Nick snorted. “While you have Shaya on your side, it shouldn’t be as hard as you think. Shaya adores her, and she doesn’t want her to leave. Do you think Ally will be open to imprinting?”

“Maybe.” But maybe not. He wasn’t exactly a prince fucking charming. Wasn’t smooth or easy to be around like Marcus. He doubted there was a person on the planet who could love him as he was. Also, being Beta meant that a lot of his time was taken up by his job, which was something that could make a female feel neglected.

Yeah, the chances of Ally choosing to imprint with him were slim. But those chances were still there. And he’d damn well take them.

“What if Cain gets here and says he’s changed his mind and decides to claim her?” asked Nick.

“I won’t step aside.” There was no going back for either him or Ally. As far as Derren was concerned, Cain had missed his chance. Derren wasn’t noble enough to give him another shot with Ally.

“Not even if she wants you to?”

“Not even then.”

So when she woke up that night, fear in her eyes, Derren was there for her again, making her forget her nightmare and cry out his name. Afterward, he brushed his thumb along her jaw. “I’m keeping you, Ally Marshall.” And she’d just have to accept it, because he wouldn’t let her go. “You’re mine.”

Startled and spooked by that very sincere announcement that almost sounded . . . binding, Ally didn’t speak for a moment. “Yours?”

“All mine. You got under my skin, became my obsession. There’s no going back.”

She swallowed nervously. “What do you want from me?”

“Everything you have to give. And I’ll get it.”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Cain’s not your mate, is he?”

Ally froze at Shaya’s words. It hadn’t been a question; it had been a sure statement. Sitting on the rug of Ally’s living area with Willow, Ally peered up at Shaya, who was lounging on the sofa. “How did you find out?”

“I’ve suspected it for a while now. See, Nick didn’t claim me straightaway. The sexual cravings nearly drove me insane, and it was physically painful for him to resist the urge to mate. Even from day one, you never seemed to be suffering from any of that. Still, I wondered if the reason the mating urge hadn’t come into place for you and Cain was that he’s just not capable of any kind of connection. But if nothing else, you should have lamented that you’d never have your true mate. Believing Nick would never claim me made me feel dead inside. You never gave any indication that you were hurting.”

“Derren assumed Cain was my mate, and I didn’t correct him,” Ally confessed. “I figured I’d be less likely to be targeted by members of your pack if people thought Cain was my mate.”

There was no judgment on Shaya’s face. “Understandable. Does Derren know the truth now?”

“No.” Ally flinched as Willow whacked her leg with a rattle—apparently the pup didn’t feel that Ally was paying her enough attention.

Shaya chuckled at Willow’s antics before continuing. “You should tell him. You don’t need to keep up the pretense now. The entire pack accepts you. They’ll protect you with their lives after all you’ve done for us.”

“I’ve tried to tell him.” Ally pressed a button on the baby’s wolf toy, making it howl. Willow chuckled in delight. “He cuts me off whenever I even mention Cain.”

“That’s probably because he’s so possessive and determined to keep you.”

“Yeah. I figured that. That’s something I never saw coming.” She hadn’t thought he would ever feel that way about her. Although it had spooked her, it didn’t scared her to the extent that she wanted to end the relationship. Self-preservation dictated that she leave him, but an ache built in her chest whenever she envisioned doing so. Her wolf went batshit crazy at the idea of leaving.

“How do you feel about it?” asked Shaya.

“Torn. A big part of me wants to see where things can go, but there’s the problem that I don’t know how he feels. I know he wants me to be with him, I know he’s possessive. But he’s never given me any indication that he cares for me.”

Ever since his “I want everything from you and will get it” declaration a few weeks ago, he’d been focused on Ally so intensely and overwhelmingly that it was enough to unbalance her. But it was also a little heady having someone’s complete attention on her. Still, being “obsessed” with her and caring for her were two different things.

Shaya snorted softly. “It’s obvious that he cares for you. Derren’s possessive of you to an extent that I didn’t think he was capable of. He never stops touching you, is super protective of you. And he told Nick weeks ago that he intends to convince you to become part of our pack permanently—which I fully support, by the way. Derren’s not reckless or impulsive. He thinks things through. If he’s made this choice to keep you, then he’s one hundred percent sure he means to imprint with you.”

Derren hadn’t mentioned imprinting to Ally, but for their relationship to be permanent they would need to eventually imprint on each other. Sure, there were shifter couples that didn’t go down the imprinting route. But such a relationship never lasted, because their inner wolves would only be satisfied with total commitment on every level—physically, sexually, and emotionally. If they didn’t get it, their wolves would sooner or later withdraw from the weak relationship and fight their human side for more.