Enforcer - 2. Chapter 2

Buzz Hinske watched as the alpha wolf circled his opponent.

With a calculating eye, the Tahoe Pack alpha moved silently, looking for the right opportunity to strike.

The Eldorado Pack alpha limped, his left hind leg all but useless, his breath coming in sharp wheezes. Though covered in open bleeding wounds, he still did not back down and yield.

Buzz knew this was exactly what his alpha wanted. This would be a fight to the death and Derek would be victorious.

The Tahoe Pack was powerful, growing bigger and stronger than their neighboring rival pack. After years of tension and fighting, it all came down to this one last challenge.

Derek had the advantage as the younger, stronger Alpha. He would defeat the aging Eldorado alpha and the Eldorado Pack would then be absorbed into Tahoe Pack, making it one of the biggest in North America. And immediately making Derek one of the most powerful and influential leaders on the continent.

They officially called this a challenge, but everyone knew what was really going on. It was a hostile takeover. After tonight, the Eldorado Pack would officially cease to exist. The Tahoe Pack would then control the entire forest and shoreline on the California side of Lake Tahoe.

Buzz wanted no part of this, but Derek was their leader and had final say on everything. Derek had been planning this for quite some time now and there was no stopping him. Buzz would never defy Derek. Not only because of duty, but because it would mean his death. Derek did not take insolence or disrespect lightly. It would mean death, even for Buzz.

Derek snarled as he caught the other alpha’s hindquarter. When the alpha let out a pained high-pitched yelp, Buzz turned toward the lake.

The reflection of the full moon across the calm surface of Lake Tahoe was a sharp contrast to the deadly battle taking place on its shore.

As one of the Tahoe Pack betas, it was part of his responsibility to watch the challenges. Of course everyone in the pack knew the only reason Buzz had the title was because of his family name. He was by no means a runt, but he didn’t live up to the sheer power and driving ambitions of the Hinske family.

Buzz turned back to the fight and immediately looked away as his alpha dealt the death blow. The crunch of the defeated wolf’s neck and throat was sickening. Buzz closed his eyes and cringed, unable to watch. The gurgling of blood escaping the wound was followed by one last exhale of breath.

The victor’s howl echoed through the clear night air, signaling the end of the challenge.

Buzz opened his eyes to perform his duty and verify the fight was over. The Eldorado alpha lay in his human shape, a bloody mess, the naked man barely recognizable. His chest was unmoving, his eyes open and lifeless. Pools of blood soaked the sand, staining it crimson red.

He hated the violence that seemed so prevalent in the lycan culture. Sometimes he cursed the rigidness of pack life, but it was all he knew. He was wolf, and there was no changing the fact. Buzz turned his gaze back to the lake, letting the moon’s reflection calm him.

When a shadow fell over Buzz, he glanced up. His alpha, nude in human form with muscles covered in blood, held out his hand. Buzz handed him a clean folded towel, keeping his eyes dropped as appropriate.

The alpha took the towel and wiped the blood from his face. “I hope you learned something tonight, little brother.”

“Yes, Alpha,” Buzz replied automatically, with the utmost respect, just as he had been taught.

Derek Hinske stared down at Buzz and smirked. Though he had just killed another of their kind, there was a slight hint of pleasure in his voice. “Don’t you worry, Buzz. I have plans for you. Time for you to grow up and be a man, brother.”

“Yes, Alpha.”

Derek turned toward the gathered men. He tipped his head toward the challenge circle and the body lying inside it. “Clean this mess up.”

After Derek barked out the remainder of his orders, Buzz obediently followed his older brother home.

Their childhood home was an oversized mini-mansion set back in the woods. The Sierra Nevada Mountains could be seen in the distance, creating a magical view. But since the death of their parents, Derek had systematically turned the house into his own vision of modern American tackiness. It barely resembled the warm and inviting house of Buzz’s childhood.

As Derek began to ascend the stairs, Buzz turned toward the den. A drink of his father’s scotch would calm his nerves.

“Come, Buzz.”

“Yes, Alpha.” Automatically, Buzz turned toward Derek and followed him up the stairs.

“I have a request of you.”

* * * *

Once Derek showered and dressed, they went straight to the pack planning room. The “War Room” was what Derek began calling it after their father passed away and he became Alpha. Located in the finished basement of their house, the room had a large conference table, big enough to hold Derek and his senior members with plenty of room to spare.

The room’s wood paneling gave the room a warm feeling, and despite the outdated design, Buzz liked it. It reminded him of his father. When he closed his eyes and blocked everything out, he could still smell his father in the room.

As he walked into the War Room, Buzz’s mind was still reeling from Derek’s request. And his face still stung from the back of Derek’s hand when Buzz dared to protest.

“I need someone I trust close to Eldorado,” Derek had told him after he emerged from the bathroom, freshly showered. “To keep the locals in line, and report back to me when needed.”

Buzz knew he really meant he needed someone he could manipulate, someone who would be his spy. He was still stunned at the fact Derek wanted him to move when his alpha dropped the real bomb.

“To make sure the pack merger goes smooth, you’ll marry the former alpha’s daughter.”

Buzz’s jaw dropped. In his fit of panic, he blurted without thinking before he spoke. “But she’s not my mate.”

Derek’s arm had moved so fast, Buzz felt the slap before he had even saw the hand. Buzz’s head snapped back so hard his neck bones popped. He moved back, body shaking, head dropped, eyes cast downward. He resisted the urge to cradle his stinging cheek, knowing any show of weakness would only anger Derek further.

Derek moved in and his voice lowered, taking on a dangerous tone. “You think I don’t know your… preference? You think you can hide from me? If you weren’t my brother, and I wasn’t here to protect you, do you know what would happen to you? We all know Fate doesn’t give your kind mates.” He sneered before his mouth turned up in a mocking smile. “So you’ll fucking take what I fucking give you. Won’t you, little brother?”

Buzz swallowed the lump in his throat. Derek did not make idle threats. “Yes, Alpha.”

Derek gave Buzz’s still stinging cheek a “loving” pat. “Good boy,” he said before walking out of the room.

Buzz sat down in his designated seat next to Gavin, who always sat at Derek’s right hand side. Gavin was Derek’s prime beta, the one he always went to for advice. Having grown up together, the man was as ruthless as Derek.

Gavin hated Buzz. He felt Buzz was too weak to be a beta, and he did not hesitate to let Buzz know how he felt. Buzz didn’t really care what Gavin thought. The man was as stupid as he was mean. Gavin should have been the one to have to go to Eldorado, not Buzz. It made far more sense.

Derek circled the conference room, silently evaluating each person seated at the table.

There was an uneasy energy in the room. The Eldorado betas and enforcers were seated at the table, having already sworn loyalty to Derek and Tahoe Pack. Not that they had a choice. It was either that, or join their former alpha six feet under.

The room was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop.

All heads turned when a tall, Amazonian woman walked into the room with a large, dark, muscular man one step behind her. With dark hair and green eyes, Buzz knew from Derek’s description she was the former alpha’s daughter. His bride to be. She was tall for a woman, probably around five-eleven, putting her very close to Buzz’s height of six-foot-even. Despite her athletic build, she still moved with a feminine grace.

“Shauna, nice of you to join us.” Derek’s voice held a slight hint of annoyance at being kept waiting.

The woman dipped her head and smiled, ignoring Derek’s warning. “Thank you, Alpha.”

Shauna sat down at the table with her bodyguard, and her eyes slid over to meet Buzz’s gaze.

Buzz saw the clear challenge in her stare. He tried to meet her gaze, to be the dominant, but she didn’t back down. When Buzz felt sweat beading on his forehead, he finally dropped his gaze in defeat.

Derek snickered, having watched their little power struggle.

Buzz lifted his head up, feeling annoyed and embarrassed, but at the same time refusing to look completely weak.

Derek walked up behind Buzz. He placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed hard, his fingers digging into the sensitive flesh underneath Buzz’s collarbone.

Buzz fought the urge to wince at the pain Derek inflicted.

“I have a happy announcement,” said Derek with a smarmy smile. “Our packs come together in more ways than one tonight. Buzz has asked Shauna to be his mate and she has accepted.”

After a moment of stunned silence, the room erupted in a smattering of awkward applause.

* * * *

Finishing his nightly patrol around the camp perimeter, Jed returned to his cabin and took a hot shower.

Now that he was “off duty” and fresh and clean, he flopped down on the couch and turned on the TV. After flipping through the channels and coming up empty, he tossed the remote aside. Feeling restless, he left his cabin and walked to the common building. He really hoped there was some pie left. Hopefully Buck didn’t get to it first. That big bear had a wicked sweet tooth.

He found Trey sitting alone at the long dining table eating a mile-high roast beef sandwich. A large glass of milk sat on the table next to his plate.

Trey had been Jed’s best friend since they were pups. He was currently dressed like he had been out on a date. His head was freshly shaved and his goatee was trimmed to precision. His shirt looked like it was specially designed to show off his strong upper body. There was certainly no shortage of women lined up to date the handsome black man.

“Hey, bud,” Jed said. As he walked past, he held out his fist and Trey tapped it.

Having just taken a bite of his sandwich, Trey nodded in acknowledgment. “Hmm.”

Jed went straight to the kitchen. Curtis stood at the counter packing cheese cubes along with two pints of mint chocolate chip ice cream into a plastic grocery bag.

“What’s up?” Jed asked.

Curtis gave Jed an exhausted smile and tossed a spoon into the bag. “Shell is having cheese and ice cream cravings again.”

“How’s the bed rest going?”

Curtis cringed. “It’s making her crazy. And her parents aren’t helping.”

“Yeah, well you did knock up their baby, and then stole her away from them. Oh yeah, you turned her into a werewolf, too.”

Curtis laughed in response. “Yeah, there’s that. Asshole. And with the full moon coming… Well… I wouldn’t pay her a visit just now.”

“Right. You don’t need to tell me twice.” Jed couldn’t help but laugh. He gave Curtis a sympathetic squeeze of the shoulder before Curtis hurried out of the kitchen to get back to his hormonal partner.

Jed poured himself a glass of milk. He reached for a plate, but when he saw what was left of his pie, he decided to just take the pan. Grabbing a fork, he joined Trey in the dining hall. He sat down next to his friend and dug into the delicious pie.

“How’ve you been, man?” Trey asked.

“Good,” Jed answered automatically.

Trey looked at him thoughtfully for a moment before he asked, “You ready for Conclave?”

Jed nodded as he stuck the fork in his mouth. “Mm-hmm.”

The flavor of his mom’s pie burst across his tongue. Freshly picked apples, a touch of cinnamon. He closed his eyes and let out a soft moan. This was what people meant when they talked about comfort food. He could eat this all day, every day. Even if he couldn’t fuck anymore, at least he could still eat.

“Maybe the change of scenery will be good for you. I hear the mountain forest is beautiful. Magical even.”

Jed wasn’t sure how to respond to that. He didn’t want his friend’s pity. He just chewed slowly and nodded his head while trying to come up with an answer.

Trey didn’t give him the time. “I’m your best friend, Jed. You think I don’t notice what’s going on? You’ve been isolating yourself from us. You spend a lot of time alone in your cabin.”

“I…” Jed swallowed the bite of pie that seemed to have gotten stuck in his throat. He couldn’t come up with an excuse off the top of his head and he really didn’t want to talk about it right now.

“You know what I think? You need to go out and get laid. Find yourself a cute boy and give it to him good. When was the last time you got some?”

Jed looked at Trey and let out a sarcastic snort. Obviously his friend didn’t know everything. He changed the subject. “I take it your date went good?”

“Oh yeah.” Trey smirked. “She was all over me. You know, I think she might’ve been half she-wolf,” he joked. “You know how they get when they’re in heat.”

Jed frowned exaggeratedly and crinkled his nose. “I wouldn’t know, dude. Sounds gross.”

“You don’t know what you’re missing.”

“Right. I could say the same to you. You ever fooled around with a guy?”

Trey shrugged coyly and took a drink of his milk.

Jed’s eyes widened and he smacked his friend’s arm. He could not believe Trey slept with a guy and he didn’t know about it. “Dude! No way. Details!”

Trey sighed reluctantly, knowing his friend wouldn’t let it go. “It was just a blowjob.”

“When? Who was it?”

“Just after spring break. Jason. On the soccer team.”

Jed snickered. “You’re welcome.”

“For what?”

“I was his first. Taught him everything he knows.” Jed wiggled his eyebrows.

Trey shook his head. “Well, he knew what he was doing, that’s for damn sure.”

Jed laughed. He knew exactly what Trey was talking about. Jason may have been deep in the closet, but put a cock in his mouth and he went at it like he was starving. Damn. Just the thought of getting a good blowjob should have been enough to make Jed’s dick hard. Jed looked down at his lap. Nothing.

When the door opened, Jed and Trey looked up to see Parker enter the dining hall.

The small blond’s hair was mussed out of control. His cheeks were bright red. He had a fresh bite mark and a large hickey on his neck. And he positively reeked of Colton. You’d be able to smell the alpha on him a mile away.

There was no doubt Parker Montgomery was their alpha’s mate. Colton made sure of that.

Parker gave them an embarrassed smile without meeting their eyes, and hurried toward the kitchen. “Hi, guys. Colton wanted a snack…”

Jed snickered and muttered to Trey, “Looks like Colton already had a snack.”

“A Parker snack,” Trey chuckled. “Parker looked like he was walking kinda funny.”

Jed snorted. “I bet you would be too if Colton came at you with that horse cock of his.”

“Sorry, but my ass is exit only.”

Jed almost snorted the milk he was drinking through his nose.

“What’s so funny?” Colton asked as he walked in.

“Nothing,” Trey and Jed said simultaneously, while averting their eyes away from Colton.

The alpha wolf wore only a pair of jeans, showing off his wide, muscled chest and narrow waist. His pecs were covered with black hair. In the months since his transformation into an alpha, Colton Butler had become bigger, stronger, and more powerful. He certainly didn’t look like a typical nineteen-year-old.

“You guys ready for the trip?” Colton asked.

“Ready, boss,” Jed said automatically, plastering on a rehearsed smile.

Colton nodded. “Good. When we get back from Conclave, could you help build an extra room on our cabin? I like what you guys did with Curtis and Shell’s cabin.”

“Of course,” Jed agreed, though he didn’t know why they would need an extra bedroom or whatever on their cabin. Probably because Curtis and Shell had one and Colton “needed” to have the biggest cabin.

Parker walked out of the kitchen with an armful of food. “Oh. I was bringing it to you.”

Colton growled playfully and pulled Parker close. “You were taking too long, pup.”

After Parker and Colton left, Jed and Trey cut up, laughing and joking with each other for the next half hour.

“I’m gonna miss this,” Trey said quietly during a lull in their conversation.

Jed nodded in agreement, though he didn’t want a reminder. He was so used to seeing his best friend every day. When Trey left for college in the fall, he didn’t know what he was going to do. “Me too.”

“Come on. Let’s get some rest. We got a long day of driving tomorrow.”