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)
“You don’t want to trust. It’s a self-preservation thing for you. I’m not being judgmental, just making a point.”
He swirled his tongue inside the hollow of her throat. “What’s that point?”
“That your responsibilities aren’t trapping you.” Her words came out a little breathless, since what he was doing felt too good. “Taking on responsibilities means taking charge of your life. It’s your own personal shit that’s trapping you.”
Maybe. But while he was hard as a rock, the only thing he could really think about was being inside her. “Finished preaching?”
She sniffed. “For today.”
“Good. I want to be in you.”
“You’ll have to catch me first.” Then she fled, laughing as she heard him cursing behind her as he rushed to follow.
CHAPTER TEN
The chiming of his cell phone pulled Derren from his paperwork. He frowned at the unfamiliar number. “Hello.”
“Derren?”
His entire body stiffened as shock locked his muscles. He recognized the female voice. It was older, harder, than when he’d last heard it.
“It’s Roxanne.” His older sister. “Mom and Dad . . . they died last night.”
Died? He probably shouldn’t care. Had always assumed he wouldn’t. But he had to ask . . . “How?”
“Dad had a heart attack. And Mom,” choked Roxanne, “didn’t last long after the mating bond broke.” She cleared her throat before continuing, her voice now stiff and formal. “The funeral is tomorrow morning at ten¸ if you want to attend.” She hung up before he could respond.
For a moment, Derren just sat there, unmoving. Then came the sudden urge to bolt, to get outside and inhale the fresh air. Without a word to anyone, Derren barged out of his office and out of the main lodge. He didn’t give a thought to which direction he was heading, he just walked. He waited for some kind of emotion to hit him.
Something.
Anything.
But there was nothing.
He wasn’t sure how long he wandered aimlessly, but he realized that at some point he’d subconsciously made his way to the lodge he shared with Ally. He found her drinking coffee at the dining table wrapped in a terry robe, her hair damp. She looked up at him with a smile. That smile quickly faded.
“Derren.” Rising, Ally slowly moved to him, alarmed by the numbness coming from him, causing one continuous drone to ring in her ear. Something was very wrong. “Derren, what is it?” He didn’t respond. He just stood there, his expression blank and his eyes cold. She fisted her hands in his T-shirt. “Has there been another attack?”
“No.” His tone was flat, emotionless. “I had a call I wasn’t expecting.”
“Who called?”
“My sister.”
Okay, well, that had been the last thing she’d been expecting to hear—particularly since she hadn’t even known he had a sister. Since that day at the hot springs, he’d shared more and more with Ally. But the subject of his old pack had always remained untouched, and she’d respected his wish to keep it private.
“My parents are dead.”
Ally rocked back on her heels. “Oh God.” She didn’t know what to say to him. “I’m sorry” didn’t seem like enough. Instead of speaking, she slipped her arms around his waist and hugged him. His skin was cold beneath his T-shirt. “I should be good at comforting people who are grieving, considering I lost my family.” But she’d been too young to grieve in the same way adults might.
Loosely curling his arms around her, Derren rubbed his cheek against hers. “I’m not going through the same grief that you went through, baby. I haven’t spoken to my parents since before I was sentenced to juvie. They believed I was guilty.” And they’d died still believing it.
“That’s why your sister didn’t come and tell you to your face,” she realized. Even so, telling someone that their parents were dead over the phone was a shitty thing to do unless it simply couldn’t be helped.
“I’m surprised she even bothered to tell me.” His sister had disowned him as openly and easily as his parents had. “It’s even more surprising that she told me about the funeral.”
“When is it?”
“Tomorrow morning.”
Ally met his empty gaze. “Do you want to go?”
“I don’t know.”
“Don’t think you have to go, that you owe it to them,” insisted Ally. “I don’t know what happened in your old pack, but if your parents turned their backs on you, then you owe them nothing. Only go if you want to. And if you do, I’ll be with you.”
Derren cocked his head. “Why would you do that?”
“I don’t want you to be alone.”
Her words warmed him. This thing between them might have started out casual and easy, but it was becoming increasingly far from it. “A funeral isn’t a good place for you, baby. All that grief . . . it’ll hurt you.”
Like she cared about that. “I’m not letting you go alone.” Her wolf hated seeing him this way, wanted to rub up against him to offer comfort. Ally felt so freaking helpless. Physical pain she could take away with her gift. Emotional pain wasn’t something she could heal. “How can I help? What can I do?” In a mere moment, his dark gaze went from cold to feverish with need.