Page 73 of Fated Despite the Moon

"No one saw anything." Jeremiah jumped from his truck, lumbering over. "This isn't Los Angeles, kid. There are no cellphone cameras recording you and putting it on the internet. I suggest you do what my son told you to and leave before something happens that you'll regret. I am the Alpha of this pack, and if I wanted to jump in my truck and run you over in the middle of main street until your eyes popped out of your ugly skull, there wouldn’t be one person here who would say a damn word about it."

Jeremiah loomed over Derek, his eyes blazing Alpha bright. Derek's gaze traveled between all of them as he rose.

"Fifty thousand. You give me that, and you can have the stupid sow."

Caleb lunged at Derek, but Makayla caught him.

"Don't," she said. "He’s nothing, and he knows it."

Jeremiah grabbed Derek by his shirt collar and whipped him off his feet. “If I so much as catch a whiff of your shit-stained underwear in my town again, I will hunt you down and rip your throat out. And believe me when I say, I’ve buried better connected men on my land than your sorry ass, and no one has ever found one of them.”

Jeremiah shoved Derek who stumbled backward and laughed. "You have twenty-four hours. Then I get a lawyer. I doubt very highly you would want a bunch of outsiders snooping around this little town. I'm staying at the dump down the road for tonight only. Tomorrow, I have an appointment up north."

Derek walked down the sidewalk past the onlookers.

Makayla's body shook with adrenaline as she wrapped her arms around Caleb’s neck and kissed him. Caleb’s body continued to shake, but he hugged her tight and nuzzled her neck, a protective musky scent wafting off him.

Jeremiah stepped toward them. "You two okay?"

Makayla nodded.

Jeremiah laid his hand on Caleb's shoulders. "Don't worry about him. He can't do anything."

"He's the baby's father."

"No." Makayla turned Caleb’s face to hers. "No. You are the baby's father. He's just the guy who knocked me up. He proved that today. And every single day since I told him I was pregnant. You heard him. He doesn't want the baby. He wants money."

"Then we'll give him money and get him gone," said Jeremiah.

"I won't give him one dime," Caleb spat.

"I will," said Makayla. "Call my mom. Tell her what's going on. She will happily release the money in my trust to pay him off and get him out of my life."

"And what's to stop him coming back for more?" demanded Caleb. "We can't take the chance of him telling people about Wolf River. We can't have people nosing around in our business."

"We'll take care of it," said Jeremiah.

Caleb scowled. "How?"

Jeremiah leveled his gaze at Caleb. "I wasn’t kidding when I said I’d rip out his throat."

The look between the two men gave Makayla a chill. Would they handle Derek the way they'd handled the guy who'd hurt Dakota? Derek was a dick, but he didn't deserve to die.

"Let me call my mom," said Makayla. "I'll get the money. Jeremiah, call Logan. Have him draft up a contract or something forcing him to give up his rights. I'll go there tonight and make him sign it, and then it will be finished."

"No," said Caleb. "Call your mom. Get the money. I'll go and make sure he signs it."

She could tell by his expression there was no arguing with him. It was his job as her mate to protect her. She knew nothing she said would change his mind. Just as no one would keep her from protecting him, or their baby.

Chapter 20

Caleb deposited Makayla back at the cabin against her protests and headed to his dad's house. His father assured him they would get Derek out of Wolf River and that the bastard would never bother them again.

Around ten that evening Logan arrived with the paperwork in hand for Derek to give up any rights to the baby, and his dad went into his safe and pulled out cash for Caleb.

"Are you sure this is the way you want it?" asked Griffin. "Dad and I can go handle this for you."

"No." Caleb shook his head. "Makayla made me promise I wouldn't kill him. He's an asshole, but he's still the one who fathered our baby, and for that at least I have to be grateful, because if he hadn't, I never would have found my mate."

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