Undeniable Craving

by Marisa Chenery

  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.”

  Neil didn’t lower his firearm. “No way.”

  “Then let go of Derrick.”

  “I’m not going to do that either. You took my son away without telling me. I’m taking him with me.” Neil waved the gun around once more.

  In a streak of black, Rhett launched himself at Neil from his side. He took her ex’s wrist in his jaws and dragged the hand holding the gun down. He must have bit hard enough to cause pain, because Neil let out a shriek.

  Derrick jerked out of his father’s hold and went to stand in front of him. “You’d better drop the gun or Uncle Rhett will bite your hand off.”

  “Uncle?” Neil asked.

  “Yes. And Grandpa is standing on your other side.”

  Brant had silently moved in to Neil’s opposite side as Derrick had said. “I’d do what Derrick said.” Jaimie took a step closer to her ex. “These wolves are mine and Derrick’s family now. You cross them and you’ll find out how protective they can be. I suggest you drop the gun, and once Rhett lets you go, if he wants to, you leave and never come back. You’ll never get custody of Derrick, especially after I tell a judge you tried to kidnap him. So what will it be, Neil? Will you leave peacefully or lose a hand and maybe get some jail time?”

  The gun dropped to the ground with a thud. Jaimie wrapped her arms around Derrick and pulled him away from Neil. The wolves opened a space in their circle. Her ex took off at a run. She was positive that’d be the last time she saw him. If he was crazy enough to return, there would be eight wolves to meet him, each one ready to protect her and her son.

  Gage’s brothers and father shifted to their human forms. The men didn’t hold back on their laughter.

  Rhett came up to Derrick and ruffled his hair. “I’d bite off his hand, huh?”

  Derrick smiled. “He was already afraid of you. He didn’t know you wouldn’t do it.”

  “That was smart thinking on your part. I think that earns you a wolf ride.”

  Rhett shifted to a wolf and lowered to his belly for Derrick to climb onto his back. Once he did, Rhett took off in a loping stride through the trees, headed toward the cabin. The others, except Gage, went wolf and followed, leaving Jaimie and her mate alone.

  Gage put his arm around her shoulders and started them walking. “We’ll make a wolf out of Derrick yet.”

  “And he’ll always be protected.”

  “Just as you’ll be.”

  Jaimie wrapped her arm around Gage’s waist and held him tight. Her life was now perfect. She’d gone from being on the brink of death and losing everything to gaining a new family and being free of cancer. She had years to look forward to. All because she’d been fated to a wolf shifter.

  The End

  About the Author

  Marisa Chenery was always a lover of books, but after reading her first historical romance novel she found herself hooked. Having inherited a love for the written word, she soon started writing her own novels.

  After trying her hand at writing historicals, she now writes paranormals.

  Marisa lives in Ontario, Canada with her husband and four children. Check out Marisa’s website. She would love to hear from you, so drop her an email while you’re there.

  www.marisachenery.com

  Also by Marisa Chenery

  Mika’s Black Cougar

  The Wolf in the Woods

  Beowulf and Roxie

  Taryn’s Wolf

  Seducing the Wolf

  Mated to a Wolf

  His She-Wolf Warrior

  Roan’s Fall

  Jager’s Mate

  Leif’s Surrender

  Skylar’s Devotion

  Jinx and Her Werewolf

  Love’s Nest

  The Blue Lotus

  Mahes

  Mate for a King

  Forever Claimed

  Reluctantly His

  The Chosen One

  A Tournament Knight

  Century City

  Werewolf Defender

  Wild Craving

  A Simple Plan

  Winter Craving

  Kye’s Heart

  Designs on a Warrior

  Wulf’s Den Boxed Set

  Dirk’s Love