Untamed (Rejected Mate Academy #1) - E. M. Moore Page 0,55
was the wolf who flew at me. He leans down and locks lips with Laura in a searing kiss. She pats him on the chest. “Let’s get this over with. Send her to where she’s belonged all along.”
Jesse swaggers toward me. He gets down on all fours and scoots next to my side. I try to move away from him, but two hands on my shoulders pin me in place. “Smile,” Jesse teases.
“The fuck?”
Someone tugs my hair again and yanks me against Jesse’s shoulder. A flash lights up the forest, and I blink, waiting for my eyes to return to normal.
Jesse jumps to his feet, clapping his hands together. “Good enough? I want to go for a swim.”
Laura lowers her cell. “One more thing,” she says. The group of girls descend, walking toward me. The one girl still has me by the hair, keeping me in place. My heart ricochets around my chest. They loom closer and closer. Rachel swoops to grab a rock protruding from the ground, and Laura’s fingers turn into black claws. My wolf batters at me. My deep breaths turn into pants through clenched teeth. “Get your cameras ready,” Laura calls out, smiling at how much I’m losing control.
I gnash my teeth together, a rumble emanating from my chest. But it’s of no use, I’m going to play right into their little act.
Behind the head bitch, a wolf launches into the clearing, landing in front of me. Jonah’s huge, brown wolf howls, a snarl ripping through his chest. Laura takes several retreating steps, knocking into one of the other bitches. Backing up, Jonah turns to the girl behind me who drops her hold on my hair. I don’t see her run away, but branches crack in the forest.
Jonah settles alongside me and shifts, ending in a kneeling position right next to me. Rachel drops her rock, and her eyes round. He moves to his full height, and they all look like they’re going to shit their pants until Jesse moves into view. “Dude. You growled at my girlfriend?” He puffs his chest in true alpha fashion.
“They were ganging up on my mate.”
Jesse laughs. “Please. They were only having some fun.”
“Respectfully,” Jonah snaps. “They were being bitches.”
“Well, you should see this,” Laura says, trembling. She brings out her phone, and my heart sinks. A fake sob erupts from her throat. “We were on our way to the lake when we saw Kinsey lure Jesse this way.” She finds the picture and tilts the screen toward him.
Jonah drops his head. “Don’t bullshit me.”
“It’s true!” she shrieks. “She came onto him. I’m telling you, there’s something wrong with her, Jonah. She doesn’t feel the bond. She doesn’t care.”
One of the braver girls says, “Yeah, it’s because she’s not from a mated pair.”
Jonah reaches his hand down, and I place my own in his. He helps me to my feet and then wraps his arm around my shoulders. “If you’d paid any attention in school, you’d know that mated pairs can feel each other’s emotions. I felt what was going through her, and it wasn’t that she wanted to seduce the alpha. Nice try, though.”
Laura drops her hand. She sighs as if lying is no big deal to her. She’s been lying all her life. “We were just trying to get her to shift. Damn, Jonah. Forget it.”
A rumble emanates from my mate’s chest. His angry stare flicks to Jesse, and his friend’s presence grows bigger under his scrutiny, his own growl ripping from his throat. “You four, leave,” he commands. When the four girls don’t go anywhere, he bellows, “Now!” They cower under the weight of his words. Even Laura’s shoulders hunch as she cringes. Apparently, she isn’t big enough to withstand the future alpha’s commands either. They walk away, the Queen Bitch herself peering over her shoulder to administer her final dirty look, but I don’t take the bait. She’s a petty cunt.
Jonah squeezes my hand as Jesse approaches. “You told them about Kinsey not being able to shift?”
Jesse has the decency to look a tad grieved. “I may have let it slip.”
“You wouldn’t let them hurt my mate, would you?” Jonah asks. His body vibrates in anger. I can feel the tension gathering in him from here, but I also catch the steady clip of his words. He’s trying to keep himself in check in front of the future alpha. No one is allowed to go against him. Not even a friend.