Undeniable Craving (7 page)

Chapter Seven

After eating
breakfast, Gage went to see Cyrus and Shyla to tell them about his plans to
move his new family to Canyon Creek that very day. He explained about Jaimie’s
ex being an all-around asshole. His brother agreed taking Jaimie and Derrick
away from Great Falls was the best course of action against Neil. The man
didn’t have any rights when it came to Derrick so it wasn’t as if he could stop
the move.

Before Gage left
Cyrus and Shyla’s hotel room, his brother said, “We’re going to head out now
since you have everything under control. What time can I tell the others you’ll
be home? Mom, especially, will want to know.”

“I’m hoping
after we get the things from Jaimie’s sister’s house we’ll be on the road
shortly after noon. So we’ll be home by mid-afternoon.”

“All right. I
guess we’ll see you then. Don’t be surprised if Mom throws together a big meal
to welcome Jaimie and Derrick into the family.”

Gage smiled. “I
already thought about that.”

With the
addition of each new mate to their family pack, his mom had cooked for everyone
in way of celebration. This time there would be two members added, which was
cause for an even bigger one.

Gage returned to
his room to find Jaimie and Derrick ready to head out to Lynne’s house. He met
Jaimie’s gaze and couldn’t help remembering how she’d awakened him earlier.
He’d gone from being in a deep sleep, to rousing with the sensation of a warm
mouth wrapped around his cock. Seeing his mate pleasuring him like that was the
most erotic thing he’d ever seen. Making love to her was something he’d never
grow tired of. He looked at her closer and noticed overnight her face had
filled out some. It wouldn’t be long before she was at a hundred percent.

“Ready to go?”
he asked.

Jaimie nodded.
“Yeah. We’re all set.”

“Are we really
going to move to your cabin today?” Derrick asked.

Gage smiled.
“Yes. My place only has one bedroom, but we’ll add on another for you. My
father and brothers will help me so it shouldn’t take too long.”

“Uncle Cyrus
said you would.”

“Uncle Cyrus,
huh?”

“He told me to
call him that since you and my mom are considered married now that you two have
those wolf marks. He showed me his, as did Aunt Shyla hers. I want one when I
grow up.”

Gage had to chuckle
and shake his head. It seemed Cyrus had done a good job explaining things to
Derrick when he and Shyla had taken Derrick out to eat the evening before.

After they
checked out, they made the trip to Lynne’s house. Jaimie’s sister had been a
bit sad about their decision to move today, but she’d understood. It hadn’t
taken very long to pack Jaimie’s and Derrick’s belongings that they wanted to
take that day. The majority of his mate’s had already been in boxes. That was a
reminder of how close he’d come to losing her.

With his SUV
stuffed with boxes and suitcases, they left Lynne and Rob waving from the front
porch of their house as he drove down their street to make the long trip to
Canyon Creek. Before leaving Great Falls, Gage went through a drive-thru of a
fast food restaurant, not wanting to stop somewhere on the highway to eat.

Gage had thought
Jaimie or Derrick or both would end up falling asleep during the two-hour
drive, but they hadn’t. Derrick, having never been out of Great Falls, had
spent a lot of time asking questions about the town of Canyon Creek and his new
home.

As they finally
arrived on his family’s mountain property, Gage looked back at Derrick through
the rearview mirror. His son’s eyes were wide and he wore an expression of
excitement. Gage made a mental note to take Derrick out exploring in the woods
at the first opportunity he could get.

He turned onto
the gravel path that led up to his log cabin and then glanced at Jaimie. “What
do you think so far?”

She turned and
smiled. “It’s gorgeous here. I always wondered what it’d be like to live in
this kind of environment.”

“Well, you get
to find out.”

They reached the
end of the path and he found his mother and father standing in front of his
cabin, waiting. Neither one of them looked their age. Though fifty-nine years
old, his mom looked to be closer to twenty-eight. Her long, dark blonde hair
didn’t have any gray in it, and her face was wrinkle free. His dad, at sixty-two,
was the same. Gage and his brothers had their father’s black hair and their
mother’s light green eyes. A human seeing his whole family together would think
his parents were actually his siblings. That was thanks to wolf shifter
genetics, which allowed them to age slowly.

Gage pulled to a
stop in front of the shed next to his cabin that he used as a garage. He turned
off the engine, then climbed out of the SUV. Jaimie and Derrick did the same. Gage
led his new family over to meet his parents. His mom’s gaze landed on his son and
a wide smile spread across her face. Ever since Kiel had taken Neha as a mate,
their mother had hopes of being a grandmother in the not-too-distant future.
Now she was one.

Once they stood
in front of his parents, Gage made the introductions. “Jaimie, Derrick, this is
my mom, Selina, and my dad, Brant.”

His mother
didn’t hesitate to give Jaimie and Derrick a hug before she spoke. “I’m so
happy to meet you two. And how old are you, Derrick?”

“I’m eight.”

“Well, you’re a
big boy, aren’t you?”

“Speaking of
ages,” Jaimie said. “I have to say neither one of you look as if you’re old
enough to have sons who are thirty.”

His mom
chuckled. “It’s a wolf shifter thing, dear. We don’t age the same as humans
once we reach adulthood. And we’re pretty sure neither will you now that you’re
mated to Gage.”

“Why don’t we
let the women folk get better acquainted while we start unloading the SUV,” his
dad said.

“Can I help?”
Derrick asked. “I’m strong. See.” He flexed his arm, showing off his small
biceps.

Gage’s father
grinned and gave the skinny arm a squeeze. “I can see you are. And yes, you can
help your dad and me.”

“Will you turn
in to a wolf after we’re done? Gage let me ride on his back when he was one.”

“Really now.”
His dad burst out laughing. “I don’t know about giving you a ride, but I can
shift to my wolf form for you.”

As his dad met
his gaze, Gage groaned. Jaimie had been right. He’d started something with
Derrick that the little guy wasn’t going to let go of anytime soon. He had a
feeling his son would ask Kiel, Talon, Memphis and Rhett the exact same thing
once they were introduced. He wondered if Derrick would remember Cyrus telling
him to pull on his brothers’ ears and kick them in the sides if they did give
him wolf rides. That had Gage smiling at the thought.

* * * *

It’d been a week
since Jaimie and Derrick had moved in with Gage. Her old life was slowly
becoming a dim memory while the love she had for her mate grew even stronger.
Her son had taken to him right from the start, along with the rest of Gage’s
family. She and Derrick had been welcomed into the pack with open arms as if
they’d always been a part of it.

She was also in
love with her new home. The cabin was rustic in some ways, like not having electricity,
but Gage had promised to get it put in after he finished adding on a second
bedroom for Derrick. The land surrounding it was beautiful. Tall trees were
everywhere she looked, and the air was fresh and clean. It was the best place
for her son to grow up.

It was Saturday,
and Gage, his brothers and father were all busy with their construction work.
They had the floor done and were working on the log walls. Jaimie went outside
to watch. They wouldn’t be cutting a doorway in the existing wall until the
room was completed.

Jaimie walked
down the porch steps and looked around the yard for Derrick, who’d gone out to
play some time ago. She didn’t see him and assumed he was with the men. He
always wanted to be a part of whatever they were doing. Having gone so long
with no male figures in his life, except for Rob, he now had an overabundance
of them.

She walked
around to the side of the cabin where the construction took place. Rhett and
Talon were up on ladders, hammering long, thick nails into a log to attach it
to another. Kiel, Gage and Cyrus were busy cutting other logs. Brant and
Memphis were busy stripping the bark off others. There was no sign of Derrick
anywhere.

Jaimie walked
toward Gage. He’d stopped working once he noticed her arrival. He gave her a
kiss once she came to stand in front of him. “Where’s Derrick?” she asked.

“Not here. I
thought he was out in the yard or with you.”

“No. I thought
he was you guys.”

Gage’s smile
disappeared. “I hope he didn’t decide to go to see my mom by himself.”

Selina and
Derrick had grown really close. His new grandmother adored him and lavished him
with attention. Her son sucked up every bit of it. Being the youngest member of
the pack had its advantages.

“I doubt he’d do
that,” Jaimie said. “He knows not to since he could get lost if he went through
the forest.”

“I don’t see him
anywhere,” Rhett said. From his position on the ladder he’d be able to see all
of the yard. He climbed down as did Talon.

“We might need
to split up and look for him,” Brant said as he wiped his hands on a rag.
“We’ll go wolf and pick up his scent trail.”

In a matter of
seconds, Jaimie was surrounded by six wolves. Gage had yet to shift to his wolf
form. “You’re not going to go wolf?” she asked.

“No. I’ll stay
like this with you. They’ll pick up his trail.”

She and Gage
followed the wolves as they rounded the cabin to the yard. They split up and
put their noses to the ground. Derrick’s scent had to be all over it since he’d
been playing out there.

It’d taken
Jaimie a little while to be able to recognize which wolf was which when the
males of the pack shifted. They all had black fur. Now she knew who was who at
a glance. Derrick had learned faster than her, though.

Talon headed a
short distance into the trees that were close to the shed. He sniffed around,
then threw back his head on a howl. All the other wolves stopped their
searching and padded over to him. Gage and Jaimie hurried over as well.

Talon shifted to
his human form. “I found a scent trail that leads farther into the woods.” He
looked at Gage and Jaimie before he spoke again. “He isn’t alone. I picked up a
human male scent. One I don’t recognize.”

Gage shifted to
his wolf form, sniffed around where Talon had, then shifted again. He growled
and snarled his upper lip. “I do.” He met Jaimie’s gaze. “It’s Neil’s.”

“What? How is
that possible?” she asked. “Neil has no idea where we live. I never told him.”

“You’d better
call Lynne. Maybe she knows something about it. Do that while we follow the
others. I have a feeling Neil didn’t just come here for a visit. He had to have
waited until Derrick was outside alone to approach him.”

Jaimie’s gut
sank. No, Neil hadn’t come to see his son. He’d come to steal him away from
her. She took her cell phone out of her jeans pocket and called Lynne as she
and Gage followed the wolves through the trees. Her sister answered after a
couple rings.

“Hi, Jaimie. How
are you and Derrick?”

“Lynne, we have
a problem. Derrick’s missing. Gage, his brothers and father have found a scent
trail. Neil was here, and he’s with Derrick. Do you have any idea how Neil found
out where we’re living? I only gave the address to you.”

“I’m so sorry.
Please don’t be angry.”

“What did you
do, Lynne?”

“Neil showed up
here the other day. I was home alone. I told him you and Derrick no longer
lived here and that you moved out of the city to be with Gage. He got really
angry and threatened to call the police on you. He said he wouldn’t if I gave
him the address to your new place. I thought if I gave it to him that would
satisfy him. I didn’t think he’d go there and try to take Derrick.”

“It’s okay. Neil
has always had a temper. Don’t worry. We’ll find him. There’s six wolves on his
trail as speak.”

“Please let me know
what happens.”

“I will. I have
to go.” Jaimie hung up and pocketed her cell once more. She looked at Gage. “Lynne
gave the address to Neil. He came to her house when Rob wasn’t home and
threatened to call the police on me. She got scared.”

“I think it’s
time we scared Neil. A little wolf intervention should do the trick.”

Jaimie smiled.
Her ex had no idea what was about to happen to him. The sight of six giant
wolves coming at you in the middle of a forest would be enough to make anyone
piss their pants.

Memphis let out
a growl, then took off at a run. The others followed him. Gage grabbed Jaimie’s
hand as they ran behind them. The wolves soon outdistanced them and disappeared
into the trees.

The sound of
Neil shouting in fear reached Jaimie’s ears as she and Gage raced to catch up.
Once they did, she saw the wolves had completely surround Neil, who held
Derrick in front of him. Her ex looked scared shitless. Her son, on the other
hand, was completely calm as if it were no big deal.

“Stay back,”
Neil yelled. With his free hand, he pulled a gun out of the holster at his side
and waved it toward the wolves.

“Put the gun
away, Neil,” Jaimie said as she and Gage reached the group.

“No way. These
are the biggest damn wolves I’ve ever seen. Thank goodness I brought my gun to
protect myself from wild animals.”

“They aren’t
wild,” Jaimie said as she stepped between Kiel and Talon and placed her hands
on their backs. “I can’t guarantee they won’t go after you if you don’t put
away your gun, though. You’re in their territory and they’ll protect it.”