“He knows I’ll keep you safe.”
Yeah? Ally wasn’t all that convinced. But the fact was that she didn’t need Derren or anyone else to shield her; she was a strong, dominant female. All she really needed was to get the hell away from the Collingwood wolves. Strong or not, she couldn’t fight an entire pack. Derren was her ticket out. In that sense, the Mercury Pack was the lesser evil.
She sighed, resigned. “I need to get my stuff.”
Derren’s wide shoulders relaxed slightly. “I’ll come with you.”
“That’s really not necessary.”
“I’ve been charged with keeping you safe. That’s exactly what I’m going to do.”
And there would be consequences for him if he failed, she knew. “All right.”
When he crossed the room to her, she realized that actually it wasn’t “all right” at all. Because as his delicious scent slithered over her—Brazilian coffee beans, oak bark, and hot sex—Ally’s wolf’s interest was replaced by arousal. And that was just the last thing that Ally needed.
It wasn’t often that Derren and his wolf were in accord on things. It wasn’t that their natures were very different, it was that they were so similar—hard, pushy, stubborn, and mostly serious. They both had such strong, forceful personalities that they clashed a lot. But they had one very big difference: their taste in females.
Derren was attracted to confident, bold females who took life as seriously as he did. His wolf, on the other hand, was so easily bored that he tended to like playful, defiant females that would present a challenge.
This difference in tastes could be problematic. His wolf didn’t fight Derren’s choices in females, but he also didn’t invest any interest in the relationships, which the females would sense and resent. Just the same, Derren would find himself grinding his teeth whenever his wolf was driving him to pursue a female that Derren wasn’t attracted to in any sense.
For once, though, they were in total agreement when it came to a woman: Alyssa Marshall was fucking captivating.
Her almond green eyes, framed by thick coal-black lashes, were just as mesmerizing as he remembered. The very second they had met his gaze, it had felt like every ounce of blood in his body had rushed to his cock. Lust had blasted through him with an alarming force, leaving him a little shaken. He wanted to lap at that smooth olive skin. Wanted to cup those high, perky breasts in his hands. Wanted to wrap that sleek mocha-brown curtain around his fist while he ate at that full mouth. And his wolf was urging him on.
Never had Derren had such a visceral reaction to a female. It was unexpected, and he didn’t trust it. Nor did he trust that the attention of his easily distracted wolf was absolutely consumed by her. Was she doing some weird Seer thing? Using her gift to attract him and his wolf?
The truth was that it didn’t truly matter, because never in a million years would he get involved with a Seer. Never. Since she was his friend’s mate, she was off-limits, in any case. Whether Cain intended to claim her or not, it was doubtful he’d like it much if a friend was sniffing around his mate. Derren’s wolf, however, was no more affected by that than he was by Derren’s distrust of her. The animal wanted her. Simple.
Glancing at the female walking beside him, Derren had a hard time believing she was a Seer. He’d been expecting a colorful, loud woman with crimped wavy hair, too much eyeliner, and hippy-like clothes. Instead, he was looking at a slender, self-composed, casually dressed female wearing a minimum amount of makeup.
Even with her dressed in tight-fitting jeans and a simple long-sleeved T-shirt with a scarf loosely hanging around her neck, Derren wanted to back her against one of the trees, strip her naked, and explore every delectable inch of her. He’d let her keep the black midcalf boots on, though.
Cursing inwardly, he shook his head to clear the image from his mind.
Not a lot surprised Derren—maybe because he was simply too jaded. But Ally Marshall . . . she wasn’t at all what he’d expected. Still, whether or not she looked and acted like a Seer, that was exactly what she was. And he’d remember that, because he knew better than most that Seers could be corrupt, self-righteous, and misuse their gifts.
As they traipsed through the woods, heading for her cabin, they saw members of her pack here and there. Most of them ignored her, and she ignored them right back. One or two glared, and she pointedly ignored them too.
“Are you . . . in business with Cain?”
Knowing she was asking if he was part of The Movement too, Derren shook his head. “I’m just an old friend. You remember me.” He’d seen recognition flash across her face in Matt’s office.
“And you remember me.”
A guy didn’t forget eyes like hers.
She pointed at a cabin a few feet away. “We’re here.”
He frowned at the collection of garbage bags and broken furniture on the porch. Paint had been splattered all over the front of the cabin, and one of the windows had weblike cracks running through it. “What happened?” His wolf growled, flexing his claws.
She shrugged. “Kids.”
Kids wouldn’t be inspired to do this kind of damage unless their issue with Ally was extremely personal, or unless . . . “Was the Beta female behind it?”
“So you believe my story?”
She looked pretty surprised that he might believe in her innocence. Understandable, since nobody else had. Although he doubted that she was guilty, he wasn’t convinced she was definitely innocent. His hesitation apparently answered for him, because she sighed, regarding him with disappointment. Like she’d expected more—better—of him. To his total irritation, he found himself strangely feeling both shitty and defensive.
Rather than voice that disappointment, she blanked her expression, shutting him out—which his wolf seriously didn’t like—and turned away. As she headed inside, her heart-shaped ass swayed in a way that seemed unintentionally provocative. “Give me ten minutes.”
The moment Derren stepped inside her small cabin, he knew it was a mistake. It had been bad enough breathing in her enticing scent as they walked. Here, it filled the air and wrapped around him. Fuck, she smelled like wild berries, grapefruit, and sin. The combination was heady.
He was tempted to return outside, but there was always a possibility that someone could sneak in the back door; he needed to cover both entrances. After all, if she truly was being targeted by the Beta female, said female might not appreciate Ally getting away from her.
As he waited, he took in the interior of the cabin. There was none of the quirky, whimsical décor that Seers were known for. In fact, she didn’t seem to have put her own stamp on the place at all. It was plain and basic, like a rental home.
Soon enough, she reappeared with one suitcase and a bag. His wolf wanted to rub up against her, wanted her scent on his fur. This could get annoying real quick. “Why didn’t you foresee how the Beta female would react?” Assuming Ally was telling the truth, of course.
“Seers don’t have visions about their own future, just as healers can’t heal themselves. Our gifts are supposed to help us serve others, not ourselves.”
“But that’s not the way your kind often works.”
“No, it’s not.”
He blinked, startled by her honesty. He’d expected her to bristle, become defensive on behalf of her kind. When he just stared at her, she arched an impatient brow. Abandoning his thoughts, Derren took the suitcase. “You good to go?”
She inhaled deeply. “I’m ready.”
As they strode through the woods, they again passed the occasional shifter. Spotting Ally’s luggage, the wolves snickered, sending her good riddance looks. They obviously thought she’d been banished and that Derren was escorting her off the land. Ally seemed indifferent to it all, but he wasn’t buying it. He decided it was more likely that she was refusing to give them the satisfaction of seeing how much it hurt.
Derren found Eli waiting near their SUV, talking with a still-nervous Matt.
The Alp
ha turned to Ally with a shaky smile. “It feels wrong to watch you go. Stay, Ally.”
Derren stiffened. “She’s not safe here.” Cain had been right about that. Derren had seen how these wolves were giving her an ice-cold shoulder, and he didn’t like it. It made him remember a time when he too had been isolated, cast aside, and then betrayed by those he should have been able to trust.
Seer or not, guilty or not, she was now under Derren’s protection. He wasn’t happy about it, and he didn’t welcome yet another responsibility. But he’d take it as seriously as he took his Beta duties, because that was who he was.
Movement in his peripheral vision made Derren’s head whip to the side. A tall male was fast approaching, tension in every line of his body. Zeke. When his eyes slid to Ally and then down to her luggage, a series of emotions flickered across his face—predominantly rage.
“What’s going on?” Zeke demanded.
Matt took a step toward his Beta. “Ally’s leaving the pack.”
“What? Why?”
As the Beta and Alpha proceeded to argue, Eli looked at Ally. “Now that you’re packed, we can go.” He took her suitcase and bag and put them in the trunk of the SUV.
When Derren began to lead Ally to the backseat, Zeke made a beeline for her. “Ally, wait.”
Instinctively, Derren obstructed his path. “Don’t even think it.” His wolf curled back his upper lip in a fierce snarl as the animal dropped into a fighting stance, rearing to pounce. His wolf had a black, vicious temper. Right then, he was eager to rake his claws across the Beta’s abdomen, to warn the male away from Ally.
Zeke said through his teeth, “I want to talk to Ally.”
The expectation of obedience in his tone rubbed Derren’s fur the wrong way. “You can do it from here. Though you should probably make it quick.”
“Ally, you don’t have to go.”
“You believe I attacked your mate,” she said. “Surely you’d feel a whole lot better knowing she’s safe from my evil clutches.”
A muscle in Zeke’s jaw ticked. Again he moved toward her, and again Derren blocked his path. “What the fuck is your problem, Derren?” Zeke growled.
Simple: like his wolf, Derren didn’t want Zeke within reach of Ally. “She’s under my protection.”
Fury flared in Zeke’s eyes. “No, she’s under my protection. I’m her Beta.”
Hearing the heavy dose of possessiveness in that statement, it was clear to Derren just how close Zeke had come to imprinting on Ally. Bonding with his mate would naturally have dulled his feelings for any other female, but it was apparent that Zeke still hadn’t quite let go of Ally.
“Not anymore,” Derren firmly stated, a slight taunt in his tone.
“Ally, you don’t need to leave.”
“Zeke?” asked a new voice filled with uncertainty. Then a blonde sidled up to Zeke, taking in the scene with a perplexed expression.
“They want to take Ally,” Zeke told her.
The blonde’s eyes bulged in anger as she glared at Derren. “You can’t do that! She’s ours! Ally, do not get in that SUV!”
Totally straight-faced, Ally replied, “Sorry, I don’t take orders unless I’m naked.”
Derren was not going to entertain the thoughts and images that her comment sent raging through his mind.
“Get over here now!” shouted Rachelle. But Ally just blinked at her. Rachelle’s voice dropped a level as she growled, “You need to seriously rethink defying me.”
“And guys need to stop shoving their hands down their pants to play with their balls in public.” Ally shook her head. “Some things will never change.”
If Derren hadn’t been so preoccupied keeping Zeke back, he might have been able to stop Rachelle before she got anywhere near Ally. As it was, he barely reached her in time . . . but by then, Ally was slamming Rachelle facedown over the bonnet of the car next to the SUV, her hand gripping Rachelle’s nape, dominant vibes radiating from her . . . which had his wolf falling head over heels in lust.
“This, here, is why you never challenged me, Rachelle. You knew you couldn’t take me. You knew I’d humiliate you in front of the entire pack and put your suitability as Beta under question. Embarrassment-wise, this has to rank high.”
“Ally . . .” It was a plea from Zeke to release his mate.
After a long moment, Ally pushed away from her. “She’s all yours, Zeke. I can only pity you.”
Dismissing the Beta pair, Derren opened the rear door of the SUV while Eli jumped into the front passenger seat. “Get in, Ally.” Once she was inside the vehicle, his wolf settled a little. Without another look at the pathetic excuses for shifters, Derren hopped into the driver’s seat and drove off.
Ignoring the sound of Zeke calling her name once more, Ally settled into the backseat while the Mercury males sat up front. As the SUV crossed the border of Collingwood Pack territory, some of the tension left her. She was now away from Rachelle, from the wolves that had betrayed her, and from the danger that the false accusations presented. And it was hopefully the last Ally would ever see of Zeke, Rachelle, and Matt.
Switching on her iPod and inserting her earbuds, she smiled inwardly at how satisfying it had been to watch their reactions as they realized that, hey, they couldn’t keep her trapped there; she wasn’t all alone in the world, despite Rachelle’s best efforts; and there was someone out there who would look out for her. If Matt told the Beta couple about Ally’s mysterious protector, they might even become as nervous as their Alpha. How grand.
But as much as Ally found the idea of their anxiety rather amusing, she very much doubted she’d find Cain’s reaction fun. Although she was pissed with the Collingwood wolves, she didn’t want them all badly hurt. She could never predict what Cain would do, only that it would be bad. He hadn’t always been so angry and detached, hadn’t always been so violent. But the longer he’d stayed in juvie, the more he’d lost of himself—she’d seen it each time she’d visited him there.
Cain’s reaction wasn’t the only thing she worried about. Despite Eli accompanying Derren to collect her, it was clear that he was just as distrustful of her as Derren. As such, it was likely that the rest of his pack felt the same. There was a lot of prejudice against Seers, thanks to the misdeeds of some.
In any case, no pack would welcome the eyes and ears of an outsider—particularly if said outsider “saw” more than others.
Yeah, her time with the Mercury wolves wasn’t going to be easy or peaceful. Particularly since her wolf was most fascinated by Derren, despite his dislike of her. The animal was drawn to his strength, his scent, and how sure and confident he was. Not that, in spite of how uncomfortable Ally was around Derren, she blamed her wolf for that. No, Derren wouldn’t be an easy guy for any woman to resist.
As it was, Ally wouldn’t have to worry about resisting him, since he resented her very presence. And that was an extremely good thing, because Ally had never been good at resisting temptation. And the very last thing she wanted right now was to get involved with another wolf after her disastrous experience with Zeke.
It was beginning to darken when they finally crossed the border of Mercury Pack territory. Still, her night vision allowed her to see her surroundings clearly. Leaves littered the dirt path that lay amid a forest of regal, towering trees—many of which displayed typical territorial animal markings.
There was an impressive hunting lodge in the near distance; while the base of the lodge was constructed of large stone, the upper levels had timber frames. The place was illuminated by fairy lights that decorated the trees surrounding it, making it seem cozy and almost magical.
Derren pulled to a stop in the center of a row of all-terrain vehicles, a Winnebago, and a Mercedes. Well, someone had varied tastes. Returning her iPod and earbuds to her pocket, Ally was out of the SUV before Derren could open her door, which seemed to aggravate him for some reason. Her wolf was enjoying the scents of sun-warmed earth, moss, and pine; basking in the peaceful yet untamed a
tmosphere.
Carrying her suitcase, Derren tipped his chin toward Eli, indicating for her to follow him into the lodge. Inside the living area, three wolves waited on the luxurious sofas, while an adorable pup was playing with some toys on an oval rug. There was a real rustic tone to the homey, spacious lodge, which was complemented by the stone fireplace.
Two of the wolves got to their feet. Mates, Ally sensed.
The ethereally beautiful redhead was, to Ally’s total surprise, smiling in welcome. The imposing blond male at her side, however, was making his suspiciousness of Ally perfectly open in his piercing eyes—it was a look she’d seen many times before. Yep, prejudice against Seers existed in this pack all right. Great.
“Ally,” began Derren, “these are my Alphas, Nick and Shaya.”
Ally knew that although it was important that she was respectful, despite being there under sufferance, it was also important that she didn’t appear weak. That meant not cowering under the force of the Alpha male’s disapproval and vexation, even though it felt like hundreds of wasps were stinging her body. Head held high, voice steady and strong, she said, “Ally Marshall. I appreciate you giving me sanctuary.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Ally,” said Shaya. Both Ally and her wolf could sense that, although the Alpha female was submissive, she was strong in her own way.
When Nick didn’t greet Ally, Shaya rolled her eyes. “Don’t take it personally. He’s one of the most antisocial people you’ll ever meet. Over there is Nick’s mom, Kathy.”
The small brunette just stared, her dislike of Ally evident in both her expression and the distaste that was like the slash of a razor on Ally’s flesh.
“And this . . .” Shaya picked up the infant. “This is my baby girl, Willow.”
Ally smiled at the pup. “Good Lord, aren’t you just adorable.”
For a short moment, Willow looked at Ally . . . almost as if assessing her. Then she flashed her a wide smile, reaching out to touch her cheek.
“And obviously you’ve met Derren and Eli, our Beta and Head Enforcer.” Shaya cocked her head. “Should I call you Alyssa or Ally?”