He leaned against the counter, intensely aware of this female in a way that unnerved him. His eyes settled on her luscious mouth; images of just what he could do with that mouth flickered through his brain. “What really happened in the Collingwood Pack? I’ve heard a little from Cain, and I’ve heard Matt’s version, but I haven’t heard yours.” And when he’d watched her overpower Rachelle, it had become blindingly clear that Ally wouldn’t have needed to attack her from behind. So just maybe Ally had been wrongly accused after all.

“You know all you need to know. She said I tried to kill her. I didn’t.”

“There’s more.” Cain had said the pack had been giving her a hard time. “I’ve been charged with protecting you. I can’t do that if I don’t know everything.” And, yeah, he was being nosy too. His smile widened as he watched her pour more milk in her mug than coffee.

Turning away, she headed outside with her drink. “I’m away from the Collingwood wolves now—that’s all that matters.” Seeing a hammock on the porch, Ally knew she’d be spending a lot of time out here, relaxing.

Derren followed her, coming to stand in front of where she sat on the porch step. Bruce settled beside her, his wagging tail tapping the deck. “You really think they’ll leave you alone? Obviously you didn’t see the possessiveness on Zeke’s face when he looked at you.” Derren’s wolf growled at the memory. “He still considers you his, and neither he nor his wolf is going to like that someone took you away.”

She believed Zeke still cared for her, but not that he’d had any trouble letting go—particularly since he’d bought Rachelle’s lies and refused to get Ally a transfer. “If that were true, he wouldn’t have turned on me the way he did.”

“Trust me, he hasn’t let you go yet. As for his mate, she was genuinely angry that you left.” He took a single step toward Ally, compelled by the wicked urge to touch her that he very barely resisted. It didn’t help that he took her enticing scent inside him on every inhale. “Tell me.”

Caught in the power of his dark gaze, Ally did. She gave him the entire story, beginning when Zeke met Rachelle and ending with the things Zeke had said after the interrogation. “I think she wanted me executed eventually. But not yet. What she was doing wasn’t really much different from someone physically torturing their captive as they lead up to the main event.” She sighed, getting to her feet. “Well, it’s late. Good night.”

Dismissed again. Derren went to grab her wrist but she jerked away, avoiding his touch like it was a poisonous snake. It shouldn’t have bothered him. Not a tiny, little bit. But a growl seeped out of him just as his wolf tugged at the reins, offended and angered by the rejection. “Problem?” he rumbled.

“There won’t be as long as you don’t touch me.”

He stepped right into her personal space, leaving only inches between them. “Oh? And why is that?” And why did he care?

“It’ll hurt.”

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.