“It’s possible that she wouldn’t be any safer at the Mercury Pack right now.” A week ago, one of the enforcers, Jesse, had become ill after hunting an animal on their territory that they later discovered had been poisoned. After further investigation, the pack found other animals on their land had been poisoned as well. “There’s been a minor attack on the pack.”
Cain didn’t ask Derren to elaborate, aware that pack business wasn’t shared with outsiders. “If you need the matter taken care of, I can arrange that.”
“We don’t even know who’s responsible. It could be an isolated incident.” Though Derren doubted it.
“Could be.” Cain didn’t seem any more convinced of that than Derren. “Nonetheless, it changes nothing. Your pack might not be the safest place to be, but Ally’s in more danger where she is. Even if she wasn’t, I won’t tolerate people making false accusations against her.”
“That’s why you came to me with this,” Derren discerned. “Kind of sneaky of you.” Not that Derren was surprised. Cain was manipulative and self-serving.
Cain shrugged, unrepentant. “I want Ally safe. If playing someone’s conscience will make that happen, I won’t hesitate.”
“You’re forgetting that I don’t have much of a conscience.”
“Then do it because you owe me.”
And Derren really did owe him. If it hadn’t been for Cain, he would never have tracked down the lying bastard who had put the nail in Derren’s metaphorical coffin and sent his fourteen-year-old ass to juvie. “Fine. I’ll do it.”
Cain gave a satisfied nod. “When I get out of here, I’ll deal with her pack. Until then, I need to know she’s away from them. Understand?”
Since Derren didn’t really have any choice in the matter . . . “Yeah. Tell me what I need to know about her.”
“Her full name is Alyssa Marshall. She’s twenty-six years old. And she’s a Seer.”
Derren’s spine locked. “A Seer?” It came out a growl.
“I know how you feel about Seers, Derren, and I get it. I do. But Ally is not that son of a bitch. She’s a good girl.”
Derren placed one hand on the table, ready to push out of his seat. “Find someone else to help her. Trust me, Cain, you do not want me around her.” His distaste for Seers ran too deep.
Rather than reacting in anger, Cain sank into his chair. “And here I thought you were a man of your word.”
He was a man of his word, dammit. Derren’s one redeeming quality was that he was loyal to the bone once that loyalty was earned. “This is not me going against my word—”
“Oh, but it is, Derren.” Leaning forward once more, Cain spoke in a low voice. “I tracked that fucker for you, I handed him to you and Nick on a silver platter, I helped you bury him, and I kept my mouth shut about it. All I asked for in return was one favor. One. Am I asking you to find, kill, or bury someone for me? No. I’m asking you to protect someone very important to me. Someone who’s being held responsible for things she hasn’t fucking done . . . just like you were.”
If Derren was another guy, a decent guy, those words might have given his conscience—stunted though it was—a twinge. But what made him hesitate to reject Cain’s request wasn’t a sense of guilt, it was the reminder of exactly how much Cain had done and risked for Derren, and how little Cain was asking for in payment. There was a big issue at play, though. “Nick will never go for it. He has a hard-on for Seers too.”
“Then convince him.”
Like it would be that simple. And taking into account that the rest of the pack wasn’t too fond of Seers either, one word came to mind: “Fuck.”
This was one of the reasons Derren highly respected his Alpha female: she had the singular ability to make Nick reconsider his decisions. Oh, Nick listened to Derren, respected his advice, and trusted his judgment. But only Shaya’s opinion truly mattered to Nick.
When they had first met, Derren hadn’t been too sure about her—having watched as she rejected Nick over and over. She’d had every reason to push Nick away, considering he’d failed to claim her when he had the chance. But Derren hadn’t liked seeing his friend so cut up. And since Nick had left his pack to track her down, Derren figured she should have at least given Nick a chance. Eventually she had, and Derren had quickly learned that Shaya Critchley was strong, wise, and had a huge heart.
They had formed their own pack, thanks to Derren’s meddling, and Nick had purchased a chunk of land where a number of hunting lodges were situated. The main lodge looked like a rustic mansion and had been refurbished with Shaya’s tastes in mind. Despite Nick’s reluctance to be an Alpha again, it had all worked out pretty well . . . except for the part where he’d withdrawn Derren’s self-appointed bodyguard position and made him his Beta.
Derren could have refused, but that would have called into question his loyalty to Nick. Still, loyal to his Alpha or not, the subject of Ally Marshall wasn’t something Derren could afford to drop.
As Derren had expected, Nick had freaked at the idea of having a Seer in his pack, even if it were only temporary. Shaya hadn’t been any happier about bringing in an outsider . . . right up until Derren had explained Ally’s sad situation, which had appealed to Shaya’s compassionate nature. If someone had a problem, she would do what she could to fix it—and she would make sure that Nick helped.