Spiral of Need

by Suzanne Wright

  “My guess is the cougars were using the vehicle as a distraction.” Bracken’s gaze was scanning his surroundings through the windows. “They had to know that Nick would summon his Beta and enforcers to the main lodge to tell them what’s going on.”

  Shaya nodded. “The cougars were able to cross the border without being noticed, and it left the other members of our pack who were scattered around our territory vulnerable to them.”

  “They were mimicking Willow’s cry,” Ally told them. “In the vision, I mean.”

  Bracken briefly glanced at her. “Smart. It’s a trick cougar shifters sometimes use. No shifter—submissive or dominant—would ignore the cry of an infant. They’d rush right in to help.”

  That was exactly what Ally had done. “In my vision, I didn’t even think to call for help. All I could think about was getting to Willow.”

  Bracken didn’t appear surprised. “When they use this particular lure, that’s what they count on. If their intention was to mimic Willow’s cries, they were probably hoping to draw any of the pack members that weren’t in the main lodge to them.”

  “Getting rid of the pack, little by little.” Cougar shifters really were tricky fuckers. “Kent and Caleb were dying in my vision. I would have been next.”

  A muscle in Bracken’s jaw ticked. “When you have a small pack, the loss of three members makes a big difference in a battle.”

  “And it’s an emotional blow that can make you act out in rage,” Shaya pointed out.

  “How many cougars are out there?” Bracken asked Ally as she came to stand next to him, watching for any threats.

  Ally shrugged. “I only saw one in my vision.” But she highly doubted one cougar was working alone, given that Caleb and Kent had been so brutally attacked. They could have held their own against one cougar.

  Bracken shot her an odd look before asking quietly, “So, want to tell me why this place smells of you, Derren, and sex?” At her scowl, his expression turned innocent. “It was just a question.”

  When his Alpha male halted a safe distance away from the clearing, the black wolf did the same. It had been easy for the pack to track the cougars. They had simply followed the fake cries. His Alpha looked at the black wolf and jerked his head to the left before then going in the opposite direction. The black wolf understood the order. He led half of the wolves one way, while his Alpha led the others another. Stealthily and silently, the pack moved to loosely circle the clearing. Surrounding and trapping their prey was a tactic they had used before.

  The black wolf sensed the presence of five cougar shifters. The felines were not on the ground. Each one was positioned on a tree branch.

  As his Alpha shifted before him, and the gray-white wolf—Eli—flanked him, the black wolf sensed that Derren wanted dominance. He drew back and gave his human half control.

  “One of us needs to lure them out of the trees,” Nick whispered to Derren and Eli when they shifted. “If we don’t, they’ll just climb as high as they can and hop from tree to fucking tree.”

  Derren agreed. Keeping his voice low, he said, “Me and Eli will drop back and then noisily bolt into the clearing, as if in a panic.”

  Eli nodded. “I counted five of them. There are eight of us. The odds are in our favor.”

  Cougar shifters had the advantage in a one-to-one fight, as they were much stronger than wolves. But a pack of eight against a pride of five could potentially win, but not without serious injuries.

  “Everyone but me will pair up,” said Nick. “Two wolves versus one cougar should come out on top.” Not prepared to waste any time, Derren shifted. Eli followed his lead.

  The black wolf and the gray-white wolf ran a distance away before loudly rushing through the forest. They burst into the clearing, instantly going back-to-back as they scanned the trees. Ambushes were typical of cougar shifters.

  The fake cries stopped instantly. Five cougars leaped out of the trees, hissing and snarling. All were males, and all were dominant. The black wolf curled back his lips, exposing fangs and gums, as he growled in warning at the trespassers that wanted to hurt his pack. The cougar before him, bulkier than the others, took a single step forward. The wolf’s hackles raised, and his ears flattened as he again bared his teeth with a growl. Each of the cougars snarled in response.

  A howl split the air, making the cougars freeze. The rest of the pack hiding in the trees rushed into the clearing. They attacked without hesitation. Four of the cougars twisted to defend themselves. But the fifth was focused on the black wolf.

  The gray-white wolf lightly brushed his body against the black wolf. Growling, the two wolves circled the hissing cougar. Then the wolves lunged and slammed into the cougar’s sides. A heavy paw batted the black wolf’s muzzle, raking him with sharp claws. The scent of blood filled the air. The black wolf jerked back, shaking his head.

  The cougar twisted and pounced on the other wolf, snapping his jaws. The Head Enforcer yelped, and blood sprayed on the ground. Anger surged through the black wolf, and he leaped onto the cougar’s back. The feline shrieked as claws and teeth sank into him. The gray-white wolf mercilessly ripped off the cougar’s ear. Another shriek.

  A heavy weight suddenly crashed into the black wolf, making him lose his purchase on the cougar and slam into the ground. Then a second cougar was standing over him, snarling. He went to slice open the wolf’s exposed stomach, but a blur of dark gray barreled into the cougar, knocking him aside.

  Quickly the black wolf righted himself and moved to aid the female—Roni—who had helped him. But her mate had now reached her side. Confident the female didn’t need his aid, the black wolf turned back to his initial opponent. The cougar was trying to wrap his jaws around the gray-white wolf’s head. The black wolf knew that such a move could crush his pack mate’s skull. Just in time, the Head Enforcer jerked back and avoided the jaws. Then both wolves slammed into the cougar again.

  The feline shrieked as two sets of teeth and claws sank into him. He turned just enough to swipe the black wolf’s flank, claws tearing away fur and skin. But neither wolf released him. Together, they wrestled the feline to the ground and onto his back. Straddling the cougar, the black wolf tore out his throat as he slashed open his stomach with his claws. Both wolves howled their victory.

  As the black wolf turned, he saw his pack mates stood around, their sides heaving as blood oozed from several wounds. He too was bleeding and panting. In pain. Tired.

  Four maimed, lifeless cougars were sprawled on the ground. The fifth was back in his human form, as was the black wolf’s Alpha. Sensing that Derren wanted dominance, the black wolf ceded control.

  Derren hissed through gritted teeth as he stood upright. He was bleeding and aching like a son of a bitch—especially with the fucking slashes on his face and down his sides—but he shelved the pain. Approaching Nick, Derren realized that the fifth cougar was dying; blood poured from several wounds and trickled from his mouth.

  “Who was it?” Nick demanded, crouched beside the shifter.

  The shifter’s upper lip curled. “I wouldn’t tell you even if I knew,” he wheezed angrily.

  “You don’t like that your friends here are dead? Then you shouldn’t have come after me and my pack. You should have known better.”

  “He doesn’t know who put the hit out on us?” asked Derren.

  “So he says.”

  “Do you think he’s telling the truth?” panted Jesse. With the harsh bite mark on his ear and the very deep gashes on his chest and back, he’d suffered the worst injuries.

  Nick nodded. “Whoever’s behind all this wants to remain anonymous. If they didn’t, we’d know who it is by now. But Donovan still can’t find out. And Donovan can find out anything.”

  “People will keep coming,” the cougar wheezed, an ugly smirk surfacing on his sweating face. “They have a hundred thousand reasons to do it.”

  Nick glanced down at him. “But now you know it wasn’t worth the risk, don’t you? And so will any
one else who comes.” He turned to the pack. “Let’s go. My mate is going insane with worry.” Nick would be able to feel it through their mating bond.

  When they were near Ally’s lodge, Shaya came racing out and threw herself at Nick. He held her tight, whispering in her ear. Derren pulled on the clothes he’d left on the porch—which hurt like a motherfucker as the material rubbed against his wounds—and headed inside. His gaze went helplessly to Ally, whose eyes widened at the sight of him. Yeah, he knew his face had to look a mess. She made a beeline for him, and he knew she was about to heal him. “Don’t.” She halted, looking . . . hurt. As if he’d rejected her. “I’m not the one who needs your help.”

  At that moment, Zander supported Jesse’s weight as they both stumbled inside.

  Bracken blinked at his fellow enforcer and friend. “Shit, Jesse.”

  Ally winced, no doubt in sympathy at how deep the enforcer’s wounds were. “Sit him down, Zander.”

  When Ally moved to sit in front of a naked Jesse, Derren grabbed her arm. “Wait.” He whipped off his own T-shirt and threw it at the enforcer. Understanding, Jesse covered his groin, a small smile on his face. Rolling her eyes, Ally knelt in front of Jesse and placed her hands over his chest. Derren couldn’t help but tense at the sight. He didn’t like her touching another guy—especially a naked guy—but Derren wouldn’t begrudge his pack mate a healing. Not totally, anyway.

  Seeing her face pinch in pain as Jesse’s agony flowed into her, Derren placed his hands on her shoulders to comfort and steady her. His wolf hated that she was hurting, wanted to shift and soothe her somehow.

  Kathy laid out drinks and sandwiches. “All of you eat. You need your strength.” She gave her daughter a pointed look. “Roni, sandwich. Marcus, leave some for the others.”

  Flashing a charming smile at Kathy, Marcus took three sandwiches for himself while his mate called Caleb and Kent with her cell phone, summoning them to Ally’s lodge. It took the males a mere minute to arrive.

  “So what happened out there?” Bracken asked Nick.

  Ally only half listened to Nick’s recounting of the tale, most of her concentration on healing Jesse. How the guy smiled in that kind of agony, she’d never understand. Once she was done, she turned to Zander, ready to offer her help. But then Derren was tugging her away.

  “They’re all fine, Ally,” insisted Derren, knowing she was weak from their pain. “Their wounds are already healing.”

  “Yeah, and I can speed up the process. Jesse’s injuries were deep but not extensive. I’ve got enough energy to offer more help.”

  Driving Derren slowly insane, the stubborn female then went on to heal Zander, Roni, and Eli. As Marcus and Nick were well on their way to being fully healed, they politely declined her offer to heal them. That was when Ally turned back to Derren, her pale face a mask of resolve. Even tired from healing the others, she was still determined to help him. “Save your strength, Ally, I’m fine.”

  Her gaze studied the slashes on his face that had torn into his lips. “No, you’re not.” And he’d scar badly if he was left to heal on his own. She also didn’t miss the claw marks on his sides.

  “It looks worse than it is.”

  “Then it won’t take much energy for me to heal you, will it?” Ally frowned as a sandwich was suddenly stuffed into her hand.

  “You have to eat,” stated Kathy before stalking off.

  “I was thinking,” began Shaya, garnering everyone’s attention. “It’s not good that everyone lives so far apart. Caleb, Kent, Roni, and Marcus should move into the main lodge for a while. Their lodges are the farthest away from there, which makes them the most vulnerable against any kind of attack.”

  Roni seemed about to object, but then she sighed in resignation. “And if we were attacked, the pack would have to separate to get to us.”

  “Exactly. We have plenty of guest rooms.” Shaya pursed her lips. “It might actually be a good idea for everyone to either stay there temporarily or share the lodges that are closest to the main one. For Willow’s sake, if nothing else. I want her surrounded by people who will protect her.”

  “Zander can bunk in my lodge,” said Eli. “Bracken can stay with Jesse.”

  Jesse scowled at Eli. “You’re sticking him with me?” Bracken seemed to find Jesse’s frustration funny.

  Eli shrugged. “You’re the only one he doesn’t constantly irritate.”

  Derren offered, “I’ll move into Ally’s lodge so she’s not alone.”

  Beside him, she stiffened. “That’s okay, I’m—”

  “Or you could just stay at the main lodge,” Derren proposed. “With all these people. With all the noise and a constant bombardment of emotions. I’m sure you’d love sharing space and having a total lack of privacy, so—”

  “Fine,” Ally bit out. “Derren will stay with me.”

  Shaya smiled. “Excellent. That means no one’s ever alone.”

  So low that only Derren heard, Ally whispered, “You can have my bed, since I never use it.”

  “Oh, we’ll be using it,” he said with a smile.

  “I don’t like to sleep inside.”

  “Who said we’d be sleeping?”

  She shook her head at him. “You’re such an asshole.”

  “Derren,” Nick called out. “Can we talk a minute?” It wasn’t a request.

  Derren followed his Alpha outside onto the porch. He knew Nick well enough to know what this was about, so he didn’t bother playing dumb.

  “You slept with Ally.”

  “Yes.” Even if he’d wanted to deny it, he couldn’t. His scent and the smell of sex was all over the damn lodge. His wolf liked it, considered it a territorial marking.

  “Do you really think it was the best idea to fuck Cain’s mate?”

  “She’s not his.” The denial was sharp and instant. “If he doesn’t want to claim her that makes her free.”

  Nick scrubbed a hand down his face. “It’s not that simple, Derren.” No, it wasn’t. “Cain will see this as a betrayal, especially since he entrusted her safety to you. He’ll think you took advantage of that trust.”

  “Are you telling me not to touch her again?”

  “There’s no point,” said Nick. “No one can get you to do anything you don’t want to. But think about what you’ll be risking. Cain’s been a good friend to you, in the only way a sociopath can be. Do you really want to fuck up that friendship? Do you really want to find yourself on the receiving end of his fury?”

  “This isn’t about him. It’s about me and Ally.”

  “Yeah, you and his mate.”

  His wolf growled. “She’s not his mate.”

  “In another life, where Cain was normal, she might have been. And that’s close enough to count.”

  “She’s been dating other guys for years.”

  “Yeah, but you’re not dating her. You’re fucking her. That’s different. And it will make a world of difference to Cain. Just think about whether sleeping with her is worth the storm that will head your way if you don’t put an end to it now.”

  At least twenty minutes went by before everybody left. Twenty minutes in which Derren chewed on what Nick had said. Cain would see him being with Ally as a betrayal. Derren prided himself on being loyal, especially to those who’d earned that loyalty. Cain was one of those people.

  Ally approached him, eyes narrowed. “You’re thinking pretty hard over here. There are so many emotions tormenting you right now.” Her hands cupped his face, and then a loop between them opened as she pushed healing energy into him.

  “Ally,” he admonished.

  “Shut the fuck up.” There was no heat in the words. “I can’t kiss you if it’ll hurt, can I?”

  Derren snaked his arms around her, pulling her tight against him. And he knew that, yes, being with her was worth whatever trouble it might cause him. He needed her on a level he didn’t understand, couldn’t begin to explain, and chose not to overthink.

  His wounds tingl
ed as they healed—a soothing hum in his bones. She then used a wet cloth to gently clean his face. “Thank you, baby.” His mouth devoured hers, licking, biting, and sucking on her bottom lip. Sliding his hands under her thighs, he lifted her; she curled her limbs around him. “Shower.”

  She smiled, flashing a dimple he hadn’t before noticed. “Any excuse to get me naked.”

  He returned the smile. “Of course.”

  After taking her against the shower wall, her legs locked around his waist, he left to go join Nick and the others to discuss how best to tighten the pack’s security measures. As such, it wasn’t until Ally arrived at the main lodge much later to watch a football game in Nick’s game room that she saw Derren again.

  She’d literally taken three steps inside the main lodge when he appeared before her, his expression strained. She was about to ask him what was wrong—particularly since his hands landed on her hips and literally began urging her backward—when he forced a smile and said, “Maybe you should go back to the lodge.”

  Ally frowned. “Why? What’s wrong?” She inhaled deeply, picking up a collection of scents: Roni, Marcus, Jaime, Dante, Dominic, Tao, and . . . someone else. Someone unfamiliar.

  “Is that her?” a loud, witchy voice shouted.

  Derren sighed. Dropping a kiss on Ally’s mouth, he said, “Brace yourself.”

  To Ally’s confusion, he turned to stand protectively in front of her. Rolling her eyes, she moved to his side . . . and that was when an old female wolf came out of the living area into the hallway, a snarl fixed on her face. The other six wolves followed. Roni and Jaime looked frustrated, but Marcus, Dante, Tao, and Dominic seemed amused.

  The old woman huffed. “This must be the infamous Ally,” she mocked. Hostility, sourness, and indignation flowed from her, leaving a tart taste in Ally’s mouth.

  Jaime smiled apologetically at Ally. “This is Greta. She’s Trey’s grandmother.” Ah. Jaime had mentioned Greta during their Skype conversations. Apparently she was very antisocial, a little psychotic, extremely prudish, and very possessive of “her boys”—otherwise known as Trey, Dante, Tao, and the Phoenix enforcers. She also had a serious problem with Seers, because Trey had had a bad upbringing, thanks to a particular premonition.