CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER FIVE

It was dark. So dark. She hated the dark.

Shivering with cold and fear, she shoved at the huge rocks that had tumbled down in front of her. They didn’t budge an inch. She was trapped.

“It’s okay, Ally, we’re going to be okay.”

No, they wouldn’t be. He didn’t understand. He hadn’t seen what she had. “We have to get out.” She pushed harder at the rocks with her small hands, but they still didn’t move. Panic filled her, and she clawed at them as she began to shiver so hard her teeth chattered.

A hand on her arm pulled her back. “Ally, stop, you’re going to hurt yourself.”

“We have to get out! We have to warn them or they’ll die!”

As something wet and rough grazed her cheek, Ally jerked awake with a gasp—and realized a large black wolf was nuzzling her. Before she had the chance to push him away, he backed off. It wasn’t the first time over the past week that she had snapped awake in the hammock, haunted by a bad dream, to find the black wolf standing there. Watching over her? Being nosy? She didn’t know.

As if satisfied that she was now fine, he loped away just as he usually did. Although she was grateful to Derren for pulling her out of the dark, she hated that he knew how damaged she was. Didn’t like that he’d seen her vulnerable.

Although sometimes Ally managed to fall back asleep after a nightmare, she sadly didn’t manage to do so that morning. Getting up with a sigh, she filled her system with caffeine and a small breakfast.

The past week had gone pretty much the same for Ally. Afterbreakfast, she’d go for a run in her wolf form. Shortly after that, Shayawould visit with Willow for a few hours. At lunchtime, Bracken,Jesse, and Zander’s wolves would appear, begging for scraps. Allywould then spent the rest of the day either reading, baking, or watching TV. Then she’d have dinner before lounging in her hammock onher porch, listening to her iPod, where she’d eventually fall asleep.

She’d often see glimpses of Derren going to and from his lodge, but he’d never spoken to her. The small amount of company hadn’t bothered her. Being mostly alone had stopped her from being bombarded by other people’s shit. It almost made her feel like a normal person. Seers would often have sensory overload, and they each had ways of blocking the world out when necessary. Listening to music helped Ally with that.

She was so used to having only Shaya and Willow as visitors that she was shocked when Kent and Caleb accompanied them that morning. Both males were polite and friendly. Maybe because Ally relieved Willow of any discomfort each day, and they appreciated that. Or maybe because Shaya had bullied them into it—Ally really had no idea.

In any case, the mated males then invited Ally to their lodge so that Kent could show her how beautifully he’d styled the interior. He was horrified that Ally hadn’t added any personal touches to her lodge. The fact that she was only a guest was irrelevant to Kent. In his mind, she should have put some kind of stamp on the place, marked her territory in some way. Surprisingly, Shaya agreed. But when Ally explained that interior design wasn’t really her thing, Kent begged her to allow him to do the task for her.

So after Shaya dropped Willow off at home for her midday nap, Ally was ushered by Shaya, Kent, and Caleb to the males’ lodge to see how great Kent was at interior design. When they were almost there, they stumbled across Derren having a training session with the enforcers in a clearing. She and the others paused to watch, and Ally had to admit that the enforcers had very good techniques. When Jesse put Bracken flat on his ass, Shaya, Kent, and Caleb all winced.

Ally, on the other hand, wanted to ask why the hell Bracken had let Jesse win. When all eyes zoomed in on her, she smiled weakly. “I said that out loud, huh.”

“He didn’tletme win,” Jesse growled at her, rotating one shoulder.

“What makes you think Bracken did that?” Derren’s tone was curious, not doubtful.

“Jesse has clear tells,” replied Ally. “It was obvious by the way Bracken watched for them that he knows what they are. But sometimes he didn’t dodge Jesse’s moves, even though he’s fast enough to do it.” Recalling Shaya informing her that Jesse was still recovering from a recent illness after his wolf had hunted a poisoned animal, Ally wondered if Bracken had therefore taken it easy on his pack mate.

“Very good,” Derren commended, sounding genuinely impressed.

Jesse whirled on his Beta. “I won that round fair and square.” His glare returned to Ally as he sniped, “You’ve watched me fight a couple of times and now you think you know my technique well enough to see if I have any tells?”

“Yeah, I do,” Ally said simply.

Jesse sniggered. “Well, if I’m really easy pickings—”

“That’s not what I said,” interrupted Ally with a bored sigh.

“—why don’t you come over here and we’ll have a little one-on-one.”

“Jesse, leave it,” Derren bit out.

But the enforcer didn’t. He shrugged innocently. “It’ll just be a friendly spar.”

“I don’t spar,” Ally told him. “I fight—no rules, no limits, no holding back.”

A smirk from Jesse. “Then this will be fun.”

Derren put a hand on Jesse’s chest to stay him. “Drop it.” The words came out guttural as his wolf lunged for supremacy, wanting to protect Ally. If the guy harmed her, Derren would have to harm him in turn. Since the night Ally had given him some home truths, he’d chewed on the things she’d said, and he’d had to face that he’d unfairly been an ass to her. He knew he was irrational when it came to Seers, but it was no excuse. Like she’d said, power corrupted, but it depended on the individual and not their status.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to leave her banged up.” Jesse’s smile was all teeth. “I don’t abuse women. But I can tell that she’s strong. I want to know how strong.”

Shaya turned to her. “Ally, are you sure about this?”

“He’s not going to back down. And neither am I.” That wasn’t who Ally was. She took Bracken’s place opposite Jesse, her feet braced shoulder-width apart. “Normally, I don’t give warnings. But you really don’t want to fight me, Jesse.”

“Why is that?”

“Because I will defeat you. I will enjoy it. And I will crush your pride, which has already taken a beating this morning.”

His smirk widened. “Take your best shot, little Seer.” He took on a fighting stance, his eyes twinkling with excitement.

Fighting to keep his prowling wolf from surfacing, Derren went to stand by Shaya, asking, “You’re not going to stop this?”

She looked as anxious as him. “If I interfere, it would be the same as saying I don’t trust her to protect herself. Things are tough enough for her here as it is. She’d be respected more for rising to the challenge and losing than she would be for backing down.”

He knew Shaya was right, knew that any interference would only serve to undermine Ally and piss her off. Even his wolf understood that, though he was too angry to settle down.

Derren watched as Ally kicked off her shoes and stood still, alert, her eyes glued to Jesse. Then the enforcer moved, his fist flying toward Ally’s jaw as he went for a knockout punch. The move was fast and hard . . . but Ally sidestepped him, twisted her upper body, and stabbed her claws into his side. There were no fancy, practiced moves with Ally. Every punch was dirty and pitiless, and Derren saw Cain’s influence in each one. She didn’t claw at Jesse as he aimed blow after blow at her; she used her claws like they were knives—slicing, stabbing, and carving without mercy.

A bleeding Jesse repeatedly came at her with uppercuts and impressive kicks, but she evaded most of them . . . letting Jesse tire himself out, become weaker with lethargy and blood loss.

Derren was impressed. His wolf? Not so much. The animal was livid with Jesse, which worsened when the male delivered a hard kick to her ribs. It was—

“Holy Mother of all that’s blue, how the fuck did she do that?” exclaimed Bracken.

Derren had no idea, but she’d just done it again. He wouldn’t have thought it was possible if he hadn’t seen it for himself. In the matter of a single second, Ally had shifted into her wolf form, bit deep into Jesse’s shoulder, and then shifted back into her human form just as quickly. It had happened so damn fast that it hadn’t affected her clothing other than to slightly tear her T-shirt and shorts.

In between stabbing and striking Jesse, she repeatedly switched forms for just a fleeting moment, enabling her to use her wolf’s strength, speed, and fangs. It was so shocking and distracting that it caused Jesse to make mistakes. That, together with her brutal hits and sharp reflexes, was enough to earn her dominance within the fight.

It was only a matter of time before Jesse was pinned to the ground by a white wolf, jaws clamped around his shoulder. A second later, it was Ally leaning over Jesse. “You should have listened to me,” she told him as she rose to her feet.

Jesse seemed to be in too much shock to feel a dent in his already wounded pride. “How can you do that?”

“Cain said he taught you combat,” said Derren as everyone gathered closer to her, “but he can’t switch from form to form like that.” It should not be possible. Her animal shouldn’t have been prepared to pull back repeatedly from a battle like that. The wolf should have fought Ally for supremacy, wanting to deal with the challenge and danger herself. Instead, she’d worked so in sync with Ally that she shifted forms like water.

“It works because my wolf and I are completely at peace,” explained Ally. “We trust one another. We’re a team.”

“And your wolf respects that, and she feels respected enough to pull back when you want her to because she knows you won’t cut her out of a fight,” deduced Zander, to which Ally nodded.

Eli puffed out a long breath, looking impressed. “Nick’s in tune with his wolf, but not to that extent.”

“I didn’t think it was possible.” Shaya smiled at Ally. “Roni would have loved to watch that.”

Hearing Jesse wince slightly, Ally felt bad. “I’ll heal you.”

He shook his head. “No, I deserved that. I was arrogant, and I taunted you. But thanks for the offer. You fought well.” The other enforcers nodded in agreement.

As their respect slid over her skin like lotion, she smiled inwardly. “If you change your mind, Jesse, I’ll be at my lodge.” She turned to face Shaya . . . only to find her way obstructed by a powerful, solid, and way-too-alluring body.

Noticing the blood in her hair, Derren said, “You must have a bad cut on your head. Let me see.”

She stepped back. “It’s fine.”

“Let me see,” Derren insisted without raising his voice. “I need to check the injury. I won’t touch your skin.” No matter how badly he wanted to know how it would feel under his hands.

Swallowing hard, she nodded. “Just my hair.” As long as he didn’t touch her skin, his emotions wouldn’t seep inside her. Although . . . she couldn’t help but notice that the brief flashes weren’t so sharp and biting today. Apparently he was in a good mood.

As his fingers gently parted her hair, Ally’s stomach clenched as a fierce need slithered through her. It didn’t matter that he was only touching her hair. Having his body eating up her space, his hot breath on her forehead, his brooding eyes focused solely on her . . . There was an intensity and intimacy to the moment that took her by surprise.

Derren released her hair, but he didn’t step back. He breathed her in, letting that luscious scent settle in his lungs. “It’s stopped bleeding, but it’s deep. You’ll need to clean it.”

That was gonna sting like a bitch. “I’m going to my lodge to take a shower.”

“I’ll walk you back.”

“It’s okay.” She stepped away, intending to leave. “I’m—” She broke off as a strange, ominous sound whooshed through the air. “What—” A deafening, piercing boom shocked the breath from her lungs, and she was suddenly encased in heat. Flames grazed her skin as she was propelled through the air and crashed to the hard ground. She heard a crack, andquickly realized it was her skull.

The adrenaline rushing through her helped her ignore the ringing in her ears, the disorientation clouding her reasoning, and the agony attempting to take hold of her. Her instincts told her to get up and move.

She crawled away from the corroding heat at her back and the trees that were collapsing around her. A hand suddenly snatched her arm and dragged her forward, urging her to move faster. When the hand released her, she collapsed on her front. A face was staring into hers. A face she knew. Derren.

He cast a nauseated glance at her back, and she wondered what he saw there. “Wait here, I’ll be right back.”

Wait there? Her instincts didn’t think that was a good idea. She should keep moving, get as far away from the danger as possible. And she would have done exactly that if Caleb hadn’t crouched in front of her, asking her questions she didn’t understand—the pain at her back was so consuming she couldn’t think.

A chorus of curses and grunts of pain was quickly followedbythe appearance of several others. They were heaving two wolvesalong with them, one of whom was a coughing and badly injured Eli.Ally double-blinked in surprise as a body was dumped at her side.

“Do something!” ordered a harsh male voice. Jesse. “You can save her!”

But she couldn’t. Shaya—her body unmoving, her eyes open wide, her skin scorched and red and blistered—was already gone.

“Help her!”

“I can’t! She’s dead.” It was too late. Ally closed her eyes against the emotional and physical blow to her system. Feeling hands pulling on her upper arms, making frost jab her bare skin, Ally opened her eyes with a gasp . . . and found Derren standing in front of her, the image of concern.

“Ally! Ally, answer me!”

Instinctively, she shrugged out of his hold, escaping the chill and hunger coming from his touch. Glancing around, she saw that there was no fire. No heat. No fallen trees. The male eyes around her regarded her curiously.

“Are you okay?”

Hearing that familiar voice, Ally glanced at the redheaded female beside her. Not dead but alive. At once, realization hit Ally, and horror slammed into her. “Move! We have to fucking movenow!” She grabbed Shaya’s arm and pulled hard as she turned and ran.

“Where are you going?” demanded Zander.

Without breaking stride, she very briefly glanced at him over her shoulder. “Unless you want to burn, run!” Footsteps thudded behind her as the males kept pace with her and—

A blast of fire. A rumble through the ground. Heat racing along her back. Trees crashing.

She wasn’t sure what sent her sprawling to the floor. The impact of the explosion? The reverberations in the ground? Her own instinct to dive away from the danger? She didn’t care, was simply glad of two things: One, she didn’t feel the same pain as she had in the vision. Two, Shaya was alive, albeit shocked and scared.

“Fuck!”

Hearing a harsh exclamation, Ally looked to see Eli and Caleb supporting Derren’s weight as they lowered him to the ground at her side. Resting on his front, he hissed out a breath. Bile rose in her throat as she got a look at his legs, the denim torn and sticking to the badly burned skin.

“He shielded me,” said Kent as his mate called Nick on his cell phone. “Derren shoved me to the ground and covered me.” And took the injuries intended for Kent.

“You can heal him, right?” Bracken asked Ally.

She struggled to a sitting position, startled by Derren’s harsh “No.”

“Derren, let her help you,” encouraged Eli.

“No,” he again ground out, looking close to blacking out. His eyes blazed into hers. “It’ll hurt you. It already hurts when I touch you.”

Yes, and feeling the agony of his injuries would make it worse, but . . . “This is what I do, Derren. Now shut the fuck up and keep still.”

She gently laid her hands on his legs, over the charred denim. A contrary combination of frost, heat, and pain invaded her system, prickled her nerve endings. Ignoring the agony, she pushed healing energy into his body. The moment the loop between them opened, his pain flowed into her. The more soothing energy she gave him, the more it felt like her skin was blazing, tightening, and eating away at itself.

A soft hand landed on her shoulder. “Ally, you can stop now.”

Oh, good. Then she collapsed.

 

Derren ignored the knock on the door of the guest bedroom, just as he’d ignored the others. Instead, he lazed in the chair beside the bed on which he’d laid an unconscious Ally three hours ago. The sight of her ashen face and the dark smudges under her eyes was making his wolf frantic. She hadn’t tossed or turned even once. She’d remained so still that if it weren’t for the subtle rise and fall of her chest, he would have worried that she was dead.

Another knock; this one louder, harder, impatient. “Derren, open up!” Shaya.

Although it was the Alpha pair’s lodge, he hadn’t let them or anyone else inside the room, mindful of how vulnerable Ally was at the moment. Having her lying there, out cold, while under the same roof as people who might mean her harm . . . it nettled both Derren and his wolf. The animal was very much on edge, pacing and anxious for Ally to wake up.

“She’s my friend, Derren, I want to see her! I’m worried about her!”

If his conscience wasn’t so undeveloped, he might have felt bad for Shaya. Right now, though, he was only interested in Ally. He didn’t truly believe any of his pack would harm her, but his protective instincts wouldn’t allow him to take the chance. While she was vulnerable, he’d watch over her.

A feminine huff traveled through the door. “Taryn’s on her way here. If she thinks that Ally might potentially need her healing skills, she’s going to come up here and there’ll be no stopping her. Unless, of course, I can assure her that I’ve seen Ally for myself and she’s fine.”

Cursing, Derren stalked to the door and yanked it open, finding most of the pack gathered behind a smug-looking Shaya. He knew that she’d played him, but he also knew she was right. Taryn, a powerful healer, would demand to check on Ally if Shaya couldn’t assure her that it wasn’t necessary. He moved aside for Shaya. “Just you.” Ignoring the complaints coming from the others, he shut the door.

The redhead’s expression crumpled into one of concern as she approached the bed. “Has she flitted in and out of consciousness?”

“No. She hasn’t moved an inch.” At least the wound on her head from her fight with Jesse had healed.

Shaya gently took hold of her wrist. “Her pulse is strong. I’m guessing her system has shut down while she recovers. She used up a lot of strength.”

He was thinking the same thing. “Why is Taryn on her way here?”

“We called Roni, told her what happened. When Taryn heard, she insisted on coming along with Roni and Marcus.”

“Is she bringing Trey?” If so, that would be a problem. As Marcus had told them, Trey despised Seers. Derren was resolute that Ally would be spared the prejudice from now on.

“I don’t know, Roni didn’t say.”

Another knock on the door had Derren sighing. “Go away.”

“Let us in, we just want to see her,” groused Kent.

Derren grumbled to Shaya, “I should have taken her to her own lodge.” Or his. Somewhere she’d have space and privacy. Noticing the smile on his Alpha female’s face, he frowned. “What?”

“I see your attitude toward her has done a one-eighty. It’s ’bout time.”

Coming to stand at Ally’s side, he smoothed a strand of her hair between his fingers. “She healed me.”

“You sound mystified.”

“After the way I acted, I wouldn’t have blamed her if she sat back and watched with glee while I writhed in agony.”

“Ally’s prickly and she doesn’t take too kindly to bullshit, but she’s also moral and fair.”

Yeah, he got that. “She foresaw the explosion.”

“I’m guessing so. One second she was fine, the next she was staring into space and her pupils had turned white.”

“Did you see the way she looked at you when she snapped out of it and saw you were beside her?”

Shaya swallowed hard. “Like she’d seen a ghost.”

And that spoke volumes about just what Ally had seen in her vision. And just how much they owed her.

“Shaya!” called Caleb. “Roni and Marcus are here with some of the Phoenix Pack!”

“I’m coming!” Shaya gave Derren a weak smile. “If she wakes up, send for me.”

Once she’d left, he returned to his seat and clasped his hands beneath his chin as he continued to watch over Ally. Some of the color was coming back to her cheeks, but not enough for his liking. What worried him most was that she was so still. He’d seen her sleeping many times in her hammock, noticed that she fidgeted something awful in her sleep—especially when she was having nightmares.

He wasn’t sure what those nightmares were about, and he didn’t have the right to ask. But it both interested and concerned him that she suffered from them so regularly. The fact that she wasn’t his concern didn’t seem to matter to his instincts or to his wolf. And it was slowly not coming to matter to Derren either.

His thoughts cut off as her eyelids fluttered and one leg straightened. Then those almond green eyes met his. Confusion, wariness, and surprise fought for supremacy in her expression as she glanced around. “You’re all right,” he assured her. “You’re in Nick and Shaya’s lodge.”

Her gaze returned to his as she licked her lips, seemingly more alert now.

“How are you feeling?”

It was a long moment before she answered. “Okay.”

“Do you remember what happened? Do you remember the explosion?”

After another moment, she nodded. “What was it?”

“We think it was a rifle grenade of some kind.” He hadn’t made much of a contribution to Nick’s investigation, wanting to stay with Ally instead. “You healed me. It was hurting you. I could feel it.” He’d hated that. He was a dominant wolf shifter; it was in his makeup to protect females and children, especially those directly under his protection. But whether he’d wanted to or not, he’d caused her pain. And she’d still willingly taken his. “But you didn’t pull away. You took my pain and added it to your own. Why?”

She swallowed. “Because it was the right thing to do.”

“I didn’t deserve your help.”

“Oh, I know that.”

His mouth twitched into a smile. “Thank you for what you did.”

“Don’t thank me. It’s what I do.”

Apparently praise made his Seer feel uncomfortable. “I’m still grateful.”

Sitting upright, she threaded a hand through her hair. “How long was I out?”

“A little over three hours. You don’t seem surprised. Is that normal?”

“Only if the injuries I’ve healed are extensive.”

It was safe to say that third-degree burns counted as serious. “Do your eyes always turn white when you have a vision?” Although he’d met several Seers, he’d never been present while one had a vision.

“As far as I know, yeah.”

“I didn’t like seeing you like that. It was like you were somewhere else.” Like her soul had vacated her body, left it cold. His wolf had panicked. “Shaya died in the vision, didn’t she? You saved her.” Ally opened her mouth to speak, but then there was a familiar loud, rhythmic knock at the door that told him it was his Alpha male. “It’s Nick. You up for visitors?”

Ally shrugged. “Sure.” What she really wanted was to leave and get back to her lodge. She was feeling groggy and irritable, which wouldn’t make her good company for anyone. She watched as Derren opened the door, allowing Nick to enter, and then closed it on the faces grouped there. She was sure she’d seen Kent, Caleb, and Bracken—all of whom had been scowling at Derren.

Ally swung her legs off the bed to better sit up. Derren returned to her side, his stance oddly protective.

Nick noted it with a raised eyebrow before turning to Ally. “How do you feel?” His condemnation and annoyance seemed to have melted away, replaced by an appreciation that warmed her skin.

“Okay.”

“From what the others told me, it sounds like you had a vision. Is that right?”

She nodded, barely managing to repress a shudder as the sight of Shaya’s dead body flashed in her mind.

“Can you tell me what you saw?”

“I saw exactly what happened out there. An explosion.”

“But you were all hurt pretty badly in the vision,” he assumed.

“She saved Shaya’s life,” said Derren, wanting his Alpha male and friend to fully appreciate and acknowledge just what he could have lost today if it hadn’t been for Ally.

Nick only briefly flicked his gaze to Derren. “I’m in your debt, Ally. And I won’t forget that.”

She would have told him that there was no debt, that she owed him for letting her stay with his pack temporarily. But he was already leaving, ushering the wolves that stood outside the door into moving along.

“Ready to go back to your own lodge?” asked Derren once they were alone again.

She closed her eyes, holding up a hand. “Stop.”

“What?”

“Being nice. It’s weird.”

His mouth curved slightly. “You like me better when I’m a bastard?”

She pinned his gaze with hers. “I’m still a Seer, Derren. Yes, I healed you. And yes, I saved Shaya’s life. But I’m no different than I was before that happened.”

“I know.” Derren sighed. “Everything you said when we last talked . . . You were right. I’ve been shitty toward you, and it’s going to stop.”

“So you no longer hate me, just like that?” Doubt was heavy in her tone.

“I never hated you.” He squatted in front of her. “You can’t feel that something’s different?”

“You’re always hard to gauge.” Admittedly, though, the fleeting emotions she was sensing were predominantly appreciativeness, regret, and a strong protectiveness—all of which felt like the softest fur brushing against her.

“Then let me prove it. Don’t jerk away.” Derren traced the black shadow under her eye with his index finger. “Did that hurt?”

Shockingly . . . “No.” Not even a little. Quite the opposite, actually. It didn’t matter that the touch had been featherlight and far from seductive. The heat of his body had been like a brand on her flesh, making need begin to curdle low in her stomach. And she had to get out of there before he sensed it. She got to her feet . . . and then blushed when she realized he was now eye level with her crotch. Sensing he was about to tease her for what he could no doubt very easily scent, she bit out, “Don’t.”

Standing upright, he raised his hands. “I didn’t say anything.”

“You didn’t have to.” It was obvious he was stifling a smile. Silent but amused, he led her out of the room and along the landing to a flight of stairs. From there, Ally could hear multiple voices coming from downstairs—some of which were unfamiliar. It was clearly packed with people. How not grand.

“I know you probably want to go straight back to your lodge,” said Derren, “but these people are nosy fuckers, and they want to get a look at the person who saved Shaya’s life. Just come say hi, and then I’ll get you out of here.”

To her surprise, Derren remained slightly in front of Ally in what seemed to be a protective move as he led her into the kitchen. Instantly, a hush fell upon the room, and several emotions crashed into her, primarily curiosity.

Relief washed over Shaya’s face. “You’re awake.” She headed straight for Ally and greeted her with a tight hug that made gratitude and affection seep into Ally’s system. “You look much better.” With a smile, Shaya turned to the others—most of whom were seated at the table. “Everyone, this is Ally. Ally, this is Roni and Marcus.”

The slender female gave her a small nod, while her dark, incredibly hot mate offered Ally a quiet “Hey.” Ally gave them both a small wave.

Shaya continued, “And these wolves are from the Phoenix Pack.” She gestured to two males. The burly one had a real grumpy air about him while the athletically built male regarded her warily. “That’s Ryan, a Phoenix enforcer, and Tao, who’s their Head Enforcer. The scowling, totally ripped guy leaning against the wall is their Alpha, Trey.” Whereas the enforcers appeared mostly neutral, the Alpha’s aversion to her—or, more likely, to what she was—made her skin itch.

At that moment, the back door opened and two wolves entered. Shaya said, “This gorgeous woman here is their Beta, Ja—”

“Oh my God, Ally!” The familiar tall female with long sable hair came flying at her, eyes wide in both shock and recognition. “Hey, how are you?”

Ally gladly accepted Jaime’s hug. “I’m great. You?”

Pulling back, she said, “They kept referring to you as ‘the Seer,’ but it never occurred to me that it could be you!”

“So,” interrupted the brown-eyed tower of muscle that appeared at Jaime’s side, “you two know each other?”

Jaime replied, “Ally was with our old pack for, like, eighteen months.” She returned her gaze to Ally. “That was almost six years ago, right?”

Ally nodded. “You’re part of the Phoenix Pack now?”

Jaime smiled proudly and leaned into the brown-eyed male. “This is my mate, Dante.”

Ally wanted to ask if he was the Dante—the guy Jaime had talked about many times. Although he’d left Jaime’s old pack when he was just a teenager, Jaime had never gotten over her crush. If the fact that they were now mated was anything to go by, it must have been because they were true mates but hadn’t known back then.

“Ally once had a vision that Gabe was going to be attacked by a group of falcon shifters,” Jaime told Dante, referring to her brother. “It saved him.”

“Really?” Dante’s frown gradually slipped away. “It’s good to meet you, Ally.”

Shaya released a sigh of relief. But then her entire body froze as a tiny blonde with sharp charcoal-gray eyes planted herself in front of Ally. Shaya cleared her throat. “Ally, this is Taryn, Alpha female of the Phoenix Pack.” Taryn’s shrewd gaze assessed her from head to toe and back again.

“Taryn,” drawled Derren, knowing there was every chance Taryn would carry the same prejudice toward Seers that her mate did, given the pain it had caused him.

She waved a hand at Derren. “Oh, cool it, Hudson. I’m not gonna give her shit. She saved my best friend’s life and healed my goddaughter. As far as I’m concerned, she walks on water.” Taryn gave her a respectful nod. “If you ever need anything, just ask.” Her stamp of approval must have been what her enforcers had been waiting for, because then Tao and Ryan nodded at Ally in greeting, along with the seriously hot blond, who was grinning impishly.

Shaya gestured at the blond, seeming reluctant to introduce him. “This is another Phoenix enforcer, Dominic.”

His grin widened. “Hi, I have big feet.” Everyone groaned, other than Jaime, who laughed, and Derren, who growled.

“Dominic, I really wouldn’t exercise your habit of dishing out cheesy chat lines on Ally,” Shaya advised him. “Derren’s kind of . . . protective.”

The Phoenix enforcer was the image of innocence. “It’s just that she looks a lot like my next girlfriend.”

Derren growled again. “Take Shaya’s advice and leave Ally be.”

Dominic just grinned at him before winking at Ally, and she couldn’t help but smile. He was obviously a world of trouble.

“Now you’ve all seen her, so back off,” ordered Derren. “She’s leaving.”

Ally pointed to the blood matting her hair. “I kind of need a shower.”

Jaime hugged her once more. “Expect plenty of visits from me while you’re here.” Ally smiled at that. Jaime was always good company.

Shaya said, “I’ll come see you when everyone’s gone home.”

As Ally followed Derren out of the kitchen, the Mercury wolves either offered her a “hey” or a nod of thanks—none of which were begrudging or had hints of wariness. It satisfied her wolf, who’d found it difficult being part of a pack, even temporarily, that didn’t accept or include her.

As her lodge came into view, Ally inwardly sighed in relief. Now all she needed to do was get rid of the persistent, indomitable, and annoyingly hot male at her side. But since she got the feeling he didn’t intend to go anywhere, and he was a guy who didn’t seem to pay attention to what other people wanted, she doubted it would be easy.