Untamed (Rejected Mate Academy #1) - E. M. Moore Page 0,51
tell him. “Her mate sounds like a dick, though.”
“You probably think all the mates are dicks.”
I press my lips together. “Actually, I do.”
The rest of the ride passes with small talk about my classes and his security studies. When the roads we turn down start to feel familiar, I lower the window. The aroma that hits me sends a knife into my gut. Lunar should smell like home, but it doesn’t. I quickly roll it up and lie back.
“You’re nervous,” Jonah states.
I rub my stomach unconsciously, wondering if this is all my nerves or if Jonah is feeling it, too. “Of course I am.”
Reaching over, he places his hand on my thigh. “I’ll be right there.”
The worst part is knowing that I’m going to be judged on this excursion, too. It’s bad enough that I have to be thrust into the same vicinity as these people but the fact that Jonah will also be watching me to see how it goes makes my stomach turn over.
I’ll be pulling triple duty tonight. Trying to forget past hurts, attempting to get people who’ve hated me all my life to like me, and making sure I don’t commit any huge faux pas. All those etiquette classes might actually come in handy. Mrs. Graves’ handbook talked about how to react when someone’s being a douche, and I must have read that section a hundred times. Mind you, that wasn’t the actual title but it should’ve been.
I turn my head toward Jonah. Straight lips and a feathering jaw greet me. He looks about as nervous as I am. I want to ask him what will happen if I don’t pass his test, but I already know. If I don’t get out of Greystone, it’s Feral living for me.
A lot is riding on this night.
Every step forward I take with Jonah is followed by multiple steps backward. The tension between us is too much, but in a lot of ways, I’m relying on him tonight. “You’ll stay with me, right?” He’s already said so, but I need to make sure.
“Until you feel comfortable.” He casts a glance over at me, then returns to watching the road.
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.