by Cara Adams
Reuben had to agree. He drank his water straight down, poured himself a second mugful, and then ate two bagels in just half a dozen bites. Feeling a little better, he drank his second mug of water more slowly, refilling both Indigo’s and Stone’s mugs as well.
Stone rummaged in the cooler, handing out slices of watermelon, and Reuben sat back. Now was the time.
“Indigo, I love you. I’m not good at expressing my emotions, but I want you to know I love you so much I couldn’t bare it if we weren’t together forever.”
He became aware that he was twisting his fingers and went to shove them in his pockets, only to remember he wasn’t wearing his jeans, just his briefs. He gripped his hands tightly together to still them and kept watch on her face.
“I know,” she said softly, leaning over and kissing him gently on the lips and then kissing Stone.
They sat in companionable silence for a while, and then he and Stone each ate another bagel while Indigo took a second piece of watermelon. When they were all finished and had wiped their hands and closed the cooler, Stone pointed to the rocky outcrop, which was now in full sunlight with no shade left for them. “Let’s change into our wolves and go for a run.”
Reuben grinned. “That’s the perfect thing to complete our mating time. Come on, Indigo.”
She’d pulled on her panties and a T-shirt but seemed happy enough to take them off again. She shimmered and changed and then jumped out of the truck bed. Stone was next, jumping down after her, and then Reuben followed them.
Running together was the perfect completion to their little ceremony. They were wolves, and to run together symbolized that. Trust Stone to come up with a good idea.
Indigo sprinted over the desert, running fast and hard, stretching her legs out as she ran. Both he and Stone were bigger than her though, with longer legs and sturdier muscles, so had no trouble catching up with her and running by her side.
She ran for perhaps ten minutes before circling around to head back, but instead of going to the truck, she scrambled up the rocky outcrop again. He followed her for a while and then leaped ahead of her, reaching the ridge first and staring out into the distance.
Damn, the desert was beautiful. It shimmered in the heat but provided a multitude of colors and views. Every direction offered him a slightly different panorama, and the more he looked at something, the more detail and hidden colors he could find. Reuben knew he’d never grow tired of the desert and its harsh beauty.
They all stood panting for a while and then scrambled back down and leaped up into the truck bed. They rinsed the sweat off their bodies with some of their water and got dressed, climbing into the cab of the truck and heading back to the Alpha’s land.
Mated. He was mated now, pledged to love and serve Indigo for his life and to work beside Stone.
Damn, life was fucking perfect right now.
* * * *
Lunch was a mish-mash meal of all the leftover food from the event. There were single plates of just about everything, and not much of any one thing, but for people who wanted to try an abundance of different dishes, it was perfect. There was plenty of food for everyone, and Indigo noticed some people going back for seconds and even thirds. She smiled. Soon everyone would be back in their own little corner of the desert, living their own lives. But they’d remember Chloe’s brilliant idea to host this gathering, and when the invitations were sent out for the next one in two years’ time, she confidently expected most people to come back.
After lunch everyone lined up their lawn chairs into rows, and then Chloe and Jasmine appeared. They were both wearing pretty dresses, and their hair was decorated with flowers. Indigo wondered where the flowers had come from. Someone had done an amazing job to get fresh flowers in the middle of a Nevada summer.
Hunter and Damien joined Jaz, and Forest and Nyander stood with Chloe. Phideaux marched to the very front of the chairs and sat himself prominently in front of Jaz. Indigo grinned. He was clearly obeying her but letting her know he was still watching over her. The huge dog was an amazing character and full of love for the woman who’d rescued him from the shelter years ago.
“Hunter Wishram and Damien Hall, do you promise to love, serve, and cherish Jasmine Picton as long as you live?” asked the Alpha.
“We do.”
Tears filled Indigo’s eyes at the heavy emotion in the men’s voices. Standing there in her lovely blue sundress with the flowers crowning her short brown curls, Jaz looked stunningly beautiful, and it was plain from the men’s faces they were besotted with her.
“Jasmine Picton, do you promise to love and serve these men all the days of your life?”
“I do.” Jaz’s voice was soft but clear as she stared at Damien and Hunter.
Indigo carefully wiped a tear from her eyes as she turned to look at Chloe.
Chloe’s dress was bright yellow, which made her blonde hair shine even brighter in the sunlight. Forest and Nyander hadn’t even glanced at their Alpha or Jaz. Their gazes were fixed on their woman. And why not? She looked beautiful, too.
Forest and Ny repeated their vows, and so did Chloe, and then the Alpha raised his arms high. “Because of the visionary ruling of the Supreme Alpha of North America, these two triads are the beginning of a new venture for the Nevada Desert Werewolf Pack. No longer will our young men be condemned to a lonely, unmated existence because of a shortage of female werewolves. They can choose to find a like-minded wolf with whom to share a mate, or they can find a truly exceptional human female, like Jaz, to join our community. All rise to toast the newly committed triads.”
People jumped to their feet as a couple of women handed out glasses of champagne to the adults and soda to the children.
“Long life and good health to Hunter, Damien, and Jasmine.”
“Hunter, Damien, and Jasmine,” repeated the pack before sipping their champagne.
“Long life and good health to Forest, Nyander, and Chloe.”
“Forest, Nyander, and Chloe”, said Indigo softly, holding her glass up to her friends.
And now she was mated as well. One day she’d say her vows to the Alpha, but maybe not until she knew what her future would hold. It was all rather complicated right now. She had this two-month mission to complete for the Alpha. Hopefully, by the time it was done, she, Stone, and Reuben would also have decided what they’d be doing and where they’d be living. But right now, it was all one gigantic unknown.
She sat down again, shivering a little despite the heat. What would be involved in going out to this pack of not-rogues? Where were they? She suspected maybe the far side of Wetherby. That was the direction they’d gone in, and she didn’t know anyone living in that area of the desert. None of the people she’d met here at the gathering lived there either. She supposed the Alpha knew and would give them all the details before they left tomorrow.
She jumped to her feet and made her way through the pack until she reached Chloe. She waited her turn and then gave her best friend a big hug. “I’m so happy for you.”
“You’ll be next.”
“Maybe.”
They hugged some more, and then she stepped back to allow other people to share Chloe’s happy day.
Phideaux was sitting at Jaz’s feet now, so Indigo rubbed the huge mutt’s ears while she waited her turn to hug Jaz and wish her happiness. “I’m so glad you came to our desert. It’s wonderful to have you as part of the pack.”
“It’s so amazing to be here and accepted. Thanks, Indigo.”
People moved around and mingled, and then the children and young adults left for their recreation area with shouts and screams of delight as a couple of older teenagers brought out portable soccer goals and a ball.
Of course, the Alpha had said he was going to talk about his various meetings with pack members.
She settled back in her chair, and Stone and Reuben came and sat one on either side of her. She was getting used to this habit of theirs, and she really did enjoy the way they bracketed her an
d cared for her. She also loved that they gave her freedom as well. They never tried to prevent her from doing her chores or mingling with her friends, but they were always there to help her and care for her. Truly she was a lucky woman to have met and mated two such considerate men.
After maybe ten minutes, the Alpha jumped up on a chair and raised his arms in the air. People went back and sat down, including the two newly committed triads.
“The first item of business is to welcome our newest pack members. Today Jasmine Picton, Troy Arnott, and Brad Piper have officially joined the pack.”
Chloe clapped along with everyone else. Troy and Brad were young men, who presumably had recently turned eighteen. Jaz was human, as was Damien, but he’d sworn allegiance to the Alpha some time ago.
“Next we need to thank Chloe Jenner for conceiving the idea of a pack get-together and to thank her large and devoted team of helpers for making this event so enjoyable for us all.”
Indigo clapped happily. Pretty much everyone had helped out over the course of the get-together, but it had been Chloe’s idea, and she was the one who’d done all the original work for it.
“There’ll be another gathering in two years’ time. The actual dates will depend on what else is happening at the time, but we’ll get the information to you in plenty of time for you to book vacation time.”
Once again people clapped. Looking around, Indigo thought everyone was genuinely looking forward to a second gathering. She knew she was. It’d been amazing to meet people and to talk about their lives. It was special to find other wolves, and meeting other wolf women had been better than special. Her list of Facebook friends had exploded over the weekend, and she might have missed a few people and need to follow up on some more.
The Alpha went on to talk about various other ideas. Indigo listened intently. In her new life as part of a triad, she didn’t know where she might need to go and who she might meet. It was good to know the Alpha had his finger on the pulse of everything happening in the shape-shifter world. She could rest secure knowing that, if he personally couldn’t help her, he could contact the other Alphas and there would be someone who could direct her in the correct path.
Finally he spoke about the wolves who’d appeared in their desert. He explained about their plan to win the reward and told everyone he was sending Indigo, Stone, and Reuben to work with them for two months.
“These young men are not bad. They just need some direction. They have a strong work ethic and an impressive amount of resourcefulness. What they don’t have is detailed knowledge of the desert and our way of life. We all know that life here can be harsh but that wolves have adapted well to this environment. Over the next two months, Reuben, Stone, and Indigo will live with them and help them adapt to the weather and conditions here so they can make it their home. They will, of course, be constantly reporting back to me during this time.”
There was a murmur of surprise though the crowd, but Indigo thought it was basically positive. As she’d expected, most people agreed the young men were worth offering some help to. The Alpha wouldn’t be sending the triad there unless he was certain it was going to be worthwhile.
“I’m coming with you.”
What the fuck? Indigo looked at the woman standing up and calling out to them. It was Summer Grussell, a fellow wolf she’d met here at the pack gathering.
“What?” Indigo spoke out loud in surprise.
“My brother disappeared six months ago. I know he’s not dead. I can still feel him looking out for me. Maybe he’s with this group. You have to let me come with you.”
An older woman hurried to put her arms around Summer. “Aw, now, honey, you let these good people do the job the Alpha’s given them. If Kevin’s there, they can tell you.”
“No. I’m coming, too. I’ve got my own truck and my own tent. I won’t interfere with their mission but we can travel in convoy across the desert. These people might have met Kevin. They’ll help me find him.”
Indigo glanced at Reuben and Stone, who were still sitting one on each side of her. “It’s up to you,” Stone said softly.
Indigo stood up and faced Summer. “If the Alpha agrees, of course you can join us, but if your brother is there, we’ll tell you, whether you come or not.”
Wolfric spoke firmly. “Summer, you may travel to this group with Indigo, Stone, and Reuben, but you will accept their advice in all things.”
Summer bowed her head, but Indigo could tell she was pleased. “Yes, sir.”
Indigo ran forward and wrapped the other woman in a hug. It looked like she not only had two perfect mates, and an exciting job to do, she also had a new friend as well.
Life was awesome and going to get even better on this new adventure.
THE END
CARAADAMSROMANCE.BLOGSPOT.COM
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Cara Adams adores erotic romance, especially ménage, BDSM, and shape-shifters. One day, someone said to her, “Why don’t you put them all in one book?” So she did.
For all titles by Cara Adams, please visit
www.bookstrand.com/cara-adams
Siren Publishing, Inc.
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