Chapter 21
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 was lounging 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.”
“Yeah, leave him alone,” Miguel chastised, coming to put his arm around Emmett’s shoulder affectionately. “If he’s going to talk to anyone, it’ll be me.”
Axel flipped him the bird, but Emmett ignored him and went willingly when Miguel dragged him outside. He was right that if he was going to talk to anyone about it, it’d be Miguel. They’d been best friends practically since birth.
“Tell me what’s wrong,” Miguel insisted once they were far enough away from The Lodge, out of earshot of the pack.
“It’s nothing,” Emmett sighed. “I just haven’t heard back from Jonah in a while. It’s not like him.”
“Did he get home safely?” Miguel asked, the concern in his voice making Emmett feel a little better. The pack members who worked with Jonah knew him and cared about him. They’d be just as concerned as he was.
“Yeah, he got home fine. He always texts me when he gets home. He said he was going to make something to eat, then call me like he always does, but he never called. I sent a text asking if he was alright, and it says he read it, but he never replied.”
Miguel frowned at Emmett’s phone when he showed him the read receipt. “Think maybe he’s just eating with his family or something?”
If it were anyone else, maybe, but Emmett knew how Jonah’s family treated him. They barely acknowledged his existence. He was only ever invited to join the family for a meal when it was a special occasion.
His phone rang before he could explain that to Miguel, and his heart leapt in his chest, thinking maybe it was Jonah, then dropped suddenly when it was his cousin’s name instead.
“Shaw?”
“Hey, man… I, uh… I think you need to get over here.”
Emmett straightened suddenly, instincts on high alert at the seriousness of Shaw’s voice.
“Why? What’s wrong? Did something happen?”
He wasn’t on backup for the night shift because he was scheduled for the morning shift like normal. If someone needed to switch out, they had a list of people to call who weren’t on regular shifts. Shaw calling him was out of the norm.
“It’s Jonah. He showed up here like thirty minutes ago.
Looked rough. He asked to park his truck in the lot, and I thought he was just going to hitch a ride somewhere so he didn't have to pay for parking or something, but when he didn’t come out, I went looking for him. Em… He’s sleeping in his truck.”
Oh, hell no. Emmett was moving before Shaw could even finish the sentence, Miguel hot on his heels. “I’m on my way. Is he hurt? Does he need an ambulance?”
“Not sure. The only scent I could get from him was sadness. That shit was heavy. I barely clocked you on him through that mess. Couldn’t catch anything else in the short convo we had.”
Unfortunately, Emmett couldn’t complain about that.
Sadness and depression were such heavy emotions that it was sometimes hard to pick up any other scents besides that.
Only highly trained werewolves could ignore it.
His chest ached at the thought of Jonah being that upset that his cousin couldn’t smell anything else on him.
It was lucky he’d picked up enough to realize Jonah was connected to him.
Emmett hadn’t introduced him to the night shift or the rest of the pack yet. They’d only heard stories.
“We’ll be there in less than ten,” he replied, then was immediately cut off by Miguel, who shoved him away from the driver’s seat before he could slide in.
“Fifteen. Dude, you’re not killing yourself to get there, and Ronan will tear you a new one if you get a speeding ticket. He’s not going anywhere, and Shaw’s right there to watch over him. Chill.”
His responding snarl was close to feral, surprising them both. It was enough of a shock that Emmett took a step back, his chest heaving as he fought to get himself under control.
Slowly, because he was smart, Miguel approached him and put a hand on his shoulder. “Let me drive. I’ll get us there. You take the time to calm down. You don’t want to be this worked up when we get to Jonah, yeah? Take a few deep breaths.”
Emmett nodded, handing over the phone and keys. He trusted his best friend to get him to Jonah quickly, and he was right. He wouldn’t be any help to Jonah if he was this worked up.
The fifteen minute drive to Spellbound was excruciating, but the gate was open when they arrived, Shaw waving him through and locking it behind them.
Emmett was out of the car before Miguel even fully stopped, heading straight for Jonah’s truck.
He only slowed down when he got close, not wanting to frighten the already upset man.
When he crept closer and peeked in through the back window, his heart broke.
His Jonah, the eager and teasing man who greeted each day with a dogged determination to learn and be a better person, was curled into a ball, despair coming off him in waves so thick, Emmett could smell it through the truck door.
There was no way he was sleeping, he was too tense for that, and when Emmett lightly tapped on the window with one claw, Jonah glanced up at him, revealing tear stained cheeks and so much heartache.
Emmett pulled the door open, wanting to reach in and pull the poor man out, and just barely holding back the urge. “Jonah? What are you doing here?”
Jonah’s words were choked when he responded, “I didn’t know where else to go.”