Page 36 of Rust the Rejected
Rust
“What the actualfuck did you do?!”
Jagger demands as I sit in his office onMoonbeam. His ice blue eyes glare at me from the iPad.
Fuck!
I lower my face into my hands. What the actual fuck did I do? I lost control. Fell over the edge. Succumbed to the madness. My worse fear.
All I see is Natalie’s stricken face. All I smell is the odor of her fear.
Fuck!!
I don’t need Jagger to harp on me. I already regret my actions. What I said I wouldn’t do, I did, and worse. She’ll probably never want to speak to me again. My heart breaks.
To top it all off, the entire crew witnessed my abysmal behavior. The bosun, worse of all. If he spoke to Natalie—or the gods forbid, touched her—I would have torn him apart. Talk about embarrassing.
And where is Natalie? Is she still aboard or did she leave on the tender?
I need to speak to her. Apologize and let her know I didn’t mean to lose it.
“—need to take some time for yourself. Natalie doesn’t need to see you right now. You’re lucky Sage doesn’t realize yet. Well, at least I don’t think she does. You would notice. Are your balls still in place?”
I grunt and tune back in to Jagger’s words.
“Listen, I admit I was wrong. But you just don’t understand. I was about to initiate my claiming bite when the bosun knocked on the door. Damn! I couldn’t help myself. I lost my shit,” I respond, miserable as all fuck.
Silence descends.
I glance up at the iPad. Jagger stares back at me. He nods in understanding.
“Okay, I get it. However, you scared the shit out of the bosun. Captain said he had peed his pants. I mean damn, Rust. You scared him that bad?”
Now, I feel even worse. Never have I lost control. I’m a Dom, dammit! I thrive on control! Obviously not with my fated mate. Or at least she was.
“I didn’t mean it. The urge to claim my fated mate took control. You’ve known me all my life. When have I ever lost control?”
Jagger nods.
“Damn. I recognize what that feels like. Sorry, bro. However, as your Alpha speaking, you need to apologize to the crew. As for Natalie, I’ll ask Sage to speak with her. As Luna of our pack, she’s responsible for the she-wolves,” he says, then chuckles. “I’ll use my best skills to persuade Sage from shrinking your junk. At least one of us will get something good out of this mess. Any opportunity to ravage my sexy as fuck mate, I’ll take it.”
I’m happy for Jagger. But my cock and balls shrivel at the thought of Sage enacting her promise. Now that my mind is clear, the magnitude of my error hits hard. He’s right, I need to apologize to them. But first to Natalie.
“Listen, I’ll apologize to the crew. But first, I need to apologize to Natalie. Talk to her to let her know I didn’t mean to lose it. Hopefully, she’ll forgive me. I’ll call you back after I talk to her.”
Jagger stares at me, then shakes his head.
“Natalie left on the tender. You are not to speak to her until after your Luna meets with Natalie. I’ll call Sage now and ask if she can use her teleportation magick. She can reach Natalie in seconds. If she says Natalie is receptive to you, then you may speak with her. Do not test me on this, Rust. Best friend or not, I will punish you if you disobey your Alpha’s command. Are we clear?”
* * *
I bite back a growl,knowing he’s correct. As Alpha. As my best friend, not so much. But Jagger earned my respect years ago. I will not go against his word.
“Crystal,” I respond.
He eyes me a moment, then nods.
“Good. I will reach out once Sage makes her assessment.”
