Cain spoke first, pointing his finger hard at Derren. “If you ever hurt her, I’ll shove a pole so far up your ass you’ll feel it in your throat. You got me?”
Frowning thoughtfully, Derren tilted his head. “Not really, since that’s physically impossible.” As expected, Cain snapped with a roar and charged at him again.
Ally yelled, “Cain, not his nose!”
Half an hour later, Derren was wincing as Ally none too gently placed her hands on his wounded chest. His mate had ordered him into their lodge, and everyone had followed them inside and were now scattered around. After giving both him and Cain towels to dry off with as best they could, she’d ordered them to sit at the table.
Cain was opposite him, in no better shape than Derren. She’d delayed healing both of them, pissed at Cain for not listening to her and pissed at Derren for provoking Cain rather than aiding her in keeping the situation calm. Basically, she blamed Derren for his own injuries.
Even as her healing energy hummed through his bones, reaching each of his wounds as her hands slid over him, he could feel her anger. The last thing he wanted was for her to be upset in any way. Cupping her nape, he pulled her down for a brief kiss that was both possessive and apologetic. Her taste calmed him and his wolf. “Now I feel better.”
Ally just humphed, not ready to forgive him yet. Although she understood that Derren wasn’t someone who backed down from a challenge, no matter the circumstances, she didn’t have to be okay with it. Once her mate was healed, she moved to Cain, pretty much slapping her hands over the deep slashes on his arm. He barely winced, which pissed her off even more. “When were you released?”
Cain glanced at her sideways before going back to glaring at Derren. “Yesterday. We slipped away last night to come for you and take you someplace safe.”
“Ally stays with me,” Derren stated firmly yet again. Cain growled his displeasure, but he didn’t contest Derren’s claim this time.
“Were you followed here by the humans?” Nick asked Cain, his arm draped over the back of Shaya’s chair.
Cain grimaced at the Alpha. “Don’t insult me.”
Tapping her fingers on the table, Shaya asked, “Why sneak onto our territory? We wouldn’t have turned you away. You’re Ally’s family.”
“We like the challenge,” Brad told her.
Shaya leaned back in the seat, running her gaze along the uncles. “If you three think of Ally as family, why was it only Cain who reacted so badly to seeing Derren with her? My father would have torn apart any guy who touched me.”
It was Wyatt who answered, shrugging. “She’s mated.”
“But you didn’t know that at first,” said Shaya.
“Sure I did. From where I was standing, his claiming mark was easy to see.” Brad and Dan nodded, indicating they’d also seen it.
Ally gaped at them. “And you didn’t think to help me explain this to Cain and stop these two idiots from fighting?”
“Just because we can accept that you’re mates doesn’t mean we like the look of any male wrapped around you like a clinging vine,” said Brad.
Dan nodded. “He needed to fight for you, prove he could protect you.”
Ally sighed, turning to Shaya as she pulled away from a fully healed Cain. “I don’t understand men.”
Shaya patted her hand. “I’m not sure we’re supposed to, sweetie.”
“You might be right.” Wetting two cloths, she gave one to Derren and the other to Cain so that they could wash away any blood or dirt. Each male then slipped on one of Derren’s clean shirts, though Cain wasn’t too happy about it.
“Be fair,” Cain said to Ally. “He didn’t exactly try to explain the facts to me. He seemed pretty damn happy to fight with me. Some of the shit he said was like waving a red flag at a bull.”
Roni cocked her head, her irritated gaze on Cain. “Did you know that bulls are actually color blind? It basically means they’ll charge at any cape, no matter the color.”
“Roni.” As usual, Marcus’s rebuke was filled with amusement.
She blinked innocently. “What? What did I say?”
Derren smiled, understanding that Roni, being protective of Derren, was annoying Cain on his behalf. “But you forgive me for baiting him, don’t you, baby?” he asked Ally.
Not really, but she’d have him make it up to her later with multiple orgasms. Hearing Cain and her uncles growl, Ally smiled weakly at Derren. “I said that out loud, didn’t I?” He just chuckled.
Sighing, Cain turned back to Ally. “Okay, now that you’ve healed us, why don’t you tell me everything that happened between you and the Collingwood wolves? I want the whole story.”
She took the seat on Derren’s left, and he immediately threaded his fingers through hers. “It’s resolved now. Forget it.”
Cain snorted. “You know better than to think I’ll even consider letting this go. Tell me.”
“I don’t want you to lose your shit and do something drastic.”
“You know I’d never assassinate an entire pack in retaliation for something a couple of wolves did.”
That was the thing, though. The entire pack had turned on her. Although their betrayal hurt, she didn’t think buying a skank’s lies warranted death. “I’m away from there now. It doesn’t matter anymore.”
“They don’t deserve your protection, Ally,” insisted Roni, unwrapping a lollipop.
Derren looked at his mate, understanding why she was reluctant to share the tale but knowing it was important that her family knew. The Holts might not be her biological relatives, but DNA didn’t make family. “Either you tell them or I tell them.”
She gaped. “Thanks, Judas.”
“I get that you don’t want the Collingwood Pack to be under a mass attack, but your safety is more important to me than theirs. That’s what it boils down to.” Derren wished he could be sure that Rachelle would quit bothering Ally, but the kind of hatred that female harbored for his mate didn’t just evaporate.
With a resigned sigh, Ally nodded. She told them everything, from Rachelle’s very first accusation to the visit the skank had made with Zeke and Matt to Mercury Pack territory a little while ago.
When she was done, all four Holt males were scowling. “What a fucking bitch,” spat Cain. “And this Zeke guy is no better.”
“The Alpha’s a shithead too,” stated Dan. “He should have protected you.”
“They need to pay,” growled Brad. “All of them.”
Ally waved a nonchalant hand. “They’re not important compared to the whole ‘having a bounty over the pack’s head’ business.” When her uncles and Cain looked at her, puzzled, she smiled wanly. “You didn’t know about that, huh.”
“A bounty?” echoed Brad.
Derren explained everything before adding, “The bounty has been lifted, but we don’t believe the female who put out the hit on us is done.”
After a moment of pensive silence, Wyatt declared, “We’ll stay until this is all resolved.”
“We don’t know how long it will take for that to happen,” Ally told him.
Wyatt seemed unmoved. “Holts protect their own, Ally. You’re our family. We’re here for you until you’re safe.” Brad, Dan, and Cain nodded.
“Then I guess we’d better set you all up in one of the guest lodges,” said Shaya.
Within minutes, the Alpha female was ushering everyone out of Ally and Derren’s lodge, intending to lead the Brookwell wolves to their temporary accommodation. Although Cain had left without delivering any more insults to Derren, he still hadn’t looked any happier about Derren’s claim on Ally.
Surprisingly, it had been the elegant-looking, cultured Dan who had growled a warning at Derren before leaving: “You will be good to her. Or I’ll come for you. Believe me, you don’t want that.” Derren had a feeling that Dan was much more dangerous than he looked.
Closing the door behind everyone, Derren pulled Ally to him and pressed a kiss to her throat. “Still mad at me?�
�
“Maybe a little.” But she was sliding her hands up his solid chest to curl them around his neck. “I get that it’s instinctual for you to protect our mating and that you don’t back down from a challenge—”
“It wasn’t just about that, baby. I had to make Cain understand that things will be different from here on out.” He nipped her lower lip and then laved it soothingly. “He’s been your protector all his life. He thinks he has rights to you. I need him to understand that I’m your protector now, that you belong to me and I have no intention of giving you up. If I hadn’t stood up and fought him today, if I hadn’t made my place in your life and my claim on you very clear, he would have tried to take you.”
Unable to deny the truth of that, Ally inclined her head. “Fine. But no more fighting with him. I don’t want either of you hurt.”
Derren might have been jealous of her regard for Cain, but he and his wolf had come to understand something after watching their interactions today. “He’s like a brother to you, isn’t he?”
“Yes. He’s always looked out for me the way a brother would.”
“You sort of anchor him, bring out a little of the old Cain.”
“He’ll always be part of my life to some extent,” she warned Derren. “Always feel he has some rights where I’m concerned because, well, he isn’t normal.”
“As long as he understands you belong to me, I can accept that.” It was only today he’d realized that somewhere in the back of his mind he’d worried about her relationship with Cain. Not that Derren believed there was even the slightest possibility that the guy was her mate. No, but Derren knew she and Cain were close. She’d known him since childhood, had gone through a horrific event with him, and had had him as her protector all these years. Something like that could form a very strong bond, and Derren had worried that said bond was stronger than what he had with Ally, given that their mating link wasn’t yet complete.
But Derren no longer had that concern. She’d tried to protect him from Cain’s anger, had defended his honor, and had proudly declared they were mated. Even the mere fact that she’d healed Derren before she’d healed Cain indicated that he came first to her. Derren needed to know that he was as important to her as she was to him, that their bond, despite being incomplete, was still stronger than any she might have with anyone else.
He cupped her face, staring into those almond eyes he loved. “I didn’t think anything could be this essential to me.” Intellectually, he’d known his mate—if he ever found her—would be important to him in every way. But he hadn’t imagined that such an incredible depth of emotion was possible for anyone to feel, particularly him. There was something else he’d been wrong about. “I always figured that love was sappy and gooey. But it’s not.” What he felt for Ally was a feral, hissing, clawing, boundless emotion that probably should have scared him but didn’t.
Her features softened, turning vulnerable. “You love me?”
He smiled. “Fuck yeah.”
“I’m glad, because it’s rare for one-sided relationships to work out well.”
His smile widened. “Is that your very poor way of telling me you love me?”
“It was pretty poor, wasn’t it?” Rubbing her nose against his, she said, “I love you.” With a rough groan, he brought his mouth down hard on hers. Fingers digging into her hips, he held her flush against him as he dominated and consumed her mouth with every stroke of his tongue and every nip of his teeth. Need unfurled, inflamed, and fired through her body fast and furiously.
Shoving his hand under her T-shirt, Derren tugged down her bra and cupped one firm breast. It fit perfectly in his hand, reminding him that she was made for him. She was his. Would always belong to him. And he knew he would never have been whole without her.
He tasted her, caressed her, and breathed her in—igniting and filling his senses with her. His body tightened with the molten lust that was ripping through him, making him need more. “I want you slick for me.”
The breath rushed out of Ally’s lungs as he backed her into the wall, caging her there with his broad, powerful body. Literally clawing away her jeans and panties, he then clamped his hand around her pussy, pushing up against her with his palm.
“You’re already wet,” he rumbled. “But I want you even slicker.” He slipped one finger inside her, loving how hot she was. “Take off the T-shirt and bra, Ally.” She obeyed without hesitation. “That’s my girl.” Swooping down, he flicked her nipple with his tongue. Threading her hands through his hair, she arched toward him, hinting for more. He gave her what she wanted.
Ally groaned as his hot mouth latched onto her nipple, and he drove another finger inside her. Thrust. Suck. Thrust. Suck. Thrust. Suck. The rhythm was torture. And when that rhythm sped up, a relentless, raw ache began to build deep inside her pussy. Wanting his skin against hers, she bit out, “Shirt. Off.” She jolted as he scored her nipple with the edge of his teeth.
“I’m busy, baby.”
“Take it off or I’ll rip it off.” Two dark brooding eyes met hers; both were alive with heat, hunger, and caution—he didn’t like her issuing an order.
Refusing to be intimidated, she bit his lower lip. “I want to touch you.” His eyes flared, and she knew she had him. Withdrawing his fingers, he whipped off his T-shirt. But before she even had the chance to experience a moment of triumph, a strong hand roughly tangled in her hair hard enough to make her scalp prickle.
“You know I don’t like it when you give me orders.” He also knew that was exactly why the little minx did it. Holding her head in place, he tugged her bottom lip with his teeth and then drove his tongue inside her mouth to stroke hers. He licked, sipped, and bit. She tasted of everything he wanted and needed, of sin and sex.
A growl rumbled out of him when she sucked on his tongue, conjuring images and fantasies in his mind. She knew damn well what she was doing. Pulling back, he tore open his fly. “I need your mouth.”
Ally licked over his lower lip. “You have it.”
“I need it on my cock.” She hadn’t yet sucked him off, since dominant females did oral sex on their own terms and in their own sweet time. She’d licked him a few times, teasing him with what she would one day give him, and he’d known she wanted him to be so desperate for it that he’d eventually do exactly what he was doing now—lose control.
“Oh, you do?” she drawled, not at all liking the expectancy of obedience in his expression. Her wolf wasn’t too pleased about it either.
“Yes. I want your mouth.” The words came out harshly through clenched teeth, and her mesmerizing eyes narrowed dangerously.
“Yeah? Well, I want to fuck.”
“And you’ll get fucked . . . when I’ve had what I want. You’re mine. This gorgeous mouth is mine. And I want it.” Using the hand bunched in her hair, he pushed down, urging her to drop to her knees. She didn’t. “Now, Ally.” He felt like he’d go out of his goddamn mind if he didn’t feel that plush mouth around him right then.
Ally arched an imperious brow. “Or what?”
“Or you don’t get fucked.” When she would have objected, he growled. “This is what you wanted, baby. You wanted me to need this so bad I couldn’t take it anymore.”
He was right, she had. And the dangerous glint in his dark gaze told her she’d teased him past the point of endurance.
“On your knees.” She did nothing other than stare at him defiantly. He growled, “Do it.” Ever so slowly, she dropped to her knees. The defiance didn’t leave her gaze, and fuck, that just made it a million times better. “Very good.” Rewardingly, he brushed his thumb across her lower lip. “Open up, baby.”
Fisting the base of his long, thick cock, Ally opened her mouth . . . but only enough to deliver a catlike flick of her tongue to the head. His warning growl made her smile. Although she opened her mouth a little wider, she only lazily laved the head before lapping up the pearl of pre-come there. And apparently her mate had had enough, because she sensed the fever
ish tension that had tautened his body simply snap.
Tightening his grip on her hair, Derren snatched her head back. “Don’t tease. I want those lips wrapped around me, so do what I fucking told you and open up.”
That order, which rang with dominance and authority, should have pissed her off. But knowing she’d driven him past the edge of his control made self-satisfaction settle low in her stomach. Her wolf kind of liked it too. The moment she opened her mouth wide, he surged inside.
Derren groaned as the burning heat of her mouth finally enveloped his cock. It felt too fucking good. Seeing her there on her knees, his cock in her mouth, her nipples hard, and her defiant stare boldly meeting his while the scent of her need cocooned him . . . it was all enough to make him almost explode right then. “Suck.” She swirled her tongue under and around him as her head bobbed up and down his cock. “That’s it, baby. Fuck, that’s good. Take more.” He used the hand in her hair to guide her movements, urge her to move faster and suck him deeper.
Another groan was wrenched out of him as the head of his cock bumped the back of her throat. Instead of panicking as he’d expected, she relaxed her jaw and swallowed. “Good girl.” As her throat contracted around him, he felt the telling tingle at the base of his spine and knew he wouldn’t hold out much longer.
Then she glided the edges of her teeth along his length, trailing it with her tongue, and Derren’s release barreled into him. Just as he was about to burst, she tugged on his balls. “Son of a bitch.” He erupted into her mouth, watching with utter bliss as she continued to suck and swallowed every last drop—it was yet another way to mark her as his, and it made his wolf release a satisfied growl.
Gently pulling her to her feet, Derren brushed her hair aside. “Thank you, baby. You definitely deserve a reward for that.” He kissed her, capturing her breathy, needy little moans as she rubbed against him almost frantically, desperate for relief. “Shush. I’ll give you what you need.” Cupping her ass, he lifted her. She curled her limbs around him as he carried her to the bedroom, where he gently laid her on the bed.
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