Page 41 of The Werewolf's Deputy
Ronan, being the smitten mate he was, gave in immediately, opening his arms for Harlem to cuddle in close. Watching them together made Emmett ache to get back to Jonah, and thankfully when he took another step toward the door, Ronan didn't stop him.
“Lead the way, Emmett.”
With a sharp nod, Emmett led the way back to The Lodge, pausing with a confused frown as he stepped inside when he noticed the couch he’d left Jonah on was surrounded by pack members who were making cooing noises.
“What the…”
He went straight for Miguel, who stood nearby with an amused smirk on his face. “What’s going on?”
Miguel tipped his head toward the couch. “Take a look for yourself.”
Annoyed at the lack of information, Emmett growled, only to be bombarded by Ronan’s magic again to keep him in check. Those closest to him heard the sound though and moved aside so he could see what was going on. All his agitation disappeared in a flash, and he huffed out a startled laugh.
“What are they doing?”
“Cuddle puddle,” Ronan explained as he stepped around him, his smile soft as he took in the no less than seven werewolfpups curled up on Jonah. There was a pup blanketing nearly every inch of him, all of them asleep, including Jonah. He still looked pale and exhausted, but his breathing was steady and the smell of despair no longer saturated the air around him.
“That’s so cute,” Harlem cooed quietly. “Why are they doing that? Did they just decide he looked comfy or something?”
Ronan shook his head. “Pups are sensitive to emotions, more so than adults. We learn to filter it out. If they know someone’s upset, werewolf pups will make a cuddle puddle to soothe their upset packmate. It’s in their DNA. Apparently, they decided Jonah was pack and needed a hand to feel better.”
Emmett’s stomach flipped at the thought of Jonah being pack. What were the chances he could convince Jonah to drop his awful family and join his pack instead?
Ronan shot him a look like he could tell what he was thinking. “Don’t pressure him. Whatever happened to him is obviously devastating. I can smell it on him, even with the cuddle puddle. If he’s important to you, you’ll let him come to terms with whatever happened to him on his own time.” He took Harlem’s hand, tugging him back toward the door. “He can stay as long as he needs, but I need to know what sent him here once he’s ready to talk. I need to know if there’s a threat we need to worry about. Understand?”
Emmett nodded. He understood the need for clarity. Though, he hoped there wasn’t a threat of some kind. He got the feeling he’d go absolutely feral if he knew Jonah was being threatened.
“Understood, alpha. What… do I do about them?” He gestured to the cuddle puddle, which was absolutely adorable, but also made him jealous. He wanted to cuddle Jonah, too.
Ronan smirked at him. “You can join them, or you can hand them off to their parents. Just be prepared for a few growls. They don’t know any better, and they’re trying to help.”
He’d never hold growls against a pup. They were just babies. He eyed the pile thoughtfully. Maybe a few minutes of joining in wouldn’t hurt. He loved cuddles. And he didn't want to move Jonah before he was ready.
With a shrug, he sat on the couch, wiggling his way closer until he was pressed against Jonah’s side. The pups accepted his presence since it didn’t look like he was taking Jonah away. A few even stretched out on top of him too, making him smile. He slid his arm around Jonah from behind so he wouldn’t move any of the pups, resting his chin on top of Jonah’s head. When Jonah sighed and leaned into him, Emmett felt his tail thump lightly on the cushions. It got a few snickers from their audience, but he ignored them.
Once he figured out what was going on and how to fix it, he was going to ask Jonah to make things official. No more playing pretend. This little human made him happy, and he was almost certain Jonah felt the same way. Maybe, if they had truly been dating, Jonah would’ve felt confident enough to call him when he was in trouble.
The thought still bothered him. Why hadn’t Jonah called him? What had he done or said to make the human think he wouldn’t come running if Jonah needed him?
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Jonah woke up in stages. He was warm, and there was a heavy blanket on him, making it incredibly difficult to open his eyes. He just wanted to go back to sleep. Wherever he was, he was cocooned in warmth, and the reality of his situation was muffled. He never wanted to leave this spot.
It was when he realized his blanket was breathing that he finally opened his eyes. For a minute he didn’t understand what was happening, but when he tried to move and the blanket grumbled, it finally clicked in his head. The weight on top of him that he thought was a big furry blanket was actually his big furry fake boyfriend, who had draped himself along Jonah’s back with enough of his bodyweight to give him comfort without crushing him. He wasn’t sure whether to laugh or to cry at the sweet gesture.
Tears threatened, but he fought them back, glaring at the wall instead. He was not going to spend the rest of his life crying just because his family hated him. He knew that already. Them throwing him out was just an inevitable progression he’d been trying to pretend didn’t exist.
The mental coaching only helped so much. His chest still ached, and when he thought about the pure hatred and disgustin his dad’s expression, he internally flinched. No matter how bad things had gotten before now, his dad had never looked at him like that. That hope that maybe one day his family would accept him was gone. No one could look at a person the way his dad had looked at him and change their mind later. He really was alone.
As if to prove him wrong, Emmett somehow dragged him impossibly closer, nose pressing against the back of his neck as he took a deep breath. He hummed a happy sound, and the gentle swishing of Emmett’s tail managed to get Jonah’s lips to quirk in a ghost of a smile. The tail thing was adorable, and no one could convince him otherwise.
“You awake?” Emmett queried sleepily.
“Yeah,” Jonah murmured. He didn't move to escape from the cocoon Emmett had made for him, and Emmett didn’t rush him. He went back to nuzzling Jonah’s hair and stuck close until Jonah was ready to face the world again.
“What time is it?” Jonah asked once he’d finally summoned enough energy to sit up. He felt wrung out, tired down to his soul, and if he didn’t have a job to do, he would’ve spent the entire day in bed. Luckily, it was Friday, and he just had to get through one work day. Once that was over, he’d figure out his next steps. He appreciated Emmett coming to pick him up, but he didn’t want to overstay his welcome.
“Seven. You’re an early riser.”
