Enforcer - 6. Chapter 6

Buzz sat in the auditorium with all of the other pack alphas and betas. One of the high-ranking alphas was giving a lecture on Hunters, but Buzz really wasn’t paying too close attention.

He couldn’t help but think about Jed. The look on his face last night when Buzz left him nearly broke his heart. There was a deep loneliness in Jed’s eyes. Buzz knew that look all too well, because it was the same one he saw when he looked in the mirror. He didn’t even know the man, but his heart ached like an open wound at the mere thought of never seeing Jed again.

But Buzz knew his duty.

Before meeting Jed in the forest last night, Buzz had searched him out during the pack runs. He’d slipped away from his own pack when no one was paying attention, and used his heightened senses to seek out Jed and his pack. Once he got close to the young wolf pack, he kept enough distance and stayed upwind to keep them from discovering him.

The black wolf was clearly the alpha. For a new pack of lycans—all of them still so young—they seemed very in tune with their leader. It was quite the testament to their trust in his leadership.

The auburn wolf was equally impressive in size, and absolutely beautiful in that form. He was the one who claimed to be Buzz’s mate. Jed Stone. The wolf was as gorgeous as the man. It took everything in him for Buzz to not give into the urge to run down there and “play” with him.

Derek nudged him in the side with a sharp elbow, pulling him back to the present. “Pay attention,” he snarled between gritted teeth, and then turned his attention back to the auditorium stage.

Swallowing, Buzz nodded and focused his eyes on the stage.

One of the prime alphas stood in front of a projected slideshow displaying a map of North America. He pressed a button on his remote, and a dozen red dots appeared on the map.

“These are the primary Hunter cells… the ones we know about.”

Another button press and the dots began to connect via a web of red lines.

“The Hunters have gone high-tech. No longer operating in isolation, they have banded together, aided by a secure data network. A recent strategy we are seeing is the capture of the young or weak. They use them to lure the pack’s more powerful lycans into traps…”

He paused when the crowd erupted in murmurs and side conversations.

Buzz’s attention wavered. He wasn’t too concerned about humans playing war games. He had bigger worries.

Like what he was going to do about Jed.

* * * *

Jed followed Parker into one of the conference rooms.

When Parker suddenly stopped, Jed nearly bumped into him. He really needed to pay attention to his surroundings, but he couldn’t stop thinking about Buzz.

“I’m the only guy in here,” Parker muttered to Jed.

Duh. Jed wanted to roll his eyes. He was escorting Parker into a meeting for the mates of pack alphas. Did he really think there was going to be a bunch of dudes in here?

Jed did understand Parker’s reluctance, though. Everyone in the room stared at Parker, and a lot of them weren’t exactly friendly.

He felt like lashing out at the bigots. It was the small-minded packs operating as if it was still the freaking Stone Age that kept his mate from him. He ground his back teeth together to keep from growling. These women were mated to alphas, and he didn’t want to disrespect them. That would be a bad idea.

But he would defend Parker from these bitches if necessary.

Parker drew in a deep breath, and held his head high. He sat down in an empty seat at the end of the front row, and ignored the stares. When the woman Parker had sat next to got up and moved to a different seat, Parker looked straight ahead, pretending he didn’t even notice. He pulled out a notebook and pen, set them on his lap, and patiently waited for the meeting to start.

A pair of women entered, moving to the front of the room, where a folding table had been set up.

Looking like a stuffy old bat, the elder of the two was clearly in charge. With her dyed-brown hair up in a bun, she wore a string of pearls and an ugly, matronly sweater set. Jed had seen plenty of her kind in his old pack. She was the kind of woman who smiled to your face and then told your business behind your back.

Her mousy looking assistant hurried behind, struggling to pull a rolling crate by its flimsy handle.

“Set that by the table and pass out the binders,” she ordered the assistant with a dismissive wave of her hand.

“Yes, ma’am.”

As the assistant set about following her orders, she looked around the room, appraising the other alpha-mates.

“Good afternoon, ladies.” Her southern accent was so thick, it sounded affected to Jed. The smile on her face seemed just as fake. With ramrod straight posture, she proclaimed proudly and snootily, “I am Mrs. Stella Thibodeaux, alpha-mate to Alpha Henry Thibodeaux, De Soto Pack, Mississippi.”

Jed’s lip curled in disgust. This woman was mated to the alpha of the pack that had mistreated his pack-mate, Stan, and tossed him out like garbage. He had some choice words for this woman. She’d probably keel over from a heart attack if she knew what Jed wanted to say to her. Instead, he bit his tongue.

She went down the front row, shaking the hands of the seated women as if she was some kind of celebrity rock star. When she got to Parker, she stopped to frown. She jerked her hand back as if she might catch a disease. “Excuse me, sir. I think you’re in the wrong room.”

“This is the pack dynamics session for alpha-mates, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“Then I’m in the right place.”

The old biddy actually sneered. “I’m sorry, but this session is for women only.”

Keeping his cool, Parker held up the nametag hanging off his lanyard. “You can check my ID if you want, ma’am, but the Council gave me this badge here. See?” Parker slowly read the type on the badge, as if Stella was dense. “Parker Montgomery-Butler, Alpha-Mate, Timber Pack, Oregon. I’m not leaving.”

Mrs. Stella Thibodeaux narrowed her eyes at Parker before another fake smile spread across her face. “Of course.” She looked down her nose at Parker before turning her back to him. “Well, ladies, let us get started, shall we?”

She then proceeded to spend the rest of the session ignoring Parker, as if he wasn’t there. And anytime she could refer to the group as “ladies,” she did so with glee.

Parker simply paid attention and took notes, not letting the old hag get to him.

Jed was damn proud of his pack-mate. Sitting in a row of chairs against the back wall, he waited with a group of bodyguards.

While the meeting was underway, his mind drifted to Buzz. He began to formulate a plan on how he was going to win his mate over.

* * * *

After the sessions were finished for the day, Jed and Parker met up with Colton, then Jed excused himself. He had a boy to stalk.

Closing his eyes, Jed opened his senses. Breathing in lungfuls of air, he searched for the scent he knew belonged to Buzz. An inkling hit his brain, and he turned on his heel and followed it.

Swiftly, he moved along the sidewalks separating the various lodge buildings. He weaved around the people leisurely strolling the grounds.

When Jed rounded a building corner, he finally saw him.

His sexy boy was walking among a delegation of eight other lycans, all male except for a single female. The alpha was easy to spot, and not just because he was at the front of the pack. Derek Hinske looked like an older, larger version of Buzz. As they walked side by side, Derek spoke to Buzz, with the others following behind. Buzz kept his head lowered, but periodically nodded in response to Derek’s words.

Jed wanted to shout out to Buzz, but he didn’t want to cause problems for him with his alpha. That man was an asshole, filling Buzz’s head with bullshit, making him feel like he was nothing, making him feel afraid.

His lip curled up in a snarl. He hardly knew Buzz, but he already felt an overwheling urge to protect the man.

As if sensing Jed’s presence, Buzz lifted his head. His gaze swung around until he met Jed’s eyes. Jed gave his boy a small wave, along with a big smile, then motioned for him to come over.

Buzz turned away, returning his attention back to his alpha.

Jed wanted to howl in frustration. He didn’t like being ignored.

He’d have to try again later.

* * * *

Buzz had somehow managed to avoid Jed for two days.

Tomorrow morning, he would fly back to California with the others, and it would be done. The thought of never seeing Jed again made him sick to his stomach, even if it was for the best. After all, Derek had plans for him, and it was his duty to obey his Alpha. He had sworn loyalty to Derek, and he always kept his word.

And now Buzz stood in the forest, staring at the trees, wondering what it would be like to run with Jed. He’d watched Jed’s wolf from a distance once again. Staying upwind, he spied on the man who claimed to be his mate run with his pack. Even though he was a large animal, he moved in a way that was both graceful and agile. Buzz could have watched him all night.

After their run, Buzz watched the way he interacted with his pack-mates. Jed was a good man. Not only was he hot, he seemed like a really nice guy. He would treat Buzz well. If they couldn’t be mates, then maybe they could be friends.

But Buzz knew that would never work.

“Bradley?”

At the sound of Shauna’s voice, Buzz turned.

“Come,” she said. “Alpha has called a meeting.” She looked at Buzz and frowned, her thin brows drawing in. “Are you okay?”

“Do you ever think about your true mate?” As soon as the quiet words left his lips, Buzz wished he could take them back.

Shauna gave a dismissive wave of her hand. “God no. What does it matter anyway? After we marry, we will imprint on each other. It’s as good as so-called fated mates in every way.”

“But what if we meet our real mates?”

“Once we’ve imprinted, any mate bonds would be broken.”

Buzz didn’t really know Jed yet, but the thought of their budding bond being broken nearly brought him to his knees. If the mate bond was truly real, and he went through with this, he would be hurting Jed in a way that could never be fixed.

He blinked his eyes, but the tears fell anyway. In going through with his duty, he knew in his heart he was giving up on happiness and turning his back on what might turn into true love.

And worse, he was denying Jed the same.

Shauna moved in and pulled Buzz into her arms. “I told you I’d take care of you.” She pulled Buzz’s head to her cleavage and soothed him as he held on and cried silently.

* * * *

From the tree line, Jed watched the she-wolf soothe his emotional mate.

He had tried for two days to get Buzz’s attention, only to be ignored and rejected. More than anything he wanted to run with his mate as wolves, to bask under the full moon, and share in the magic of this pure forest with him.

But he was denied.

She planted a soft kiss on his head, then holding him in the cradle of her arm, she led him away.

Jed’s instincts pushed him to show her why he was an enforcer, to rip her to shreds with his powerful jaws and his sharp claws for daring to lay hands on what was his. He forcefully pushed his wolf down, knowing it wouldn’t solve anything.

He couldn’t make Buzz want him.

His eyes filled with tears as he realized for the first time that Buzz truly didn’t want him. He angrily scrubbed his eyes with his forearm.

Buzz was going to go through with marrying that… she-bitch.

Jed would be alone forever.

He dropped to his knees as his body shuddered. Seconds later, the auburn wolf turned and ran deep into the forest.

Howls of anguish echoed through the night for all the world to hear.