Page 71 of The Werewolf's Deputy
Jonah stiffened, surprised, then they were both hit with another release coming directly off the back of the first and sending Emmett straight into the stratosphere with no hope of coming back down any time soon.
Ronan was going to be so pissed at him. As he released Jonah’s neck and his mate collapsed on top of him, Emmett decided he’d face that later. It was totally worth it.
CHAPTER FORTY
Jonah’s whole body throbbed but not in a bad way. Even the ache in his shoulder didn’t take away from how blissed out he felt. He laid on top of Emmett, fingers sifting through the fur he could reach without actually moving, his eyes closed as he just basked in the moment.
“I’m not squishing you, am I?” he finally asked.
Emmett snorted, wrapping his arms around Jonah’s shoulders. “No. You’re good where you are.”
He felt a smile pull at his lips. Right there, in that moment, he felt like he truly belonged.
They didn’t have long to bask before Emmett’s phone started pinging like crazy, like the entire pack was messaging him at the same time. Then, Jonah’s phone started doing the same. Neither phone was within reach, they’d been left in pants pockets somewhere on the way to the bedroom, but Jonah could hear it from where he was and he lifted his head to look at Emmett, eyes wide in surprise.
“What’s going on?”
Emmett, for his part, didn’t look worried. Instead, he winced, looking adorably abashed when he explained, “I claimed you. The whole pack knows when someone new gets added. They feltour bond snap into place.” He scrubbed his hands over his face, hiding behind them as he admitted, “I was supposed to speak to Ronan first and have you formally brought in. I… kind of lost my head a little.”
Jonah’s gut twisted with unease, and he pulled away, chewing on his bottom lip. “Do you think they’re mad?”
Emmett jerked his head up abruptly. “What? No! Of course not! The pack loves you, Jonah. They’re probably just confused because there’s usually an announcement and a party and–”
Pounding on the front door made them both freeze. Jonah turned slowly to look at Emmett again. “That doesn’t sound like a happy knock.”
Rolling out of bed, Emmett scrambled to grab his pants, hopping from foot to foot to get them on while he was still moving. “I promise they won’t be mad. Let me just–” He cut himself off with a yelp as he nearly stumbled down the stairs with his pants still around his knees. He was lucky Jonah had followed him to search for his own clothes and grabbed him just as he began to tip forward.
“Pants first, then stairs!” he demanded.
He hadn’t realized he said it loud enough for anyone outside to hear before a muffled voice replied, “I agree with that sentiment. Put on your clothes, Emmett. Then you can explain to your mother and I why you mated without introducing us first.”
Emmett froze, and Jonah was pretty sure if he wasn’t covered in fur, he would’ve gone really pale in that exact moment. “Whoops.”
Jonah slapped a palm to his forehead. They could still hear him.
“Whoops? Did he just say whoops?” a female voice screeched. “Emmett Moonfall, you better have more to say than just whoops!”
With an uncomfortable chuckle, Emmett turned to Jonah. “Hey, Jonah? Wanna meet my parents?”
“Oh my gods,” Jonah groaned. “You’re in so much trouble.”
They raced to pull clothes on, and Jonah made sure Emmett wasn’t at risk of falling and breaking himself before they headed downstairs. The couple outside was still murmuring to each other, though not loud enough for Jonah with his paltry human hearing to understand what they were saying. Emmett seemed to hear them though because he kept wincing. Fear made Jonah hesitate at the foot of the stairs, worried he’d officially gone far enough to mess things up for Emmett, and Emmett noticed immediately. He backtracked, taking Jonah’s hands and kissing the backs of them.
“I promise, it’ll be okay. They’re annoyed with me, not you. And I had a legitimate reason. They’ll get it once I explain.” He lifted his voice enough to be heard by the squabbling couple. “I’m sure my parents wouldn’t want you to feel unwelcome in the pack by yelling at you during your first meeting. You belong here with us.”
Apparently done waiting, the door opened, and his parents swept inside, eyes narrowed on their son. “Of course he belongs with us. His bond with the pack is strong enough that I felt it first before your mate bond was established. I just hadn’t realized the new pack member was your mate,” his mother sniffed, nudging Emmett out of the way and turning a kind smile onto Jonah. “Welcome to the pack, my dear. My name is Cybil. I’m Emmett’s mother. I’m sorry we haven’t gotten to meet sooner. One of Emmett’s sisters is pregnant with her first and coming up on her due date. I’ve been staying with her and haven’t found the time to greet you properly yet.”
“I, uh– Nice to meet you,” Jonah stammered, freezing when she cupped his cheeks and looked him over seriously.
“You need to eat more, dear. What’s your favorite food? I’ll make you something.”
“Oh, you don’t have to–”
She was already moving, heading for the kitchen while waving a hand dismissively. “Nonsense. It’s dinner time, isn’t it? You need to eat.”
The older male werewolf stepped up to him next, an amused smile on his face. “Don’t mind her. Feeding people is how she shows she cares. I’m Rannulf, but everyone calls me Rex. Welcome to the pack.”
They shook hands and, like Cybil, Rex didn’t seem upset meeting him. He patted his shoulder with a friendly smile before turning to his son and giving him the stink eye. “So what’s this so-called legitimate reason you ignored proper introductions for? And don’t say you were busy. I happen to know you’ve been spending plenty of time in The Lodge. You couldn’t walk two minutes down the road to talk to us?”
