Dire Wolf Mates - Chapter 7: Chapter 7
You are reading Dire Wolf Mates, Chapter 7: Chapter 7. Read more chapters of Dire Wolf Mates.
Derrick sat behind his desk and finished inputting the newest invoices, using the software system Phoenix had developed to help them run Serious Moonlight smoothly. Once he clicked pay on this last invoice, that would be it. All of their suppliers would have a zero dollar balance on their accounts. He clicked the button with a move of his wireless mouse and sighed.
Satisfaction thrummed through his veins, and yet Derrick’s Dire Wolf growled inside of him. For some reason, his animal was on edge. He stood up and walked around to the huge shelf he’d claimed as his.
It was part of the original office, but like so many of the things they’d found here, had been left to rot. After stripping and sanding it down, he replaced two of the shelves, refinished the whole thing after salvaging it from the same mildew and mold that had sunk into various parts of the building.
A lot of the original furniture had been repurposed by him and his crew. Thank the gods they were all strong and good with their hands. But that’s what happened when you lived your entire lives on the road. They’d picked up this and that along the way.
Of course, he’d started investing their money a few decades back and managed to increase their accounts. He’d used that money, plus a big chunk of his own funds, to buy this place. Looking at them, people probably figured they had little more than a pot to piss in, but the opposite couldn’t be any truer.
The Pack accounts were healthy and fat. Added up, they made a nice, round eight figure number spread out across the globe. Personally, Derrick’s account was of a similar status. But he was a man of few needs, and material things were never that important.
Money never mattered much to him. It was a means to an end, not the end. Not for him. He’d lived too long to not know what was truly important in this world.
Derrick may look a little over thirty, but he was triple that age. His Shifter abilities included living a much longer life than humans. Sometimes, they outlived other Shifters as well. It was a Dire Wolf thing.
His own mother was over three-hundred-years old. Still alive and kicking, leading her own Pack of twelve widowed she-Wolves who preferred to live honoring the memory of their mates by riding their bikes cross country the way they had when they’d been together.
It was sad and beautiful. Tragedy plagued those destined to live after their loved ones passed into the next adventure. Derrick had worried about leaving his mother when he’d decided to branch out on his own with a few Wolves, but she’d slapped him on the side of the head affectionately and told him to stop cramping her style. She was a good mother and had assured him she’d be just fine. After all, she’d taught him how to ride. He still blushed at the memory, but he’d only been a kid and she was so strong and wise. His mama sure had taught him a thing or two on the back of his first Harley, and he was damn proud of her.
His Wolf paced and grumbled inside him, feeling unsettled and anxious. Fuck. This was something the bar was supposed to calm in him. Derrick wiped sweat from his brow. Suddenly, he was hot in the tiny office. He ripped off his black t-shirt and leaned on the shelf, allowing the air from the vent to cool his overheated body.
The Wolf was getting aggressive, pushing, and snapping at his skin, demanding to be released. He knew settling in one place was going to be a challenge for his Pack, but he’d forgotten his own animal might not take to it right away. It would take some time, he supposed. And that was something he had plenty of.
Fuck. He felt really really hot now.
It was like his blood was boiling. Not in anger, though. More like anticipation. A knock sounded on the door, and he listened to one of his own speak. Someone was there for the job they’d been advertising.
Finally, he thought, relieved. Sheila had been bitchin’ about getting more help and here was a guy applying for the job. It was a little late, but who was he to judge.
“Send him in,” he grunted, not bothering to turn around.
His Wolf would tell him if he was in danger from a threat. Derrick closed his eyes and listened to the footsteps of the stranger. They were lighter than he would have guessed. Much lighter than a Shifter male, even a regular human male.
He sniffed the air, sorting through the harsh chemical cleaners and paint that still hung in the air from their massive remodeling of their bar.
A female?
After his initial shock, he breathed again. His Dire Wolf had gone silent, the hunter inside him weighing the threat of the newcomer. His heart rate increased as the beast found something else in that new fragrance. Something intoxicating and terrifying in the female’s scent. It was heady and dangerous, and very, very tempting.
Derrick sucked in a deep breath and held it in. Her scent was light and woody, fresh as spring flowers and just as uplifting. Like that moment you step off your bike after a seventy-two hour straight run, taking in the life bursting all around from the sunrise to the insects, the birds, and even the weeds on the side of the road. The scent invaded his senses, and he took a moment to savor it as his pulse sped up inside of him, thundering like a herd of wild stallions. That crazy, beautiful, wild scent seemed to wrap around his limbs, shooting straight for his cock. The damn thing grew thick and hard in his already tight jeans. He ached and throbbed, his Wolf growled and scratched, urging him closer to the source of that amazing smell.
Fuck.
Need pulsed through him, making thought almost impossible. He breathed again. The woman was calling to him, and he hadn’t even seen her yet. He tried to steady himself before turning around. His Wolf was riding him hard, but Derrick did not want to scare her. He should take a minute, try to assess the situation.
Sniff sniff.
Feline Shifter. Sexy little kitten. Mine.
It didn’t matter that she wasn’t a Wolf. All he cared about was how fucking fantastic she smelled. Derrick growled deep and low in his throat. The sound reverberated through his chest. The near thousand pound animal inside of him urged the man to turn around and take a look. He asked her who she was, and waited, but she didn’t respond. He needed a name to go with that scent.
Derrick turned, eyes flashing with his beast. “I said, who are you?”
Eyes the color of wild spear thistles met his, and he knew. Right then and there. This woman, sniff, this she-Cat was his. His one true and fated mate.
After that, it was a matter of self-control. He’d finally managed to get his hands on her, couldn’t seem to stop himself, he had to breathe her in up close. Once he’d recognized her as a Shifter, he figured it was all going to be fine, eventually. Surely, she would rejoice. The same way his heart did at the thought of finding his one true and fated mate.
She had a momentary panic, and he waited patiently for her to get through it. Discovering your mate could be shocking. And she was so fucking cute, pacing and shaking her pretty little head as she ranted. But imagine his utter and complete shock when she’d turned around and refused him.
“I don’t want a mate.”
Derrick recoiled inside as if she’d slapped him, but he didn’t allow her to see it. Nope. Yes, it sucked. She wasn’t as overjoyed as he was, but he didn’t let that get him down. This sassy little feline was all his. She just didn’t realize it yet.
“Lucy, we can talk about the mate thing later. Why did you come here?” he asked, openly curious.
“I need a job so I can pay for the repairs to my car and a place to stay for a little while until it is fixed. Then I’m leaving,” she said, not quite meeting his eyes.
His Wolf snarled at the thought of her leaving but reined in the animal. He wanted her to choose him, but he would not get that by bullying her. If his life had taught him anything, it was that in order to play the long game, you had to be patient.
Derrick could be patient. Even if he wanted to tear her clothes off, make her come until she was screaming his name, and begging him to mark her with his bite, he would hold off. Wooing the sexy little feline was going to be fun, he mused, determined to make her so crazy about him, she would never want to stray from his side.
Satisfaction thrummed through his veins, and yet Derrick’s Dire Wolf growled inside of him. For some reason, his animal was on edge. He stood up and walked around to the huge shelf he’d claimed as his.
It was part of the original office, but like so many of the things they’d found here, had been left to rot. After stripping and sanding it down, he replaced two of the shelves, refinished the whole thing after salvaging it from the same mildew and mold that had sunk into various parts of the building.
A lot of the original furniture had been repurposed by him and his crew. Thank the gods they were all strong and good with their hands. But that’s what happened when you lived your entire lives on the road. They’d picked up this and that along the way.
Of course, he’d started investing their money a few decades back and managed to increase their accounts. He’d used that money, plus a big chunk of his own funds, to buy this place. Looking at them, people probably figured they had little more than a pot to piss in, but the opposite couldn’t be any truer.
The Pack accounts were healthy and fat. Added up, they made a nice, round eight figure number spread out across the globe. Personally, Derrick’s account was of a similar status. But he was a man of few needs, and material things were never that important.
Money never mattered much to him. It was a means to an end, not the end. Not for him. He’d lived too long to not know what was truly important in this world.
Derrick may look a little over thirty, but he was triple that age. His Shifter abilities included living a much longer life than humans. Sometimes, they outlived other Shifters as well. It was a Dire Wolf thing.
His own mother was over three-hundred-years old. Still alive and kicking, leading her own Pack of twelve widowed she-Wolves who preferred to live honoring the memory of their mates by riding their bikes cross country the way they had when they’d been together.
It was sad and beautiful. Tragedy plagued those destined to live after their loved ones passed into the next adventure. Derrick had worried about leaving his mother when he’d decided to branch out on his own with a few Wolves, but she’d slapped him on the side of the head affectionately and told him to stop cramping her style. She was a good mother and had assured him she’d be just fine. After all, she’d taught him how to ride. He still blushed at the memory, but he’d only been a kid and she was so strong and wise. His mama sure had taught him a thing or two on the back of his first Harley, and he was damn proud of her.
His Wolf paced and grumbled inside him, feeling unsettled and anxious. Fuck. This was something the bar was supposed to calm in him. Derrick wiped sweat from his brow. Suddenly, he was hot in the tiny office. He ripped off his black t-shirt and leaned on the shelf, allowing the air from the vent to cool his overheated body.
The Wolf was getting aggressive, pushing, and snapping at his skin, demanding to be released. He knew settling in one place was going to be a challenge for his Pack, but he’d forgotten his own animal might not take to it right away. It would take some time, he supposed. And that was something he had plenty of.
Fuck. He felt really really hot now.
It was like his blood was boiling. Not in anger, though. More like anticipation. A knock sounded on the door, and he listened to one of his own speak. Someone was there for the job they’d been advertising.
Finally, he thought, relieved. Sheila had been bitchin’ about getting more help and here was a guy applying for the job. It was a little late, but who was he to judge.
“Send him in,” he grunted, not bothering to turn around.
His Wolf would tell him if he was in danger from a threat. Derrick closed his eyes and listened to the footsteps of the stranger. They were lighter than he would have guessed. Much lighter than a Shifter male, even a regular human male.
He sniffed the air, sorting through the harsh chemical cleaners and paint that still hung in the air from their massive remodeling of their bar.
A female?
After his initial shock, he breathed again. His Dire Wolf had gone silent, the hunter inside him weighing the threat of the newcomer. His heart rate increased as the beast found something else in that new fragrance. Something intoxicating and terrifying in the female’s scent. It was heady and dangerous, and very, very tempting.
Derrick sucked in a deep breath and held it in. Her scent was light and woody, fresh as spring flowers and just as uplifting. Like that moment you step off your bike after a seventy-two hour straight run, taking in the life bursting all around from the sunrise to the insects, the birds, and even the weeds on the side of the road. The scent invaded his senses, and he took a moment to savor it as his pulse sped up inside of him, thundering like a herd of wild stallions. That crazy, beautiful, wild scent seemed to wrap around his limbs, shooting straight for his cock. The damn thing grew thick and hard in his already tight jeans. He ached and throbbed, his Wolf growled and scratched, urging him closer to the source of that amazing smell.
Fuck.
Need pulsed through him, making thought almost impossible. He breathed again. The woman was calling to him, and he hadn’t even seen her yet. He tried to steady himself before turning around. His Wolf was riding him hard, but Derrick did not want to scare her. He should take a minute, try to assess the situation.
Sniff sniff.
Feline Shifter. Sexy little kitten. Mine.
It didn’t matter that she wasn’t a Wolf. All he cared about was how fucking fantastic she smelled. Derrick growled deep and low in his throat. The sound reverberated through his chest. The near thousand pound animal inside of him urged the man to turn around and take a look. He asked her who she was, and waited, but she didn’t respond. He needed a name to go with that scent.
Derrick turned, eyes flashing with his beast. “I said, who are you?”
Eyes the color of wild spear thistles met his, and he knew. Right then and there. This woman, sniff, this she-Cat was his. His one true and fated mate.
After that, it was a matter of self-control. He’d finally managed to get his hands on her, couldn’t seem to stop himself, he had to breathe her in up close. Once he’d recognized her as a Shifter, he figured it was all going to be fine, eventually. Surely, she would rejoice. The same way his heart did at the thought of finding his one true and fated mate.
She had a momentary panic, and he waited patiently for her to get through it. Discovering your mate could be shocking. And she was so fucking cute, pacing and shaking her pretty little head as she ranted. But imagine his utter and complete shock when she’d turned around and refused him.
“I don’t want a mate.”
Derrick recoiled inside as if she’d slapped him, but he didn’t allow her to see it. Nope. Yes, it sucked. She wasn’t as overjoyed as he was, but he didn’t let that get him down. This sassy little feline was all his. She just didn’t realize it yet.
“Lucy, we can talk about the mate thing later. Why did you come here?” he asked, openly curious.
“I need a job so I can pay for the repairs to my car and a place to stay for a little while until it is fixed. Then I’m leaving,” she said, not quite meeting his eyes.
His Wolf snarled at the thought of her leaving but reined in the animal. He wanted her to choose him, but he would not get that by bullying her. If his life had taught him anything, it was that in order to play the long game, you had to be patient.
Derrick could be patient. Even if he wanted to tear her clothes off, make her come until she was screaming his name, and begging him to mark her with his bite, he would hold off. Wooing the sexy little feline was going to be fun, he mused, determined to make her so crazy about him, she would never want to stray from his side.
End of Dire Wolf Mates Chapter 7. Continue reading Chapter 8 or return to Dire Wolf Mates book page.