Yeah, but being “suited” to the role and being “content” in the role were two very different things. And how was a person supposed to deserve the trust of others when he couldn’t offer the same in return?

Derren had been stripped of the ability to trust a long time ago. But he didn’t lament it, didn’t view it as a weakness. Being wary of others, reminding himself that even the people closest to him could be capable of betrayal, would ensure he was never taken off guard again. Nick was the only person in whom he’d invested any real degree of trust, but the guy had earned it.

Still, confiding in people wasn’t Derren’s style, so he stuck to the subject at hand. “I got your message.” He’d received it via a mutual contact. Cain might be in jail, but he still had enough influence to pass on messages to the outside world.

“You always pay your debts, which is why I knew getting you here wouldn’t be a waste of my time.” Cain leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. “You remember I told you my pack was slain when I was eight?” At Derren’s nod, he continued. “There were only two survivors—me and one pup; she was just six. I took her with me to stay with my uncles in the Brookwell Pack. You probably saw her when she visited me in juvie. Brown hair, huge eyes.”

Derren remembered a pair of mesmerizing emerald eyes. Remembered his wolf’s curiosity, how the animal had wanted to take a closer look.

“Anyway, my Ally likes pack-trotting. Doesn’t stay in one place for more than a few years. But we’ve always kept in touch. And even though I got my ass dumped in here, I’ve had people check on her. I got word that her pack’s giving her a hard time.”

“Hard time?”

“It turns out she was seeing some guy—the Beta.” Cain didn’t sound too happy about it. “Then, a few months ago—bam—he found his mate. The female’s been making things difficult for Ally. Two nights ago, she actually accused Ally of coming at her from behind and trying to kill her.”

“Did she try to kill her?” Derren was expecting Cain to bristle, but the guy smiled. It was strange what Cain would be offended by and what he’d find amusing.

“Look, my Ally’s a fierce little thing—I should know, I taught her every combat move she knows. But she wouldn’t attack from behind. That’s not who she is.”

“Did her Alpha cast her out?”

“No. Maybe he doesn’t believe the Beta female’s account, or maybe it’s something else. I don’t know.”

“Who is her Alpha?”

“Matt Ward. He leads the Collingwood Pack.”

Derren knew Matt well enough, since the guy’s land bordered the territory of Derren’s old pack, where Nick had once been Alpha before forming the Mercury Pack. Although Derren didn’t know the Beta as well as he knew Matt, Derren had judged Zeke to be good at his position. “If you’re right and Ally is innocent, then what’s happening is a shame. But I don’t see what it has to do with me, in any case.”

“It didn’t have anything to do with you before, but it does now.” Cain’s tone turned grave. “I want you to help her.”

“Why? Even though she left your pack, I’m pretty sure the Brookwell wolves would still be willing to help her.”

“Of course they would. My uncles raised Ally—they adore her, think of her as family. But my pack has been under the scrutiny of extremists and human law enforcement ever since I joined The Movement. I’ve kept my connection to Ally quiet. Otherwise, she could be used against me.”

It was a wise decision. “And if you send anyone from your pack or The Movement to help her, she’ll come under the scrutiny of the humans too,” Derren concluded. Still . . . “Cain, you’ve got a lot of contacts.” Scary, dangerous, and equally sociopathic contacts. “Why come to me with this?”

“I could send some people to ‘take care’ of the situation, sure. But that would end in violence. Ally and I lost our parents when our entire pack was slain because of what a couple of assholes did. I won’t do the same, and Ally would never forgive me if I did. Besides, I only trust a handful of people in this world. You’re one of them.”

Derren snorted. “You don’t trust me, you just trust that I’ll keep my word.”

Cain shrugged. “Same difference. The point is I trust that you’ll keep my Ally safe.”

It was odd to see his friend care about anything other than The Movement. The more time Cain had spent in juvie, the more he’d changed, grown indifferent and hard. He didn’t see people as “people” anymore. To Cain, those he kept in his life were either associates or accomplices—things he could use. Yet, this female was obviously very important to him, which could only mean that she was his mate. A mate Cain didn’t intend to claim, for whatever reason, or she wouldn’t have been dating Zeke.

“What is it exactly that you want me to do?”

“I want you to take her to stay with your pack for a while. I’ll be out of here in four months. I’ll take matters from there.”

Sighing, Derren leaned back in his seat. Doing what Cain had asked wouldn’t be easy, since Nick hated outsiders around his pack. “You should have gone to Nick with this. He’s the Alpha.”

“Yeah, but he doesn’t owe me a favor.” Anger thickened Cain’s voice as he continued. “She’s not safe there with those fuckers, Derren.”