Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 108368 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 542(@200wpm)___ 433(@250wpm)___ 361(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108368 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 542(@200wpm)___ 433(@250wpm)___ 361(@300wpm)
Kathy plonked an empty plate in front of Ally, snatching her attention. “So . . . you’re a Seer.” Kathy had said “Seer” in the same tone one might use for “serial killer.” Again, the woman’s antipathy was like the slash of a razor.
And so it begins. “I am.”
A haughty sniff from Kathy. “You don’t get a lot of dominant Seers. They’re mostly submissive.”
“Are dominant Seers more powerful than submissive ones?” Eli spooned some cereal into his mouth. His dubiousness and distrust hadn’t left him, making her scalp prickle again.
“Not that I know of.” Ally piled some food onto her plate. “I think it just depends on the individual.” She hadn’t spent enough time around other Seers to really know for sure. It was difficult for two Seers to exist in one pack unless one of those Seers was a child. Adult Seers tended to clash and battle for the position, much like two alpha males would fight for the position of pack Alpha.
“You don’t look or act at all like a Seer.” Caleb nudged his mate with his elbow. “Does she?”
Kent shook his head. “I would never have guessed.”
Three males entered, laughing among themselves. Shaya gave them a smile as she said, “Ally, this is Bracken, Jesse, and Zander. They’re three of our enforcers.”
They were also totally hot, but since all three were oozing so much wariness that her skin itched, Ally wasn’t enamored. Her “Hi” was met with stiff nods.
“We also have two other enforcers, Roni and Marcus,” added Shaya, “but they’re not here this morning. You’ll meet them in a few days.”
Apparently not done, Kathy planted one hand on her hip as she glared down at Ally. “I’m a straight shooter, so I’ll tell you right now that I’m not convinced you didn’t try to kill your Beta female.”
Ally shrugged. “That’s all right. I’m not convinced I care.” She had to show these people she had claws, that no bullshit would be tolerated.
“At least you have spine. But that won’t earn you any respect here. Not when you are what you are.”
“You mean bored?” Ally’s wolf bared her teeth at the older female, but her anger was quickly replaced by anticipation as the scent of Brazilian coffee beans, oak bark, and hot sex tickled her senses. A moment later, Derren was striding into the kitchen. He walked with a sense of purpose that had her wolf growling with arousal. It flustered Ally a little too, if she were being honest.
Flashes of his usual negative emotions slammed into her, chilling her body. Again, though, the chill was alleviated by the need she felt pulsing through him—acting as a stroke to her inner thighs. It took everything she had not to squirm in her seat. Settling into the chair next to her, he exchanged greetings with everyone before looking at her. Eyes of dark velvet drank her in.
He said quietly, “I went to your lodge to walk you here.”
It was an admonishment . . . as if she should have been waiting for him like a good little girl. “Huh. Not sure why you think I need you to hold my hand.”
The comment should have irritated Derren, but he found himself wanting to smile at her prickly manner. Noticing that Kathy was snarling at her, he arched a brow. “Problem?”
Kathy shrugged. “I was just about to tell Ally here that if she has any visions while she’s with us, we don’t want to hear about them.”
“Just to clarify”—Ally sat back in her seat, arms folded—“if I was to have a vision warning me that one of you was in danger, you wouldn’t want to know? You’d prefer I kept that information to myself?” She wasn’t surprised when Kathy hesitated to answer or when the other wolves shifted restlessly. They might not like what she was, but they’d have no problem using her if it really came down to it. Nice to know.
Finally, Kathy replied, “We’re a strong pack. We don’t need help from outsiders.”
Shaya sighed tiredly. “Kathy, I know you mean well. And I know you’re just looking out for us. But it seems you’re forgetting who is Alpha female around here.” The reprimand was gently delivered, but it still rang with Shaya’s strength.
Straightening to her full height, Kathy flicked her short brown hair away from her face. “I haven’t forgotten.” Her gaze returned to Ally. “But I also haven’t forgotten that my daughter almost lost her mate because of a Seer. The bitch lied to him, told him that his true mate was a whole other female—gave him a false description of everything. She did it so she could have Marcus for herself. Luckily for Roni, it didn’t work. Are you even listening to me?”
Ally double-blinked. “I was. A little. But then I got distracted by the hairs on your chin.” Hearing choking noises, she noticed that Kent was patting a coughing Eli’s back pretty hard.