Page 38 of The Werewolf's Deputy
Jonah choked on air, shaking his head. “Dad, wait–”
“You’re no son of mine! You’re a disgrace! Get out!”
When Jonah only stared at him, horror and fear rooting his feet in place, his dad stood so fast his chair shot out and smacked against the wall. Jonah flinched automatically and raised his hands to protect himself. He truly worried for a moment that his dad would hit him. Instead, he grabbed Jonah by the backof his shirt, dragging him out of the house and throwing him into the yard. His hands and knees got a little scraped landing on the gravel, but the pain was nothing compared to the way his heart felt listening to his dad screaming from inside, calling him everything from monster fucker to a freak and everything in between.
Tears burned his eyes and spilled over his cheeks despite his attempt to hold them back. He sat on the grass, hugging his knees, and only moved when his dad came outside, throwing his clothes at him so hard, Jonah flinched and scrambled to his feet again.
“Get off my property! Don’t ever come back, understand? You’re dead to us!”
Sobbing, Jonah grabbed his clothes and hurried to toss them in the back of his truck. He reversed so quickly, gravel kicked up and his tires couldn’t get purchase for a moment. A flash of fear, wondering if he’d be stuck, crossed his mind, but thankfully his truck finally lurched forward and he sped away, his dad still screaming at him from the front porch.
He got as far as the edge of town before he had to pull over. His body shook with repressed sobs, and he couldn’t see through the tears in his eyes. He thought he’d gotten away with it. That he’d have time to figure out how to tell his family and get his story straight. Things were going so well in his life, and he had hope with each passing day that his parents didn’t demand more information from him that he could figure things out and get them to at least accept him. He should have known better. Things had been good for too long. He should have known the bottom would drop out eventually.
His phone beeped, and his hands shook as he pulled it out of his pocket. It felt stupid to hope it was his parents calling to say they didn’t mean it and he could come back once everyonecalmed down. He still hoped, though, and when it turned out to be a message from Emmett, another sob escaped him.
He dropped the phone on the passenger seat, too worried that if he answered Emmett, the perceptive werewolf would figure out he was upset and call him. If he heard Jonah crying, he might come looking for him, and Jonah didn’t want the sweet werewolf anywhere near his family. No, it was better for him to figure things out on his own. He was the one who decided to choose a job over his family. He had to face the consequences.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Jonah wasn’t sure at first where to go. He sat on the side of the road, trying to get his emotions under control so he could consider his options. It took him so long to even settle down enough to think straight that the sun went down. He didn’t have enough money for a hotel. He barely had enough to fill up his tank that morning. It was sheer dumb luck that he’d filled up enough to get himself back to the city. When he finally forced himself to start moving, he drove on autopilot back to Spellbound, and only when he pulled up in front of the security gate blocking the parking lot did he realize where he was.
Of course when things got hard, the only place he could think to go would be the place where he’d been happy. It didn’t have quite the same effect now that his family knew and hated him for it, but he didn’t really know where else to go.
Someone stepped out of the security booth, the shadowy figure heading his way. Jonah wasn’t really sure what to say when he unrolled his window, but he forced his lips into something he hoped resembled a smile as they got close.
“Can I help you?”
“Uh… yeah, I’m a temp at Spellbound. I was just kind of hoping to park my truck in the lot overnight. It’s fine if I can’t, but–”
The security guard leaned closer, and Jonah wasn’t sure why he was surprised to see it was a werewolf. With the darkness and his eyes being half swollen from crying, he hadn’t even noticed. The guy leaned closer, breathing in deeply to clock his scent, then frowned.
“Are you Jonah?”
Jonah didn’t have the energy to ask questions at the moment. He just nodded. He felt exhausted, and he just wanted to park somewhere so he could sleep. Sleeping in his truck wouldn’t be comfortable, but at least he’d be safe in the Spellbound parking garage.
The guy studied him for a long moment before dipping his chin once. “I’ll open the gate for you. Park on the first floor, will you? The rest of our cars are near the back. It’ll be easier to explain if you’re with us.”
Jonah didn’t question him, nodding along as a fresh wave of tears threatened to spill over. His family wanted nothing to do with him because he interacted with supes, but why wouldn’t he when supes treated him better than his family ever had?
The werewolf jogged away to open the gate and waved him through, locking it behind him. Jonah was grateful that he didn’t follow and parked where the guy had requested, near several cars in the back that probably belonged to the security guys. Once his truck was parked and the engine was off, Jonah pressed the heels of his palms against his eyes, a headache already forming from all the stress. He took a few deep breaths, ignoring the way each one shuddered like he was just on the edge of breaking down. When he felt like he could move, he crawled into the back, using his pile of clothes as a pillow, and curled into a ball on the back seat.
It was his own damn fault. He knew how they felt about supes. He chose a job at a supe company anyway. He could have joined a human company, or at least a mixed company. Jonah hadn’t seen any humans at Spellbound yet. Granted, he’d only worked there a couple weeks, but it said something that he felt like the only human in the company. He knew how his parents would react. He had every opportunity to change his mind, to go back to Charmed Away and request a change in assignment. He chose not to. He deserved what he got.
Homeless, cut off from his family, and all alone.
Emmett checked his phone for the tenth time, frowning at the little read receipt at the bottom of his last message to Jonah. Jonah never ignored his messages. His little human always responded quickly, and if he was busy, he always let Emmett know beforehand that he wouldn’t be able to answer. A steady thrum of uneasiness beat in his veins, making him anxious and worried. He thought about calling, but if Jonah was with his family, that might cause him more trouble than it was worth.
Being patient sucked.
He was chewing on the side of his claw, he was so anxious, and he didn’t notice his mother’s approach until she slapped his hand away from his mouth as she passed him by.
“Don’t chew your nails, dear. That’s a horrible habit.”
“Sorry, Mama,” he muttered, tucking his hands into his pocket again. Of course the minute his hand closed around his phone, he pulled it out again to check if he had any new messages.
“Dude, are you waiting for the lottery results? Why do you keep checking your phone?” Axel demanded from where he waslounging on a couch nearby. They were all in the recreation hall, affectionately called The Lodge, where the pack gathered when they were feeling social, which was often. They had it built as a gift for their alpha because he was tired of people coming in and out of his house when he wanted alone time with his mate. It was a comfortable space with plenty of seating, a giant TV on one wall where a few people were playing video games, a pool table being used by a few of the pups, and a kitchen space against one wall separated by a large island. Emmett had come to hang out with his pack and relax, but not hearing from Jonah was starting to get to him.
“It’s nothing,” Emmett lied, then rolled his eyes when Axel gave him a pointed look. All werewolves could hear lies. He wasn’t sure why he even bothered. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
