Both he and his wolf stilled. “My touch will hurt you?”
“If someone’s emotions are strong enough, they can bleed into my system through touch. You’re so angry at me, so bitter. It’s uncomfortable enough to just be around you. If you touch me while those emotions are running through you, it’ll hurt.” And having his need pour through her body, adding to her own, would have Ally so turned on she’d be shaking with it. But he didn’t need to know that.
Derren had heard that picking up the emotions of others caused physical sensations for Seers, but he hadn’t known it could be painful. “I’ll keep my hands to myself.” Why a part of him balked at that idea, he didn’t know. His wolf viciously clawed at his gut, enraged by it. “One last thing. Don’t think about running.”
Startled that he’d suspect she would do anything of the sort, she asked, “Why would I run?”
“I think you may have figured out that not everyone here is going to be as welcoming as Shaya. I don’t want you fleeing.”
Affronted, she sniped, “I don’t flee. And I may not trust you, and I may not be convinced you have any interest in whether or not I’m safe, but I do trust Cain and his judgment.”
The faith and affection in the latter words added to the jealousy that was already riding his wolf. Not a jealous person, Derren had always been able to roll his eyes at his wolf’s envy. But right now, he shared it. This female messed with his fucking head just as much as she messed with his senses.
“If you both trust and care for each other so damn much, why hasn’t he claimed you? Why would he overlook his mate dating other guys? And why would you want to?” An emotion flickered across her face, but it was gone too quickly for Derren to identify it.
“Why do you have so much rage and pain inside you that it’s a total wonder you haven’t gone insane with it?” she shot back. As she’d known he would, he closed down. Her laugh was empty of humor. “Unless you’re willing to share your own business, don’t ask me about mine.”
Perversely, her defiance entertained him as much as it did his wolf. This was a female who could hold her own, who brooked no bullshit. Derren could respect that, even as it irritated him that he had no answers to his questions. “Remember: don’t think about running. You wouldn’t get far anyway. I have your scent.” A scent that seemed designed to fucking tantalize him, his cock, and his wolf.
Her voice hardened. “Let me assure you that if at any point I do decide to leave here, that’s exactly what I’ll do. But I won’t run. I’ll walk right on out of here while you watch.”
“I’d stop you before you got anywhere near the border.”
Ally knew her smile was a little feral. “You could try.”
Derren’s mouth curved. “You should know better than to challenge a Beta.” With that, he spun on his heel and strode away, taking Bruce with him.
Once he was out of sight, Ally exhaled a heavy sigh. Being so close to Derren was hard on her composure. Not just because his emotions battered at her, but because he pulled sexual reactions from her body that alarmed her.
She hadn’t realized that he assumed Cain was her mate, though she supposed it was an easy leap for him to make since Cain was so protective. For a single moment, she’d thought of correcting him. But instinct had made her stop. While the Mercury wolves thought Cain was her mate, they would be more inclined to let her be. After all, shifters would launch full-scale wars over their mates.
She didn’t like to lie, but this was just a teeny-weeny lie of omission that wouldn’t hurt anyone but might keep her safe from these people who didn’t like outsiders, didn’t like Seers, and didn’t want her here.
Sure, it was hiding behind Cain, in a sense. Her pride—as strong as that of any dominant female wolf—bristled at that. But her pride had also balked when she’d considered leaving the Collingwood Pack months ago, and look where that had gotten her. So if hiding behind Cain’s reputation would keep her safe, so be it.
CHAPTER FOUR
Ally kept her head held high as she walked into the main lodge the next morning. Any other time, she would have had a small breakfast in her own lodge. For one, she was very far from a morning person. And two, if the shifters were as unwelcoming as Derren predicted, it was going to be physically uncomfortable to be around them all. However, to turn down Shaya’s invitation would not only be seen as rude but as if she was scared to face the pack. Although Ally wasn’t interested in pointlessly striving to earn their approval or respect, she wasn’t going to have them thinking she was spineless. Shifters pounced on weaknesses.