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)
“Yes, they split their time between here and my best friend’s pack, since that’s where Marcus is from. We share him and Roni with the Phoenix Pack. You heard of it?”
“I’ve heard of the Alphas. The Alpha female was latent for most of her life, wasn’t she?” It was unheard of.
“That’s right. Taryn’s wolf surfaced later.” It was said with utter pride. “Do you think the Collingwood Betas will give you any more problems?”
“No.” Unfortunately, she didn’t sound totally convinced, and Shaya picked up on it.
“But?”
“But Derren does.”
“Let’s hope he’s wrong. Though Derren rarely ever is. It’s kind of annoying. Come on, there’s more to see.”
Shaya guided Ally around Mercury Pack territory, showing her the land, the borders, where each of the lodges were, and the gorgeous waterfall. As they walked, Shaya told her all about the roots of the pack, where each of the members came from, and how Nick had come to blood with the Phoenix Alpha male.
Just before lunch, they came upon Derren training the enforcers—all five of the males were wearing only their jeans, revealing sets of very impressive abs.
“They sure are easy on the eyes,” commented Ally with a sigh.
Shaya smiled. “Yeah. Don’t get me wrong, I would never be attracted to another guy now that I’m mated. But that doesn’t mean I’m blind.”
Her wolf watched, curious and impressed, as Derren dueled with Zander. Although Zander was incredibly fast, he couldn’t evade Derren’s reach. Still, it wasn’t an easy win for Derren, who then took a quick break to take a drink from one of the water bottles on the ground. At that moment, his gaze—dark, heated, and brooding—landed on Ally. Her skin burned under the weight of that gaze, her insides twisted with need, and her mouth dried up.
Oh, help. It simply wasn’t fair.
“Ah, shit!” cursed someone, his voice nasal. It was Bracken, Ally quickly realized—she was glad for the distraction.
Laughing, Shaya said to Eli, “You broke his nose again?”
Eli didn’t look the least bit repentant. “He was irritating me.”
With a sigh, Ally approached. “Let me help.” Bracken regarded her like she was a ticking bomb. She arched a challenging brow, poking at his pride, daring him to back away.
The enforcer rolled his shoulders, rising to the challenge. “All right.”
She gripped his nose . . . and then snapped it back into place.
He stumbled backward, shouting, “Fuck!” Stunned, he glared at Ally.
She shrugged one shoulder. “I said I’d help. I didn’t say I’d heal you.”
Eli laughed. “She got you there, Bracken.”
Realizing he’d been had, Bracken . . . smiled at her. Smiled? Weird. But then, dominant male wolves often were.
“Come on,” Shaya chuckled, nudging Ally gently with her elbow. She didn’t mind the touch. Shaya was a soothing, calming person to be around. But Ally sensed that the Alpha could be dangerous if the situation called for it.
Resisting the urge to take one last look at Derren, Ally turned and followed Shaya. “Tour done?”
“Yes, and I have to get back to Willow. It’s almost time for lunch anyway. You coming?”
Ally gave her a wan smile. “I’ll be honest with you, Shaya, it’s unlikely I’ll spend much time at your lodge.”
The Alpha female practically pouted. “Why? Is it because the pack was so shitty toward you this morning? I would have interfered, but I didn’t think you’d appreciate it—that would have made you look weak.”
“It would have, and I’m glad you let me deal with it myself. But it’s not about their behavior. This is their pack, their home, and they have every right to feel how they feel.” Even if it did offend and frustrate her. “Part of being a Seer is being highly empathetic. Having all those negative emotions streaming at me physically hurt—not to mention pissed off my wolf.”
Shaya’s shoulders sagged. “I’m sorry.”
“You have nothing to apologize for. You’ve been great, and I’m really thankful that you’ve been so welcoming. But I can’t spend much time around the pack without hurting. And it’s not fair to them either. They shouldn’t have to feel so uncomfortable in their own home.”
“They’ll come around.”
Doubtful. “Until then, I’ll be mostly at my lodge, which is no hardship at all. I really do love it.”
“Okay. But I’ll come by every day. I’ll need to bring fresh stock for your fridge anyway.”
Ally smiled. “Be sure to bring Willow.”
“I will.”
“Now go see your beautiful baby girl.”
As they parted ways, Ally headed back to her lodge. Well, it wasn’t her lodge, it was just her designated guest lodge but, hey, it was a conversation she was having with herself, so she could be as possessive of the place as she wanted.
Finally there, she did what she often did when she had lots of crap on her mind: she cooked. It relaxed her, was a creative outlet that soothed all her senses and took her away from her worries.