Page 43 of Rust the Rejected
A week later and I still forget the Miami Wolves Pack is my new pack. I guess it’s because the last seven days of our seclusion, Rust kept me in the cabin. We made love or cuddled in the bed for hours. He fed me on his lap from the tray left outside the door. We bathed or showered, washing each other. At night, we swam naked in the pool, then made love on the deck. I only saw Captain and the crew as Rust and I disembarked. So, yeah, I kinda forgot about anyone except for my fated mate.
He chuckles when I remind him.
“So, as I was saying…Ourpack has a camp in the midst of the Everglades. How nice it must be to enjoy the vast amounts of land free of worry humans may see us. As excited as I am to meet everyone and to run as a wolf, I must admit I’m a tad bit out of touch with my other half. It’s been so many years I haven’t shifted regularly, even before the you know what.”
Rust glances at the door that separates us from the flight attendant and pilot aboard the pack’s helicopter. Like onMoonbeam, they’re members of the pack. Rust nods in understanding.
We decided to tell Jagger and Sage about my suppression serum since they’re our Alpha and Luna. Rust assures me it’s best they know. Plus, Sage may be able to refine it with her magick and definitely secure its safety from the wrong hands.
“I must admit I noticed you were a bit clumsy when you shifted and moved at the cottage when I arrived,” he says, then cups my cheek when I pout. “However, there’s no need for you to be concerned about your wolf. The connection we have with our other halves doesn’t disappear without use. She’ll help you the more you shift. And I’ll help you relearn our ways. Sound good?”
I turn my head to press a kiss to his palm and nuzzle against it as I purr my agreement.
“Good girl,” he murmurs before he slants his mouth over mine.
His tongue coaxes mine to tangle. I lean into him as he swallows my moan. He pulls me onto his lap where the anaconda unwinds beneath my core. I circle my hips to encourage it to come out and play. Rust groans and squeezes my ass cheeks in each hand. He nips my lip, then trails open-mouthed kisses along my jaw and throat. His tongue flicks over his claiming bite, and I mewl.
“Rust, Natalie, we’re five minutes from landing.”
The disembodied voice of the pilot interrupts us.
Rust growls in frustration and buries his face in my neck. I stroke his hair before I slide from his lap and settle on my seat reluctantly. He entwines our fingers as he leans his head against the sumptuous leather of the cushy chairs.
“I love you, my fated mate,” he murmurs with a smile.
I bring our joined hands to my mouth and kiss his knuckles as I stare into his intense hazel eyes.
“I. Love. You. My. Fated. Mate.”
I punctuate each word with a kiss, and he grins.
As we land, I glance around the area cleared for a helipad.
“We’re near our pack’s camp. It’s the place we come for pack runs and trainings. For generations, the virtually untouched area of the subtropical wilderness allows us the freedom to be in our wolf form without prying eyes. Over the years, the original pack grounds grew from temporary cloth shelters to simple wooden cabins and now to luxurious residences scattered around the Alpha’s house and clubhouse. Glamping—or glamorous camping, as Signy, Jagger’s younger sister—calls it. Sage cast a cloaking spell over the entire area for miles as added protection from outsiders.
“A few families and enforcers choose to remain here, not wanting the hustle and bustle of Miami for their principal home. On days like this one, when the humidity is low, the sun sits in a cloudless sky, and fresh air abounds, who can blame them?”
“It’s even more amazing on the ground,” I say as Rust takes my hand and leads me to a Range Rover where Jagger and Sage wait for us. I return their waves of greeting.
Sage pulls me in for a hug.
“You’re glowing! It must be all that sea air,” she says with a wink.
I giggle and respond, “Absolutely, it was relentless!”
We burst out laughing as Rust and Jagger chuckle at Sage’s euphemism. Then they herd us into the SUV. I climb in the backseat behind Sage while Rust rides shotgun. Jagger starts the engine. We leave the crew to tend to the helicopter. They’ll ride to camp in the other Range Rover.
Rust points out different spots as we go along. He and Jagger tell stories from their youth about the adventures they and their best friends got into. Sage and I laugh with them. The vision of Rust and Dylan running from hornets after the two hit the nest with rocks on a dare from Viggo brings tears to our eyes.
I smile happily at the thought of meeting Dylan, Viggo—Jagger’s younger brother—and the other pack members. Already, the joy of having a positive pack lightens my heart.
We round a bend and the camp sprawls out before us. Rather, the glamp since every cabin is a rustic mansion of logs and stones in various styles—some ranch and others multilevel, with and without front porches. They surround an open park-like square in the middle, where a lovely garden displays colorful flowers and bushes with wooden benches. Lanes crisscross the land to provide access to the various homes and structures. Members of all ages mill about. Their laughter and conversations fill the air. Content smiles spread across their faces as they interact. Those in wolf form mingle with the others without a care. It’s a picturesque village with the incredible Everglades as the backdrop.
I feel right at home.
Sage reaches for my hand and squeezes as she smiles.
“Welcome to our pack’s Everglades home, Natalie.”
