Chapter Forty-Seven
Jay
Later that morning, after training, everyone gets ready for church.
From the couch, I watch as Taya helps Sam with his tie. Although, judging by the look on Sam’s face, it might as well be a collar—he seems less than enthused by Taya’s assistance.
I chuckle. Sam is such a character. “What’s wrong?” I ask him. “Do you not like dressing up?”
“No,” he says. “I like to dress up. The bitches love it,” Sam jokes.
“Oh, is that so?” Taya tugs on the tie so Sam is inches from her face.
Sam chokes. But he doesn’t struggle. He just stares at her, grinning from ear to ear, soaking up all the attention. “Depends. Does that make you jealous, mate?”
She smiles to herself and undoes the tie and restarts again. “Sam doesn’t like going to church.”
“Then why are you going?” I ask him.
“Because when I’m a good boy, she gives me a treat.” He wiggles his eyebrows.
Taya pulls the tie again.
He makes a choking sound and laughs. “Ow! I’m kidding!”
She starts over, putting her attention back on the tie, disappearing behind him to fix his collar.
Sam looks over at me and mouths, I’m not. He bites his lip and fake humps the air, pretending it’s Taya. He stops before Taya can notice.
I giggle, rolling my eyes. Such a child.
Taya finally finishes and turns to face me, her hands on her hips.
Sam looks at himself in the mirror, loosening what Taya did. “You sure you don’t want to come with us? I think you could really like it. It’s not judgy like you think it’s going to be,” Taya asks.
Sam speaks to me in the mirror’s reflection. “Yeah, you should come with us. Then we can both suffer.”
Taya rolls her eyes and smiles at me. She rounds the back of the couch and plops on the cushion next to me. “Don’t listen to him. Please, come. Give it one more chance. If you don’t like it after that, I promise I’ll never ask you again.”
It’s not that I didn’t like it, but that I don’t want to run into a certain someone with . . . I look down at my wrists . . . It’s too hot to wear long sleeves. And it’s not like I can get away with wearing wrist straps here.
It’s hard to say no to her.
“I don’t have anything to wear.”
“You can borrow one of my dresses.”
Dammit.
“Yeah, but my nails aren’t done.”
It might be the worst lie I’ve ever come up with.
“You can borrow my gloves. I have this really cute lacy pair.”
Huh. I didn’t think about fashion gloves.
“That might work.”
“So, does this mean you’ll come?”
I sigh, conceding. It’s the least I can do since she stayed up listening to me and consoling me all night.
“Fine. Just this once,” I say.
Taya squeals and claps her hands. “I’ve got just the thing for you!”
***
Jemma, Sam, Taya, and I take our seats in a wooden pew, sliding over, so we can all fit.
The last time I was here, I sat with Caleb in the front.
Sitting back here, it feels like I’ve been demoted.
At least, that’s probably what is running through the heads of the women who peer at me over their shoulder with a hmph and all-too-proud smirks.
Jealousy is really ugly, and they are way too pretty to be worried about me.
Sam, Taya and Jemma have made me feel so welcome, I almost forgot other pack members know I’m not one of them.
I glance behind me to see if everyone else is also looking at me, or if it’s just my anxiety eating at me. I’m relieved to see no one is paying any attention to me—except for one.
Caleb is escorting his mother down the aisle. His eyes are trained on me, and they soften when our glances meet. I give him a hopeful smile, and I follow him with my eyes until he reaches the front pew. He assists his mother into the seat.
Once she’s settled, he stands with his back facing the front of the church.
I convince my delusional self it’s, so he can continue to look at me.
His eyes drop to my chest and waist as he scans my body.
I could’ve sworn I saw his wolf surface to get a look at me.
His heated gaze has me blushing, and I avert my gaze.
Don’t go there, Jay.
Fortunately I don’t need to remind myself. Medein comes down the aisle, kisses Luna Kathy’s cheek and hugs Caleb.
My heart pinches at the sight.
Why is she here? I thought after yesterday . . .
I shake my head. Obviously, I was wrong.
I’m thinking about making a quick exit when the sermon begins. It’s too late to leave.
I lean my head back to say directly to the Moon Goddess, Now would be a good time for me to burst into flames.
***
To distract myself, I focus my attention on the sermon. And I’m pleasantly surprised. I didn’t agree with, well, pretty much anything he said, but there were things about forgiveness I didn’t know I needed to hear.
Taya smiled at me during such parts and squeezed my hand. It wasn’t a coincidence for her to ask me to come to church today. She knew I might need this.
No amount of immersion into the sermon could distract me from the crinkling paper. My eyes wander toward the sound to see Sam unwrapping a piece of candy next to me. The noise stops when he sees me looking. “Don’t ask me to share,” he says with a mouthful.
I put my hands up in surrender. “Wasn’t going to.” I grin and look away, pretending I didn’t see anything.
The crinkling resumes. Followed by a loud slap that causes the sermon to lose focus momentarily.
“Ow,” Sam whisper-yells.
Out of the corner of my eye, Taya is glaring at Sam. “Put that away. You can’t eat in here. It’s rude,” she whisper yells.
Sam looks around at the people in the room before he locks eyes with Taya. “Who’s going to take it from me, hm? Exactly.”
Taya rolls her eyes, lets out a huff, and turns her attention back to the sermon.
Having won, Sam grins and pops the piece of candy in his mouth.
A few seconds later, Sam starts coughing, choking on the candy.
Taya bites back a laugh and leans into him. “The Moon Goddess saw you.”
***
After the sermon, we all exited the church to stand outside chatting. Surprisingly, most people are being kind to me. Whether Sam stands with us, or they don’t recognize me, for a moment I forget what’s-his-name.
Taya leans into me and mutters, “Incoming.”
Spoke too soon.
“Jay,” Caleb says.
Taking a deep breath, I hold my chin high and face him, refusing to let him see me falter. “Hello, Mr. Waller.” I smile when he’s clearly shocked by my formality.
He narrows his eyes, and I know his wolf is begging to spank me right about now.
“Can I speak to you? Alone?”
I follow Caleb’s eyes to Sam.
Sam calmly looks at me and shrugs. “Up to you. Want me to get rid of him?”
“No, it’s fine. I’ll catch up with you all later.”
They reluctantly nod and walk away, leaving me alone with Caleb.
I yelp when my arm is jerked, and I’m dragged behind the church. An oof huffs out of me as my back makes contact with the church’s siding.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Caleb growls.
His nostrils flare, eyes golden.
“What’re you talking about? Taya invited me.” What is he so infuriated about, now?
“I mean, what do you think you’re doing here, dressed like—” He looks me up and down and growls, “that.”
Oh.
I’m driving him crazy. And suddenly, my wolf wants to prance at how prideful and powerful we feel right about now.
“Dressed like . . .” I unbutton the first button and the second. “What?” I ask him innocently. I look down at my cleavage, then back at his eyes. “Oh, this?”
He swallows.
“Taya let me borrow it. Do you like it?” I run the lace over the swell of my breasts.
He doesn’t respond, but his eyes are pleading for me.
Caleb moans. “Jay . . .”
“Do you see something you like?”
He licks his lips like his mouth is going dry.
His erection is growing.
I glance down at his lips, then meet his eyes again. That draws him in.
His arms cage me in. He leans in hesitantly, then commits.
When he’s inches from my face, I open my mouth to speak. “You haven’t even seen the best part.”
He lifts a brow, intrigued.
“The back.” I grin and duck under his arms.
My wolf is impressed, making sure to swing her hips as she trots away with me.
From a distance, I can hear him pound his fist once against the church’s exterior. I’ve never felt prouder of myself for a kill than I did just now.
Fuck yeah, that felt good.
The look on his face—priceless.
Despite the satisfaction, it was still bugging me as to why Medein was here. She sat in my seat, next to Caleb. Did he invite her?
Maybe he is ending things with her.
Goddess, I can only hope.
I’m not paying attention to where I’m going. When I run into someone, their iced coffee spills all over me, but it does little to put out this fire within.