Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 108368 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 542(@200wpm)___ 433(@250wpm)___ 361(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108368 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 542(@200wpm)___ 433(@250wpm)___ 361(@300wpm)
She was kind of surprised that he would ask an Alpha to leave his own office. She was even more surprised when said Alpha did as requested.
Derren stepped forward. “I can’t let you stay here. Cain wants you away from this place.”
And Cain would flip on Derren if he didn’t take her away—yeah, she got that. But . . . “I’ll find a way to contact Cain, explain it’s my decision to remain here.”
“Why would you want to stay? From what I’ve heard, they don’t want you here.”
“And you don’t want me to go with you.”
He inclined his head. “I won’t deny that. But here you’re around people who might physically hurt you. That wouldn’t be the case if you came with me.” When she didn’t speak, he added, “Cain wouldn’t have sent me if he wasn’t positive that you’d come to no harm with me.”
That was true. The fact that he had told Derren of their connection showed just how much he trusted him—or, at least, how much Cain trusted him to maintain his silence on the subject. And she had faith in Cain’s judgment. Still . . . “You say you won’t harm me, but there’s so much bitterness and hostility when you look at me.” It left a sour taste on her tongue. “Why?”
Derren ground his teeth. “I don’t like Seers.”
And she didn’t like being surrounded by prejudice, but, hey, life was full of disappointments. “I’m pretty sure ‘don’t like’ is an understatement.” When he didn’t deny it, she asked, “Yet I’m supposed to trust you?”
“No, you shouldn’t trust me. I’m only loyal to those who’ve earned it. But I will do what Cain’s asked of me.”
“Why?”
“I owe him a favor.”
“Very noble, but I have a feeling my phone battery will last longer than your attempt at tolerance.” She would bet it wasn’t a quality he could ever claim to have. Surprisingly, his mouth twitched in amusement. “Why in the world would Cain send you, of all people, to help me when you so obviously despise Seers?”
“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?