Free Resounding Truth: (Werewolf Novella) (The Resounding Series) by Kate Thomas

she growled, "No one will beat you. I'll beat them."
    Dru and Merilla laughed as Caleb groaned in his sleep softly.
    "She's more like Daddy than we thought."
    Merilla stood and opened the curtain, nodding to the two of them. "God help us all then. Get out and let the boy sleep. He will be healed and fully yours in a few hours."
    Karis wagged her eyebrows at Dru and they laughed as they left the tent.
    Merilla's words haunted her as she walked toward Derik.
    He's not your Alpha … yet.
    Did she mean that he soon would be? And if so … what did that mean for Derik? For her? For the rest of the pack?

CHAPTER EIGHT
     
     
    "How is he?" Derik moved toward Dru as she walked languidly to his side. The other wolves he'd been standing near disbursed, leaving the two of them and Karis.
    "He will be well soon. I'm convinced that Merilla is a magician of sorts." She smiled, trying to keep things light and friendly between them. It would take very little to throw him toward his normal sense of angst and have them at one another's throats.
    She was weary from the trip earlier that morning and emotionally stripped bare by Caleb getting hurt. To say that she wasn't sure that their futures were deeply intertwined would be a lie. The oppression she felt at not being beside him as he healed spoke truth far beyond what she was comfortable acknowledging.
    "Once we've scouted the lands and are assured of the threat around us, I want him gone." Derik moved closer, reaching out to place his hands on Dru's shoulders.
    Karis waved and made her leave, Dru scowling at her sister's back as she abandoned her with their Alpha.
    "Then tell him that. I’m not your second in command." He flinched and she felt horrible for her choice of words. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that."
    "I know you're not," he said, seeming to ignore her apology. "I don't need a second in command, but what I do need is a strong mate."
    She stiffened in his grasp. "You made the decision years ago that if the Alpha were to mate, it would be a weakness, a way for others to stab at you and weaken our pack."
    He nodded. "I did, and I'm changing my mind."
    She fought hard against everything inside of her that screamed to pull back from the large wolf in front of her. "What changed your mind?"
    He scowled and jerked his head toward Merilla's tent. "He did."
    Dru pulled back a little and Derik's hands dropped from her. She crossed her arms over her chest, defiance beckoning her to host it. "You broke my heart five years ago when you denounced our mating and then killed my father. Why in the world would you ever think that I would want another chance at a future with you?"
    His expression changed immediately and she regretted her words. Telling Derik the truth of her feelings offered nothing positive, and his anger raged at the very mention of denial of any sort. He moved forward and took her back in his grasp, his fingers biting into her upper arms.
    "This is not about love and fairy tales, Drucilia. It's about strengthening the pack. We have enemies everywhere, and I will not dismiss the fact that, without Seth, I'm less protected. You will be my mate and you will be loyal to me. If you disagree with either of those things, I'm more than happy to let the magic of my position force you into submission below me. That part will be up to you." He growled and pulled her against his body, his lips inches from her forehead as he glared at her.
    "I'm glad I have a choice in something," she bit back.
    She fought against him as she moved back. His strength was far beyond hers, and he won the small struggle, her body trapped to his as he angrily captured her mouth and groped at her. She refused to appear weak in front of the pack. With few options, she leaned her head back and thrust it forward quickly, her forehead coming into contact with his perfect nose. Blood exploded from the trauma and he moved back, holding his face.
    "Aww … you bitch. You're going to pay for that one." He wiped his