Derren’s cell phone ringing cut off what he would have said next. He knew by the ringtone that it was Nick. Without losing eye contact with Ally, Derren dug his cell out of his jeans pocket. “Yeah?”

“Come to the main lodge.”

Hearing the urgency in his Alpha’s tone, Derren stiffened as his wolf shot to alertness. “Problem?”

“There could be.” Nick hung up.

“I have to go,” Derren told Ally, returning his phone to his pocket. He cupped her nape, pinning her gaze with his. “Understand this, Ally. There is very little I consider an obstacle when I want something. And when I want something as badly as I want you, I won’t let anything or anyone keep me from it. I marked you, and I don’t consider that a small thing. Do you? Is branding a guy something you do often?” he rumbled.

After a long moment, she confessed, “No.”

That was what he’d thought. “We both want this, Ally. Don’t we?” He needed her to admit it to both of them.

His eyes dared her to lie, but she didn’t. “Yes.”

Derren smiled. “Good girl.” He kissed her hard, pouring every bit of his hunger and resolve into it. When he finally pulled back, he brushed his thumb over the mark he’d left on her neck. “Don’t cover it up.”

Minutes later, Derren was striding into the living area of the main lodge, where most of the pack stood around. He frowned. “What’s going on?” he asked Nick.

“Fifteen minutes ago, a car pulled up outside the road leading to the main lodge,” replied his Alpha. “It didn’t cross into our territory, but it isn’t showing any signs of moving. Eli and Bracken took a closer look without approaching the vehicle. There’s one guy inside, and he’s not only covered in injuries but he’s unconscious.”

“He’s also in the passenger seat,” added Eli, “which means someone drove him there and then deserted him.”

“You’re certain he’s not dead?” Derren asked Eli.

It was Bracken who answered. “His chest is rising and falling. It’s a small movement, but it’s there.”

Shaya cuddled Willow close. “Knowing there’s a wounded guy so close who might need our help isn’t sitting well with me. I don’t like the idea of just leaving him there. But the whole thing seems . . . off to me.”

Zander nodded. “Like a trap.”

“Or a distraction,” mused Derren, his instincts stabbing at him. “Something to make us look one way while someone comes at us from another angle.”

Nick’s eyes widened. “Fuck.”

This doesn’t have to be complicated.

Derren was right, Ally told herself as she poured more coffee into her mug. She never would have expected it when they’d first met, but they had become friends. Not the type of friends who shared secrets or memories—their friendship wasn’t intimate like what he had with Nick and Roni; like what Ally had with Cain. But the interactions between her and Derren had evolved into a casual friendship where there was a mutual respect and regard.

A fling based on this kind of friendship could work for Ally. There would be no laying demands on each other, there would be no expectations, and there would be no need to confide about emotions, fears, ideas, or hopes. Yes, this could work out fine for both of them. Because as much as Ally was more of a commitment kind of girl, she didn’t have the emotional ability to give that to anyone right now.

However, there was no denying that there were plenty of reasons to not get involved with Derren. For one thing, Cain would go apeshit; he was very protective of her, considered her his baby sister, and wanted her to have a mate and family of her own. He knew that Ally wasn’t the casual sex type, and he’d see this situation as Derren using her. But it was impossible to explain all of that to Derren since he didn’t want to hear it.

Another reason to steer clear of a temporary relationship with Derren was the not-so-simple fact that she hadn’t been able to fight her wolf’s desire to brand him. Not when Ally herself had wanted to leave a mark of possession on him to make it clear to other females, to him, and to his wolf that she didn’t share.

Ally sighed at the beeping of her cell phone. No doubt it was Zeke again. And that right there was yet another reason to avoid a fling with Derren: it could end very fucking badly. Ignoring the beep, she took her mug and settled on the porch step. Zeke had also sent her a message around midnight, which she’d only noticed after Derren had left. It wasn’t until she’d read that message, wherein Zeke had claimed to miss her, that she’d begun to wonder if just maybe Derren was right. Maybe Zeke was finding it hard to let go.

Shifter males were possessive. Dominant males were even more so. Zeke had almost been as possessive of her as Derren was growing to be. Although Zeke would choose his mate over Ally any day of the week, he and his wolf could still be finding his abrupt separation with Ally hard to adjust to.

That would explain why he hadn’t wanted to get her a transfer from the pack when she’d asked. If that were the case, the best thing she could do was continue to ignore his attempts to speak to her. What worried her was that it might drive him to come and see her.

Snapped out of her musings by a loud high-pitched sound, Ally put down her mug and jumped to her feet. It was a cry . . . a baby’s cry. Willow. Without thought or hesitation, she sprinted into the forest, tracking the frightened cry. Her mind distantly registered that she was heading in the direction of Kent and Caleb’s lodge, but Ally’s focus was solely on getting to the baby. Willow’s wails got louder and louder as Ally came closer to the opening in the trees she could see up ahead. Ally burst into the small clearing and—