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

weak.
    Dru pulled a white cotton shirt over her head and slipped into a pair of loose black britches that were a size too large. The pack had various boxes of clothing that were carried from place to place, and their supplies and other necessities had been moved just before the battle that morning. She had always wanted to go into the human village and get a new dress or something more formfitting, but time and money had deemed those things impossible.
    She finished making herself somewhat presentable and slipped out into the early evening celebration. Members of the pack stopped to thank her for fighting so hard beside them and for helping Derik to protect them as they journeyed to the new camp. She hadn't realized until that moment that it had just been her and Derik fighting at the end. He deserved the credit, not her, but sacrifice was expected of him, so no one would offer him praise.
    Dru scanned the crowd, happy to find her sister engaged in laughter and storytelling with some of the girls in the pack. Seth was nowhere to be found, but he would turn up soon and she would slip into his arms; the warm hug of a friend was much needed at the moment. She spotted Derik and moved to the other side of the fire, sitting down on a large log and closing her eyes for a minute to rest.
    Derik’s voice brought her to. "I'm proud of you for what you did today. Staying behind and fighting beside me shows that your father's blood runs deep in your veins."
    The anger over him killing her father would never be too far from the surface of her emotions, and yet it was the way of their kind. Derik had been Alpha for two years, and her father wouldn't have been pleased with Derik’s methods, but he would have been impressed with his results, because he had been leading their pack effectively. Derik wasn't kind or caring, but for the most part they were all safe, well fed and still together in family units. Having someone care for them as her father had was a dream long passed.
    "I didn't do much, but thanks."
    She shrugged, and he moved to sit next to her, the soft cream-colored material of his shirt accenting the dark hues of his skin. He pressed his shoulder to hers and ran his fingers down his face, a deep sigh leaving him as they sat in silence.
    She wasn't sure what to say. To thank him would be an affront, because he’d done nothing more than was expected of him. To promise him help in the future would sting his pride, as if he needed her help. Anything she might say could start them down another warpath, and she was much too tired to battle with him again. The moon moved further into the sky and the pull of the desire to mate sat heavy in the air.
    Many of the other mature members of their pack had left to be with their mates or gone into a nearby town to find company for the evening. She looked around the remaining faces and felt the first stab of fear.
    "Where’s Seth?" she asked, realizing that she had said it out loud when Derik sighed again.
    "He didn't make it."
    "What?" She turned toward Derik, her heart almost stopping in her chest as she tried to piece together what he was telling her. "Where is he? Did he have to stay behind for some reason?"
    Derik reached out and ran his hands down her arms, pulling her to stand with him as he wrapped his large arms around her waist. "No. He didn't make it."
    "I heard that, but where is he?" She pressed her hands to Derik's strong chest, the soft cotton of his shirt leaving little buffer between her skin and his.
    "Dru. He laid down his life for our pack this morning. He fought beside me and he didn't make it. He was killed by two arrows from a woman's bow before I could get to her." He held her close as she let herself relax against him, her forehead resting on his chest as her breathing became labored.
    "Oh my god. How? Why? Where was I when he needed protection?" she whispered as the weight of Derik's chin rested upon her head. She had been in the forest—flirting with a human. She