by Tl Reeve
“What the fuck?” Kalkin hooked his thumb at the pups.
“They’re hunting lizards.”
“Ah hell.” Kalkin snickered. “How are they doing?”
“Not sure.” He leaned forward, trying to get a better view.
“Well, I’ll be damned.”
Nicolas trotted over to them carrying his prize. His little head was held as high as he could muster. Caden’s heart swelled. “That’s my boy.” Nicolas quickened his pace, coming straight to him to show off his hunting skills. “Good job, son.”
His little body wiggled with excitement. Nicolas placed the lizard in Caden’s hand. His movements were gentle, almost caring. Then he sat down on his butt, never taking his eyes off his father.
“We’re going to have to keep this.” He rubbed his son’s head. “Mama might not like it, but us men have to stick together. Right, boys?” Each pup in front of Caden gave a sharp bark of approval. “Go play. I won’t let this out of my sight.”
Nicolas, Aiden, and Bodhi scurried off, leaving him to hold the lizard.
“How are you going to explain this to Danielle?” Kalkin muttered, glancing at the lifeless reptile.
“Explain what?” Danielle stepped outside, rubbing her hands on a dish towel.
Caden stood. “It appears, we have a hunter in the family.” He strode towards her.
She glanced down into his hands. She frowned. “I told Aiden not to kill the lizards.” She sighed. “I guess it is in their DNA after all, though.”
“Wasn’t Aiden.” He grinned.
Danielle stared at him a second. “Nicolas did this?”
Caden nodded.
“Oh my.”
“Don’t freak out. He’s pretty proud of himself, and he should be. He’s learning skills he shouldn’t have for another few months. Also, Aiden, Nicolas, and Bodhi worked as a team to catch it, allowing Nicolas to be the one to trap it.”
Danielle scrubbed his forehead. “What do we do with it now?”
“Keep it. Show we’re proud of his accomplishment. Soon, he’ll forget about it and move on to the next thing.” He kissed her forehead.
“Ugh,” she grumbled. “Boys.”
Caden laughed.
* * * *
After they ate lunch and put the pups down for an afternoon nap, Kalkin pulled Caden aside. He’d been on edge since their little talk they’d had about Sage. He wasn’t ready. Even though she sat right there, he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t force the words from his mouth. In the end, he was still a chicken shit.
“I’m going to stay here with Keeley,” Kalkin said. “Take Sage back to town so she can clock out and grab her car. She should spend some time with her mom and get her settled.”
“Are you sure?” Caden swallowed hard.
Kalkin rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I’m sure. It’ll do both of you guys some good. Get to really know her. Put aside, ‘work’ Sage and learn about your daughter.”
Shit. It still sounded weird. “Sure, okay.”
“Remember to breathe.” Kalkin smacked him on the back, causing Caden to lurch forward. “Sage?”
She came out of the kitchen, her mother trailing behind her. “Yes, sir?”
“Why don’t you take the rest of the afternoon. Help your mom get settled. I’m sure you two could use some time to catch up and do whatever girls do,” his brother said.
Caden laughed.
“Jesus, you’re like a dang Neanderthal,” Keeley snapped.
Eloise clapped her hands. “I really like your mate, Kalkin. You did good, son.”
Caden cleared his throat to cover his laughter. “Whenever you’re ready to go, Sage, we’ll head out.”
She nodded. “Great. Uh, thanks.” She tucked a stray hair behind her ear and for a split second, it reminded him of something Royce used to do when he needed a haircut.
“Great. Excuse me. I need to make sure my mate has everything she needs for the rest of the afternoon.” He gave a curt nod and headed for the second floor of the house.
After the afternoon’s whirlwind of activity, he took a moment to gather himself. He walked across the bridge to Danielle’s house to grab everything they’d need, including the playpen they’d once used for Aiden, before returning to Kalkin’s home. He liked the idea of Danielle staying with his brother while Caden went back to work. At least then she’d be safe if something were to happen. Though he didn’t think it would.
When he returned, he went to find his mate. As he crested the staircase, he spotted Danielle rocking Nicolas. She whispered something to him while he drank his bottle. He didn’t move. Instead, he watched them for a moment. Caden rubbed the middle of his chest as a warmth bloomed inside him. His whole family under one roof, minus his brothers and nephew, Royce. Years of anger and betrayal dissolved. He realized, standing there, he could continue to hold on to the dark memories of his past, or he could let it all go and forgive himself—something he’d never been able to do.
He chose the latter. The negativity didn’t belong in his life anymore. He had way too much to live for. He’d be fucking crazy if he gave it all up for something that, like Danielle tried to tell him, hadn’t been his fault. He needed to allow the wounded boy still lurking in the dark recesses of his mind to heal. The heavy burden he carried on his shoulders all these years now fell away, causing him to feel lighter than he had in years.
Danielle glanced up. Tears shimmered in her eyes. A small tremulous smile filled her features. He crossed to her. He couldn’t gather her up into his arms for fear of disturbing Nicolas. He kneeled next to her, peering down at his sleeping son. His lips were parted. His cheeks were a light pink from playing out in the sun with his brother and cousins.
“We tuckered him out,” Caden whispered.
“You did,” Danielle replied. “Better now?”
Caden nodded. “A lady once said I needed to forgive myself.”
“She sounds pretty wise,” Danielle answered.
“She is.” He tipped her chin up and kissed her. “I’m going back to work. I’m taking Sage to get her things so she can get her mom settled.”
“Okay. I’m not leaving until the boys wake from their naps.” She glanced up at him. “We should do this more.”
Caden agreed. “We should.” He kissed her again. “I’ll see you tonight. I love you.”
“Love you too.” Danielle smiled. “Be careful.”
“Always.”
Caden met Sage at the door. In the living room, Kalkin and Eloise were carrying on an animated conversation with Keeley. They acted as if they were all long-lost friends catching up for the first time in years. In a way, he supposed they were. “Ready?”
Sage grinned. “Yeah. I am.”
“I’m glad you were here today.” He’d start out slow with her. Nothing said creeper like crawling into the girl’s space before she’d been ready. They stepped out of the house and strode towards the waiting vehicles.
“Me too,” she answered, getting into his SUV after he unlocked doors. “Sorry about my mom.”
Caden closed his door. “Don’t even worry about it.”
“She’s a little out there.” Sage laughed.
“She’s a good lady.” He started the SUV and pulled out. “I can’t believe it’s been so long since I’ve seen her.” It took him a minute to remember Eloise. She’d stopped through during the Strawberry Festival. She did aura readings for all those who wanted one. Of course, the regular humans were always the ones who became quite mystified by Eloise. They’d become so wrapped up in the reading, they’d lose themselves to the stories Sage’s mother would tell. She had a way about her. No doubt about it. Caden couldn’t have been more pleased with who Kalkin chose to help them, in the fucked situation he’d been put into.
“Yeah. She’s a good nut.” Sage glanced down at her hands.
“Should, uh...should we talk about, us?” Smooth move, ExLax.
Sage turned a bit in her seat to face him. “My mom always told me I was adop
ted. A gift from a wolf who’d one day become a leader to many.” She waved off her words while making a face. “I never felt out of place. I was always loved.”
“I’m glad.” Caden needed to hear her reassurances. “I want to be honest about everything.”
“Mom connected the dots from what Kalkin told her. I’m sorry you had to endure this. I think a part of me wanted to come back, so I could get to know you. She might have told me where to begin my search,” Sage admitted.
“I’m sorry I have been such a dick for the last year. We’ve lost so much time together.”
She held her hand up. “You had more than your fair share of shit in your life. I can give you a pass.”
“I don’t deserve it, but I appreciate it.” Caden glanced at her. “So, where do we go from here?”
She took a deep breath. “I’d like to get to know all of you. I’m not sure I can call you dad, it’s a little weird. Plus, Eloise’s husband has always been my dad. However, we’re connected, right? We should take it day by day and go from there.”
“Okay.” It was more than he could ever hope for. He never imagined in a million years, he’d be sitting next to the little girl he’d carried home, like he had Aiden, only she’d been hours old. “I can handle taking it a day at a time.”
“Perfect.” Sage grinned.
Caden came to a stop at the stop sign. He sat forward at the same time as Sage. His eyes narrowed. No fucking way. Marjorie stood at the door of Mrs. Martin’s shop. Their conversation was animated. The elder woman pointed her finger in Marjorie’s face and took a step forward.
“Uh-oh,” Sage said. “We need to stop this before Mrs. Martin gets hurt.”
He agreed. “On it.” He gunned it, turning on his lights and sirens. Marjorie saw him and darted away. “You check on Mrs. Martin. I’m going to let Kalkin know they’re back. When you’re done checking on Mrs. Martin, I want you to stick close to your mom. Don’t leave her side for nothing.”
Sage gave a curt nod. “Got it. Be careful.”
“I will.” He touched her hand. “You too.”
She squeezed his fingers before getting out. “I will.”
Like father like daughter.
Caden kept his focus on Sage as she spoke to Mrs. Martin. Kal wasn’t answering his freaking cell phone, and it was pissing Caden off. Knowing his opportunistic twin, he most likely getting his jollies off with Keeley since the kids were asleep. Never mind Danielle and Eloise were in the house.
He was just about to hang up, when Kal’s gruff, slightly out of breath voice came over the line. “This better be good, asshole.”
It never ceased to amaze him how quickly his brother’s moods could and did change. When they left his house, he was concerned, perhaps even loving. Now he sounded like he wanted to rip Caden’s head off and shit down his throat. Keeley deserved a medal.
“I don’t know. Is ‘good’ enough to bother you because Sage and I saw Marjorie in town, having a heated discussion with Mrs. Martin?” Caden didn’t bother to keep the sarcasm from his voice. Being the Alpha’s twin and Beta did have its advantages.
“Pauline okay?” Kalkin asked.
Caden could now hear Keeley, her voice filled with concern, asking what was going on.
“Sage is talking to her.”
“You got—”
“Eyes on both,” Caden acknowledged, not the least bit fazed by his sibling’s question. Protect the females above all else.
“Any sign of her?”
“Turned on my lights and the bitch fled,” Caden said.
Sage flipped closed her notebook and pocketed her pen before giving Mrs. Martin a hug. She didn’t strut or sway her hips, no, her strides were purposeful, deliberate as she made her way back to him.
“Sage is almost in the car.”
“Put me on speaker,” Kal demanded.
Caden pressed the microphone icon just as Sage slid into the passenger seat. “Kal’s on the phone.”
“Pauline okay?” Kal repeated his initial question.
Sage smiled. “She’s fine. Fired up and breathing fire. She’s one tough lady.”
“You have no idea. She willingly took in all the Raferty brothers, raising half feral boys to fine upstanding citizens,” Caden stated.
“I don’t know if I’d go that far,” Sage said with a snicker.
“Watch it, girl,” Kal snapped. “Sounds like Sage already knows, eh, brother?”
“Let’s stay focused. Cell phones are notoriously easy to hack into and listen to conversations,” Caden warned, not ready for the world to know Sage was his daughter.
Dani should at least know before anyone else.
“Marjorie came into the store, spewing lies, demanding answers on her twisted take on reality. By the way, that last bit was a direct quote from Mrs. Martin,” Sage said.
“This should be interesting,” Caden replied.
“It is. Marjorie told Mrs. Martin she has hired a lawyer and plans to sue the county and the Sheriff for issuing an illegal warrant which directly related to the murder of her much-loved sister, Tiffany.”
Kalkin snorted. “I’m sure.”
“Marjorie among other things is also claiming the Rafertys have yet again stolen another one of their children. She’s claiming you, Sheriff, took a girl child from her thirty years ago, just moments after she had given birth.” Sage’s lip curled in disgust. “Marjorie is claiming she’s holding a Royal Flush and the pack, the Rafertys, and the county are going to pay for the Alpha’s deceit.”
“This fucking bitch is going to make me get nasty.” Kal growled.
“Mrs. Martin says she’s making the rounds, trying to gain support from the townsfolk and pack members.” Sage pressed on. “Mrs. Martin said she told Marjorie if she didn’t get away from her property, she’d break her fucking neck. Again, those are Mrs. Martin’s words.”
Caden whistled. It was a known fact Pauline Martin rarely, if ever, cursed. The pack elder found other ways of expressing and getting her point across than using foul language.
“I’m going to increase patrol through the town,” Kalkin stated.
“We don’t have enough cruisers. Insurance said it would be at least two to three weeks before they pay out, then we gotta order the new ones,” Caden reminded him.
“Our deputies have feet, don’t they?” Kalkin’s voice rumbled through the connection of their call. “They can patrol on foot.”
“Could work,” he replied.
“Will work.”
“Mrs. Martin said if she sees Marjorie, she’ll call you, Sheriff,” Sage added.
“I need Loraine back.” Kalkin’s voice filled with frustration, and Caden couldn’t blame him.
Loraine made their office run like a well-oiled machine. Their secretary had her fingers on the pulse of everything in the office. If she was working, the insurance company would have cut their checks days ago.
“Jace said unless she suffers a setback, she’d be released from the hospital tomorrow. It’s going to be a slow recovery. It’ll be at least a month before she’s back. And it’ll only be light duty for a while. She’s human,” Caden reminded his brother.
“If our stupid ass brother had mated her a year ago like I planned it, she’d be ready to come back within a week,” Kal snarled.
Yeah, well, not everything goes to your plan, big brother.
“Nothing we can do about it now. It is what it is,” Caden said.
A click and then dial tone signaled Kalkin was done with the conversation.
“I fucking hate when he does that shit. Can’t even say a goodbye.” Caden tucked the phone into his shirt pocket.
“He’s impatient.” His daughter’s grey eyes sparkled with amusement.
Caden didn’t miss the smirk on her lips either. He’d have to keep a sharp eye out on this one. She had trouble maker written all over her. Typical Raferty.
“You think? It’s a Raferty curse.”
He pulled up alongside Sage’s ve
hicle and stopped. After a somewhat uncomfortable goodbye, Sage hopped out, then got in her car. He waited for her to pull out of the space before following her home to be on the safe side. She turned off on the dirt road, heading to Kalkin’s house, and he made his way back to town.
The rest of the afternoon, Caden spent time going over the reports they’d gathered on Raymond and Marjorie. They couldn’t have gone far. Their house had been sealed by the ATF and FBI. If they had money, it had already been seized, he would assume. They were technically on the run and sooner rather than later, both would get desperate. He had to believe it’d been why Marjorie went to Mrs. Martin.
By the time five o’clock came around, he’d been more than ready to go home. Logan relieved him of duty, and Caden hurried home. He parked his vehicle in the usual spot next to Danielle’s home and got out.
Royce greeted him at the door. “Dani’s upstairs giving the boys a bath.”
“Thanks. Go home. Get some rest.” Caden took the steps two at a time. He slid to a stop, peering over Danielle’s shoulder while she squatted on the floor, bathing Aiden. Nicolas sat in some sort of baby bathing contraption wiggling his legs and arms.
“Da!” Aiden splashed water at Danielle until her shirt stuck to her skin.
“Whoa, little guy, I don’t think mama wanted a bath yet.” He grabbed the nearest towel off the rack and held it out to Danielle. “You wanna go change and I’ll finish up?” His mouth watered when she faced him. Her nipples were hard. He could see the outline of her bra through the shirt, and it turned him on to the point of pain. Damn, he shouldn’t be having these kinds of lustful thoughts while his boys were only feet away. He needed to get himself back under control.
“You don’t mind?” She patted her soaked shirt.
“Wouldn’t have offered if I minded, pumpkin,” he said.
Her sweet ass brushed against the front of his work pants and his dick took notice, pushing against his zipper. The little minx had done it on purpose too. Paybacks, mate, are a bitch.