Untamed (Rejected Mate Academy #1) - E. M. Moore Page 0,28

breathe out.

“Are you going to deny that’s you?”

“No, that was me,” I tell her.

She straightens slightly as if she wasn’t expecting me to tell the truth. “Did you read the handbook or the signs in the changing huts to know that going outside the perimeter is in violation of our policies?”

“I did read that. I can’t say that I knew where the perimeter was when I did it, but I knew that crossing it was wrong.”

Ms. Ebon spins her monitor back to face her, then leans in her chair, steepling her fingers in front of her. “When anything triggers the motion cameras, they go right to our security which reports directly to the administrator.” She raises a brow as she appraises me, and it makes me wonder if she knows the tie between Lydia Greystone and my family. “Mrs. Greystone herself brought it to my attention.”

When I don’t respond, she moves her monitor back around. Opening a separate tab, she clicks play on a new video. This time, it’s of two different wolves who triggered the cameras. One copper and one brown. I frown hard. Seeing Jonah in that form pains me. My own wolf, who’s been sulking, whines because she feels the same way I do. The wolf we can tolerate. The human, we can’t.

“Who is this wolf?” She plays the video again, pointing him out like I wouldn’t know who she was talking about.

“That’s Jonah Livestrong,” I inform her.

She recoils. “Your mate?” She watches me for a long time before asking, “And how did it happen that you went for a run with your mate?”

I sigh. “I didn’t set out to go for a run with him. My wolf wanted out, so I shifted. As soon as she smelled him, I had no control over her.” My wolf sniffs, and I can feel her contempt but it’s true. “Trust me, if I had been in control, I wouldn’t have—” I break off because my first reaction is to say I wouldn’t have gone after him, which is completely and utterly true. But that’s not the reality I should speak in front of the woman whose job it is to get me and Jonah back together. Correction: Reform me so that Jonah will be content with me as a mate. I try to cover up the break as quickly as possible. “If I’d had control, I wouldn’t have broken the rule,” I finish.

“We might be able to work with this,” Ms. Ebon states, turning her computer around and typing furiously on her keyboard. “You are a pup. You caught wind of your mate and couldn’t control yourself.” She stops typing and glances at me. “You do know those cameras are miles away from the south lawn. Upwards of ten miles in some areas. How on earth did you catch his scent from that far away?”

I shrug. “Is that weird?”

“It’s peculiar,” she answers. Returning to typing, her fingers banging against the keyboard until she right-clicks on the mouse with a final punch of power. “There,” she smiles. “You’ll still have to be punished, but let’s hope the penalty won’t be expelling you from the university and a mark on your record.

Fear slices through me. “Expelled?”

“We take our jobs very seriously here, Miss Walker. On first inspection, it was unclear what other wolf you were running with. Had it been another male, that would have been clear grounds for expulsion.”

“It was definitely Jonah,” I grind out. No matter how much I wish it was different, I can’t think of anyone but him.

Her computer pings, and Ms. Ebon returns her stare to the screen. She cocks her head before clicking several times, then her eyes scan. I almost come out of my skin waiting to hear what’s going on. I move to the edge of my seat to see if I can get a better view, but it’s no use. The computer is angled too much.

“Interesting,” she murmurs. Turning toward me, she says, “That was an email from Jonah. He was confirming your story. He and his father placed those cameras, so he knew they would’ve captured you both.” A light shines in her eyes, and I get the feeling she’s thinking way more into this than she should. She must believe he’s come to save the day.

She’s sorely mistaken if that’s the case.

“I’m sure his email will also help smooth things over with Lydia.”

Highly unlikely if Lydia has it out for my family, but I’m not going to burst her bubble.