Pack Enforcer

Emily Black kicked her shoes off and laughed as they flew across her living room. Godforsaken things. It felt so good to be barefoot. She hated shoes no matter what kind they were. At least the tennis shoes she wore to class were more comfortable than the heels her friends wore. She couldn’t even imagine how much her girlfriends’ feet ached after hoofing it across campus. Even though classes weren’t in session, as the new semester hadn’t yet started, Emily had spent the day going over her options for her upcoming schedule, trying to decide if she wanted to make any changes. She’d brought home the selections her counsellor had given her and she planned to choose in the next couple of days.

She nudged her shoes under the coffee table then stripped off her shirt and jeans while heading into the bedroom for loose shorts and a tank top. Once comfortable, she strolled to the kitchen. The fridge, which she kept overstocked, was cool as she opened it. She grabbed a bottle of water and the Tupperware full of lasagna she had made last night. She placed the container in the microwave then punched in two minutes at high heat. As she waited with the fork in her hand, she jumped up onto the counter.

A human would consider her behavior weird or think that she hadn’t eaten in hours. But for her, it was just another day. She had eaten lunch only two hours ago, but a shifter burned a lot of energy and needed to eat large regular meals, especially when the full moon was close. All her hungers increased as the natural cycle for shifters approached.

She, however, ate many small meals. Especially around the few people she called her friends. All the girls and guys who she hung around with were human and they wouldn’t understand what she hid behind closed doors. No one at school knew about her shifter abilities. Of that she was pretty sure. To them, she was just a quiet girl who liked to study and keep to herself. She was pretty in a traditional way, but not a head-turner. She would leave being stunning and charming to those around her. She preferred to blend in and not draw attention to herself.

Her blinking answering machine light caught her eye, but she wasn’t in any hurry to check. It was probably someone trying to sell her something. She didn’t get many phone calls. All her true friends were back in Pack territory and they usually called on the weekends. She missed them, but was still proud that she’d gotten accepted to the state university a couple of hours away from Pack land.

When she’d first made the decision to attend college out of Pack territory, she’d never thought it would be so hard to be away from them. The longer she stayed in the city, the more her mind drifted back to her friends and family. And the man who her heart belonged to.

The microwave dinged and she yanked the handle to open it up. Even though the food was still steaming, she started to shovel it into her mouth. She was getting better at cooking and this recipe was one of her very favorites. When the container was half empty, Emily finally took a deep breath and set it down, giving her stomach time to process the food she’d practically inhaled.

She hopped off the counter to walk over to the cabinet next to the fridge and grabbed the leftover rolls she’d put in a plastic baggie. As she passed the answering machine she hit the play button.

“Hello, Emily dear.”

Emily smiled at hearing her Alpha’s voice. The man she thought of as a father and trusted above all else.

“I know you have a lot going on right now. Thank you for the email with your final grades. I am very proud of you.”

She always kept him apprised of what was going on with her classes. He was paying for her education, after all.

“Something happened, not here but close by, I need to make sure you’re all right. Please call me right away.”

The last part was an order, and Emily could hear it even over the phone line. She shivered slightly just from the demand. As close as she was to Lamont, he was still her leader and she was obligated to follow his orders. Not that Emily argued with him often. He accused her of being too stubborn for her own good sometimes, but he always said it with love. God, she missed him.

Thinking about her Alpha always brought up the person who she would never be able to forget. When she closed her eyes at night it was always him that she saw in her dreams. Just because she’d never have him didn’t keep Emily from fantasizing about Lamont’s son Cain.

Cain was the Pack Enforcer. A job that kept him busy, and over the years had made him tough but wary. He had a lot of the same duties as a Beta, the Alpha’s second, but in addition was the top guard. Not every Pack had an Enforcer, but theirs did because it was so large. Cain was the number one guy in protecting Pack members and he took his job seriously. He’d always made sure that Emily was safe. Even if he didn’t feel the same way about her as she did about him.

Emily went back to the counter then picked up her leftover food and water bottle before strolling into the living room. She set the items on the coffee table as she sat on the couch. “Let’s get this over with,” she muttered, leaning over to pick up the cordless phone on the end table. She dialed her Alpha and waited.

* * * *

Cain knocked on the door to his Alpha’s study and waited for the grunt meaning it was okay to come in. He entered and remained silent as Lamont finished his phone call. If Lamont hadn’t wanted the conversation overheard, he wouldn’t have let Cain in. Werewolf hearing was better than any device you could buy. With the extra soundproofing throughout the entire house, Cain only heard the other side of the conversation his Alpha was having because he was in the room.

Cain immediately recognized the young were’s voice on the other end of the line. She spoke softly to the Alpha of the Pack, although her tone showed frustration. Hearing her sent a shiver trailing down Cain’s spine, and a jolt to his cock had him hardening. He quickly cut down that train of thought, which would lead him to imagining the things that he wanted to do to Emily Black. She was so far out of his league that he had to forget about her. Let her live her own life and stay far, far away. It would be a lot easier if he knew she was safe.

They all worried about the young were women who were out of the Pack’s territory. In all of the attacks that had recently taken place, the females had been away from home. Showing why he was Alpha, Lamont was calling them home before Cain had thought of it. He wanted to hug his Alpha, thankful that Emily’s safety was being taken care of. He’d always watched out for the young woman when she’d been inside the Pack, but he had limited resources when dealing with trouble on the outside.

“Have some bags packed when your ride gets there,” Lamont said sternly into the phone.

Cain barely held back a smile when he heard the order. Lamont was putting his foot down and Emily would have to obey.

“No, someone will be there to pick you up.” He looked over at Cain. “It will be someone you recognize from the Pack. Do not leave with anyone else.”

Lamont listened for a few more minutes before cutting her off. “No. You will stay in one of the cabins. It will be fully furnished for your arrival.” He waited again. “You’ll stay until we know what is going on and I tell you it’s okay to go back.” That was all Alpha speaking to one of his Pack. Cain knew how Lamont felt about Emily. How everyone felt.

Emily had been found in a cage when she was a young girl. No one knew what birth Pack she was from and they’d never found her family. Even the Alpha Council, a group of Alphas who helped police Packs and keep them safe from humans, hadn’t been able to track down where Emily came from. It was Cain’s grandfather who had come across the house of rogue wolves who’d been keeping young shifters caged. None of the rogues had made it out of the rescue alive and the children had all been sent to foster Packs. Emily had been placed with them, which had led to her and Cain growing up together, since he was only a few years older than her.

He turned his attention to the man who sat behind the desk. A man he respected more than anyone else.

“You know that was Emily,” Lamont told him once he hung up the phone.

“She’s coming home?” Cain asked even though he knew the answer.

Lamont nodded at him. “I want every female home and safe. I knew it would be difficult to convince her, but she finally agreed.”

Cain didn’t understand why he didn’t just order her home and be done with it. He was her Alpha and for everything that they’d done for her, Emily should always listen to her Alpha. It was what being a good shifter was all about. Cain strived to be the best shifter he could but Emily had an independent streak a mile wide. It was why she needed so much protection.

She’d been twelve when she’d been brought home to the Pack. While he’d always tried to keep her out of trouble, it wasn’t an easy task, made harder by the feelings that had developed for her. He was frustrated, but knew that he would feel much better if she’d just come home. At least he was getting that wish…for now. Once they could ensure her safety living outside the Pack, he’d once again have to let her go.

“I want you to go get her and bring her here safely,” Lamont told him.

Cain merely stared at his Alpha. No, he couldn’t do that. He would do anything for his Pack, his Alpha, but that was asking too much. He couldn’t outright refuse, though. “Me? You sure? Maybe Tony would be better,” he suggested instead.

Lamont looked at his second-in-command and raised an eyebrow. The look clearly said that he would not be questioned on this topic.

Cain cleared his throat. “Of course. I’ll leave right away.” He turned to walk out.

“Cain,” Lamont called after him. He waited until Cain had turned around and met his gaze. “I know there’s something between you and Emily that you are trying to fight. I’ve given you both time to sort through your feelings and have not interfered. Do you want to discuss it?”

Cain shook his head. This was the last thing he’d expected to have to talk about. He’d been so careful not to let anyone pick up on his feelings for Emily. If his Alpha had a suspicion, then did the others? “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” There, if he didn’t admit to anything he wouldn’t have to have this conversation.

Lamont stood and walked around the desk. “I’m not asking as your Alpha. I’m asking as your father. You can talk to me. You know I’ll help you in any way possible.”

What could he share with his Alpha, his father, that wouldn’t have him looking like a complete asshole? He was a dominant male. Emily was still young and had already been through so much. He couldn’t subject her to the kind of control that he had to have in his relationships. That wouldn’t be fair to her. She’d already proven that she wouldn’t just let him do the protecting and stay at his back. Several years ago she’d demanded that he train her to fight. Lamont had taken her side and ordered him to teach her. Cain had done his best to get her to change her mind but Emily wouldn’t back off. He’d eventually began to meet with her every morning in the gym and share his knowledge with her.

It was the longest year Cain could ever remember in his life. The attraction that had been blooming between the two of them had seemed to sizzle and burn even hotter. The first time he’d touched her to show her a throw, there had been a spark. He could still remember the moment. The widening of her eyes, the catch of her breath and the feel of her skin under his hands. He had backed away immediately, but the damage had been done. The attraction had been noted and they both knew it.

But the big episode had come at the end of a year of working with her. She’d been eighteen by then, but still off-limits to him. She deserved so much better than the life he could provide her and he wouldn’t hold her back from following her dreams. He had made a promise to protect her, and he would—even from him.

She had just thrown him, and he kicked the back of her knee, having her go down at the same time. He shifted to break her fall, and her body fell onto his. She didn’t rush or scramble off him as she should have.

Their eyes met, and there was that connection once again. Then her mouth was on his, moist and hesitant. It was a feeling he would never forget. Her lips moving and caressing while her hand rubbed his chest. He rolled her onto her back, taking control of the kiss, deepening it, making it hard and rough. He slid his hands under her tank top and rubbed her breasts, pulling at her nipples as he kissed her mouth. She moaned and he felt that into the deepest core of his body. He was between her legs, hard as a rock and ready to plunge into her the moment he could pull her shorts off.

He stroked down from her breasts, past her stomach, to her hot core. He slipped his hand into her shorts and inside her panties, skimming his fingers against liquid heat. As he brushed his hand over her pussy, she pressed against it, begging him to take her. And as she moaned and writhed under his touch, the kiss became brutal. When he dipped his finger inside, she exploded and rocked while screaming at the climax that tore through her body.

He shook the memory away. He hadn’t handled that well. He had come to his senses at the last minute. He’d stopped before it was too late, sent her back to the house and avoided her from then on. After that, she’d begged and pleaded with Lamont to let her go away to college.

Neither Lamont nor Cain had wanted to let her go. Being in Pack territory almost guaranteed her safety. Lamont had held off as long as he’d been able to, had kept her there for four years at the community college two towns over.

Finally, he’d had to let her go to complete her final years of education. At twenty-two, she’d left to go to the closest university. They still worried with her being outside the territory, but she had promised one thing.

If trouble came, if she got a call from the Alpha, she would return home.

The call had come now, and Cain would be the one to pick her up.

She’d returned every summer and for holidays to spend her time off with the only family she had ever known or could remember. So they had been thrown together numerous times but had managed to avoid each other and talking about what happened.

Obviously, they hadn’t avoided keeping everything from the Alpha. From his father.

“No, nothing to talk about. I can assure you.” Cain shook his head.

Lamont didn’t look convinced, but nodded. “Then go get our girl.”

Cain turned and left to go get her. He could guarantee that Emily would not be happy to see him and it was going to be a long fucking ride back.

He stomped through the Alpha house, ignoring the looks he received from other Pack members. If he left now, he could grab Emily and get her back tonight. He did not want to stay in the city, and there was no way in hell he could spend the night in her apartment.

It was just an order by his Alpha that he had to follow. He had no choice and neither did she. A couple of hours on the road and he’d have her back into the safety of the Pack and he could go back to avoiding her.

A simple task that he would fulfill.

As he stepped out of the front door to his vehicle, Cain knew he was kidding himself. As soon as they were locked together in the car her scent would be all over him. It would take every ounce of control he had to keep his hands off her.

Cain jogged forward, praying that he could keep his vow to himself.

At the knock on the door, Emily glanced up. She had been sitting on her couch with her packed bags at her feet. It seemed like she’d been waiting for hours, although in reality, by the time she’d called a few friends and cleaned up her apartment, she’d had to rush to pack her bags. Emily had told those she’d spoken to that she’d had a family emergency that required her to go out of town. At least the university offered several online options she could take advantage of if she didn’t make it back in time for the beginning of classes. She just hoped that once the threat against her and the other females had passed she’d be able to come back.

She was twenty-two and it was time for her to let silly dreams of Mr. Right go and concentrate on what she wanted. And she wanted to finish her education so she would be a valuable member of the Pack that had taken her in.

The knock sounded again and she smiled. Nothing like an impatient wolf at the door. She opened up, still smiling until she got a look at the dark, handsome man standing there.

Damn.

Cain looked wonderful. He was over six feet tall with black hair and gold eyes. His hair was longer than she remembered and fell over his forehead. Her fingers twitched to push it back. She couldn’t do that, though. Cain wouldn’t allow her touch. But with him standing there in front of her, all those feelings that she’d tried to bury came rushing back up to the surface. He radiated strength as he leaned against the threshold, and she wondered, not for the first time, how he could be so calm.

His eyes seemed to be taking her in the same way as she was him.

“Surprised?” he asked, with a nasty twist of his lip. His voice was hard, just like it had been for the past several years. It hurt that he couldn’t look at her like he’d once done and that they couldn’t joke around. They’d once been friends, but now he acted like he couldn’t stand to be in the same room with her. Damn, she’d screwed everything up. Regret burned over the shock of seeing him. Time hadn’t made her care any less or not want him. This close, she could see the strain in his features. Emily actually had to curl her fist to keep from running her thumb over the dark circles under his eyes.

If these feelings inside were any indication, then she wasn’t over this handsome, cocky wolf in front of her. It was going to be a long drive and they both knew it. She opened the door wider to allow him in. “I was expecting Tony.”

“Well, you got me instead.” Cain stepped into the small apartment. Without turning back to her, Cain strolled through the living room, not even hiding that he was sniffing the air.

“What are you doing?” she asked as her eyes narrowed. Even though she knew exactly what he was doing. Okay, maybe she didn’t know but she suspected he was scenting for other men. He’d always done that around her. But she hadn’t been ‘dating’ anyone recently, so there were no other scents in her apartment but hers.

At one time, Emily had believed he did it because he cared, was jealous or something. Now she’d figured he only did it because he was a control freak. “Well?” she pressed.

He just smiled back at her. He rocked back on his heels then stuffed his hands in his front pockets.

“Ugh.” She stomped over to her two bags and picked them up. “Fine, let’s go.” If he was going to act like an irritating ass then she would just have to ignore him. That would drive him crazy. Cain had no problem not speaking to her but he seemed to also want her attention on him. She wasn’t going to give him what he wanted this time, though. Once they got on the road she wouldn’t have to talk to him at all.

Cain’s eyes lit in amusement, which made him look years younger. It was such a rare treat that she just stood and stared at him. What was happening? Maybe he was coming down sick or something. That was the only reason she could think of. “Cain?”

He shook his head before the serious expression of an Enforcer reappeared. Of course, she should have expected it, but his reaction hurt.

“Is there anything you want to say?” she asked. Could he be ready to talk about what had happened between them?

Cain only grunted as he strode his way over to her and yanked her bags out of her hands. He nodded toward the door. “After you.”

Emily huffed to hide her disappointment. Even when she was pissed off at him she still craved his touch. She stepped past him, making sure they didn’t touch. There was no way she could keep herself under control if she touched him. She’d made a fool of herself once and that had been bad enough. She wouldn’t repeat her mistake.

She didn’t say a word to him as she stomped into the hall and turned to wait for him to follow. As soon as he was over the threshold, Emily slammed the door closed and locked it. She absolutely was not going to talk to him as long as he was acting like an asshole. Cain was already striding down the walkway to the stairs so she had to hurry and catch up with him before he bitched about her not moving quickly enough.

* * * *

It took Emily twenty minutes in the car to finally give in. Cain knew she would. She always made the first attempt to talk. This time was no different.

“Why am I going back?” she asked.

“That’s where you belong,” Cain told her, tightening his hands on the wheel. He believed that with all his heart even if it wasn’t the reason that she was returning.

She snorted. “Says you, but Lamont wouldn’t have called me back without a good reason.”

Cain glanced over at the woman next to him. It had taken all the control he had not to grab her in his arms the moment she’d opened the door. She was everything he remembered, everything he dreamed of at night. He could swear her scent had wrapped him into a web when he’d first seen her. But his job was to protect her and he didn’t want her afraid of him. Weighing his options, he decided to tell her as little as possible.

“There have been some attacks on female weres outside Pack territory,” he said gently.

When her eyes widened with horror, he reached over and patted her leg. The moment that he touched her, Cain realized his mistake. The spark that he’d felt before ignited and he yanked his hand back, quickly trying to cover his gasp. Fuck, that was stupid. He cleared his throat. “No one in our Pack. It’s been four women so far, but Lamont wants to be careful. The latest one was from Christian’s Pack.”

She shivered. He didn’t know if it was from his touch or his words. It was better that he didn’t know.

“Who?” she asked quietly.

He frowned, thinking he should have left this for Lamont. Cain just knew he’d fuck this up some way. But he’d started down this road and she did deserve to know about the danger. Forget about not telling her everything to protect her. The more information she had, the better Emily could protect herself in case he wasn’t close by. “Mindy.”

She turned and looked out at the passing scenery. “What happened to her?”

“You don’t need to know that,” he said. That wasn’t something that she needed to think about.

“Cain,” she said. “I think that since I was called home due to it being a danger to me, and the fact that a good friend was attacked only two territories over, I should have a good idea of what is going on. I’m a big girl, I can handle it.”

“No,” he said. “You don’t need the details. What’s important is that there is a threat and you will be taken care of. Nothing will happen to you,” he promised. “If you want to hit up Lamont for that information, that’s fine, but I’m not telling you.” He took a deep breath. This was harder than he’d expected.

Deep down, he knew she had the right to know. But the details of the attack would be hard to deal with. Emily had been through so much and she didn’t deserve to be hunted or hurt. Finding out what was happening to the other females would hurt her too.

“Just tell me if she’s okay,” she pleaded.

Cain couldn’t even give her that because he didn’t know. He reached over, turned the radio on then put both hands on the wheel. He prayed this drive would go fast. With a firm grip on the steering wheel, he pressed his foot down harder on the accelerator, hoping to make it back home as quickly as possible.

Emily just stared at him. She’d been dismissed. Just like that, he thought he could tell her that they weren’t going to talk about it and they weren’t. Well, he had another thing coming. She’d tried, she told herself. She would have been nice and polite, but his attitude just stank. She switched the radio off.

“Listen to me, Cain,” she demanded, keeping her voice low and calm.

In obvious surprise, he glanced over at her immediately.

“I’m not a child any longer. You can’t pat me on the head and send me to my room,” she told him.

He cleared his throat. “I never did that.”

She laughed. “Yes, you did. I made a pass at you, you turned me down. We are both adults, and I think it’s time you stopped holding a grudge.” It was past time for them to clear the air. How long was he going to hold that one incident against her? It wasn’t fair and she missed her friend. Cain had been so important to her and she wanted him back in her life. Even if it couldn’t be how she wished it to be.

In the years she’d been away at school she’d tried to forget him. Had had other relationships and tried to move on. One of the reasons she didn’t think she’d been successful at that was because he had cut off all ties between them.

Emily could be strong and not come on to him again, but she didn’t want to continue like they had been. It hadn’t hit her that she felt this way until she’d seen him standing at her door earlier that night. “Just get over it so we can move on,” she said as she turned her head to stare out of the window again.

“What are you talking about?” he asked sharply.

When she didn’t say anything, he whipped the car to the shoulder of the highway and slammed on the brakes. She had to put her hands out in front of her to keep from hitting her head, and the seat belt tightened around her body.

“What the hell!” she cried out.

He undid his seat belt and turned to face her. “I hate to tell you that you’re wrong, but being that you are, I’ll force myself. I crossed a line with you. I shouldn’t have, and I apologize. If the only way to make sure it doesn’t happen again is to stay away from you, then I will.”

His eyes were practically glowing. That wasn’t the reaction that she’d expected. Why was he still angry with her? Yes, she’d fallen in love with him but as soon as he’d made his wishes known and had sent her away, Emily had never pressed him again. Cain should accept that.

“What line did you cross?” she asked gently, placing her hand on his arm. The way he’d angled himself put them within touching distance and she had to reach for him. Just this once as she figured out what he was talking about.

He growled in the back of his throat. “You know damn well what I did.”

She nodded, not moving her hand. “I know what you did, Cain, and I know what you didn’t do.”

He tried to pull away, but she tightened her grip. She might not be as strong or as fast, but in the confines of a car, he couldn’t move enough to avoid her.

“You refused an eighteen-year-old girl who jumped on you, who had planned for months for the right moment to make her move. Maybe I made a mistake. I don’t think I did, but I know you do. I was eighteen and infatuated with you, Cain. You were all I could think about. When you sent me back into the house, it broke my heart.”

It was time for honesty. This had been going on with them for far too many years. “I’m still not sorry,” she told him. “And you didn’t do anything to be ashamed of. It was my doing. And”—she added with a small smile—“I can’t promise I wouldn’t do it again if I went back. No one’s ever kissed me like that again.”

He shook his head but his lips twitched in amusement. “You were a child.”

She shook her head sadly. “I stopped being a child at twelve, Cain.” She ran her gaze over him and felt warmth spread through her. God, she wished she could have him like she’d always wanted.

“That’s no excuse,” he told her. “I took advantage.”

“How?” she asked. Emily had been there that day. She’d planned the scene over and over in her head a million times. Cain hadn’t done anything wrong except for growing cold with her afterward. “I really want to know what you think you actually did.”

He growled.

“Because it was me who pushed you into training me so I could be alone with you,” she said. “I was the one who kissed you, if you’ll remember. It was what I wanted and I never said no to you. I wouldn’t have. You did.”

“You had no idea what you were doing,” Cain claimed.

“Are you kidding me!” she exclaimed. “I knew exactly what I was doing. What I wanted from you. I almost got it too.”

“You were too young to know anything,” he said, but he didn’t sound as sure as he normally did.

She blew out a breath. “Now who’s wrong?” she asked.

He sputtered, but she shook her head.

“Maybe you need to think about what happened. If you remember the details you’ll see the truth,” she said.

“Like I haven’t thought about that day a hundred times,” he muttered.

“What?” she asked, shocked. He was constantly making her unsure of his feelings with comments like that. Either he wanted her or he didn’t. It was that simple. Cain was so confident in every aspect of his life that she could not understand why he’d turned into such an asshole when he could have simply said no.

Cain didn’t answer—he just straightened in his seat then pulled his seat belt back on. “We need to get back on the road.”

“Sure,” she scoffed. He wasn’t listening to her any longer but at least she’d gotten to have her say. There was something in the way that he gripped the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white, while he was clenching his jaw, that made her see him in a new light.

Could he be scared? Thinking back on everything that he’d ever said to her since that night when she’d been eighteen made her think that she might be on to something.

Growing up, Cain had always considered it his job to protect her. Emily wasn’t naïve enough to think it was because he didn’t care—she knew he did. However, she might not be the only one who was sitting in the vehicle trying to fight their feelings.

From the corner of her eye, she watched him as she sat back more comfortably in her seat and crossed her legs. Right there! He was watching her back. Emily ran her hands down her thighs to grip her knees, trying to make the move seem as natural as possible. She didn’t want to push him too far, but she was curious about how he’d react.

The scent of anger in the car was fading away and a stronger, sweeter smell replaced it. Holy shit! Cain was turned on.

How was it possible she’d missed these signs before? Yes, she had to admit. She’d been so broken up about Cain’s rejection that she hadn’t been around him much, and when she had been, Emily had fought to control her emotions from being apparent to him.

This turn of events was something she would definitely have to think about before doing anything that would end up getting her heart broken again. She was in love with Cain, but if he denied her again, Emily wasn’t sure that she would recover. On the other hand, she finally had an opportunity to be in control of something between the two of them.

She crossed her arms over her chest, making sure to press her breasts out so he would have to notice.

Cain began to mutter under his breath as he punched at the radio dial to change the station.

Oh, this was very, very interesting.

It was one thing to play around, but she did have some serious thinking to do before she pushed Cain any further. If she wanted Cain, she was going to have to convince him that she was old enough and ready to settle down. His words earlier made that crystal clear. This time, she vowed, if she made her move she would not allow Cain push her away.