Enforcer - 7. Chapter 7

The instant Jed stepped out onto the cabin’s snow-covered back porch, he knew something was wrong. He scented the air, picking up something foreign, something that was just wrong. He knew exactly what it was. Who it was.

Rogue.

Without hesitation, he tore off his clothes, tossing the tattered garments aside. Dropping to all fours, he ignored the cold of the snow on his palms and knees. The sensation however was brief, quickly overtaken by the burst of pain that came with the reshaping of his body.

Jed had barely finished his shift when the man leapt out of nowhere and attacked him. Snarling, he turned and snapped his powerful jaws, barely grazing the rogue intruder. Jed would not let the man get anywhere near Parker. If it was the last thing he did, he would protect his alpha-mate.

A sudden pain tore through Jed’s back. He howled out in agony as the silver dagger burned his body, poisoning him from the inside. It felt like his blood was on fire. As he fell to the ground, he struggled to turn his head to look at the man who had brought him down.

Standing over him, the man used both hands to plunge the dagger deeper while twisting it.

Jed woke with a scream. Clutching at his back, he expected to feel blood pouring from a burning open wound. He could smell the searing of his flesh as the silver made contact with his body, as if it was happening right now.

Though it seemed as real as ever, it was just a dream. He’d had that nightmare numerous times before, except this time the man holding the dagger, stabbing him in the back, was his mate, Buzz.

* * * *

For the past two weeks, Jed had locked himself in his cabin. He rarely ventured out.

Lying in his bed, he stared up at the ceiling. He reached behind his head and flipped his pillow over, so the cool side was facing up. Covered in a sheen of sweat, his body felt like it was burning up. Especially his cock. His erection, rigid and throbbing, pulsed in time with his heartbeat.

Jed snorted. After months of limp dick syndrome, now he had a permanent case of blue balls. He’d jerked off a hundred times, but it didn’t really help.

He’d always respected Colton, but now he was in plain awe of the man. Colton had gone a year knowing Parker was his mate, but doing nothing about it. He’d watched patiently, waiting for the day he could claim Parker and make him his.

It had only been two weeks since Jed had met Buzz and been rejected, and already he felt like dying.

Apparently Jed wasn’t strong like Colton. He was weak. Pathetic.

He’d told his pack-mates he was wrong about Buzz: Buzz wasn’t his mate after all. He could tell by the pitying looks on their faces they didn’t believe him. And that was the worst thing in the world. He had seen those same looks for months when Jed withdrew because of his illness. Now he was getting them because he couldn’t even keep his mate.

Jed tried to tell himself he didn’t want a mate. He didn’t need one. He would be fine without one. But now that he’d met Buzz—smelled Buzz, touched Buzz—he just couldn’t deny it.

Reaching under his pillow, Jed pulled out the shirt, and sniffed it once more. He closed his eyes and let out a contented sigh. Though fading, the garment still smelled of Buzz. After getting a good whiff, he carefully tucked the T-shirt back under his pillow.

God, I really am pathetic.

Maybe if he pulled the covers over his head, he could fall back asleep. And hopefully not dream about Buzz. Even though he spent most of his time in bed, he was still tired. Just a little more sleep would be good. His eyes were already sliding shut…

Unfortunately, his rumbling stomach got the better of him. The mini-fridge in his cabin was bare, except for a nearly empty bottle of ketchup and an expired jug of milk. He must have checked it about a dozen times over the past couple of days, as if it would suddenly become full of food. He could stay home and mope around some more, or he could go out and join the living.

Jed wasn’t quite so sure about “joining the living,” but he was quite sure he was fucking starving.

He glanced at the clock on his nightstand. It was getting late. Late enough everyone would hopefully be in bed. He could go over to the common building, grab something from the pack kitchen, then hurry back here. He didn’t want to run into his pack-mates and the ever-present looks of pity.

As he rolled out of bed, he caught a whiff of a ripe armpit. Though his stomach was empty, the smell made his belly do a somersault, and was enough to make his dick start to go limp.

Jed pulled the stinky sheets off his bed, and tossed them into the overflowing hamper in the bathroom.

He turned on the shower, putting it as hot as he could stand it.

Standing under the spray of water, Jed let it pour over his head and down his body. The thick patch of fur on his chest matted down until it lay flat. The heat of the water made his balls loosen in their sack.

When Jed closed his eyes, images of Buzz played like a slideshow, just as they did every time he thought of his sexy little fireplug. His cock was already half-hard and it began to re-thicken the rest of the way.

Buzz may not have wanted him, but at least he fixed Jed’s cock. Too bad it only wanted Buzz now.

Jed leaned back against the tiles and grabbed his hard-on. His fist flew up and down the big, thick shaft.

His knees trembled, and with a moan of his mate’s name, he came. The first blast of cum splattered against the shower curtain liner with a loud smack. Several more volleys followed it.

Jed looked down and watched the pearly liquid swirl around before it disappeared down the drain.

Like his dreams.

Jed let out a defeated snort. He had just come, but it wasn’t even satisfying. Leaning against the wall, his eyes started to slide shut. Thinking about Buzz hurt his head and made him sleepy. He should just crawl back into bed…

His stomach roared like a twister inside his gut. Right. He should get something to eat. Then he could go back to bed.

After a quick wash before the hot water ran out, Jed got out of the shower and dried off.

As he rubbed the towel across his chest, he couldn’t help but notice his appearance in the steamed up mirror. He hadn’t shaved since he got home. He looked like shit. But what did it matter what he looked like? It’s not like he needed to look good for anybody.

He found what he thought might be a clean tank top, and then picked up a pair of boxer shorts. Giving them a quick sniff, he deemed them to be clean enough. As he slipped them on, he made a mental note to bring his dirty laundry to the common building. There was a utility room with a washing machine and dryer set that Colton had bought off Craigslist. He just needed to get off his ass… Sometime soon… Maybe tomorrow…

He slipped his big feet into a pair of flip-flops, then headed over to the dining hall.

As soon as he reached for the doorknob, he heard the heated voices inside, and froze in place.

“You are absolutely not going to California,” Colton growled from the other side of the door.

“Someone has to,” Parker snapped back. “Someone needs to kick that boy’s ass, then drag him back here. If it has to be me, then I will do it.”

“It’s not your business,” Colton countered.

“It is too. He is hurting our friend. Our brother.” Parker’s voice cracked on the last word.

The voices went silent, and Jed backed away from the door. Hearing Parker get emotionally choked up because he was concerned for Jed was touching, but he wasn’t ready to deal with this. Not yet. Not right now. Not ever.

“You not going in?”

Jed jumped at the sound of Buck’s voice. He was losing his touch if he didn’t hear the giant man sneak up on him. Turning around, he watched the big bear as he sauntered up to the building. Little Stan followed up behind him, buttoning up his shirt while not meeting Jed’s eyes.

“Out for a run, huh?” Jed asked, deflecting the question. His tone let them know Jed knew exactly what they were doing out in the woods. And it wasn’t running.

“Yup,” Buck said, scratching his thick beard and grinning. “A good run in the woods will really work up your appetite.”

Buck walked past Jed and opened the door. As Stan passed, Jed reached over to pluck a leaf from the back of Stan’s hair. He tossed it and let it fall to the ground.

Stan blushed profusely. Keeping his eyes on the ground, he reached back and smoothed down his hair with his hand. “I-if you want, I-I can make you a sandwich, too.”

Jed dipped his head down and cocked it to the side, getting in the little wolf’s face so Stan would look up at him.

The little wolf was quite submissive. His former pack mistreated the omega wolf something bad, and he sometimes had difficulty adjusting to the ways of the Timber Pack, which operated in a far less rigid, less traditional style.

“You don’t have to do that.”

Stan lifted his eyes and smiled at Jed. “I don’t mind. I’m going to fix some for Buck anyway. Aren’t you hungry?”

“Does a bear fuck in the woods?”

Stan’s face went even redder. “Yes.” He let out a small, embarrassed giggle, and Jed couldn’t help but laugh with him, the first laugh in weeks.

Stan walked inside. As he passed through the door, Buck ran a big paw down Stan’s back, giving his ass a squeeze. Buck turned back to Jed and jerked his head toward the door. “Come on. Let my cub make you something to eat. It’ll make him happy, and I want him to be happy.”

The tone of Buck’s voice said he wouldn’t stand for anything that might make Stan unhappy.

Resigned, Jed gave a nod and followed Buck inside.

The reminder that Buck wanted to make his mate happy left Jed feeling hollow. Sure, Buck didn’t mean to remind Jed, but that didn’t make him feel any better. He sat down at the table with Colton and Parker, acutely aware the room was silent and everyone was staring at him.

He couldn’t take the looks of pity any longer, and anger coursed through him. When he looked up, the first gaze he caught was Parker’s.

“What?” he snapped.

Predictably, Colton let out a menacing growl and his lip turned up in a snarl. “Watch your tone. You don’t talk to him like that.”

Jed immediately backed down. “This was a mistake,” he muttered as he stood up to leave.

“Sit. Down.” Colton used his deep and powerful alpha voice to issue the command. It seemed to resonate in his chest, and then echo through the room. Jed sat quickly without a second thought.

At the same time, Stan immediately sat down on the floor, right where he stood. He dropped his head, and his entire body trembled.

Buck let out a sigh and put his hand on Stan’s head. Stroking his fingers through Stan’s hair, his voice was soft and calming. “He wasn’t talking to you, cub. Come on, let’s go fix something to eat.”

Jed couldn’t help but feel guilty as he watched Stan get up and follow Buck into the kitchen. Stan was a lot better than he used to be, but every once in a while, something would trigger his old instincts and make him cower.

Jed looked back at Colton, who glared at him with a look what you made me do face. That only made Jed feel even more guilty.

“I’m glad you decided to join us,” Colton finally said, his voice considerably less rough than it was just a few seconds earlier.

Jed shrugged as he stared at the table, tracing the patterns in the wood with his eyes. “I was hungry.”

“Have you been eating?”

Once again, Jed shrugged. “Some.” He swallowed, the lie leaving a bad taste in his mouth.

“We could go to California,” Parker offered. “Talk to him. Make him understand.”

Jed shook his head emphatically. “No. If he doesn’t want me, I won’t make him. I won’t beg like a dog.”

“But…” Parker’s eyes welled with tears. “I just can’t help but think… if Colton was out there somewhere without me, I would curl up and die. I don’t want you to feel like that.”

Colton took Parker’s hand. “I’m not going anywhere, pup. You’re mine, and I’m yours. Remember?”

Jed rolled his eyes. “Yeah. Thanks for the reminder of how awesome you guys are. I’m so glad I came out of the house. This has really helped.” Jed tried to make a joke, but it wasn’t funny. He swallowed the lump in his throat. He was no longer hungry. The thought of food made him want to throw up.

“I’m sorry,” Parker said softly. “I was just trying to help.”

Jed sighed. “I know…”

Colton reached out and squeezed Jed’s shoulder. Even though Jed didn’t want it to, the touch did calm him.

“Look, Jed. If I know one thing, it’s that the two of you won’t be able to stay apart. His brain may be saying ‘no,’ but now that he’s scented you, his body will want only you, his wolf will want only you. He’s drawn to you and he’ll seek you out. He won’t have a choice. It’s instinct. I guarantee he’s feeling it far worse than you are. Be strong.”

“But what am I supposed to do in the meantime?” Jed winced at how pathetic and whiny he sounded.

Colton just smiled. “That’s a good question, isn’t it?”

* * * *

Buzz stared up at the ceiling as his fingers slid lazily through the cooling semen on his belly. He had just jerked off twice in a row, his mind conjuring up all sorts of dirty fantasies involving Jed.

He had even called out the man’s name as he came. That was something he had to watch. He couldn’t risk anyone overhearing him. Not that anyone would be interested in listening to him jerking off. At least he hoped not.

Over the past week, he had rubbed his cock until it was practically raw, but it didn’t satiate his need. That need was like a physical ache in his bones.

He knew only one thing would satisfy him. And that was having Jed pound him into the mattress, to bite him, to claim him. As soon as the thought entered his mind, he tossed it out. It was bad enough he kept fantasizing about submitting to Jed, letting the bigger man dominate him. Letting the bigger man fuck him.

Buzz tried once more to shake the thoughts from his head. He was a man—and real men did not submit. Not in battle, and certainly not in bed.

It might have just been a fantasy, but in real life, there was absolutely no way it would be possible.

But as the days passed, it became clear to Buzz going through with Derek’s plan was going to be far tougher than he imagined. He had made a grave mistake in turning Jed away. The thought of Shauna or anyone else touching him made him physically sick to his stomach. He just wasn’t sure what he was going to do about it.

There’s nothing you can do about it. So shut the fuck up about it already.

He was supposed to be packing and getting ready for the move. But he just couldn’t get excited about it.

With a long sigh, Buzz swung his legs over the side of the bed, stood up and went to his bathroom, stepping around the maze of half-filled boxes.

As he warmed up the shower, Buzz rubbed at his temples. Another headache was coming on.

Catching a glimpse of himself in the mirror, he was surprised by his reflection. He had dark circles under his bloodshot eyes. The muscle definition in his abdomen had softened some. He knew he hadn’t been eating much since he returned from Conclave, but he hadn’t realized he had been losing weight.

After a quick shower, he dressed and was ready to head downstairs to force himself to get a bite to eat when there was a knock on the door. Buzz was reluctant to open the door, knowing who was on the other side, but he did so anyway.

“Hi, Shauna.”

“Bradley.”

Shauna pushed past Buzz and closed the door behind her.

The dull ache in Buzz’s head increase to a throb. “You can call me Buzz. I’d prefer it, actually.”

“How is your packing coming along?” she asked as she looked around Buzz’s bedroom. She peered down into one of the half-empty boxes with feigned interest.

“Fine,” Buzz mumbled before he sat down on the edge of his bed. He didn’t like being ignored, and he didn’t like it when Shauna tried to dominate him. It was just… not right.

She sat down in a chair and crossed her legs. “Your brother asked if we had consummated our mating.”

Buzz pressed his lips together to keep from blurting out something he couldn’t take back. After a moment, he finally said, “I know he is Alpha, but that’s really not his business.”

Shauna chuckled mirthlessly. “I’d like to be there when you tell him that. I told him I would claim you after our wedding ceremony. Once we return home.”

Buzz grunted. “You mean I’ll claim you.”

She laughed out loud this time. “Sweetie. Let’s not pretend, okay?” Her voice could not be more condescending to Buzz’s ears. “We both know I’m the dominant wolf in this room. You don’t want to challenge me. You will lose.”

Buzz knew she was right and it didn’t make him feel better. He ground his teeth together and remained quiet.

Shauna rose from the chair and sat next to Buzz. The amusement was gone from her voice when she spoke. “Once we are married and Derek has made me beta, then you can do whatever you want. Until then, you’ll stay away from other men.”

Buzz blinked. With the exception of the brief encounter with Jed at Conclave, he hadn’t been with anyone in nearly a year. “Men?”

“You’re going to deny it? That is so cute. You haven’t touched me, or even tried to kiss me.”

“I was waiting until the wedding.” A damn lie.

“Concerned for my virtue, were you?”

“Of course.” An even bigger lie.

“Well, I have plans for our wedding night, my little wolf.” Shauna reached out and stroked Buzz’s neck with her fingernails. “I bought myself a nice, big strap-on. After I get you onto all fours and fuck you into submission, I am going bite you and claim you.” She pressed her fingernails into the base of Buzz’s neck, right where a mating bite would go.

Buzz jerked his head away in outrage. That part of his body was not hers. It would never be hers. No way in hell would he let her mark it. “Over my dead body.”

Shauna grabbed Buzz’s chin with her hand, holding him in an iron grip as she forced him to look her in the face. “You think I didn’t notice at Conclave when you came back smelling like some other wolf’s cum dumpster? I kept quiet because I didn’t want to cause a scene. Once I’m made beta, you can do whatever you want—provided you are discreet. But you will not embarrass me or this pack. I hope I am perfectly clear on this, Bradley.”

She applied pressure to Buzz’s chin until he relented and nodded.

Letting go, Shauna got up. As she opened the door, she turned back. “And stop moping around like someone drowned your kitty cat. You’re supposed to be happy. So suck it up and put on a smile. Sweetie.” With a smirk on her face, Shauna left, closing the door behind her.

Happy. Right. Bitch.

He couldn’t do it. No way in hell. Not knowing what else to do, Buzz decided to plead his case with Derek. It had been so long since they just had a simple conversation. Maybe if he talked to Derek, tried to reason with him…

Buzz made his way through the house to Derek’s office. When Buzz arrived, the door was wide open, but he rapped his fingers on the frame to get his brother’s attention. Derek looked up from the laptop on his desk.

“Buzz. Come in.”

Closing the door behind him, Buzz walked in and sat down in one of the leather seats in front of the desk. He wiped his damp hands down the legs of his jeans. Sitting in front of the desk like this made Buzz feel like he had been called to the principal’s office.

Like the rest of the house, the office had been redecorated. He remembered it being warm and welcoming when his father was Alpha. The antique wooden desk and all of its matching furniture had been replaced with sterile glass and metal counterparts.

Despite the fact the temperature in the room was warm, Buzz shivered. With his foot tapping a mile a minute, he tried to smile at Derek. “How are things going?”

“Fine.”

“That’s good.”

“I’m kind of busy here. Was there something in particular you wanted?”

Finding his courage, Buzz swallowed the lump in his throat and sat up straighter. “I was just thinking about the move, you know. And everything…”

“It’s time to grow up, little brother. As men, we have responsibilities.”

“Dad used to say that all the time. What did Mom used to say? ‘There comes a time when a man must choose his own destiny.’”

A hint of a smile crossed Derek’s face. It was there for just a second, but Buzz had seen it. “We’re not kids anymore, Buzz. We live in the real world.” Derek picked up his cell phone, looked at the screen, then laid it back on his desk. “If you’ll excuse me, I have work to do, and you’ve got to finish packing.”

Buzz nodded, but Derek had already turned his attention back to his laptop.

He got up and silently left the room.

Having lost his appetite, Buzz returned to his bedroom. He crawled into bed and pulled the blankets over his head.

He felt so lost right now. Everything was out of control and he had no one he could talk to. No one would understand what he was going through.

Buzz was alone, utterly alone.

* * * *

Jed spent the day framing the addition to Colton and Parker’s cabin. With Curtis’s help, they got the wooden shell up quicker than Jed planned. Taking Colton’s advice, he threw himself into the work, keeping his mind off things he couldn’t control.

Fresh from a shower, he stepped out of the bathroom and wrapped a big, bath-sized towel around his waist. He couldn’t help but notice the way the towel fit around him. Was he losing weight again?

Jed walked to his fridge and pulled out some leftover beef roast his mother had given him. After heating it up in the microwave, he sat down at the table.

The first bite sat in the pit of his stomach like a lead bomb. It wasn’t that the food was bad. He knew it tasted good. His mom had made it, so of course it was delicious. It was one of his favorite comfort meals. For some reason, he just wasn’t feeling it.

Pushing the food around with his fork, he let out a sigh.

Even though he didn’t want it to, his mind wandered to Buzz. Why did things have to be so hard? Thinking about the rejection was exhausting. Jed stifled a yawn and set his fork down. He should just go to bed.

He had just tossed his food into the garbage can when the chiming ring of his cell phone went off. He picked the device up and stared at his screen. The contact displayed as “Unknown” and he didn’t recognize the phone number. The area code was out of state.

After a moment’s pause, he slid his thumb across the glass to activate it. “Hello?” There was silence on the other end, so Jed repeated himself. “Hello?”

Just as he was about to hang up, he heard a quiet voice on the other end. “Hello.”

The voice sent a tingle down Jed’s spine. It stopped in his groin and his blood began to flow south. “Who is this?” he asked, even though he already knew. He just wanted to hear him say it.

“It’s Buzz.”

Jed’s heart leapt up into his throat, and his dick went rock hard.

“Buzz,” he repeated, his voice sounding low and husky.

He could hear Buzz nervously swallow over the phone line before he spoke again. “Hi, Jed. How are you?”

“Well, to be honest, I’ve been better.”

Buzz was silent for a minute. “I guess I deserved that. I’m really sorry. I was thinking… Never mind. It’s stupid.”

“No, go ahead. What were you thinking?”

“Maybe we could be friends?”

Jed’s cock throbbed in his underwear. He knew he could never be friends with Buzz. But he also knew if he kept Buzz close, it would only be a matter of time before Jed got what he wanted. Buzz obviously felt the pull, even if he wanted to deny it.

“I’d be down for that,” Jed said. He tried to keep the seduction out of his voice, but he wasn’t quite successful.

“So… um… what have you been up to?”

“Not much. I started a construction job. Something to keep me busy.”

“So you’re pretty handy, huh?”

“Yeah. I’m real good with my hands.” Jed smirked, letting his innuendo sink in for a moment. He couldn’t help himself. “So what about you? What are you up to?”

“I’m supposed to be packing, but I can’t really get into it.”

“You’re moving?”

“Yeah… You know, the… uh…”

“Right.” Jed didn’t want to talk about the wedding or mating or whatever the hell was going on with that bitch, so he quickly changed the subject. “So, how did you get my number?”

“I did a search online. I found you on social media.”

“Damn. I need to check my privacy settings. But I’m glad you found my number.”

“So, what are you up to tonight?”

Testing the waters, Jed said, “I might have a date lined up.”

He heard the intake of breath across the line. Buzz finally said, “That’s good.”

Jed smiled at the quiver in Buzz’s voice. Apparently Buzz didn’t like the idea of him dating anyone. Good. “Oh yeah. It’s been a while since I’ve been on a date.”

Buzz cleared his throat. “Really? How long?”

“Months.”

“What do you like to do on dates?”

“I like to get my dick sucked,” Jed said with a chuckle.

“Uh…”

“Yeah, I need it. My dick is so hard right now.” Jed reached down and squeezed the base of his engorged shaft.

Buzz cleared his throat and warned, “Jed…”

“Sorry. That’s probably TMI, huh? So, what do I like doing on dates? I like doing stuff outside mostly. Running, hiking, hunting, football, mudding. Stuff like that. If my date’s not down with that, I don’t mind catching a movie.”

“You said ‘mudding’? What’s that?”

“You know, two-tracking. When you go riding on the mud trails after a rain. I got a big truck that’s awesome for mudding. I’ll have to take you sometime.”

“Yeah, sure,” Buzz replied before quickly adding, “Listen, I gotta go.”

“Okay. I’m glad you called.”

After a second, Buzz responded with a quiet, “Me too. Bye.”

“Bye,” Jed responded, but the line was already dead.

With a smile on his face, Jed saved the contact information into his phone. He then set Buzz Hinske as a favorite.

* * * *

Buzz looked around his room, looking at the stacked boxes that represented eighteen years of his life. The thing was, he didn’t care about most of this stuff. The stuff he really cared about could easily fit into his backpack: his mobile phone, his iPad, and a framed picture of his parents.

Shauna had already arranged for several of the pack members to move the boxes into the old Eldorado alpha’s house, where they would be living from now on.

He pulled his phone out of his pocket and glanced at the time. He had talked to Jed every night before going to bed over the last week. He meant to only call him one time. Hell, he didn’t even know why he called once. It was a big mistake. Now he found himself unable to stop. He would have to, though.

As soon as he moved in with Shauna, the calls would have to end. He couldn’t risk it.

He sat down on his bare mattress and hung his head. His eyes slid shut as he rubbed at the middle of his chest, trying in vain to soothe away the hurt he felt.

In just a short time, he found himself starting to have feelings for Jed. The idea was ludicrous. He had seen Jed a couple of times at Conclave and talked to him a few times on the phone. How could he have feelings for the man? He barely knew him. But he found he could talk to Jed about anything—as long as they steered clear of talk of Shauna.

Maybe he could call Jed now while he had some time. But then that might be a bad idea. Last night when they talked on the phone, he was pretty sure Jed was jerking off. Buzz rushed him off the phone and then gripped his rock-hard dick. It didn’t take but a few strokes before he came so hard, his cum smacked the headboard behind his head.

The vibration of his cell phone startled Buzz enough to make him jump. When he looked down at the screen, he let out a slow breath before answering.

“Hello.”

“Buzz,” Derek barked. “Meet me in the war room. Now.”

The phone went dead before Buzz could respond.

Buzz got up and immediately went downstairs. He found Derek waiting alone in the war room and he did not look happy.

“Close the door. Sit down.”

As Buzz took his customary seat, there was a knock on the door.

“Come,” Derek ordered.

The pack’s other beta, Gavin entered with the head enforcer, Hector. Between them was a young wolf, Christopher. The two bigger men held Christopher up by his arms as the smaller man was barely able to stand. His jaw was bruised and one eye was swollen shut.

Buzz gripped the arms of his chair as his stomach threatened to empty all over the table. Nearly a year ago, Buzz had hooked up with Christopher. They had met out of town, and checked into a hotel. Knowing what would happen if anyone found out, they had been so careful.

Gavin dipped his head respectfully. “Alpha, sorry to interrupt, but we’ve brought in Christopher, like you asked.”

Derek stood up and moved around the table. “Christopher.”

Hearing the alpha’s voice, Christopher raised his head in an attempt to look at Derek. He swallowed visibly, his battered face wincing as he did so.

“I have reports of you frequenting a gay bar in Sacramento. You have been seen in the company of a particular human male on more than one occasion. Do not lie to me.”

“Yes, Alpha. He…” Christopher struggled to continue. “He knows nothing, I swear.”

Derek assessed the man for a moment. “I believe you. Do you submit to this human?”

Christopher dropped his eyes to the floor, and he nodded.

Derek looked to the enforcer and nodded his head. “Hector.”

Christopher looked up, his eyes locking with Buzz. He saw the man silently begging, but Buzz couldn’t move.

Hector’s hands grabbed Christopher’s neck and twisted.

Buzz’s chin trembled and he was unable to prevent the soft cry that escaped his mouth. Tears gathered in his eyes as he struggled to hold in a sob.

“Get rid of him. We have no place for the weak in this pack.”

“Yes, Alpha.”

After bowing respectfully, Gavin shot Buzz a quick smirk. He and Hector left the room, dragging the young man’s body away as if he was garbage.

Buzz swallowed the lump in his throat. His heart was pounding so loud he could hear it in his ears. If he could hear it, surely Derek could. He asked as calmly as he could, “What is it you wanted to see me about, Alpha?”

Derek was calm and cool, watching Buzz with a knowing eye. “You and Shauna will be mated by the weekend. That is all. You can go.”

Buzz’s hands shook so bad he had trouble twisting the doorknob. He left the room and ran straight for the bathroom.

He fell to his knees and vomited all over the tiled floor.

* * * *

When Jed didn’t hear from Buzz at their normal time, he paced back and forth in his cabin. While chewing on his bottom lip, he’d stop and look at his phone, then start pacing again. Maybe he pushed too hard, too fast last night. Buzz’s voice was so sexy, he couldn’t help himself. He just had to stroke himself while listening to his mate.

He had spent every night this week sharing with Buzz about his day, and having Buzz tell him how his day went. Hell, Jed could have sat and listened to everything Buzz could have possibly said about anything ever. He could’ve read the freaking dictionary and Jed would have just sat and listened. And probably jerked off.

Jed had quickly become addicted to the sound of Buzz’s voice. Not hearing from him was like going through withdrawal.

What if something has happened to him?

The thought was enough to make Jed insane. He grabbed his hair in his fists and yanked. Muttering curses under his breath, the pacing increased in speed and intensity. Jed was going to wear a hole in the floorboards if he kept this up. His gums throbbed and his skin itched as his wolf demanded to be freed so it could track down his missing mate.

Closing his eyes, Jed came to a stop. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, then repeated the breathing exercise until he was calm.

Now that he could think clearly, he could come up with a plan. Jed always let Buzz be the one to initiate their calls. Would he answer if Jed called him?

There was only one way to find out.