Sylvia's Torment (Enforcers and Coterie Book 2)

by Veronica Del Rosa

  The thought of the other Alpha near his lifemate… The thin leash on his self-control snapped, and he snarled in rage.

  “I’m killing him, Zmitro. I’m gonna hunt him down and tear him apart. I’ll rip his throat open and watch him bleed.”

  “Derek, calm down. You can’t attack him. He hasn’t challenged you, and he’s done nothing wrong. Don’t let him goad you like this.” Zmitro placed his hand on Derek’s arm, either to calm him or restrain him. Derek scoffed. As if that would contain him.

  The gentle, hesitant touch from Sylvia, however, did. It soothed his anger and brought his focus on her.

  “Please Derek, don’t let him get to you. He’s not worth the disgrace.” Her quiet statement reminded him of everything he’d lose, including her, if he attacked unprovoked. Shawn had been too clever with his taunting, hiding it under the guise of concern. While his pack would stick up for him, they would have to admit the truth if the Coterie became involved. Shawn hadn’t done anything outright against Derek. And Derek hadn’t taken any steps to put the other Alpha in his place. He’d let too much slide, wrapped up in his worry over Sylvia.

  “I should’ve smacked him down when he first started this shit,” he grumbled. “Ah, shit, I’m sorry, Sylvia. I’m acting like a total ass. This was your first appointment, and I’m making it all about me.”

  She laughed, and her eyes lit up. Her fingers tightened on his forearm before she released him. “It’s been all about me since I got back. I’m okay with the lack of attention.”

  The laughter died, and the now-familiar haunted look took over. Not wanting to discomfort her, Derek turned to Zmitro and said, “Find out everything about Shawn and the ones with him. I should’ve taken care of him months ago, before he started nipping at my personal pack. I’ll be outside. I need to think.”

  He stalked away, images of maiming Shawn soothing his savage nature. A clear head would win this, not base instinct urging him into rash decisions. Once he had the bastard trapped, then he could attack without repercussions. Arrogant and sure of his cleverness, Shawn would overreach.

  Chapter Fourteen

  The door bell rang, a quiet and insistent noise. Sylvia stepped toward the front door then froze. Who was on the other side? Another werewolf to jeer at her or maybe the scientists had tracked her down?

  Unbidden, her feet slid backwards, creating space between her and the threat. Her fingers stroked across her throat, following the line only she could feel. The tissue had healed, no visible scar, but it served to remind her how close she’d come to death. A few more inches and they would have killed her.

  “I’ll get it,” Zmitro said, his voice bringing her back to the present.

  “Sure. Yeah. Okay.” Sylvia retreated to the sitting room. Heat blossomed in her cheeks. She had run from the unknown and let her packmate open the door because she feared whoever was on the other side. Hating herself, she moved to the other closed window and cracked it open, too. The cold wind forced its way inside, and she inhaled deeply.

  Untainted. They can’t drug her with the air circulating to the outside. She was safe from one method of incapacitating her.

  “A delivery for you.” Her head shot up at Zmitro’s words. Another one? She’d been inundated with flowers and cards. The house smelled like a funeral home, and soon they’d run out of room to place them all. Some of them sincerely wanted to wish her well, while others wanted to curry favour with Derek.

  Zmitro held out a small, unassuming black box. Sylvia stared at it for a long moment before she accepted it. Such a tiny thing, and yet the dread settling in her stomach argued against that fact.

  She brought the hard cardboard up to her nose, and a myriad of scents assaulted her. Separating them proved impossible. It had gone through too many hands before reaching Derek’s home. A faint tremble in her hand shook the box as she lifted the lid.

  Nestled against soft cotton, a delicate white wolf hung from a gold chain. A card fluttered to the floor, knocked loose from the inner part of the lid. She ignored the card, pinched two links of the chain between her fingers and lifted it. Again she sniffed.

  She shook her head, unable to get a fix on any one scent.

  “Here’s the card.” Zmitro held it out to her, and she placed the necklace back into its box.

  Sorry you didn’t like the flowers. This reminded me of you. Unsigned. All the wolves had signed their cards. Only one other delivery came here without a name: the first bouquet of flowers.

  Panic blossomed in her. She pushed passed Zmitro, ignoring his shout of concern. Heart thudding and mouth dry, she raced through the house, seeking the one who could calm her.

  Derek.

  He said he wanted time to think, and that meant he’d taken up residence in his favourite spot. Sylvia’s feet slapped against the wooden floor of the hallway then tile as she blew through the kitchen. She grappled with the doorknob until finally it opened for her.

  With a gasping breath, she stepped onto the porch, and her hand tightened on the box. So tiny and yet it caused so much terror within her. Sylvia wanted to burn it, exorcise the hold it had on her.

  Her eyes darted around the backyard, searching for the only constant in her world. His huge body swung back and forth in a red hammock, one foot firmly planted on the ground. Hands folded on his chest, he looked so peaceful. The lines on his face smoothed away. His fierce aura dimmed in repose.

  Maybe she shouldn’t disturb him. He had so much to deal with, could she add another one to the mix? Was she overreacting, panicking over nothing?

  Her conviction wavered. It was just a necklace, not a threat. But just in case, she needed to tell Derek. Hiding an important secret from him before had cost her three months of her life.

  Squaring her shoulders, she crossed the backyard. Grass tickled her bare feet and absorbed any sound she might have made. Her stealth had suffered as well, no longer as quiet as she’d once been.

  As soon as she neared him, Derek’s eyes snapped open and he was on alert.

  “You’re upset. Why?” Derek demanded.

  “This was just delivered.” She held up the necklace, and the wolf spun. “I don’t know who sent it.”

  Disentangling from the hammock, he planted himself in front of her. His nostrils flared as he, too, tried to isolate the different scent markers. His eyes narrowed and lips tightened. Damn, he was also suspicious of this innocent looking piece of metal.

  “Too many people have handled this. A smart werewolf would know how to muddy the smells and make it hard to track him. Shawn’s clever enough for this trick.” Derek’s eyes shone amber as his wolf surfaced. “He’s been playing psychological games with me for over six months. It wasn’t until your disappearance that he provoked me in person. He’d be better suited as a snake than a wolf.”

  The guttural tone and amber eyes meant her next smart move was to subjugate herself and sooth her Alpha by showing her submissiveness to him. The miniscule core of her past self refused to bow. She’d spent months cowering with no control over her life.

  Back straight and head up high, she met Derek’s eyes as an equal. The amber faded, changing his irises back to its usual dark brown, and he chuffed at her, an odd sound coming from a human throat. A rare smile lit up his rugged face. Most found him intimidating and downright scary. Sylvia had never feared him.

  Since the day he’d started training her, he’d treated her with respect and showed her his gentle side. Most would believe this side didn’t exist. His reputation made other werewolves involuntarily recoil at the mention of his name.

  The frantic beating of her heart finally slowed, calmed by his presence. Sylvia smiled back, the first sense of peace since her abduction.

  “I’ve always been weak where you’re concerned.” His voice was a rough whisper as he reached out to stroke her hair. He rubbed several strands between his fingers, as if memorizing the texture. He bent his head to inhale the scent from her hair. “I love the way you smell.”

 
His breath caressed her neck, and she shivered. Desire slammed into her, hard and fast. Unable to help it, she inhaled deep, needing to flood her system with his pheromones. Sylvia turned her head, and her hair slipped from his fingers. Every nerve tingled at his close proximity, his face mere inches away from hers. Lips dry, she wetted them with her tongue, and a low groan from Derek fanned across her cheek.

  He swooped in and captured her mouth with his. His hands burrowed into her hair, tilting her head as he licked the seam of her lips. Any possible thought of resistance vanished as his heat pressed into her, his body molding to hers. She parted her lips and he slipped in, teasing and stroking her with his tongue.

  The world disappeared. Nothing mattered but this man, this moment. Countless nights she’d fantasized and hoped for this. His taste consumed her until it was all she knew. Her entire existence became Derek.

  Her man. Her Alpha

  Reality slapped her in the face. Hard. He wasn’t hers.

  We can’t do this. It’s a mistake, she thought.

  Derek stiffened in her arms, his stillness more fitting for a predator scenting blood than a lover enjoying a kiss. He released her, hands dropping to his side. Disappointment and pain shadowed his eyes before he veiled them with his lashes.

  “I’m sorry. That shouldn’t have happened.” His lips compressed into a thin line, all trace of a passionate lover gone.

  What just happened? Why did he pull away?

  He regretted what happened?

  The truth crowded her mind, cooling her desire. She locked down her emotions and controlled her body’s reactions to him. Decades of practice steadied her. She easily slipped into the role of uninterested Beta.

  A moment of weakness on both their parts and nothing more. They would never work out. No lifemate bond existed between them, and one day he’d meet his true mate. The other woman might not want to keep a Beta around who’d also been his lover.

  With a jerky nod she averted her eyes. No sense adding awkwardness to their working relationship. One fuckup wouldn’t destroy what they already had. She wouldn’t let it. Her world had changed enough. Losing Derek’s respect might be the final blow to finish her off.

  “I’ve messaged Zmitro and the Deltas. We need to discuss Shawn as a pack.”

  “Okay,” she murmured.

  His hand twitched, as if he wanted to touch her again. Instead he shoved his hands into his pocket and stalked towards the house.

  She watched him go and quickly wiped away the tear that threatened to fall.

  Chapter Fifteen

  A mistake. Fuck. She thought their kiss was a mistake. His stomach knotted, worried he’d made her uncomfortable. Would she request a transfer? No, no, she wouldn’t. Sylvia didn’t run from problems. At least, the old Sylvia didn’t. What would the new one do?

  Fuck! He raked his hand through his hair before shutting down all his emotions. The shimmering rage Shawn caused mixed with fear over losing Sylvia created a bad combination.

  He also contained the flickering lifemate bond. Damn thing flared to life at the worst possible time, giving him a horrible glimpse into her thoughts. Intruding hadn’t been his intention. She didn’t know about the bond, and any stray thoughts of his she’d assume were from the Alpha link. On rare occasions he’d accidently spilled over to his two Betas, as they were the closest to him, both in distance and emotion.

  While he cared for Zmitro, Sylvia had a special place in his heart.

  Years ago he’d recognized her as his lifemate and had spent the whole time suppressing the bond. She’d made it quite clear she didn’t want him as her mate when they first met and reinforced that fact several times in the passing decades. At least, he had thought she didn’t want him. She hadn’t pulled away when he’d kissed her, though.

  Now he had no idea what the hell to think.

  Give her time. Let her heal first and stop fucking pushing her. His exasperated thoughts stopped him dead for a moment. He’d waited this long for her, what was a little more time in the grand scheme of things?

  Patience would win in the end.

  With a shake of his head, he continued towards the house. Admittedly, he wasn’t the greatest prize. He had a temper, although he tried not to lash out in anger. More brutish looking than handsome. A little on the controlling side, a quality that came with the Alpha territory. Oh, and bullheaded, couldn’t forget that endearing trait.

  Yep, definitely not the brass-ring prize women hoped for.

  He shrugged off his self-doubts. Now was not the time to mope like an emo teenager.

  His bare feet, damp from the grass, left footprints on the porch stairs. No sound accompanied them. His mind had shifted into predator mode, planning different ways to take down his enemy.

  Derek entered the kitchen. While he used the sitting room/library as the main meeting area for the pack, the kitchen was the heart of the house. Here his pack stopped by for meals, relaxed and informal. The panty and fridge were always stocked, ready at a moment’s notice for company.

  An island divided this room, one side filled with cupboards and appliances, the other side left open. A stainless steel fridge and stove gleamed in the light, giving the kitchen a professional appeal. Every imaginable gadget lined a huge metal shelf near the full-sized deep freezer. A large oak kitchen table with twelve sturdy chairs took up most of the open space. A small china cabinet displayed wolf knickknacks, joke gifts from Sylvia. Each birthday she delighted in giving him a wolf-related present, the gaudiest ones she could find.

  His Deltas crowded around the center island and lounged at the table, laughing and joking together. The noise level died as they turned their attention to him. Nine in total, more so than any other pack, they maintained law within the packs outside of Toronto. The Deltas had a position of trust and authority, one they would never abuse. While anyone strong enough could challenge to become a Delta, the Alpha had the ultimate say. And Derek would not accept anyone into his tight circle if they would harm any of his packs.

  He nodded to them as a whole.

  Zmitro leaned against the island and crossed his arms. Black hair fell across his forehead, obscuring parts of his facial scars. With a raised eyebrow, he mouthed, “What’s wrong?”

  A tight shake of Derek’s head was the only answer Zmitro would get. This would remain between him and Sylvia. His mother and Markus knew of his feelings for Sylvia but they had no pack interactions with her. As an Alpha’s lifemate, her life would be cherished above all other pack members. She didn’t need the added pressure of other wolves questioning her or giving well-meaning advice.

  A moot point anyway as they hadn’t progressed that far.

  He turned his attention to the others in the room. Two of the Deltas, Isaac and Emma, were ignoring each other. Must’ve had another fight. With their constant snapping at each other, they were worse than siblings. Hell, even the twins didn’t give him as much of a headache as these two.

  Luckily for them, their little spats didn’t interfere with their jobs. If it had, the solution would have been a transfer to another pack. And a damn hard decision that would have been as they were both vital to him. Instead, he let them fight it out unless one went too far.

  Emma smiled and inclined her head toward Derek as she turned her back on Isaac. Derek bit his cheek. Amusement tickled his throat, and he coughed to cover the laugh.

  Outrage contorted Isaac’s face at Emma’s action.

  Turning one’s back on a werewolf either meant they trusted the other person wholly or the wolf was weak and not worth worrying about. This looked to be a case of the latter and not the former. Isaac must’ve really ticked her off this time.

  The rest of the Deltas watched the drama with varying degrees of enjoyment.

  “Aw, Emma, don’t be so cruel,” Tariq chided. Bright green eyes danced with laughter. “He can’t help being a child still.”

  Rafi and Kurt, identical twins, stood on opposite sides of the room. They struck identical poses, le
aning casually against the wall with hands tucked into their identical hoodies. Telling them apart was near impossible.

  “I’ve told you before, sweet Emma, Kurt and I will treat you right. Come to our bed.” Rafi winked at her, an odd sight from someone who dressed like a street thug. It was more menacing than enticing, and the stud in his eyebrow glinted in the light.

  Kurt grunted in agreement.

  “Up yours, all of you,” Isaac growled.

  “Okay, that’s enough,” Nadia soothed, falling into her natural role. As the Omega, the healer of the pack, she disliked strife. A rare werewolf, she also held the position of Delta, a role generally thought of as too demanding for a gentle Omega. Her light brown eyes, hidden behind lavender contacts, held a hint of reproach toward Kurt and Rafi.

  “Sorry, Nadia,” they singsonged together.

  The teasing didn’t quite mask the underlying tension in the room.

  The door behind him closed with a nearly silent click. A glance behind showed Sylvia pressed against the door. Isolating herself from the pack. That wouldn’t do. She needed the touch and closeness of her packmates to heal. Knowing she wouldn’t accept it from him, not at this moment, he sent a message solely to Zmitro.

  Bring Sylvia to the others.

  With a slight nod, Zmitro sauntered over to her and put his arm around her shoulders. She balked, but he ignored it.

  “Come, my pretty flame, we’ve been without you for too long.” He placed a kiss on the side of her head then closed his eyes. Derek met Zmitro’s gaze when he opened his eyes. Joy and sorrow warred within his friend.

  Zmitro guided her to the island.

  He watched as the others descended upon her, needing to reassure themselves she was home. Even the twins detached from the walls to hug and kiss her. They had all felt the rift her loss had caused, the unraveling of their strength. The Alpha normally kept a pack secure and held back aggression. With Derek clinging to the edge of sanity, though, her captivity had devastated and destabilized everyone.