Yeah? Ally wasn’t all that convinced. But the fact was that she didn’t need Derren or anyone else to shield her; she was a strong, dominant female. All she really needed was to get the hell away from the Collingwood wolves. Strong or not, she couldn’t fight an entire pack. Derren was her ticket out. In that sense, the Mercury Pack was the lesser evil.

She sighed, resigned. “I need to get my stuff.”

Derren’s wide shoulders relaxed slightly. “I’ll come with you.”

“That’s really not necessary.”

“I’ve been charged with keeping you safe. That’s exactly what I’m going to do.”

And there would be consequences for him if he failed, she knew. “All right.”

When he crossed the room to her, she realized that actually it wasn’t “all right” at all. Because as his delicious scent slithered over her—Brazilian coffee beans, oak bark, and hot sex—Ally’s wolf’s interest was replaced by arousal. And that was just the last thing that Ally needed.

It wasn’t often that Derren and his wolf were in accord on things. It wasn’t that their natures were very different, it was that they were so similar—hard, pushy, stubborn, and mostly serious. They both had such strong, forceful personalities that they clashed a lot. But they had one very big difference: their taste in females.

Derren was attracted to confident, bold females who took life as seriously as he did. His wolf, on the other hand, was so easily bored that he tended to like playful, defiant females that would present a challenge.

This difference in tastes could be problematic. His wolf didn’t fight Derren’s choices in females, but he also didn’t invest any interest in the relationships, which the females would sense and resent. Just the same, Derren would find himself grinding his teeth whenever his wolf was driving him to pursue a female that Derren wasn’t attracted to in any sense.

For once, though, they were in total agreement when it came to a woman: Alyssa Marshall was fucking captivating.

Her almond green eyes, framed by thick coal-black lashes, were just as mesmerizing as he remembered. The very second they had met his gaze, it had felt like every ounce of blood in his body had rushed to his cock. Lust had blasted through him with an alarming force, leaving him a little shaken. He wanted to lap at that smooth olive skin. Wanted to cup those high, perky breasts in his hands. Wanted to wrap that sleek mocha-brown curtain around his fist while he ate at that full mouth. And his wolf was urging him on.

Never had Derren had such a visceral reaction to a female. It was unexpected, and he didn’t trust it. Nor did he trust that the attention of his easily distracted wolf was absolutely consumed by her. Was she doing some weird Seer thing? Using her gift to attract him and his wolf?

The truth was that it didn’t truly matter, because never in a million years would he get involved with a Seer. Never. Since she was his friend’s mate, she was off-limits, in any case. Whether Cain intended to claim her or not, it was doubtful he’d like it much if a friend was sniffing around his mate. Derren’s wolf, however, was no more affected by that than he was by Derren’s distrust of her. The animal wanted her. Simple.

Glancing at the female walking beside him, Derren had a hard time believing she was a Seer. He’d been expecting a colorful, loud woman with crimped wavy hair, too much eyeliner, and hippy-like clothes. Instead, he was looking at a slender, self-composed, casually dressed female wearing a minimum amount of makeup.

Even with her dressed in tight-fitting jeans and a simple long-sleeved T-shirt with a scarf loosely hanging around her neck, Derren wanted to back her against one of the trees, strip her naked, and explore every delectable inch of her. He’d let her keep the black midcalf boots on, though.

Cursing inwardly, he shook his head to clear the image from his mind.

Not a lot surprised Derren—maybe because he was simply too jaded. But Ally Marshall . . . she wasn’t at all what he’d expected. Still, whether or not she looked and acted like a Seer, that was exactly what she was. And he’d remember that, because he knew better than most that Seers could be corrupt, self-righteous, and misuse their gifts.

As they traipsed through the woods, heading for her cabin, they saw members of her pack here and there. Most of them ignored her, and she ignored them right back. One or two glared, and she pointedly ignored them too.

“Are you . . . in business with Cain?”

Knowing she was asking if he was part of The Movement too, Derren shook his head. “I’m just an old friend. You remember me.” He’d seen recognition flash across her face in Matt’s office.

“And you remember me.”

A guy didn’t forget eyes like hers.

She pointed at a cabin a few feet away. “We’re here.”

He frowned at the collection of garbage bags and broken furniture on the porch. Paint had been splattered all over the front of the cabin, and one of the windows had weblike cracks running through it. “What happened?” His wolf growled, flexing his claws.

She shrugged. “Kids.”

Kids wouldn’t be inspired to do this kind of damage unless their issue with Ally was extremely personal, or unless . . . “Was the Beta female behind it?”

“So you believe my story?”

She looked pretty surprised that he might believe in her innocence. Understandable, since nobody else had. Although he doubted that she was guilty, he wasn’t convinced she was definitely innocent. His hesitation apparently answered for him, because she sighed, regarding him with disappointment. Like she’d expected more—better—of him. To his total irritation, he found himself strangely feeling both shitty and defensive.