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.”