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)
Derren spanked her ass before giving it a firm squeeze. “No.”
“Stop spanking my ass!”
“It’s my ass. You should know that by now.” He’d bitten and marked it enough times.
“I mean it!” It was impossible to sound firm and outraged when she was laughing. She smacked his own ass, but he didn’t seem to care. “Derren, put me down!”
“I don’t want to.” Hearing a familiar chime, he dug his cell out of his pocket. “Shush, baby, while I take this call.” Seeing “Unknown Number” flashing on the screen, Derren frowned. “Hello.”
“Derren, it’s me.”
Derren halted abruptly. Cain. Not a voice Derren wanted to hear. His good humor literally fled his body, and his wolf snarled—as far as the animal was concerned, Cain was a rival. “Hey.” The word came out guttural.
“I heard your pack’s still having trouble.” Danger dripped from every syllable.
Putting Ally on her feet, Derren met her knowing gaze—her shifter hearing had obviously picked up Cain’s voice. “We know who the culprit is. It’s only a matter of time before we have them.”
“Good. How’s my Ally?”
His wolf’s ears flattened as a loud growl rumbled out of him. The animal did not at all like Cain’s use of the word “my.” Derren didn’t like it much either. “Fine.”
“Is she close?”
Close? She couldn’t get much closer. “Yeah.”
“Put her on.”
Without a word, Derren held out the phone.
Taking it, Ally tucked her hair behind her ear. “Hello.”
“How are you, sweetheart?”
A low but fierce growl built in Derren’s chest at the endearment. His wolf curled back his upper lip, his anger almost palpable as his vicious temper threatened to take over.
Ally swallowed hard. “Good.”
“Have the Collingwood wolves bothered you since you left their pack?”
“No. No, they’ve left me alone.” Ally ignored the way Derren’s brows lifted at the lie.
“How are things at the Mercury Pack? Is Derren taking good care of you?”
That was one way to put it. “I don’t need protecting.”
Cain laughed. “How did I know you’d say that? I can’t talk long, sweetheart. But I’ll be out of here very soon. Then we’ll talk more.”
“Okay.”
“Put Derren back on.”
Retrieving the cell, Derren gritted out, “Yeah?” With jealousy riding him, it took all of his control not to tell his friend to fuck off.
“She’s lying to me,” growled Cain. “The Collingwood fuckers have been bothering her.”
“Yes,” Derren confirmed, watching her wince at Cain’s words.
“Don’t let any of them harm her.”
“I won’t.” Derren would kill them before he allowed that to happen. Not for Cain, but to protect Ally.
“I’m trusting you with her, Derren. Don’t let me down.” The line went dead.
Let him down? Derren was pretty sure he’d let Cain down the moment he first thrust his tongue inside her mouth. Didn’t matter to him, though. It should, he knew that. But Derren needed her in a way that probably should have freaked him out. But he’d accepted it.
Ally cleared her throat and offered Derren a weak smile. Well, that was awkward. Of course, it wouldn’t have been awkward if Derren weren’t under the impression that Cain was her mate. Trying to keep her body language casual, she proceeded toward the lodge. His words almost made her trip over her own feet.
“Why hasn’t Cain claimed you?” There was affection in Cain’s tone as he spoke of and to her. It was obvious to Derren that the guy cared a lot for her—or, at least, as much as a sociopath was capable of caring for someone. She was a female that any male would be proud to have as his mate. Why the fuck would Cain decide against claiming her?
Ally flinched as flickers of jealousy, indignation, uncertainty, and possessiveness lashed at her, making her break out in a cold sweat. Derren might look the image of composure, but his emotions were in turmoil. All right, truth time.
She inhaled deeply as she spun to face him. “You want to talk about Cain? Good. Because I can finally make you hear what I’ve been trying to tell you all this time.” Her next words tumbled out in a rush. “He’s not my mate. When I first got here, I didn’t feel safe—everyone but Shaya seemed to hate me. I figured I’d be safer if I didn’t correct your assumption that I was Cain’s mate. So go on, yell at me for not correcting you in the beginning.”
She closed her eyes, not wanting to see the betrayal and hurt that would surely glimmer from his dark gaze. The flickers of his emotions suddenly cut off . . . it wasn’t like he was numb, but as if he were so shocked that his emotions were on hold.
Peeking out of one eye, she found him staring at her, his expression completely blank. His eyes, though . . . they weren’t so blank. There was something in them that told her to run. Not out of fear. No, she wasn’t scared. But the primal instinct to run was there nonetheless, and her wolf was backing it up. Like the animal wanted Ally to challenge him, to make him work for . . . something.