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)
Zander nodded. “Like a trap.”
“Or a distraction,” mused Derren, his instincts stabbing at him. “Something to make us look one way while someone comes at us from another angle.”
Nick’s eyes widened. “Fuck.”
This doesn’t have to be complicated.
Derren was right, Ally told herself as she poured more coffee into her mug. She never would have expected it when they’d first met, but they had become friends. Not the type of friends who shared secrets or memories—their friendship wasn’t intimate like what he had with Nick and Roni; like what Ally had with Cain. But the interactions between her and Derren had evolved into a casual friendship where there was a mutual respect and regard.
A fling based on this kind of friendship could work for Ally. There would be no laying demands on each other, there would be no expectations, and there would be no need to confide about emotions, fears, ideas, or hopes. Yes, this could work out fine for both of them. Because as much as Ally was more of a commitment kind of girl, she didn’t have the emotional ability to give that to anyone right now.
However, there was no denying that there were plenty of reasons to not get involved with Derren. For one thing, Cain would go apeshit; he was very protective of her, considered her his baby sister, and wanted her to have a mate and family of her own. He knew that Ally wasn’t the casual sex type, and he’d see this situation as Derren using her. But it was impossible to explain all of that to Derren since he didn’t want to hear it.
Another reason to steer clear of a temporary relationship with Derren was the not-so-simple fact that she hadn’t been able to fight her wolf’s desire to brand him. Not when Ally herself had wanted to leave a mark of possession on him to make it clear to other females, to him, and to his wolf that she didn’t share.
Ally sighed at the beeping of her cell phone. No doubt it was Zeke again. And that right there was yet another reason to avoid a fling with Derren: it could end very fucking badly. Ignoring the beep, she took her mug and settled on the porch step. Zeke had also sent her a message around midnight, which she’d only noticed after Derren had left. It wasn’t until she’d read that message, wherein Zeke had claimed to miss her, that she’d begun to wonder if just maybe Derren was right. Maybe Zeke was finding it hard to let go.
Shifter males were possessive. Dominant males were even more so. Zeke had almost been as possessive of her as Derren was growing to be. Although Zeke would choose his mate over Ally any day of the week, he and his wolf could still be finding his abrupt separation with Ally hard to adjust to.
That would explain why he hadn’t wanted to get her a transfer from the pack when she’d asked. If that were the case, the best thing she could do was continue to ignore his attempts to speak to her. What worried her was that it might drive him to come and see her.
Snapped out of her musings by a loud high-pitched sound, Ally put down her mug and jumped to her feet. It was a cry . . . a baby’s cry. Willow. Without thought or hesitation, she sprinted into the forest, tracking the frightened cry. Her mind distantly registered that she was heading in the direction of Kent and Caleb’s lodge, but Ally’s focus was solely on getting to the baby. Willow’s wails got louder and louder as Ally came closer to the opening in the trees she could see up ahead. Ally burst into the small clearing and—
“Ally, no!” The choked-out warning came from Caleb, who was sprawled on the ground with Kent. Both were badly injured, and both were covered in blood. What the fuck?
Ally’s head snapped in the direction of Willow’s cry . . . only to find that there was no Willow there, and a fucking cougar shifter was leaping off a tree branch, its feline gaze trained on Ally with—
Flinching as heat scalded her fingers, Ally dropped the coffeepot back onto the counter. Understanding quickly dawned. “Fuck!” Snatching her cell from the end of the counter, she dialed Caleb’s number.
He answered after only two rings. “Hey, Ally, how’s—”
“Don’t leave your lodge! Whatever happens, whatever you think you hear, do not leave your lodge. It’s not Willow, it’s a trap.” Ending the call, she quickly called Derren. The phone kept ringing and ringing, and she cursed. “Come on, come on.”
Then there was his voice. “Baby, I can’t talk right now—”
“Cougars.”
“What?”
“There are cougar shifters on our territory!” Cougar screams could often sound like babies wailing or women screaming. “I had a vision! They’re near Kent and Caleb’s lodge!” The predator in her wanted to track the felines and rip them all a new asshole for trespassing on Mercury territory with the intention to kill.