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—
“Ally, no!” The choked-out warning came from Caleb, who was sprawled on the ground with Kent. Both were badly injured, and both were covered in blood. What the fuck?
Ally’s head snapped in the direction of Willow’s cry . . . only to find that there was no Willow there, and a fucking cougar shifter was leaping off a tree branch, its feline gaze trained on Ally with—
Flinching as heat scalded her fingers, Ally dropped the coffeepot back onto the counter. Understanding quickly dawned. “Fuck!” Snatching her cell from the end of the counter, she dialed Caleb’s number.
He answered after only two rings. “Hey, Ally, how’s—”
“Don’t leave your lodge! Whatever happens, whatever you think you hear, do not leave your lodge. It’s not Willow, it’s a trap.” Ending the call, she quickly called Derren. The phone kept ringing and ringing, and she cursed. “Come on, come on.”
Then there was his voice. “Baby, I can’t talk right now—”
“Cougars.”
“What?”
“There are cougar shifters on our territory!” Cougar screams could often sound like babies wailing or women screaming. “I had a vision! They’re near Kent and Caleb’s lodge!” The predator in her wanted to track the felines and rip them all a new asshole for trespassing on Mercury territory with the intention to kill.
“Ally, don’t move. Don’t go after them alone.”
She wouldn’t, because that would give the cougars what they wanted. But she wasn’t going to hole up at her lodge either.
“I mean it, Ally. I need you to stay there. We’re bringing Shaya and Willow to you.”
“What? Why?” But he’d already hung up. By the time she’d quickly washed and replaced her long shirt with a white, long-sleeved T-shirt and her faded blue jeans, the pack arrived at the lodge. Only Derren, Bracken, Kathy, and Shaya with Willow in her arms filed inside.
“What’s happening?” Ally asked them.
“We weren’t prepared to leave anyone at the main lodge, considering what’s parked outside the border,” replied Derren.
That didn’t make a lick of sense to Ally.
Derren pinned her with a determined look. “Lock the doors and stay inside. Don’t split up—not for anything.” His wolf didn’t want to leave her, but even the animal understood that the need to protect the pack was vital. Wanting his head firmly on the threat on their territory, Derren ignored the urge to kiss her and forced his mind to the current issue.
Ally watched as Derren joined the rest of the pack outside. As one, they all shifted into their wolf forms and charged into the forest. Confused, she turned to Shaya. “What was he talking about?” As Derren requested, Ally secured the locks.
“Someone parked a car outside the road leading to the main lodge.” The Alpha female was slowly pacing, her daughter balanced on her hip. “There was an injured, unconscious guy in the passenger seat.”
“Decoy,” Ally guessed.
“I called an ambulance,” interjected Kathy from the sofa. “EMTs were taking him away when we left the lodge.”