Unlike his friend, he didn’t radiate emotion. He was so guarded that only brief flashes broke through that cool surface. Those flashes of suspiciousness, rancor, scorn, and confusion were enough to chill her skin. But that chill was eased by the sparks of a sensual hunger that made warmth bloom in places it had no right being.

It was a hunger she could see he resented.

He might be attracted to her, but he didn’t like it. That irritated her wolf, who—also having recognized him—had sat up, rapt by his dominance and self-assurance.

Suddenly his dark eyes slowly raked over her, lingering a little too long on her mouth. She refused to blush under his intense inspection. “He sent you,” she guessed. Cain. She doubted it was pure coincidence that a wolf who served time in juvie with Cain had come here.

A curt nod was all she received in response—the guy clearly wasn’t happy about it. Neither was she. Ally had been hoping that Cain wouldn’t hear about what had happened, given his violent way of handling things. He must have her more closely watched than she’d thought.

“I’m Derren Hudson.” His silky smooth voice slid over her, teasing her senses. “This is Eli Axton. We’re from the Mercury Pack.”

She’d heard a little about the pack—mostly that the Alpha was very powerful and very dangerous. “How much does . . . our mutual friend . . . know?”

“Everything.”

Shit. “I take it he relayed my story to you?”

Another sharp nod. “I’m here to take you with me.”

Yeah, she’d gathered that. “Where to?”

“My pack. Temporarily.”

And no doubt, Cain would deal with everything when he was released from jail.

Matt cleared his throat. “Ally, I just wanted to say that I always believed you were innocent. And I certainly don’t believe you attacked Rachelle last night.”

“Really?” she drawled, skeptical. Fear wafted from him, sending a crawling sensation down her arms.

“Yes, but I have no proof,” stressed Matt. “Rachelle’s accusation is very serious. As Beta female, she should protect her pack mates. If her accusations are false, she has violated her oath and placed you in danger. She would have to be severely punished, and I would have to replace her as Beta, which would mean Zeke would also have to step down. Without solid proof of her guilt, I cannot justify making such a decision. Just the same, I cannot execute or banish you without solid proof of your guilt. I want to be clear that I am not casting you out.” Matt’s voice was both firm and reassuring. “There is really no need for you to leave. I can guarantee your safety here.”

“No, you can’t,” Derren told him.

The wolf was right; Matt couldn’t. Ally knew that Rachelle wouldn’t stop. The pack was so certain of Ally’s guilt, and she had no supporters. She had no one who would defend her against any future allegations. No one who would ensure there were consequences if her cabin was again vandalized.

Still, leaving with two perfect strangers, neither of whom wanted to be in her company, wasn’t all that appealing either. Sometimes it was a case of “better the devil you know.”

As if Derren sensed her hesitance, he narrowed his eyes. “Matt, could you leave us alone a minute?”

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.”