Full Moon Mating [Wolf Creek Pack 1] (16 page)

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me to find my mate. Don’t come complaining to me when she drives you out of your mind.”

“She’s not that bad.”

“You say that now. Just wait, baby. She gets worse,” Joe assured Nate.

Nate pulled Joe’s hand up to his lips, placing a small kiss on his knuckles. “I don’t care. I’ll still marry you. Your mother is just a bonus. She—”

Nate stopped talking suddenly as his eyes strayed over to look out the nearby window. His face drained of all color as he saw a tall man walking by. He couldn’t see his face, but he knew that walk.

“Nate? Baby? What’s wrong? I was only joking about my mother.

She’d never make you do anything you didn’t want to do. Nate?”

“The Teacher…he’s here!”

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Joe’s heart pounded in his chest as he quietly escorted Nate out the back of the restaurant to where his father was waiting with his truck. He quickly ushered Nate into the backseat and covered him up with a blanket.

“Joe, are you sure it was the Teacher?” Daniel asked as he walked around the truck to the passenger side.

“I didn’t see him. Nate did. If he says it was the Teacher, then it was. I believe him. He wouldn’t lie about something like that. He’s terrified, Dad,” Joe growled, his hands hitting the steering wheel.

“Okay, I believe you, but what are we going to do about it? If what Nate says is true and the Teacher has his hands in the government’s cookie jar, he could come up with a lot of stuff against Nate. He can try to force your hand, Joseph.”

“I know. I think it’s time to call in the other packs. Nate needs the extra protection, and we’re going to need the extra help.”

Daniel nodded. “Let’s get Nate home and I can call from there. I think you’re going to need me there until I can get some bodyguards in place. Our main concern right now is protecting Nate from the Teacher.”

“I agree,” Joe said. “Dad, I won’t let Nate go even if the council tells me to. You need to know that. I realize that this situation is a threat to the pack, but Nate is my mate, and I’ll protect him with my life. If the council makes that decision, I’ll take Nate and leave.”

“Let’s just hope it doesn’t come to that, Son.”

Joe nodded. He knew that the pack would protect Nate as his mate. But if the situation became too much, they could decide that
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Nate wasn’t worth it and try to sever their bond. Joe couldn’t allow that to happen. Nate belonged to him, and he wasn’t going to give him up for anyone, not even his own pack.

His eyes carefully watching everything around him, Joe drove them home. His heart didn’t stop pounding until he had Nate in the house and all of the doors and windows locked. He took Nate into the kitchen for some hot tea as his father went to the office to make phone calls.

“Here, baby, drink this,” Joe said as he handed the cup of heavily sugared tea to Nate.

“I’m sorry,” Nate whispered. “I guess I ruined our big night out.”

“No, baby, you didn’t ruin anything,” Joe said as he knelt down at Nate’s feet. Even kneeling, he was still eye to eye with Nate. He reached over to cup Nate’s pale face in his hands. “You’ve made everything in my life perfect.”

“What are we going to do, Joe? He’s not going to stop until he gets me.”

“We’ll figure something out, Nate. I’m not going to let him get you. You belong to me now, remember?”

“Maybe I should just leave? I can come back after I’ve lost him, after he’s given up on me being here. You’d be safe that way, Joe. He wouldn’t go after you or anyone in the pack. Yes, I think that’s what I should do.”

Joe jumped to his feet and furiously paced around the kitchen. “I don’t ever want to hear something like that come out of your mouth again, Nathan. The only way we can both remain safe is to stay together. That’s what we have in our favor.”

“Joe…”

“If you leave, I leave, Nate. Then where will the pack be? They need you just as much as you need them.”

Joe walked back over to Nate and pulled him up in his arms.

“Give them a chance, Nate. If it comes down to it, I’ll get us both out
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of here. But I will not be separated from you,” he said, grabbing Nate’s ring hand and holding it up for him to see.

“See this? You promised to be with me forever, Nathan. I’m holding you to that promise. You’re going to marry me and take my name, remember?” He whispered the last bit as he rubbed Nate’s hand over his cheek. “You’re mine now, Nate, and I’m not giving you up for anyone.”

“Okay, Joe,” Nate murmured, burying his face in Joe’s neck. “But promise me something.”

“Anything, baby.”

“If it gets to be too much, you’ll get us out of here. If something happened to someone here because of me, I don’t know…I don’t know what I’d do.”

“I promise, baby. I’ll even get us an emergency bag ready to go in case something happens and we need to leave in a hurry. Would that make you feel better?” Joe asked as he nuzzled Nate’s hair.

Nate nodded and gave Joe a wobbly grin. “Maybe we do have a chance, but I won’t feel completely better until I know for sure that the Teacher is gone.”

“Why don’t you go upstairs and—”

“No! I want to stay where you are,” Nate cried out, clutching at Joe’s shirt.

“I was going to say…why don’t you go upstairs and change into something more comfortable, grab your blanket, and come back down to the living room. We can put in a movie or something and cuddle on the couch.”

“You want to cuddle? Now?” Nate asked in surprise.

“I can’t think of a better time, can you? Nate, there’s nothing we can do right now but wait for the pack to arrive. Do you really want to sit around worrying about things we can’t control, or do you want to cuddle and watch a movie? I know what I’d like to do.”

Nate rolled his eyes. “You know I can’t resist those puppy dog eyes of yours,” he said as he headed for the stairs.

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Joe laughed. “I know. Why do you think I use them?”

“Fine, we’ll cuddle on the couch and watch a movie, but nothing gory. I just don’t think I could take that right now. And you’re in charge of the popcorn.”

Joe watched Nate walk out of the kitchen heading upstairs. He really couldn’t have cared less about watching a movie right then, but he knew that Nate needed the distraction it would bring.

The cuddling on the couch, however, was for him. He needed Nate close by him so that he could ensure that he was safe. The mere thought that the Teacher, whoever he was, would try to take him away filled Joe with so much anger, he could barely keep his temper under control.

He knew that the minute Nate touched him, he would feel his anger, and he just hoped Nate didn’t think he was angry with him.

That was another reason for the cuddling. It would calm both of them down.

Walking back into the living room, Joe saw his father coming out of the office. “Well?”

“Your brothers are on their way over now. They’ll stick around until backup arrives. I’ve called in a few favors from a couple of the other packs, and they’re sending help. Hopefully, everyone should be here no later than early morning.”

“I really appreciate this, Dad. I know you’ve gone above and beyond, but I don’t know what I would do if anything happened to Nate,” Joe said as he ran his hand through his long black hair. Just the thought of something happening to Nate made him nauseous.

“You don’t have to say anything, Son. Nate is a member of this pack now. He’s family, and he’s your mate. Besides that, I’ve never seen you happier than you have been since he arrived. For that fact alone, I would protect him with my life,” Daniel said as he patted Joe on the back.

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“Funny how someone so shy and standoffish could get so many people to rally around him when he’s in trouble,” Joe remarked as he walked over to sit down on the couch.

“Nothing funny about it, Joe. Nate is a gentle and caring man.

People are naturally drawn to him. You certainly were,” Daniel replied as he sat down in a chair across from him.

“If you’re saying he can’t keep his hands off of me, you’re right,”

Nate said as he walked into the living room carrying a soft cream-colored blanket. He sat down on the couch next to Joe and pulled the blanket up over himself before settling back against Joe’s side.

“I haven’t heard you complaining,” Daniel smirked.

“Nathan!” Joe exclaimed at the same time.

“What? It isn’t like he doesn’t know about this stuff. He’s married. I’m sure he understands.”

“He doesn’t need to know about our sex life.”

“Who was talking about our sex life?” Nate asked, trying to look innocent as he glanced over at Daniel. “Did you hear me say anything about our sex life?”

“No, Nate, you never said anything about your sex life.” Daniel chuckled.

“Oh, don’t encourage him,” Joe growled.

“Besides,” Nate said as he cuddled back into Joe’s arms, “if I was going to tell Daniel anything about our sex life, I would have to tell him what a nymphomaniac his son is.”

“Nathan!”

* * * *

Joe tensed when he heard someone knocking at the front door. He cast an anxious look at his father as he stood up and walked over to the door and peered out. His heart started beating again when Daniel opened the door, admitting his brother Jim and two other men.

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“Hey Dad, this is Chase and Donovan Morgan from the Shasta pack. Their alpha said we could have them as long as we needed them,” Jim said as he gave his father a slight hug.

“Chase, Donovan, thank you for coming. We can really use your assistance,” Daniel said as he shook both of their hands. “I’m Daniel Nash, alpha of the Wolf Creek Pack. This is my son, Joe, our pack enforcer and the local sheriff. The man sleeping in his lap is his mate, Nate.”

“He’s the reason we are here?” the darker haired man asked.

“Yes. If you want to come sit down, I’m sure we can fill you in.”

Joe watched as both men sat down across from him, Daniel sitting next to Nate’s sleeping form on the couch. Jim stood behind them.

“We need to keep our voices down. Nate just fell asleep, and he needs all of the rest he can get,” Joe said, gesturing to the man in his arms.

Chase and Donovan nodded their heads. “What can you tell us?”

Chase asked quietly.

“There’s a man…Nate calls him the Teacher. We don’t know his real name yet. He has spent the better part of the last twenty years making Nate’s life hell. He finally escaped the Teacher two years ago, but he’s been on the run ever since. The Teacher has his hands in a lot of cookie jars and a very long reach. No place has been safe for Nate for very long.”

“Why does this guy have such a hard-on for your mate?”

“Cause I’m just that damn cute,” Nate said as he opened his eyes to look over at Chase and Donovan, surprising everyone when he sat up.

“Hey, baby, did you have a nice nap?” Joe asked as he nuzzled Nate’s hair.

“Not really, but I suppose I needed it. So, who are the mountains masquerading as men?” Nate asked, nodding his head towards Chase and Donovan.

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Chase leaned forward holding out his hand. “Chase Morgan. My brother Donovan and I were sent down here by our alpha to give you a little added protection.”

Joe held out his hand to Nate. He knew that Nate would need his calming presence to shake hands with each of the other men. Nate grabbed his hand then shook Chase and Donovan’s before sitting back down.

“I guess you want to know about the Teacher?” Nate asked as he sat back in Joe’s arms.

“I think we need to know as much as you’re comfortable telling us. The more that we know, the better we will be able to protect you.”

“I’ll try to give you the short version then,” Nate replied before taking a deep breath. “The Teacher was made my guardian after my mother died. He uses people like me to make him money, lots of money. I’m one of his top…I get him the most money. That’s why he wants me back so bad.”

“You’re a prostitute?” Chase asked, his voice laced with horror.

“Not exactly. I have certain…abilities. The Teacher sells my services to the highest bidder…government agencies, businessmen, drug dealers…You name it, and he sells our services to them. That’s how he’s gained so much power.”

“Services? Abilities? Mind filling us in on what in the hell you’re talking about?” Donovan asked quietly.

“For one, I’m a human lie detector. I can tell if someone is lying just by touching them. Two, I can read people’s emotions. For example, I know exactly what you are feeling right now and for whom,” Nate replied.

Joe watched Donovan’s face turn a little darker as he blushed. He knew that Nate felt his confusion and curiosity, so Nate patted him on the leg.

“That’s got to make things interesting, but I can see why the Teacher might want to get you back. So, I guess our job here is to keep him from accomplishing that?” Chase asked a moment later.

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“Well, I would really appreciate it. Just the thought of that…that man getting his hands on my baby makes me see red,” Joe stated, feeling Nate’s hand pat him on the leg again.

He was very curious about what Nate had read from both Chase and Donovan, although, with the way that Chase’s gaze was devouring Nate, he had a pretty good idea what he was feeling. Chase was attracted to his little man. Joe couldn’t blame him. Nate was damn sexy.

That didn’t mean, however, he was going to roll over and let some other man step in on his territory. Nate belonged to him, and he was going to have to take Chase aside later and set down some ground rules with him or rip out his throat.

“So, from what I understand from my alpha, the Teacher has been seen in town, correct?”

Joe and Nate both nodded. “Yeah, Joe and I were out eating when I spotted him through the window.”

“Are you sure it was him?” Donovan asked, again, his voice very quiet.