Page 66 of The Werewolf's Deputy
Confused, Jonah tried to keep going. “He… He’s snarled at his friends…”
“Mate stuff. What else?”
He shook his head. He couldn’t think straight anymore. His chest hurt too much.
When he didn’t continue, Taron leveled him with a look. “Jonah. Let me be clear. Werewolf packs are the most tight knit communities in several realms. It would take a lot more than a few bad weeks to tip their hand. You aren’t chasing anyone away.” He didn’t wait for Jonah to argue with him, his tone firm but reassuring. “And even if he did choose to leave his pack, which is basically unheard of, by the way, he wouldn’t be alone. Neither of you would be. You’ve got family here at Spellbound.Not the one you were born with, but the one that chose you, quirks and all. We chose you, Jonah. You belong with us.”
Taron didn’t just lift a weight off him, he yanked the weight off and tossed it into the sun. Jonah wasn’t sure how to respond to him. It was everything he wanted to hear, and it wasn’t coming from someone he was sleeping with. It wasn’t coming from a blood relation who felt obligated to say it. Taron chose him. All of his friends did. He had somewhere he belonged.
Around a fresh wave of tears, he asked, “Uh… I don’t suppose you still have those adoption papers lying around somewhere do you?”
It was the only thing he could think to say, and when Taron lit up like a Christmas tree, it felt like the right thing to say. He couldn’t ask for a better parent than Taron. When he needed him the most, Taron stepped up. He made him feel secure in a way his own parents never had. He’d be lucky to have a parent like that.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
The condo they’d gone to apparently belonged to Taron once upon a time. He’d moved in with his mates a while back, but it was fully paid for and close to the office, so if the throuple ever worked late enough that the trip home was too much, they came back to the apartment instead.
“I was also considering subletting it,” Taron commented as he served lunch. Because not only did Taron take Jonah to his apartment so he’d have a place to fall apart in peace, he was also feeding him a meal he made from scratch and answering any question Jonah could think of about mates. He hadn’t been able to think of many yet, he was worn out and his mind felt foggy, but Taron didn’t mind that either, filling the silence with chatter about his mates and their lives together, giving Jonah insight without demanding anything from him.
“To who?”
“Well, first I was thinking to you,” Taron began, sliding onto the stool next to him. He’d made actual fajitas with home made tortillas that were warm and fluffy and better than restaurant quality in Jonah’s opinion. Jonah paused mid-chew, frowning at him, and Taron continued like he hadn’t just said he was going to let Jonah stay in a penthouse in the middle of the city. “Butnow that I know you belong with the pack, I’m thinking I might make an outreach program for humans in the company. After seeing both Avery’s and Tony’s apartments, I’ve been worried about how our human employees are living. There are three bedrooms, so I think if they needed a place to stay and were willing to do a roommate thing, we could fit at least three in here.”
Somehow, it didn’t surprise Jonah that Taron didn’t even think of selling the gorgeous apartment and making a profit from it. He didn't have to ask if Taron would charge rent. He knew better. Instead, he asked, “How would you even figure out who would be interested? You can’t just approach every human in the company and ask about their quality of residence.”
“Why not?” Taron protested. “It’s for a good reason!”
Jonah sighed, a smile tugging at his lips. “Because they’ll get offended. Chill out. I’m sure we can brainstorm something. Maybe it should come from SR?”
While they discussed Taron’s idea, Jonah felt himself relax little by little, and by the time they cleaned up, he was eager to head back. He wanted to speak to Emmett, he needed to know if what Taron said was true, and he wanted to apologize for avoiding him. He’d gotten overwhelmed but that didn't mean he had to take it out on Emmett. He should’ve stuck around and talked about it first. Emmett deserved a conversation at the very least.
Taron put an arm around him, squeezing his shoulder gently. “He’ll forgive you. I know all he’ll care about is that you’re okay. Now, do you want me to stick around, or would you prefer privacy?”
“Privacy, please. I owe him an apology, and I don’t need an audience.” He paused just outside the doors to Spellbound. “Thank you, Taron. I really needed that lunch. You’re going to make a great dad someday.”
Taron’s face fell, and he looked close to tears for a second. Dragging Jonah into a hug, he squeezed him tightly. “Thanks for saying that. Sometimes I wonder,” he murmured quietly, then jerked back with a frown. “Wait a minute. What do you mean someday? You already said I could adopt you. You can’t take that back! No takesbacksies! You’re stuck with me! Get ready to call me Daddy Taron and–”
“Nope!” Jonah ducked out of his grip, darting away from him. There was no way in hell he’d call Taron ‘Daddy’ anything.
“Hey! Get back here! I’m not done scolding you yet!” Taron insisted, chasing after him like the chaos gremlin he was. Jonah laughed as he ran inside, crashing into Emmett just on the other side of the door because he was too busy looking over his shoulder at Taron to pay attention to where he was going.
Emmett must’ve seen him coming because he barely swayed, big arms wrapping around Jonah’s smaller frame as he caught him against his chest. He growled a low warning at Taron, squishing Jonah tighter against him. Jonah stiffened, worried for a moment that Emmett would hurt Taron like he’d hurt Kyle, but Taron was smart enough to not get too close, his voice singsonging as he said, “I’ll see you later, Jonah! Paperwork needs to be signed. Have fun!”
Jonah groaned quietly. He’d been joking. Sort of. Okay, so maybe not, but now that he wasn’t falling apart, he got the feeling Taron would go a little nuts if he actually signed those papers.
“Are you alright?” Emmett growled.
Jonah straightened and took a step back, nodding. Emmett felt the separation like a knife to his gut, and it took everythingin him not to snatch Jonah back. “Yeah, he was just playing. Are, uh… Are you okay? I keep running into you.”
For a minute, Emmett smirked, his usual playful response flashing across his mind before he remembered everything that happened. His smile fell, and he took another step back, putting more space between them and sticking his hands into his pockets. “I’m fine. Sorry, I know you asked for space. I saw Taron chasing you, and I just–”
“I don’t want space!” Jonah blurted out. Emmett froze, his mouth falling open as Jonah started rambling, everything he was thinking spilling from his lips. “I was really freaked out, and I thought I was driving a wedge between you and your pack, so I told myself it was better if I left. But being apart from you sucks, and it only made me feel worse, and Taron said he thinks we might be mates. I didn't know humans could have mates, and if he’s wrong, that’s totally fine, but–”
Emmett was going to reach for him, the poor human looked like he was going to pass out, but before he could say a word, someone came racing toward them. His instincts flared, and he snatched Jonah close, twisting to put himself between Jonah and the mage who approached.
“I need to speak to Jonah Mills,” the mage said breathlessly. “Roz is looking for him. She said it’s an emergency.”
Sucking in a sharp breath, since the only emergency Emmett could think of for the sassy fairy was a cyber security breach, he spun around to look at Jonah. Jonah’s gaze flicked between the mage and Emmett, and he seemed to hesitate for a long moment, like he couldn’t decide which thread to follow. Emmett melted a little. He wanted to talk. He knew they were mates. The rest could wait.
