Rook (Black Mountain Pack Book 2) Page 12
My cat wanted to see them; she wanted to show off to everyone. She was one of the reasons I had become such a favorite among Tomas’s friends. I was a rare white Tiger, and the more rare the shifter the higher demand. But that was in my past, and Rook hadn’t chosen me because of that. This was the first time he was seeing my tiger. He wanted me for me, our shifters had been destined since birth. I took a moment to thank the gods that he had been brought back to the pack, that he had been a part of Tomas’s demise, and that I had taken that leap last night in trusting him. “Okay, let’s go see them.”
He led the way around front where they waited. Casey gasped when I emerged behind Rook. Tamara oohed, and the men just gazed.
“Jasmine, you are beautiful,” Casey said “Welcome to the family.” She knelt down, as best as her bulging belly would allow and opened her arms. I went over and let her hug my neck as I sniffed her hair letting her belly rest against my chest. Her cubs chose that moment to kick pretty darn hard. I chuffed as she laughed, reaching for Mack to help her up. “I think they like you, too.”
“I am glad to see you two have completed the mating.” Mack chuckled and looked at me, running his hand over my fur. “I wasn’t sure how much longer Rook was going to be able to hold out. This is a good sign for the Pride as well. Even though I assume you will be returning to the Pack with him, you give the rest of the Pridemember’s hope of finding their mates as well. Welcome, Jasmine, know that we will always be here for you, even if you are a continent away.” Mack turned to Rook. “Have fun running, but don’t stay too long. I just heard from Da, and he needs you back as soon as you both can travel.” Rook nodded his tiger head at him.
Tamara stepped forward then. “Jasmine, all arrangements for the cubs are complete. The last of the tutors arrived today, and everyone is getting along famously. Marla has decided to take the two that have bonded with her back to the States and plans to travel with you both when you go.” A tear slipped down her face. “It won’t be the same without you but I am so happy that you found your mate.” Tamara looked over her shoulder at Jonah. “I only hope the rest of the women can find theirs.” Jonah wrapped an arm around her shoulders and Tamara grasped his hand. “I also wanted to let you know that I have accepted Jonah as my mate. We haven’t finished the ritual obviously, but I finally stopped being scared and took the leap. Seeing how far you had come with Kat’s help made me realize I didn’t want to waste any more time giving him the runaround. We are holding a celebration tonight and hope you and Rook can stay long enough to attend.” She wiped the tears that continued to escape.
I rubbed against her leg and flicked my tail at her, hoping she would take that as the yes I meant it as.
“If we want to have time to get ready for the celebration we need to go now for that run.” Rook spoke and led me into the brush just past Mack and Casey. We ran from there.For the next two hours we ran and played. Chasing small game, rolling and playing like we were cubs again. Only returning once exhaustion threatened to overtake me. We entered through the back door and didn’t shift back until we were in Rook’s room again. We were both sweaty and dirty, and in need of a shower. Rook came up and wrapped his arms around my waist. “We could conserve water by showering together.”
I ran my hands up his arms and encircled his neck. Standing on tiptoe I kissed his neck and replied, “Sounds like a good plan to me.” He swept me off my feet and carried me into the bathroom closing the door with his foot. The great thing about the Alpha house is each bathroom had its own water heater, so we didn’t have to wait for the water to heat up. Rook joined me under the spray. We eventually got around to getting clean, after a few rounds of other things.
We joined the rest of the Pride at the meeting house to celebrate Jonah and Tamara. It was so good to see the Pride celebrating something. Everyone was happy and the layer of evil that used to hang over the Pride was gone. Mack and Casey were turning things around. I found Marla among the crowd looking worried. “What’s wrong, Marla?”
“I hate to leave the cubs. I know they are safe, but I’m just ready to get them on the plane and headed back home with me.” She looked at me. “You are good for him, you know.” She smiled. “I’m glad you decided to accept him and come back with us. You’ll love the Pack.” She took my hand and squeezed it, glancing toward the dormitory.
“Go check on them. No one will miss you. Make sure they have everything they need packed.” I let go of her hand as she walked off. I joined Rook at the Alpha’s table. I could read the exhaustion on his face, but a slight gasp from Casey took my attention away. “Casey, are you okay?”
She waved off my concern. “Yes, the cubs are just overly active tonight. Why don’t you take Rook and make sure you have everything you need. Niko is ready to take you to the plane when you guys and Marla are ready.” She smiled through another rough kick from the cubs.
“Okay, I know Marla is ready to go.” I leaned over and hugged her. “You need to rest, too. Those cubs will be here any day. I hate that I’ll miss it but you are in good hands with Tamara. Let us know the moment they arrive.” Mack stood and embraced me, placing a kiss on my head. He leaned down and whispered in my ear.
“You take care of him now. If you don’t I’ll hunt you down myself.” He patted my shoulder and smiled.
Rook stood and reached for me. I gladly joined him and we gathered our things from the house. Niko was outside waiting for us when we came down. Marla and two very sleepy cubs were already in the Jeep. Niko put our bags in the back and we climbed in. It was a tight fit, Jeeps weren’t meant to hold four adult shifters and two antsy cubs, but we would make do. The drive would only take about an hour or so to the private airfield where one of Jerome’s jets was waiting for us.
Niko unloaded the jeep while Marla got the cubs onboard and strapped into their seats. Rook and I were the last to board, and the pilot took off just as we buckled our seatbelts. Rook twined his fingers with mine as we flew into the air. I closed my eyes and drifted off dreaming of the cubs we might someday have.
MOTHER TO TWO BOYS, 3 four-legged babies, and wife to a loving husband who doesn’t mind the extra voices in her head Miranda grew up on a dairy farm in Illinois, but calls Portland, TN home now. She is an avid reader, coffee addict, and loves her day job. Though her true passion is in creating her own worlds, characters, and stories for her readers.
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