Page 56 of The Werewolf's Deputy
“Emmett! Put me down!” Jonah squawked, still laughing. Emmett had kept his word. The minute their plates were empty and the kitchen was cleaned up, he’d tossed Jonah over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and marched out of the house, heading for the same building they’d had breakfast in the day before. Jonah was so startled by it, he didn’t have a chance to try and dodge him before they were halfway across the yard. The situation was so ridiculous, he couldn’t stop laughing, making escape impossible.
He was finally set down when they were inside The Lodge, and Emmett looked so proud of himself that Jonah couldn’t even be mad at him. He didn’t actually need to be dragged here, he took Emmett at his word that he wanted Jonah to join in hanging out together, but he wasn’t complaining about how they got there either. Having fun with Emmett was the bright part of his day.
“Are we kidnapping humans?” Miguel called from where he was lounging on one of the couches, a werewolf pup so little it was still in diapers asleep on his chest.
Emmett pulled Jonah to join the pack members sitting on or near a big colorful carpet where other pups played withtoys. Once Jonah was seated on the couch, Emmett immediately plopped on the floor, grinning as the tots waddled over to climb on him.
Jonah studied the little pup on Miguel’s chest, trying not to melt at the sheer cuteness. It was like a little ball of fluff in a diaper, teeny tiny snout wiggling as it slept. Miguel had one hand cupped around it, but otherwise paid the baby little mind, watching the younger pups climb on his friend with mild amusement.
“Is, uh… is it yours?” Jonah asked awkwardly, gesturing to the baby.
Miguel dragged his attention from the pups on the floor, giving Jonah his attention. Like Emmett, he teased sometimes with the more outlandish questions Jonah asked, but never made him feel stupid for asking them.
“Who? This guy?” he pointed to the baby on his chest. “Nah. He’s my little brother. A surprise to both my parents, who are getting up there in age. I babysit sometimes so they can have a break.”
“Who are you calling up there?” a female werewolf demanded as she strode into the room. Jonah watched in amusement as Miguel’s mother pinched his ear for the insult, making him grimace. “I’m not old! You better not be teaching Juanito to be so rude.”
“I’m not! I’m not! Mercy!”
Emmett snorted from his spot on the carpet, grinning at his friend when Miguel shot him an incredulous look. “What? You deserved that.”
“You think the same thing!” Miguel argued.
Emmett put on his most innocent expression, turning it onto Miguel’s mother. “I would never. Mama Lupe stopped aging at two hundred. She’s in her prime even now.”
Mama Lupe rolled her eyes, though the smile tugging at her lips said she enjoyed the compliment. “You hush.”
Rolling to his feet with a careful hand still around the baby, Miguel pointed a finger at Emmett. “You and me. Outside. Leg wrestle.”
Emmett grinned at him. “You’re on.”
They handed off babies to parents and took off like two little kids. Jonah followed after them, curious, and nearly swallowed his tongue when Miguel tackled Emmett to the ground before they could get more than a few feet away.
“Cheater! You said leg wrestle!”
“I lied!”
It looked ferocious, the two of them wrestling in the grass, snarling at each other, but any time Jonah caught a glimpse of their faces, they were smiling and neither looked like they were actually trying to hurt the other.
“Are those two idiots wrestling again? You’d think they were still pups acting like that,” Tasha said as she came around the side of the building. She avoided going around the front where Miguel and Emmett were, hopping over the railing that blocked off the wrap-around porch instead and coming to stand at Jonah’s side. “What started it this time?”
“I… don’t even know.” The comments and flirting with Miguel’s mom didn’t seem like enough to warrant a wrestling match, but what would Jonah know? He was only human.
Tasha snorted, throwing her arm around his shoulders. “Come on. Let’s find some real entertainment. Let these two dummies get their energy out.”
Jonah chuckled, letting her lead him back into The Lodge and over to a couch facing a big TV. She plopped onto the couch, dragging him with her, and snagged a couple controllers from the chargers on the coffee table.
“First person shooter or co-op?”
Pursing his lips thoughtfully, he said, “Maybe co-op. I’ve never been very good at shooters.”
“Which is why you definitely have to play a shooter,” Axel said as he hopped over the back of the couch to join them, picking up his own controller. “It’s more fun that way.”
Tasha made an irritated noise, reaching over Jonah’s head to shove Axel away. “Leave him be. He can play co-op if he wants.”
“He can be on a team,” a new face suggested. It seemed like the TV turning on drew attention because people who had been doing their own thing were coming to join them. “If he’s on Tasha’s team, he won’t even need to do much.”
Tasha smirked. “Okay, true. What do you think, Jonah?”
