jonas away evaporated like water on a hot sidewalk. Jonas walked a razor-thin line at the best of times, and I didn’t envy the decisions he’d have to make in the future.
One thing I was certain of? I would be beside him every step of the way.
CHAPTER21
JONAS
