Derick Read online

  Sometimes the best thing that can happen to someone happens in the middle of a crisis.

  Derick is running from his pack, his family. He has to, if he wants to save innocent people. His Alpha is planning an attack on the Whitedell Pride, and he can’t let it happen. Sure, he knows he will probably have to pay a price for his betrayal, but he is ready to do it. He hadn’t thought his price would be a good one, until he finds his mate in the pride.

  Nate is the pride’s Beta, and as Beta, he has to follow the unspoken rules that exist in the shifter community. He wasn’t looking for a mate, and he certainly didn’t think his mate would be a wolf shifter. Not that he has anything against wolf shifters, but this one brings way too many problems with him.

  Derick’s Alpha knows what he has done, and he plans to make him pay. When Derick is kidnapped, Nate has to decide if he wants to play by the rules and risk his mate, or if he’s going to save Derick, risking a justified attack from the pack.

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  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Derick

  Copyright © 2014 Catherine Lievens

  ISBN: 978-1-4874-0110-8

  Cover art by Latrisha Waters

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.

  Published by eXtasy Books Inc or

  Devine Destinies, an imprint of eXtasy Books Inc

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  Derick

  Whitedell Pride 2

  By

  Catherine Lievens

  Dedication

  To Charlie, whose books made me believe in mine.

  Chapter One

  Derick ran through the trees, going as fast as he could. The problem was that he wasn’t the fastest of his pack—far from it. In fact, he was kind of small and, well, different, but he needed to put as much distance between the pack and himself as he could, and as fast as he could. As his paws hit the ground, he thought about the conversation he’d heard only a few hours ago. He shouldn’t have been near the Alpha’s house, but no one ever paid attention to him because he couldn’t compare to the other males in the pack.

  He was smaller, he didn’t want to fight, and most of all, he was gay. The fact that he was less aggressive than the other wolves and that he tried to stay out of sight as much as possible were the only reasons why he was still alive. He knew his Alpha, Walter Erskine, didn’t approve of gays. Well, didn’t approve was a pretty tame way to say that he thought gays should be eradicated. And the worst part? Derick’s parents felt exactly the same way.

  If it wasn’t for Duncan, Derick’s brother, Derick would have been long gone. He couldn’t stand being ostracized for what he was, the sneers, the name callings, and he sure didn’t make things easier for himself by staying away from pack members or trying to blend. No, he refused to hide or to be ashamed of who he was, and he was fully aware of what was going to happen when he decided to get pierced. And not just one piercing, no. Derick had two in his lower lip, one on his left eyebrow, one on his right ear and a Prince Albert.

  The way he was treated was one of the reasons he was running, but not the most important one. No, what he’d heard earlier was. He’d stumbled on a meeting between his Alpha and the two Betas, and he’d discovered that Walter wanted to attack the cat’s pride that lived a few towns south of them. Derick could have understood that if the cats were a danger to the pack, but the only reason Walter wanted to attack was that he wanted more power and land, and that was something Derick didn’t understand.

  A pack’s power was measured on the number of members it had and on how big their land was, but it wasn’t like they needed it. Yes, the pack had more members than the pride, but they owned a big part of the town they lived and a huge chunk of the land around it that held both forests and a lake. They had all the space they needed to let their wolves run when they needed it, but it seemed that Walter needed more. Of course, Derick knew it was only an excuse to cover the fact that Walter felt threatened by the pride. Why, Derick didn’t know, since they pretty much kept to themselves and didn’t try to trespass, but the fact that most of the members were gay or in a shifter-human relationship had to be one of the reasons.

  Anyway, Derick had decided it was time to really do something instead of cowering behind his brother. He couldn’t let people get hurt without good reasons, so he’d fled, leaving everything he owned behind—even his clothes, since he’d left in wolf form. He would miss his brother, but that was all. Derick just hoped the cats didn’t kill him on sight, since he was definitely trespassing. He hadn’t asked for an authorization to enter their land. It wasn’t like he could have, really. Even if he’d had the time to plan this—and he hadn’t, since the attack was scheduled for only a few days from now—it wasn’t like he had the pride Alpha’s phone number. Only other Alphas had it, and Derick was definitely not an Alpha.

  He didn’t even know if they were going to believe him, but he had to try. If everything went well, he would have to start a new life from scratch, so he hoped they’d at least give him a change of clothes. Hard to look for work or a place to live when you are buck naked.

  Derick stopped, listening for signs that would tell him he was being followed, and found none, so he started running again. Besides from the fact that no one cared about him and would look for him, Derick had fled in the middle of the night, carefully avoiding the sentinels. He knew exactly where every one of them were, since they were the bigger and stronger members of the pack and as such the ones who tortured him the most. Derick’s breath puffed in front of him and he’d never been so happy that his wolf had a thick fur. It wasn’t snowing, but it was so cold it could have been. The sky was lightening, indicating that dawn was near, and he hoped he would find the pride soon.

  Derick stopped abruptly and turned around. He thought he’d smelled…yes! Leaning toward one of the trees, he inhaled deeply and recognized the scent of a cat shifter. He didn’t know what type of cat, but it didn’t matter. It meant he was getting closer and that he needed to be careful. Derick’s heart beat a little faster when he thought about what was waiting for him. He knew how his Alpha would treat a trespasser, so his only hope was that the pride’s Alpha listened to him before beating on him.

  He slowly started walking again, more careful now. His paws were silent against the damp ground and he was a little breathless, the cold of the forest making his breath visible in front of his mouth every time he exhaled. Derick skidded to a halt when a low growl filled the air around him. It was a warning, and he took it as such. Hoping it was a cat, he went down on his belly, his jaw resting on his paws in a position he hoped made him look harmless.

  Derick watched as a lion came out from behind a tree and neared him, his teeth showing under his raised upper lip. The lion snarled and Derick whimpered, thinking that this was it. He was going to die. The thing was huge and Derick knew he could kill him without breaking a sweat
, but to his surprise the lion didn’t touch him. He just towered over Derick, snarling every time Derick moved, but he didn’t try to hurt him.

  They stayed like that until Derick heard someone coming and a panther appeared between the trees. It shifted and Derick found himself staring at the guy’s naked feet.

  “Shift, wolf.”

  Derick obeyed, knowing he had to tell them about the attack and that if he didn’t do as they said they would probably kill him on the spot. Once in human form he stayed on the cold ground on his knees, staring at his hands.

  “I need to speak with your Alpha.”

  “About?”

  Derick didn’t know what to do. Should he tell this guy why he was here or wait and tell only the Alpha? And if he didn’t say anything, would the panther hurt him before he had a chance to talk?

  “Umm…it’s a secret?” Yeah, he sounded like a kid, but in the end he really was, in shifter standards. He was only twenty one and he wasn’t used to these situations.

  The panther looked at him, studying him with his gray eyes and searching Derick’s face for an answer before talking to the lion. “I’m going to let Dominic know about this.”

  The lion nodded and the panther turned to Derick. “What do I tell him?”

  “I…I need to talk to him about something that could affect your pride in a bad way.” There, he hadn’t really said anything, but the guy could tell it was something serious.

  The panther’s expression hardened before he shifted back and ran away. Derick waited for a few minutes to see if the lion was going to shift, but when he didn’t he shifted back to his wolf. It was too damn cold to stay in human form.

  Derick didn’t know how close to the pride he’d managed to get, but it took only ten minutes for the panther to come back. The black cat jerked his big head, silently telling Derick to follow him, and the three of them started walking through the forest. It took them a lot more than ten minutes to get to the pride’s house, probably around thirty, so the panther must have talked to the Alpha on the phone rather than in person.

  A huge house appeared between the trees, making Derick gasp. Holy shit! He knew the cats lived all together rather than in houses gathered together like the wolves, but damn, he hadn’t expected that. He didn’t have the time to appreciate the view, though. They stopped on an ample back porch on which a man stood, waiting for them. His long blond hair was bound and his amber eyes were piercing, as if they could see Derick’s most shameful secrets right through him. And he was so tall! Derick didn’t consider himself small at five foot nine, at least not for human standards, but this guy…he had to reach at least six foot six.

  The blond opened a wooden chest and took out a pair of pants, handing them to Derick. Derick watched as the lion and the panther shifted before shifting too and quickly dressing. The pants helped a little against the cold air, but it didn’t do anything for his chest or feet, and Derick was slightly shaking.

  “I’m Dominic.”

  “De—Derick.” It was hard to look at the guy in the eyes, and not only because he was so much taller.

  “So, what did you want to tell me?” Derick was surprised. He’d expected to be beaten at least a bit before being questioned, just because he’d entered the pride territory, but this guy didn’t seem to want that. While he was obviously powerful and serious, he emanated an aura of calm and certainty that said that he knew Derick would talk anyway, without needing to be hit.

  “I…I come from the pack north from here. I heard my Alpha saying that he was going to attack your pride in the next few days.” The words rushed from Derick’s mouth before he drew his arms up, expecting a fist to come his way. When it didn’t, he looked up, but Dominic’s expression hadn’t changed, even if his eyes were now clouded in anger.

  “Come on in.”

  * * * *

  Nate was on babysitting duty. Hell, babysitting would probably be easier than what he was doing right now, which really was guard duty with Jamie and Keenan.

  Nate didn’t have problems with Jamie—in fact, he liked Ward’s mate. The poor guy had passed a month in a laboratory, being experimented on, and Nate knew he felt safer knowing that one of the pride’s shifters was with him when he went out. It had only been three months since he’d escaped, so it was understandable.

  No, the person Nate had a problem with was Keenan. The guy had no sense of privacy or self-preservation. He had no filter between his mouth and his brain, and since he was also curious as hell, he asked anything that crossed his mind, from what was Nate’s favorite color to what position he preferred when he had sex and if he bottomed. Yeah, Nate was so not answering that one.

  “So? I guess from your looks that you’re a top, but then appearances can be deceptive. Am I right?”

  Nate growled, eager for this shopping trip to finish. Not only did he hate shopping, but he probably hated Keenan even more right now, since half of the mall had heard his question and was staring at Nate as if they, too, wanted an answer.

  “Doesn’t Jamie need help to choose his shirt or whatever he is buying?”

  “Nope. I’d rather stay with you, it’s much more fun. Are you going to answer or not?”

  “No!”

  “I really don’t get what some of you guys have against bottoming. I mean, have you ever tried it? Because let me tell you, it’s damn—”

  Nate put his hand on Keenan’s mouth when an old little lady passed them and winked. Could this get more embarrassing?

  “Don’t you have anyone else to go and bother with your twenty questions?” Nate hissed, pulling his hand away.

  When he saw Keenan’s eyes clouding in sadness and his smile falling, he winced.

  “No, I don’t,” Keenan said with a sad smile.

  Nate hadn’t been thinking. During the last months, Keenan had become almost solitary, talking only with a few selected persons in the pride. He still wasn’t over his relationship with Bryce, and everyone knew what had happened by now. Bryce had found his mate, so Keenan had broken up with him, even if Bryce still insisted that he didn’t want his mate but Keenan. Keenan had been resisting so far, but it couldn’t be easy, especially because Bryce hadn’t even talked to his mate in all that time, and Keenan knew it. “I’m sorry.”

  Keenan waved, a small smile appearing. “It’s okay. You can’t all keep on being careful about what you say. I’ll get over it.”

  Nate didn’t know what to say. Should he try to comfort the guy? Oh god, should he hug him? That was what friends did when one of them was hurting, right? Nate was actually beginning to lean toward Keenan when his phone started ringing. He gave Keenan an awkward pat on the hand before answering, but the mischief in Keenan’s eyes told him he knew what Nate had been about to do.

  “Yes?” he asked, getting up and walking away.

  “Nate, I need you to come back to the mansion. We have a problem.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Someone informed us of a probable attack on the mansion. I want everyone here in case it’s true. I also need you to contact Alpha Erskine.”

  “From the Gillham pack?”

  “Yes. I need everything you can get from him on a certain Derick Teague. Make it sound like we don’t take this guy seriously, though.”

  “I’ll call him and let you know. We’re on our way.”

  In that moment Jamie came out of the store with a bag in his hand and Nate hung up, gesturing to the brothers to come nearer. “We’re going home.”

  Keenan understood right away something was wrong but he didn’t say or ask anything like he would normally do, probably not to scare his brother.

  The ride home was short and Nate headed to his office after saying goodbye to the brothers. As Dominic’s Beta, he had Alpha Erskine’s phone number, and he put it to use immediately, calling the pack. After waiting for a while and talking with two different persons, he finally got the Alpha on the phone.

  “What do you want
?” the wolf asked brusquely. The relationship with the pack was wary, to say the best.

  “I have here a wolf named Derick Teague.”

  Silence fell on the line, so much that Nate thought the Alpha had hung up.

  “What did he say?”

  “He was talking nonsense about an attack.”

  Erskine’s voice was smooth when he answered. “Oh, I’m really sorry. The boy…he’s not right in the head, you know what I mean? He must have sneaked out last night.”

  “Uh huh.” This guy was trying to be convincing, he really was. Too bad for him that Nate knew him. Alpha Erskine had been gunning for the pride for a while and Nate had been expecting something like this to happen. What he hadn’t expected was someone to betray the Alpha and tell them about it.

  “I’ll send someone to retrieve him. They will be there tonight.”

  There was nothing Nate could say. Being from Erskine’s pack, the guy had to go back unless he officially asked to leave or it was proved that going back would put him in danger, and Nate was willing to bet that the Alpha wouldn’t let Derick go after this.

  “All right. Thank you for your time, Alpha Erskine.”

  “Not a problem. Just…don’t listen to him. He’s not completely there.”

  “Of course.”

  Nate hung up. From what he knew about Erskine and from the phone call, he guessed that Derick was probably telling the truth, and wasn’t that just peachy? Now they had a runaway wolf and an attack to take care of. Dominic would never agree to give the guy back, but they didn’t have alternatives. It would mean going against the pack and giving them a good reason to attack. Besides, Nate couldn’t help but wonder why on earth a wolf would betray his pack.

  Sighing, he stood up and made his way to Dominic’s office, stopping in the common living room to talk with Denver and Soren, the sentinels he knew would be on gate duty later tonight. He told them they were expecting visitors and that they had to keep them at the front gate until he said otherwise. It was something they already knew, but Nate preferred repeating himself than having problems.