Ally watched as he quickly took off his shoes and jeans, his eyes on her pussy. When his hands slid down her thighs, she shook her head. “No tongue, no fingers—I want your cock.” A cock that was quickly reviving, most likely directly in response to the scent of her unanswered arousal. “You said I’d get what I want when you got what you want.”
“But I want your taste on my tongue.”
Spoiled motherfucker. Ally swiped a finger through her slick folds and then offered it to him. A wicked smile curving his mouth, he sucked her finger clean. “Now you have it.” She shot her hand out and curled it around his cock. Again and again, she stroked him with a firm, possessive grip, knowing exactly how he liked it.
Thick, hard, and aching with the need to be in her, Derren tugged her hand away and flipped her onto her stomach. Grasping her hips, he pulled her onto her knees. “Keep your head down, baby.”
Ally jerked forward as he slammed into her, burying every inch of himself in one swift, smooth thrust—no warning, no finesse, no preamble. It was exactly what she wanted. His pace was frenzied as he pounded into her with deep, powerful, branding thrusts that drove every thought from her mind and sent pleasure whipping through her.
She tensed as his hands parted her ass cheeks and one wet finger circled the ring. “Derren . . .” That finger then gently pushed inside, causing a burn that was somehow both pleasure and pain.
“I’m going to take you here, Ally.” He punctuated that by thrusting his finger in and out.
Of course, it was pure reflex for Ally and her wolf to challenge that dominant tone. He must have sensed that, because one strong hand slipped around her throat in a very possessive and cautioning grip.
“You’re mine, Ally,” he ground out, still hammering into her. “That means this mouth, pussy, and ass are mine to fuck.” Her pussy was so hot and slick around him, squeezing and quivering—nothing had ever felt better. “I’m going to come in your ass, claim it. And you’re going to love it, baby, I promise you that. I just need you to relax for me, okay? You want this.”
She did want this, so she forced her body to relax as he inserted a second finger into her ass. At first it stung, but then the burn spread and became pure pleasure, making her pussy throb—much like when he spanked her. By the time he added a third finger, she was so far gone the pain barely registered.
As the thumb of his free hand found her clit, Ally moaned. With his cock pounding into her pussy, his fingers thrusting into her ass, and his thumb circling her clit, she was more than ready to come. Then it happened. Bliss flooded her veins, making her pussy ripple and spasm as she plummeted hard into an almost painful release. It was right then that he snatched his fingers out of her ass and replaced them with the head of his cock.
“Relax, baby.” Derren rubbed her lower back. “Push out as I push in. Remember, you were made to take me.” Little by little, his cock slid into her ass, and he loved the feel of it stretching around him. He was so damn close to coming it wasn’t even funny. When he was finally balls deep inside, he groaned. “So fucking hot and tight. You okay, baby?”
“I’m fine.” It wasn’t a lie. Sure, it hurt. But not enough to make her want to stop. “Get moving.”
Very slowly, Derren reared back and then smoothly slid back inside. Over and over, he did that, determined not to cause her any pain. Through their bond, he could feel that, although there was a slight sting of discomfort, she was enjoying it. When she tried throwing her hips back at him, he upped his pace. Soon she was moaning and squirming, and he began pumping his hips, giving her what he sensed she wanted. His cock was pulsing and throbbing with the need to explode, to give over to the pleasure it promised.
Draping himself over her, he spoke into her ear as he returned his thumb to her clit. “I want you to come for me, Ally. Let me feel it, baby.” He slammed in and out of her ass as he circled her clit, wrenching groans and gasps of his name from her throat. “Now, Ally, I need it.”
Sinking his teeth into her nape and pressing down hard on her clit with his thumb, Derren threw her into her second release, and her mouth opened in a silent scream. Her ass clenched so tight around him it almost fucking hurt. He rammed into her one last time, groaning as his cock shot jet after jet of come into her ass, claiming and marking it as his.
When his brain finally rebooted, he carefully slipped out of her body and crashed on the bed beside her. For a while, neither of them spoke as tremors rocked them. Derren kissed her shoulder. “You okay?” One eye slowly flipped open, and she nodded. He smiled at the sight of his mate, boneless and fully sated. Something made his smile widen in both wonder and surprise. “Baby, what can you smell?”
Frowning at the odd question, she shrugged a little as she mumbled, “Sex.”
“What else?”
Inhaling deeply, she stilled. Opening her eyes, she returned his smile. “Our scents have mixed.” Her wolf stretched out inside her, content and a little smug.
“At fucking last.” He pressed another kiss to her shoulder, sharing his wolf’s intense gratification. “Now you’ll always smell of me, and everyone will know you belong to me.”
She rolled her eyes. “Like you’d ever let them forget.”
He chuckled. “I did warn you the possessiveness probably wouldn’t fade.”
“The bond’s a little stronger now. More vibrant.”
“Good.” Dragging himself to his feet, he scooped her up. “Shower.”
“I don’t think I can stand.”
“Yeah, I’m sensing that.” So he kept her cradled against him as he turned on the spray and stepped into the stall. “I love you, baby.” It was a lot easier to say than he’d expected. She gave him a shy smile that plucked at a heart he hadn’t been sure he had.
“And I love you. For a while, I had a hard time believing I’d ever say that to anyone. That I’d ever feel that way.”
He’d had the same doubts. He still doubted his ability to make her happy. “I’m going to piss you off a lot, Ally. I’m going to mess up, say the wrong things, be crazy jealous, and annoy the shit out of you with how overprotective and interfering I can be. But I’ll never take you for granted, never purposely hurt you, and never betray you in any sense of the word—I swear that to you.”
Melting at that statement, which was about as romantic as her mate was ever capable of being, she smiled. “Same here. Please note that I’m going to drive you equally insane. We’ll clash and we’ll argue sometimes. But that doesn’t mean I’ll ever care about you any less.”
“That’s good, since you’re stuck with me.” At her chuckle, he added, “I’m serious, Ally. You’re mine. Everything you are belongs to me. I’ll never give you up.”
She arched a brow at his dominant tone. “If I wanted to leave, I totally could.”
“You’re always going to challenge me, aren’t you?”
“I’m so thrilled we got that cleared up.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Why can’t we find her?” Nick paced up and down in front of the sofa, his frustration drumming at Ally’s skin. Derren, who had positioned her between the V of his legs on one of the armchairs of the living area, curved his body protectively over hers—as if he could feel her discomfort through their bond.
Nick’s mood was understandable. A week had gone by and still no one had come forward with any information regarding Kerrie’s location. It was wearing on everybody. Other than Zander and Jesse, who were on patrol, the whole pack had congregated in the main lodge to discuss the matter and hopefully come up with fresh ideas.
“You offered a reward for her capture or any information on her whereabouts.” Cain sliced off another piece of the apple in his hand with a small knife. “So if no one’s given her up, she’s being hidden by someone who’s either family or who owes her.”
“That’s what Derren said.” Nick scrubbed a hand over his face. “But her relatives claim they haven’t seen her. According to Marcus’s sister, who belongs in the same pack as Kerrie,
the Seer has saved their pack from conflict many times. A lot of people will feel they owe her for saving their lives and those of their children or mates.”
Lounging on the sofa, Bracken spread out his long legs. “What I find odd is that she hasn’t issued a personal attack on us. She sent a suicide bomber to the Phoenix Pack, but she’s left us alone.”
“It could be that she’s trying to make us think it’s all over, wants to lure us into a false sense of security so she can take us off guard,” suggested Caleb.
Kent tilted his head, his expression thoughtful. “Or maybe she really has given up. Maybe her failure to bring down the Phoenix Pack has made her totally back off.”
“I seriously doubt it,” said Stone, scratching Bruce behind the ear. “To go as far as to put a hit out on this pack and the Phoenix Pack indicates a lot of rage—and a huge grudge. That depth of emotion doesn’t just disappear. In fact, I’d say her failure has fed that rage and made her more determined to see her plans through to the end.”
Derren nodded, skimming his fingers up and down Ally’s arm. “Her plan to keep Marcus from recognizing Roni as his mate ultimately failed. Her plot to make Roni leave Marcus before they could mate also failed. Her current aim to destroy Roni and Marcus hasn’t worked out so well either, and I get the feeling that someone like Kerrie wouldn’t be prepared to fail again.”
On the sofa, Marcus massaged Roni’s nape. “In her warped mind, Roni and I need to be punished. Her rage is our fault.”
“I really should have killed that bitch when I had the chance,” said Roni.
Marcus kissed her cheek, a slight smile curving his mouth. “I love that little vengeful streak you have.” His mate just rolled her eyes.
The sound of the kitchen door opening was quickly followed by the entrance of Jesse. “We have visitors. Miranda and two of her enforcers are heading toward the border.”
Shaya, who was cradling a sleeping Willow, sighed in annoyance. “Great, we can look forward to the company of yet another woman who has a big issue dealing with rejection.”
“After how her last visit ended, I’m surprised she’s come back,” said Jesse.
Shaya looked at Kathy. “Could you take Willow upstairs, away from this vile woman?”
Happily taking her granddaughter, Kathy said, “Of course.” She promptly disappeared, obviously not wanting Willow around Miranda any more than Shaya did.
Ally turned to Dan with a smile. “This should be fun for you. You remember Miranda Whitney, right?”
His brows pinched together. “Miranda Whitney?”
“Yeah, the female wolf who spread shitty rumors about you when you rejected her. She recognized me as part of your family, told the Mercury wolves that they should kick me out.”
Realization flashed in his eyes. “Oh, you mean Miranda Moore. She’s Alpha female of her own pack now, right?”
Ally frowned, glancing over her shoulder at Derren. “I thought it was Whitney.”
“It is,” Derren confirmed.
Dan held up a finger. “It was. But after she had a huge fallout with her parents, she left her pack and changed her surname as a sort of ‘fuck you’ to them.”
Disowning and rejecting them before they could disown and reject her; Ally understood.
“What’s wrong?” Roni asked Marcus, who Ally then noticed was stiff as a board.
As his body seemed to lose a little of its tension, Marcus clasped his hand around Roni’s nape. “This could be purely a coincidence . . . except I don’t believe in coincidences.”
“What?” Derren prodded.
“Kerrie’s surname is Moore.” Marcus’s revelation was followed by a bemused silence.
Stone spoke first, his focus on Marcus. “You think she could be related to Miranda?”
“Derren, call Donovan,” ordered Nick. “He’ll find out within seconds.”
When Ally stood to allow him to rise, Derren kissed her temple. “I’ll be back in a minute, baby.”
Once Derren had left the room to make the call, Nick began pacing again. “If Miranda’s related to Kerrie, she could be protecting her.”
“Not necessarily,” said Shaya. “Miranda doesn’t have a relationship with her parents anymore, which means it’s possible she isn’t in contact with any of her extended family either.”
Stone told Nick, “Shaya’s right.” But the Alpha male didn’t appear convinced.
When Derren reentered less than a minute later, Nick immediately pressed, “Well?”
Derren clenched his fists. “Kerrie and Miranda are cousins.” Curses rang throughout the room, and Nick resumed his pacing.
“That doesn’t mean they have a relationship,” Shaya maintained. “I’m not saying I think they don’t, I’m just saying we shouldn’t act on this until we know for certain.”
Raising one finger to signal for silence, Marcus dialed a number on his cell phone. “Hey, Teagan, did Kerrie ever mention a Miranda Moore to you? Okay, thanks. Possibly. I’ll call you again later.” Returning his cell to his pocket, Marcus spoke, his tone hard. “According to my sister, Kerrie was visited occasionally by a Miranda who’s an Alpha female. That’s all Teagan knows. But it’s enough to tell us that our suspicions are correct.”
Eli spat a curse. “She could have been hiding Kerrie on her territory all this time. Practically right under our noses.” He looked ready to go on a killing spree, and Nick and Roni looked ready to join him. “The night Miranda came here to ask about the grenade, it wasn’t out of concern or even to fish for gossip,” Eli continued. “She wanted to check just how much we knew about the attack, if we were aware of the hit, and if we suspected Kerrie.”
Shaya nodded. “On her last visit, she wasn’t trying to get rid of Ally because she was jealous over Ally’s claim on Derren. Miranda knew that if Kerrie had our pack assassinated while Ally was part of it, the Holts would retaliate.”
“And that The Movement would join us on the hunt for the culprit,” added Cain. “We wouldn’t have stopped until we found and destroyed Kerrie and anyone who aided her.” His uncles muttered their agreement.
“So it’s more than likely that Kerrie has been hiding next door all along.” Nick shook his head in disbelief, a growl rumbling in his chest.
“Smart, really,” conceded Ally begrudgingly. “I would never have thought she’d stick so close.”
Derren retook his seat with Ally and nuzzled her neck. “It’s ballsy too.”
“Or just plain crazy,” said Bracken with a shrug. Ally had to agree.
“Miranda’s risked a lot by protecting Kerrie,” pointed out Eli.
“Fucking bitch,” ground out Nick. “Miranda might not have put out the hit on us, but hiding Kerrie makes her an accomplice.”
“Are we sure that Miranda is hiding her? It makes sense,” Caleb quickly added before Nick could oppose his comment. “And I agree it’s very, very likely. But we still don’t know for certain.”
“We’ll know for sure soon enough,” Nick replied, his smile crooked and a little evil.
“Here she comes,” said Kent, who had been peeking out of the window. He skipped back over to the sofa and sat next to Caleb. Moments later, Jesse and Zander escorted Miranda and her two enforcers into the living area.
Rising, Shaya flashed her a welcoming smile that held no hint of the distaste that grazed Ally’s arms like a bristle sponge. “Miranda, what a pleasant surprise.”
“Thank you, Shaya.” Miranda’s smile was just as wide. And just as forced. “I was worried there would be some ill will after my last visit.” She looked from Shaya to Nick as he went to stand beside his mate. “Please understand that I was just concerned for you and your pack.”
“We get it,” Shaya assured her.
Miranda’s friendly gaze traveled around the room but narrowed ever so slightly when she found Ally snuggled up against Derren, who was tracing her claiming mark. The female’s spite coiled tight around Ally’s chest. “I’ll say what I should have said last
time I was here: congratulations to both of you on your mating.”
Neither Ally nor Derren thanked her for those so obviously insincere words. Ally’s wolf was equally unhappy to see the bitch; she wanted to dive at the female and rake her claws across her face. The thought had some appeal. When Miranda’s narrowed gaze landed on Dan, she froze, and a red, angry flush crept up her neck and face. “A Holt family reunion. How cozy.” Settling gracefully into an armchair while her enforcers stood behind her, Miranda again forced a smile for Shaya. “As you can imagine, I’m still terribly worried for all of you. Even though the attacks on your pack have stopped, it’s still disconcerting to know that the people responsible are out there.”
“It’s sweet of you to worry, but we have this under control.”
Miranda arched a brow. “You have captured the culprits?”
“We have.” Shaya leaned forward, as if about to confide something interesting and important. “It turns out, though, that the shifters who attacked us didn’t actually have a personal problem with us. In fact, someone put a hit out on us. Can you believe that?”
Miranda stilled. “Really?”
“The hit has been canceled now, which is no doubt because anyone who attempted to attack us didn’t live to tell the tale.”
Alarm briefly flickered through Miranda, prickling Ally’s skin, as the Alpha female asked Shaya, “Do you have any idea who is behind the hit?”
“We do. The shifters we captured knew enough to point us in the right direction. Turns out it’s a scorned woman.”
“A . . . scorned woman?” Miranda’s alarm became full-blown panic; it smothered Ally like tropical humidity.
“A Seer,” elaborated Shaya. “She doesn’t like that Marcus mated our Roni. She’s jealous.” Ally noticed that Miranda’s enforcers stiffened and suddenly looked very uneasy.
“I see.” Miranda licked her lips nervously. “I’m guessing, then, that you have a name?”
“Yes. It’s only a matter of time before we find her, don’t you worry.”
“That’s good.” With a brittle smile, Miranda stood. “Well, I should be going.”
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