CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER TWO

I’m calling in a favor.”

That was all the message had said.

The sooner Derren Hudson found out what his friend meant by that, the better. Because, despite being on the visitor’s side of the protective glass, Derren wanted nothing more than to get the fuck out of there. Being in this place, surrounded by guards; bare walls; the bleak atmosphere; and the scents of fear, oppression, and dejection . . . it all brought back memories that he didn’t want to think about. Memories that had his wolf pacing with angst.

A door far behind the glass opened, and a number of shifters in orange jumpsuits began to file out, each heading to their visitors. Derren straightened in his seat when a wolf he hadn’t seen in five years came striding toward him wearing a crooked grin.

It was never good to owe a sociopath a favor, and there was no doubting that Cain Holt had become exactly that. Bearing in mind the things that had happened to him long ago in a juvenile detention at the hands of abusive human guards, it was no real surprise that the guy had shut off emotionally. Derren and Cain had watched each other’s backs in that hellhole, which was why Derren would always consider him a friend . . . even if the guy had lost his moral compass.

Cain’s hatred and disgust of prejudiced humans had led him to join The Movement—a band of shifters that worked to protect their kind from human anti-shifter extremists who attempted to introduce laws such as sequestering shifters to their own territories, inhibiting them from mating with humans, placing each one on a register, and limiting shifter couples to one child.

These extremists argued that shifters were too dangerous, violent, and animalistic to be around humans. Some of those laws might have come to pass—thus starting a war—if the extremists hadn’t been exposed for running a hunting preserve that allowed them to hunt, brutalize, and ultimately kill shifters, including their pups. The brutality had shocked the nation and, as such, discredited the extremists’ argument.

However, that hadn’t stopped the extremists from continuing to press for restrictive laws and committing random acts of violence, and so The Movement had been formed and was growing in power each day. It wasn’t what anyone would call “subtle;” they liked to make public statements to convey that prejudice and violence wouldn’t be tolerated.

In sum, shifters were doing exactly what all predators did when under attack: they were fighting back. If the extremists had expected shifters to be victims, that was their mistake.

The human law enforcement agencies thought they’d identified the key players within The Movement. In truth, they didn’t have a damn clue. Shifters like Cain acted as a front, a face for people to point at, which placed Cain and others like him under the constant watch of law enforcement . . . thus enabling the true key players to remain under the radar.

Although Cain and others acted as faces of The Movement, they never did anything that would enable the humans to pin serious charges on them. As such, the humans had arrested Cain and a few other shifters on minor charges, determined to have them serve some time in confinement. Derren honestly didn’t know how Cain was coping with being cooped up all over again. He had to give the guy credit where it was due.

As Cain took the seat behind the glass and put the telephone receiver to his ear, his guard backed away—fear shimmering in his eyes. Yeah, Cain’s reputation had a way of inspiring fear in people. Lifting his own receiver, Derren greeted him simply: “Cain.”

The wolf nodded. “Been a long time.” Although they had remained in contact over the last five years, they hadn’t spoken in person. “We can talk freely. My guard kindly removed the bug from this phone.”

Most likely out of blind terror, thought Derren.

Cain glanced around. “Brings back a lot of memories for you, doesn’t it?”

Too many.

“Heard you were made Beta of the Mercury Pack. I’d say congratulations, but I’m doubting you’re happy about it.”

Cain was right. Derren disliked responsibilities. Why? Because responsibilities meant being committed to something, and being committed to something meant losing freedom and choices. If there was one thing that Derren wasn’t good with—thanks to spending much of his youth in juvie—it was being trapped or hemmed in. And that was exactly how his position made him feel.

So many responsibilities came with being Beta, including advising his Alpha on important issues and acting as a negotiator when dealing with other packs. Derren’s average day involved patrolling the border of pack territory, helping to train and lead the enforcers, spending time in his office doing paperwork, and dealing with any grievances from the pack. In a nutshell, his job was to sustain the emotional and physical protection of each and every one of his twelve pack mates.

It was a lot to take on for someone who was particularly averse to responsibilities. He would have turned the job down if his Alpha, Nick Axton, hadn’t been one of the people who watched his back in juvie. Derren owed him. He supposed he should be thankful the pack was relatively small. Many of his pack mates had commented on how well he “fit” the role, given his personality and temperament.

“It takes a particular kind of wolf to be Beta,”his Alpha female,Shaya, had said.“Someone who’s observant, good at giving advice, andcommands obedience; someone who’ll confront issues head-on, who’sextremely protective by nature, and who is perfectly in tune with theAlpha male. That’s you, sweetie.”

Yeah, but being “suited” to the role and being “content” in the role were two very different things. And how was a person supposed to deserve the trust of others when he couldn’t offer the same in return?

Derren had been stripped of the ability to trust a long time ago. But he didn’t lament it, didn’t view it as a weakness. Being wary of others, reminding himself that even the people closest to him could be capable of betrayal, would ensure he was never taken off guard again. Nick was the only person in whom he’d invested any real degree of trust, but the guy had earned it.

Still, confiding in people wasn’t Derren’s style, so he stuck to the subject at hand. “I got your message.” He’d received it via a mutual contact. Cain might be in jail, but he still had enough influence to pass on messages to the outside world.

“You always pay your debts, which is why I knew getting youhere wouldn’t be a waste of my time.” Cain leaned forward, restinghis elbows on the table. “You remember I told you my pack was slainwhen I was eight?” At Derren’s nod, he continued. “There were onlytwo survivors—me and one pup; she was just six. I took her with meto stay with my uncles in the Brookwell Pack. You probably sawherwhen she visited me in juvie. Brown hair, huge eyes.”

Derren remembered a pair of mesmerizing emerald eyes. Remembered his wolf’s curiosity, how the animal had wanted to take a closer look.

“Anyway, my Ally likes pack-trotting. Doesn’t stay in one place for more than a few years. But we’ve always kept in touch. And even though I got my ass dumped in here, I’ve had people check on her. I got word that her pack’s giving her a hard time.”

“Hard time?”

“It turns out she was seeing some guy—the Beta.” Cain didn’t sound too happy about it. “Then, a few months ago—bam—he found his mate. The female’s been making things difficult for Ally. Two nights ago, she actually accused Ally of coming at her from behind and trying to kill her.”

“Did she try to kill her?” Derren was expecting Cain to bristle, but the guy smiled. It was strange what Cain would be offended by and what he’d find amusing.

“Look, my Ally’s a fierce little thing—I should know, I taught her every combat move she knows. But she wouldn’t attack from behind. That’s not who she is.”

“Did her Alpha cast her out?”

“No. Maybe he doesn’t believe the Beta female’s account, or maybe it’s something else. I don’t know.”

“Who is her Alpha?”

“Matt Ward. He leads the Collingwood Pack.”

Derren knew Matt well enough, since the guy’s land bordered the territory of Derren’s old pack, where Nick had once been Alpha before forming the Mercury Pack. Although Derren didn’t know the Beta as well as he knew Matt, Derren had judged Zeke to be good at his position. “If you’re right and Ally is innocent, then what’s happening is a shame. But I don’t see what it has to do with me, in any case.”

“It didn’t have anything to do with you before, but it does now.” Cain’s tone turned grave. “I want you to help her.”

“Why? Even though she left your pack, I’m pretty sure the Brookwell wolves would still be willing to help her.”

“Of course they would. My uncles raised Ally—they adore her, think of her as family. But my pack has been under the scrutiny of extremists and human law enforcement ever since I joined The Movement. I’ve kept my connection to Ally quiet. Otherwise, she could be used against me.”

It was a wise decision. “And if you send anyone from your pack or The Movement to help her, she’ll come under the scrutiny of the humans too,” Derren concluded. Still . . . “Cain, you’ve got a lot of contacts.” Scary, dangerous, and equally sociopathic contacts. “Why come to me with this?”

“I could send some people to ‘take care’ of the situation, sure. But that would end in violence. Ally and I lost our parents when our entire pack was slain because of what a couple of assholes did. I won’t do the same, and Ally would never forgive me if I did. Besides, I only trust a handful of people in this world. You’re one of them.”

Derren snorted. “You don’t trust me, you just trust that I’ll keep my word.”

Cain shrugged. “Same difference. The point is I trust that you’ll keep my Ally safe.”

It was odd to see his friend care about anything other than The Movement. The more time Cain had spent in juvie, the more he’d changed, grown indifferent and hard. He didn’t see people as “people” anymore. To Cain, those he kept in his life were either associates or accomplices—things he could use. Yet, this female was obviously very important to him, which could only mean that she was his mate. A mate Cain didn’t intend to claim, for whatever reason, or she wouldn’t have been dating Zeke.

“What is it exactly that you want me to do?”

“I want you to take her to stay with your pack for a while. I’ll be out of here in four months. I’ll take matters from there.”

Sighing, Derren leaned back in his seat. Doing what Cain had asked wouldn’t be easy, since Nick hated outsiders around his pack. “You should have gone to Nick with this. He’s the Alpha.”

“Yeah, but he doesn’t owe me a favor.” Anger thickened Cain’s voice as he continued. “She’s not safe there with those fuckers, Derren.”

“It’s possible that she wouldn’t be any safer at the Mercury Pack right now.” A week ago, one of the enforcers, Jesse, had become ill after hunting an animal on their territory that they later discovered had been poisoned. After further investigation, the pack found other animals on their land had been poisoned as well. “There’s been a minor attack on the pack.”

Cain didn’t ask Derren to elaborate, aware that pack business wasn’t shared with outsiders. “If you need the matter taken care of, I can arrange that.”

“We don’t even know who’s responsible. It could be an isolated incident.” Though Derren doubted it.

“Could be.” Cain didn’t seem any more convinced of that than Derren. “Nonetheless, it changes nothing. Your pack might not be the safest place to be, but Ally’s in more danger where she is. Even if she wasn’t, I won’t tolerate people making false accusations against her.”

“That’s why you came to me with this,” Derren discerned. “Kind of sneaky of you.” Not that Derren was surprised. Cain was manipulative and self-serving.

Cain shrugged, unrepentant. “I want Ally safe. If playing someone’s conscience will make that happen, I won’t hesitate.”

“You’re forgetting that I don’t have much of a conscience.”

“Then do it because you owe me.”

And Derren really did owe him. If it hadn’t been for Cain, he would never have tracked down the lying bastard who had put the nail in Derren’s metaphorical coffin and sent his fourteen-year-old ass to juvie. “Fine. I’ll do it.”

Cain gave a satisfied nod. “When I get out of here, I’ll deal with her pack. Until then, I need to know she’s away from them. Understand?”

Since Derren didn’t really have any choice in the matter . . . “Yeah. Tell me what I need to know about her.”

“Her full name is Alyssa Marshall. She’s twenty-six years old. And she’s a Seer.”

Derren’s spine locked. “A Seer?” It came out a growl.

“I know how you feel about Seers, Derren, and I get it. I do. But Ally is not that son of a bitch. She’s a good girl.”

Derren placed one hand on the table, ready to push out of his seat. “Find someone else to help her. Trust me, Cain, you do not want me around her.” His distaste for Seers ran too deep.

Rather than reacting in anger, Cain sank into his chair. “And here I thought you were a man of your word.”

He was a man of his word, dammit. Derren’s one redeeming quality was that he was loyal to the bone once that loyalty was earned. “This is not me going against my word—”

“Oh, but it is, Derren.” Leaning forward once more, Cain spoke in a low voice. “I tracked that fucker for you, I handed him to you and Nick on a silver platter, I helped you bury him, and I kept my mouth shut about it. All I asked for in return was one favor. One. Am I asking you to find, kill, or bury someone for me? No. I’m asking you to protect someone very important to me. Someone who’s being held responsible for things she hasn’t fucking done . . . just like you were.”

If Derren was another guy, a decent guy, those words might have given his conscience—stunted though it was—a twinge. But what made him hesitate to reject Cain’s request wasn’t a sense of guilt, it was the reminder of exactly how much Cain had done and risked for Derren, and how little Cain was asking for in payment. There was a big issue at play, though. “Nick will never go for it. He has a hard-on for Seers too.”

“Then convince him.”

Like it would be that simple. And taking into account that the rest of the pack wasn’t too fond of Seers either, one word came to mind: “Fuck.”

 

This was one of the reasons Derren highly respected his Alpha female: she had the singular ability to make Nick reconsider his decisions. Oh, Nick listened to Derren, respected his advice, and trusted his judgment. But only Shaya’s opinion truly mattered to Nick.

When they had first met, Derren hadn’t been too sure about her—having watched as she rejected Nick over and over. She’d had every reason to push Nick away, considering he’d failed to claim her when he had the chance. But Derren hadn’t liked seeing his friend so cut up. And since Nick had left his pack to track her down, Derren figured she should have at least given Nick a chance. Eventually she had, and Derren had quickly learned that Shaya Critchley was strong, wise, and had a huge heart.

They had formed their own pack, thanks to Derren’s meddling, and Nick had purchased a chunk of land where a number of hunting lodges were situated. The main lodge looked like a rustic mansion and had been refurbished with Shaya’s tastes in mind. Despite Nick’s reluctance to be an Alpha again, it had all worked out pretty well . . . except for the part where he’d withdrawn Derren’s self-appointed bodyguard position and made him his Beta.

Derren could have refused, but that would have called into question his loyalty to Nick. Still, loyal to his Alpha or not, the subject of Ally Marshall wasn’t something Derren could afford to drop.

As Derren had expected, Nick had freaked at the idea of havinga Seer in his pack, even if it were only temporary. Shaya hadn’t beenany happier about bringing in an outsider . . . right up until Derren had explained Ally’s sad situation, which had appealed to Shaya’s compassionate nature. If someone had a problem, she would dowhat she could to fix it—and she would make sure that Nick helped.

So now the Alpha female was doing her best to convince Nick that they should give Ally sanctuary. Although Nick appeared to be stubbornly sticking to his decision, Derren could sense that the guy was wavering, hating the idea of upsetting his mate.

“We shouldn’t get involved; this is none of our business,” insisted Nick from the sofa, cuddling their infant daughter and plucking at her short, blonde, corkscrew curls. Like her mother, Willow had a pixie look about her, but she had Nick’s green eyes. She was also Derren’s goddaughter.

Staring down at Nick, arms folded, Shaya frowned. “It is your business if Cain is your friend.”

“I don’t have friends.”

She rolled her eyes. “Of course, my mistake: you have ‘contacts,’” she said dryly. “But you like Cain, right?”

Nick grimaced. “I don’t dislike him.”

Eli, Nick’s younger brother and the pack’s Head Enforcer, laughed. “Which basically makes him your BFF.”

It was true that Nick did his best to alienate the majority of the population, being strongly averse to company. The guy was a born leader, an alpha by nature. But he didn’t like having lots of people around him, which was unfortunately for him one of the trimmings that came with the Alpha role.

“This is your friend’s mate, Nick,” stressed Shaya. “Even if he has no intention of claiming her, she’s still his mate. Doesn’t that mean anything to you?”

Derren wondered if much of Shaya’s compassion came from knowing what it was like to have her mate choose not to claim her.

Caleb pursed his lips. “I wonder why Cain hasn’t mated her.” The submissive male belonged to the same pack as Shaya growing up and was a lifelong friend of hers. Caleb was also genuine, smart, and had recently mated another submissive male within the pack, Kent.

“Maybe it’s to keep Ally safe,” Shaya theorized. She looked at Derren. “You said Cain told you he keeps their connection quiet to keep her off the humans’ radar.”

“Yeah,” confirmed Derren, “but he also said he’s known her since she was six and he was eight. He could have claimed her after he left juvie when he was eighteen. Instead, he let her go pack-trotting.”

As such, Derren wasn’t quite sure why Cain had refrained from claiming her. In fact, he wasn’t sure how Cain was managing to ignore the mating urge either. It was supposedly painful. But then, Cain didn’t feel the way others did. Not anymore. Maybe that had stopped the mating urge from coming into play.

“It doesn’t matter,” maintained Nick. “It’s none of our business. Besides, this could blow over soon. It’s natural for the Beta female to be jealous of her mate’s ex-partners—mates are possessive like that.”

“Yes,” Shaya allowed, “but if the Beta’s so jealous that she’s bitter, spiteful, and targeting Ally to this extent, that’s not good. I don’t believe the Beta will let this go.”

“I agree.” Kathy, Nick’s mother, reached for a babbling Willow, but Nick was having none of it.He was just as possessive and protective of his daughter as he was of his mate. “Butthe fact remains that this Ally person is a Seer.” The latter word dripped with disgust.

Nick spoke then. “I don’t like Seers. I don’t trust them. And I don’t want one around my pack.” His expression said: end of story.

Shaya seemed baffled. “Why? What’s so bad about them?”

For a moment, Derren wondered if Nick would mention what had happened all those years ago—a story only very few knew. But, as it turned out, Nick didn’t have to mention Derren’s past to make his point.

Nick arched a brow at Shaya. “Have you forgotten what happened with Roni and Marcus?”

Roni, Nick’s younger sister and an enforcer, had mated with an enforcer from the Phoenix Pack. Rather than asking either of the couple to switch packs, Nick and the Phoenix Alpha male had blooded so that the mated couple now belonged to both. It hadn’t made the packs into one, but it had united them on a psychic level, making each one an extension of the other.

Nick continued, “They almost didn’t mate because a Seer fed them bullshit about Marcus’s mate being someone else.”

It was yet another example of Seers misusing their gifts. As Derren considered Roni a good friend, it had pissed him the fuck off—adding to his loathing for Seers.

Shaya waved a dismissive hand. “That’s because Kerrie is an evil bitch. It doesn’t automatically make Ally one.”

Marcus tilted his head, conceding that. “How would you feel about Ally being here, sweetheart?” he asked Roni, while lounging on the other sofa with his arm draped over her shoulders. The two were an unlikely pair in that he was a dominant, very sociable, easygoing charmer, while Roni was a socially inept, intimidatingly intelligent, and seriously lethal tomboy.

“I’ll only have a problem with her if she turns out to be anything like Kerrie,” replied Roni. “Honestly, though, I can’t see anyone being more evil than that bitch.”

Eli’s eyes narrowed at Roni. “Not sure you’re in a position to call anyone evil.” He ran his tongue along his teeth, which still had a slight pink tint thanks to Roni’s latest prank. The two siblings insisted on playing pranks on each other on a regular basis, merely for their own entertainment.

Roni rolled her eyes. “Are you still holding on to that?”

“You put red food coloring on my toothbrush! I looked like a damn vampire after I brushed my teeth this morning!”

“Well, if you hadn’t poured baby oil into my shampoo bottle, it would never have happened, would it?”

“So,” began Marcus before the siblings could argue any further, “you’re saying you’re okay with Ally being given sanctuary here?”

Roni shrugged. “I’ll support whatever decision Shaya makes. You?”

Marcus thought about it for a second. “I won’t have a problem with Ally being here, as long as she doesn’t share her visions with me. In my opinion, it’s best not to know the future anyway. It can just fuck up the present.”

Derren couldn’t have said it better himself.

“If you’re referring to what happened to Trey,” began Shaya, “that wasn’t the Seer’s fault—the blame belongs to Trey’s father.” Trey Coleman was the Phoenix Pack Alpha male.

Kent looked at Marcus. “What happened to Trey?”

“It’s Trey’s story to tell,” replied Marcus. “All I’ll say on the matter is that when he was a kid, the Seer of his pack told his dad he’d usurp his position one day.”

As everyone knew all about the deceased, violent, and totally fucked-up Rick Coleman, it was easy enough to conclude that the old bastard had punished Trey during his entire upbringing for something he hadn’t even done yet.

Cutting off whatever Nick was about to say next, the front door opened and there was a cacophony of exasperated voices. Three Mercury enforcers strolled into the living area, arguing. More accurately, Jesse and Zander were berating an eye-rolling Bracken.

Derren immediately summed up the situation, sighing tiredly at Bracken. “What did you and Dominic do this time?”

Dominic was a Phoenix Pack enforcer, who seemed to have no self-control and would probably fuck any female who stood still long enough. Though flirty and just as fond of sex as the average shifter, Bracken was a big gamer and preferred technology to people. It surprised everyone when the two enforcers became friends. Together, they had a talent for getting themselves in deep shit.

It was Jesse who responded. “Oh, they only had a threesome with an Alpha’s mate.”

“Intended mate, intended mate,” Bracken stressed. “Her father has arranged for her to mate some guy, but they’re not true mates. She wanted one last fling before the ceremony.” He looked at Jesse. “You’ve seen her—was I supposed to refuse?”

Jesse nodded. “Yes. That was exactly what you were supposed to do.”

“You’re lucky,” Zander told Bracken. “If the Alpha wasn’t absolutely terrified of Nick and our pack, he would have challenged you.” Nick had quite a reputation.

“We’ll discuss this later,” Shaya told the enforcers, gesturing for them to sit. “Right now, there’s a more important issue to discuss.”

“There’s nothing to discuss,” corrected Nick. “We’ve said all there is to say.”

As if Nick hadn’t spoken, Shaya informed Jesse, Zander, and Bracken of the Ally Marshall situation. Derren and Nick had first met the three enforcers in Arizona, where Nick had tracked down Shaya to claim her as his mate. The enforcers had separated from their old pack and, basically, followed Nick around until he agreed to form a pack and accept them as part of it.

Derren liked the three wolves. Jesse was the most practical of the trio, very circumspect and composed. He was also so serious that he made Derren seem fun. Bracken was a joker and not what anyone would call “deep.” Emotionally, he could be as equally affected by a hurtful insult as he could be by the discovery of a stain on his clothes. Zander wasn’t the most sensitive or empathetic of people. But he was sharp-witted and so intrepid that Derren would be surprised if the guy’s heart rate ever went up, no matter the situation.

When Shaya finished telling Ally’s story, Bracken puffed out a breath. “I’ve heard of that kind of thing happening before. A guy meeting his mate while in a relationship, I mean. His ex-girlfriend couldn’t handle it and killed herself.”

Shaya’s face crumpled. “Ally is probably in similar pain.”

“You should be more worried about the safety of the Beta female than her,” said Kathy with a huff. “Trust me, you never want to upset a Seer. No. They can hold a grudge.”

Shaya’s gaze sharpened on Kathy. “Why do I have a feeling you’ve had a run-in with a Seer?”

The woman evaded the question. “Have you ever met one?”

Frowning thoughtfully, Shaya replied, “I don’t think so.”

“Then that means you haven’t. Seers aren’t people you forget.” Kathy sneered as she elaborated, “They’re all the same: kooky, whimsical, gaga, think everything’s a spiritual quest, and believe they’re attuned to nature.” Her expression said pathetic. “And they think they’re much more important than they are. In their view, the pack wouldn’t be so safe without their visions, so they’re owed obedience and reverence.”

“You talk about them like they’re separate creatures.” Shaya sighed. “They’re just shifters who happen to have visions.”

“It’s more than that. They can feel people’s emotions. And they can heal.”

“Isn’t that a good thing?” Kent frowned.

Ignoring that, Kathy went on. “The point is, it’s not natural. They’re not just shifters. Their ‘gift’ didn’t appear in wolf shifter lines until a wolf imprinted on a voodoo priestess centuries ago.”

Eli’s brow furrowed. “I thought he imprinted on a white witch.”

“I thought it was a dark witch,” said Bracken.

Caleb shrugged. “I thought a female wolf imprinted on a shaman.”

Shaya exhaled a heavy breath, impatient. “So . . . if no one really knows, it’s safe to say it could be none of those things.”

“Believe what you want.” Kathy shook her head. “But this isn’t the place for her.”

Shaya danced her disappointed gaze around the room. “You’re going to refuse to help Ally just because of a gift she has?”

“Seer thing aside, we should probably consider something else.” Jesse rubbed a hand over his military haircut. “Just because the Beta female’s jealous of Ally doesn’t mean she’s not telling the truth.”

Eli turned to Derren, his analytical brown-eyed gaze narrowed. “Are you sure Ally was falsely accused?”

Everyone’s eyes honed in on Derren. “I believe that Cain thinks she’s innocent.”

“The guy’s a cool liar,” Nick reminded him as he placed a wiggling Willow on the floor, who then crawled over to her mother.

Shaya looked as though she were seriously contemplating hitting her mate. “That doesn’t mean he was lying. And Derren said Cain told him that if he sent people to destroy the Collingwood Pack, she’d never forgive him. That says a lot about her character.”

“But so does the fact that she’s the true mate of an insane wolf.” Kathy crossed one leg over the other. “She could be just like him.”

“Mates are often opposites, they balance each other out,” Shayapointed out. “Look at me and Nick. And Roni and Marcus.”

Zander began tapping his fingers on the arm of the sofa. “Wouldn’t the Beta male of the pack know through his mating link if his mate was lying?”

Marcus nuzzled Roni’s neck. “Not if the bond’s not fully developed.”

“If the Beta female really does have it out for Ally, she’ll keep on going,” stated Shaya, picking up Willow. “We need to help her. We need to get her away before the Beta female finally succeeds in getting her cast out or worse.”

Nick met his mate’s glare. “I don’t want a Seer in my home.”

She sighed, exasperated. “You’re being ridiculous.”

“I’m looking out for my pack, that’s what I’m doing.”

Shaya sniffed haughtily, planting a kiss on Willow’s cheek. “Fine. If you won’t do it for Ally, you could consider doing it for Derren. Cain isn’t going to like it if Derren doesn’t live up to his word.”

“Yeah,” agreed Zander. “I’ve heard plenty about Cain Holt. Apart from the fact that he joined The Movement, none of it was good.”

“That’s because he’s mentally disturbed,” spat Nick.

Shaya’s brow slowly slid up as she stared at her mate. “Then I’ll bet you and he get along quite well.”

Ignoring Eli’s chuckle, Nick slashed a hand in the air. “I’m not having a Seer in my home.”

“If Cain’s part of The Movement, he must know a lot of people,” mused Jesse. “Dangerous people who could easily deal with this for him.”

“He does,” verified Derren. “But we all know how The Movement ‘deals’ with things.” It involvedblood and death. They’d simply go in there, destroy the pack, and then go out for pancakes or something. “Cain doesn’t want them involved. They’d lead the humans right to Ally.”

“How long before Cain’s out?” Zander asked.

“Four months,” replied Derren.

“I tell ya,” began Eli, “I wouldn’t like to be the Beta pair of the Collingwood Pack when Cain gets out.”

“Why?” asked Kent.

Eli arched a brow. “How, exactly, do you think a sociopath will protect and avenge his mate, whether he’s claimed her or not?”

“He’ll go after the people who hurt her,” deduced Bracken.

Shaya nodded. “And how, exactly, do you think said sociopath will react if Derren doesn’t live up to his word and keep the guy’s mate safe—especially if something happens to her in the meantime?”

Bracken looked at Derren. “He’ll go after you. Maybe even punish our entire pack because we all refused to help her.”

Shaya nodded again. “And all because some jealous heifer decided to make life hell for her mate’s ex.” Softening her expression, she sat next to Nick. “If this happened to Willow, and she needed help, wouldn’t you want someone to be there for her?”

Nick growled. “No one will ever lay a fucking finger on her.”

“Yes, we all know that if anyone even thought something offensive about your baby girl, you would disembowel them before they could blink. But what if she didn’t have any of us to protect her, if she was pretty much all alone in the world . . . wouldn’t you like to think that someone else would protect her?”

He narrowed his eyes. “Playing the Willow card is below the belt.”

“Ally would only be staying here for four months. That’s not long. And unless you want Derren and Cain having serious problems, you don’t have much of a choice anyway.”

After a long moment, Nick sighed. “You sure about this, Derren?” Translation: Are you sure you want to be around a Seer, considering how you feel about them?

“I’m sure.” Being a man of his word sucked.

Nick sighed again. “Fine. We’ll help her. But, Derren, she’s your responsibility while she’s here.”

Despite being relieved that he wouldn’t find himself at loggerheads with Cain, he couldn’t help resenting the situation. Even if he didn’t have very personal issues with Seers, he wouldn’t be looking forward to watching over a flaky, free-spirited wacko with a sense of entitlement.

 

After the evening meal, Derren and Eli headed for Collingwood territory. Soon enough, they were sitting in Matt Ward’s office. The guy had happily welcomed them, wanting news on how Nick and the rest of the Mercury Pack were doing.

Once the chitchat was over, Matt asked, “So, what can I do for you?”

From the chair opposite the Alpha, Derren shrugged carelessly. “Well, it’s simple, really. You and I both have a problem, and I figure we can help each other.”

Matt’s brow crinkled. “Oh? And what problem is that?”

“Alyssa Marshall.”

The Alpha stiffened, but he didn’t speak, just moved his startled gaze from Derren to Eli.

“She’s a member of your pack, correct?” prodded Derren.

“Yes.” The answer was hesitant.

“I have it on good authority that she’s having a hard time here at the moment. That she and your Betas are having some . . . issues.”

Matt’s eyes narrowed. “Where did you hear that?” He was clearly affronted at the idea of outsiders knowing his pack’s personal business.

Derren waved away the question. “The good news, Matt, is that I can help you with this.”

“How so?”

“I can take her with me.”

Matt looked wary, most likely expecting Derren would want something in return. “Why would you do that?”

“Let’s just say that her safety and happiness is very important to someone you do not want to fuck with. Here in your pack, she’s neither safe nor happy. And that’s a problem for him, because it’s a problem for Ally. That makes it a problem for you.”

Panic flitted across Matt’s face. “Who is this person you’re referring to?”

“That’s not important.”

“I protect all my wolves,” insisted Matt defensively, “including Ally. Why would you want her?”

“The person who wants her protected trusts me to ensure that that’s exactly what she’ll be.” Derren held Matt’s gaze with a determined look. “Give her to me, and the current issue in your pack will be gone.”

Matt swallowed nervously. “Who wants her?”

“I told you, that’s not important.”

“I will not hand over one of my wolves without knowing where they’ll be going.”

“She’s coming with me to my pack.”

Matt was quiet for a moment. “What have you heard?” In other words, how much did Ally’s protector know?

“I’ve been told that your Beta female is giving Ally problems, that she accused Ally of trying to kill her.”

“I haven’t cast Ally out. I doubt her guilt.” Matt was likely saying that now, since he was anxious that he might have offended someone who would seek vengeance. He had every reason to be anxious.

“Of course you do. And my friend will be happy to hear that. Just as he’ll be happy to hear that you didn’t cause any fuss about this.” Derren leaned forward. “Give her to me.”

Another nervous gulp. “I’ll send for her.”