Sylvia's Torment (Enforcers and Coterie Book 2) (18 page)

He’d let her move him. While she was strong, he had a lot of brute strength packed into his heavy body. Scooting off of the bed, she made a beeline for the bathroom but left the door ajar. Pack business was her business, too.

The bedroom door opened, and Derek greeted Zmitro a little gruffer than he deserved.

“What do you want?” he all but snarled at his second-in-command.

Zmitro laughed, not in the least bit put off by Derek’s attitude. “You realize you’re naked, right?”

Chapter Twenty-Three

I like and
respect Zmitro. I will not rip his head off.
The reminder helped contain his need for violence. So damn close to sampling every delectable inch of Sylvia’s body and Zmitro took that away from him.

Speak your mind before I kill you
, he sent to his Beta.

Again Zmitro laughed. A death wish. His right-hand man had a death wish. Why hadn’t he noticed before how suicidal his friend had become? Why else would he dare poke the angry werewolf?

“I hate to tear you away from your important Alpha duties, but it’s time for Sylvia’s appointment.” At Derek’s blank stare, Zmitro elaborated, “With her therapist, remember? She should’ve met me downstairs five minutes ago. I thought she’d overslept. I can see now she was otherwise occupied.” Zmitro winked at him.

Actually winked at him. He
was
suicidal.

“Are you crazy?” The words tumbled from his mouth, shock destroying his filter.

Leaning closer, his friend confided, “I’m happy for you. It’s been a long time coming.”

“Has anyone else...?” he asked.

“Not that I’m aware of. No one’s ever mentioned it to me.”

“Okay, good,” Derek said. Gossip occurred within the pack, hard not to have any when they all spent so much time together. He’d be stupid to think none had ever talked about his sex life or lack thereof. Sylvia, though, wasn’t a plaything for his bed and wasn’t up for discussion.

In a more normal tone, Zmitro said, “Now please, for the sake of everyone’s eyesight and sanity, put some clothes on. No one wants to see that.”

He walked away chuckling.

Derek shut the door and leaned against it. Water hitting tile spurred him into action. He couldn’t join Sylvia, not now. Or she wouldn’t make it to her appointment. He grabbed clothes from the dresser and closet – Sylvia’s, not his. If he saw her in just a towel, he wouldn’t be responsible for his actions. He had lost his erection talking to Zmitro, but a wet and nearly naked Sylvia would have him hard and aching again.

The shower turned off. He cracked open the door and thrust his arm into the bathroom, dangling the clothes at her. Once she grabbed them, he withdrew. It took all of his willpower, every single ounce, to walk away.

He rushed to the dresser and grabbed clothes for himself. As soon as the bathroom door opened and Sylvia left the room, he darted inside.

“I’ll be right out. Wait for me,” he said, not bothering to raise his voice. Her hearing would pick up his words. Oh shit, had she heard his conversation with Zmitro? Did he say anything that would’ve made her uncomfortable? No, it had been tame, lacking anything that would’ve embarrassed her.

He jumped into the shower. Soap soon coated his body, and he stood under the spray to wash it off. Some of Sylvia’s scent went with it. Not all of it rinsed away, though. Enough lingered to tease his nose and remind him of who owned his heart.

Turning off the shower, he left the stall and dried himself off. Derek tugged on his clothes, cursing when they stuck to his damp skin. He finger-combed his hair, shaking off the excess water, and exited the bathroom to join Sylvia.

Stunned, he sucked in a breath and told his hormones to back off. Sylvia’s long red hair curled down her back and chest, leaving wet spots on her shirt. He was damn lucky he hadn’t chosen a white shirt, or he would’ve demanded that she changed.

And what a slippery slope that would’ve been, Sylvia topless in his room.

“You look…” his voice trailed off as his eyes roamed her body. He cleared his throat, although his words still came out like gravel when he continued, “good enough to eat.”

Sylvia laughed, a carefree sound with a hint of wantonness. “You already ate me last night. Surely you’ve had your fill?”

His eyes flew to hers, shocked and aroused by her words. He stepped closer and growled, “Woman…”

With a tiny shriek, Sylvia ran to the door, opened it and raced out. She tossed over her shoulder, “I have an appointment to keep! Don’t distract me.”

The heavenly scent of her lust and arousal lingered in the air, tugging at his wilder side.

Chase her, make her mine.
Inhaling deep, he debated doing just that. He shook his head to clear it. No, no he couldn’t. These appointments were too important for Sylvia to miss. While she had made improvements since her rescue, it would be a continuous climb until she approached normalcy. And even then it would be years, decades until that happened.

At a more sedate speed, he followed Sylvia downstairs. His fingers trailed over the oak handrail that separated the hallway and the spacious area above the main entrance. Large, arching windows stood above the front door, flooding the room with sunbeams. The stained glass in the door lent a dreamy quality to the light.

Derek reached the bottom of the stairs and prowled to the sitting room. He’d had the walls knocked down between two rooms, making it one of the largest rooms in the house. And one of his favourites. Bookshelves lined much of the walls, and comfortable chairs and couches were scattered throughout.

This room hosted pack meetings, hundreds of them over the years. On a regular basis, pack members slept in the spare bedrooms. His house was open to them all, an almost never-ending stream of people coming and going. Just the way he liked it. While the rumours were true that he was a mean, ruthless bastard, he also cared for his people.

Sylvia rested on the arm of a couch, talking to Davis while Zmitro sat in one of the chairs. All three glanced at Derek when he entered the room and leaned against the wall.

“We should go now, Sylvia,” Davis said as he strode past Derek to the front door and waited. Sylvia stood and the sway of her hips mesmerized Derek. He shoved his hands in his pockets, removing the temptation to haul her closer to him.

She trailed a finger down his chest, the only part of her touching him as she murmured, “I’ll see you later, Alpha.”

Fuck, that woman doesn’t play fair,
he thought as she continued past him. Leaning his head against the wall, he closed his eyes and listened to the door shut. A few hours until she returned. He could survive a few hours, right?

A not-so-subtle throat clearing interrupted his lustful thoughts.

“What do you want, Zmitro?” he asked, eyes still closed.

“They’ve been sighted again. Shawn and the other Alphas are back in the city.”

“Well, that’s not surprising. What did you find out about them?” Derek scrubbed his face before opening his eyes. He stalked to the couch and dropped himself on the cushions. The wood groaned and protested the sudden increase in weight.

“There are four altogether with Shawn as their apparent leader. Dan, Ian and Sawyer. I’ve spoken with several members of their packs, and off the record, most of them aren’t happy with their Alphas. Dan disappears for days on end, and no one knows why. Ian is too busy chasing tail to manage his pack. Sawyer micromanages his Beta and Deltas, constantly overriding their decisions and making them appear incompetent. On the whole, little things that wouldn’t break a strong pack. From what I can tell, though, their packs are splintering. The shaky foundation from us hasn’t helped the situation.” Zmitro winced at his own bluntness. “Shit, Derek, I’m sorry.”

Derek waved his hand, dismissing the apology. “Don’t apologize for speaking the truth. I had a hand in the packs’ issues, however unintentional. These Alphas, though, are grasping for something they cannot attain. If any one of them thought they could take me, they would have challenged me by now. Instead, they hope to undermine me. A few more months without Sylvia and they would have succeeded.”

“So what now?”

“We continue to wait. They’ll fuck up soon. I’m sure Shawn realized Sylvia was the reason for my weakness, and now that she’s home…his chances of catching me at a low point are almost nil. He won’t wait much longer. He wants my position and won’t give up.” Derek grinned, his canines scrapping against his bottom lip. “And I’ll enjoy taking his Alpha status from him.”

Chapter Twenty-Four

“
Thanks for walking
with me, Davis. Sorry you got stuck with babysitting duties.” Sylvia tucked her hands into her jacket pockets and hunched her shoulders, pretending it was for warmth. In truth, she didn’t want any accidental touching. The intimacy with Derek, right now, was the exception, not the rule. And she didn’t want to hurt Davis’ feelings by cringing from him.

“No problem. I needed the fresh air anyway. So, uh, you and Derek, huh?” Davis glanced at her with a raised eyebrow.

Damn, she should’ve expected this. Of course he’d ask. Well, two could play this game. She smiled, sickly sweet, and parroted his words, “So, uh, you and Nadia, huh?”

Davis coughed, startled by her question. “Shit. Okay, fair enough. I talk, you talk?”

“Yeah, okay.” While talking about her and Derek wasn’t on the top of her to-do list, finding out more about Davis’ thoughts concerning Nadia pushed aside any hesitation. “Spill it, what are your intentions towards Nadia?”

Sylvia sidestepped a pedestrian. Human male, her nose informed her. A woman brushed passed, ozone trailing behind her. She wrinkled her nose against the not-unpleasant aroma.

“I like her. She’s funny and sweet. And she doesn’t treat me like a sex object,” Davis muttered the last words, and red streaked his cheekbones. The wind ruffled through his blonde curls as if it, too, wanted to feel the silky locks. Tousled hair fell across his forehead, adding a hint of boyishness.

“Seriously?” She gaped at him and almost walked into another person. Demon, the hint of sulfur giving him away.

“Yes, seriously. Don’t tell me you haven’t had the same experience. Men talking to you because you’re hot. Staring at you like you’re meat and they’re hungry. It’s not just women who get that treatment, you know. Women don’t expect conversation from me.” Bitterness seeped through, painting a lonely existence.

Horrified, she asked, “I haven’t done that to you, have I?”

“No, but then you’ve always had eyes for someone else.” His smile was sly. “I figured you were with Victor, but now you surprise me. Derek. Wouldn’t have guessed it.”

Now it was her turn to blush. Had everyone assumed she was sleeping with Victor? Why hadn’t she known this? “We’re friends, nothing more.”

“As long as you don’t invite him over anytime soon. Don’t think Derek would be too welcoming.”

“Yeah, I got that hint from him,” she said wryly. Another person bumped into her shoulder going in the opposite direction. A familiar scent. Panic seized her throat. She spun around, searching for the owner.

“What is it?” Davis asked, turning to scan the crowd. “One of the Alphas?”

“No. I don’t know. Just... a scent. It’s gone.” Her heart thundered, a painful slamming against her chest. Slow, ragged breaths that didn’t bring in enough oxygen.

He’d found her.

Who had found her? The scent didn’t have an image attached to it, just emotions and none of them pleasant. Someone from the facility? Was she being followed? Would they take her back, continue the experiments?

No. No!
Sylvia slammed against a shop wall, grasping her head, digging her fingers into her skull. She screamed, “I won’t go back!”

Arms circled her, holding tight while she struggled for freedom. A high keening noise vibrated the air, hurting her sensitive ears. With a start, Sylvia realized
she
was making the mournful sound.

“Sylvia, Sylvia, please. You’ll hurt yourself.” Davis’ voice, hoarse with worry, penetrated the haze of fear. She stopped struggling, although the tremors continued wracking her body.

“I’m okay,” she said between gasps. Davis’ arms lent strength to her, grounding her in the maelstrom of dread swirling within her mind. Finally the tremors stopped, and she whispered, “I’m okay. I’m fine, Davis. You can let go now.”

He slowly released her, wary of a relapse. “What was that? What just happened?”

“I don’t want to talk about it. I’ll discuss it with my shrink. Oh shit, I’m late for my appointment.” Sylvia tore away from Davis and raced to Dr. Zayler’s office. While she didn’t hear Davis behind her, too silent of a wolf to make any noise, she sensed him near.

Moments later, thanks to their innate speed, Sylvia burst into the reception area. The receptionist’s mouth dropped open, surprised at such an entrance. She stammered, “Um, Ms. McLaughlin, good morning. Dr. Zayler is waiting for you.”

With a nod and a distracted smile, Sylvia followed the hallway to her therapist’s office. The plain wooden door was open, waiting for her to arrive. She entered and closed the door behind her.

“I’m sorry I’m late, Dr. Zayler. I had a… an episode on the way here.” She dropped her eyes, not wanting to see the pity in his eyes. He knew as well as she did that it hadn’t been an episode but a full-on panic attack. She wouldn’t mention it otherwise.

“Ah, I see. Well please, sit. Some water?” He gestured to the small table between their chairs. Her lips quirked in a sad smile. Bottled water. Another defect of hers. Unable to consume food or drink unless it was sealed, proof against drugging.

Had she been fooling herself? She wasn’t on the road to recovery. Unless that damn road was filled with oil slicks designed to slam her into the trees.

A hopeless sigh as she sank into her usual chair. “A scent. That’s all it took. One single scent and I was back there. I thought they’d found me, would drag me back.”

Sylvia hunched forward, ashamed of her weakness but helpless against it. How could she claim the title Beta when she couldn’t protect herself, never mind her pack? Attack again and she’d crumple.

“These thoughts and fears are normal. I’d be more concerned if you weren’t experiencing any of this. You had a trigger, an external stimulation that recreated part of your captivity. I wish I could say this would be easy and painless to overcome, but that’s simply not true. A lot of it also depends on you. How much effort you’re willing to put into managing the triggers.” His soft voice held no recrimination or judgment.

She peered at him through a screen of her hair. Confused, she settled deeper into the chair and pushed several curls from her face, looping them behind her ears. “I never had anything like this happen with the Academy training. And they tortured me. Did the same with all recruits to make sure we didn’t crack if captured.”

“But you knew it would end. You knew they wouldn’t keep you indefinitely or kill you. It was a training exercise and nothing more in your mind, wasn’t it?” An ankle resting on opposite knee, he had the air of someone discussing a fancy restaurant. He scribbled a few notes in his notepad. Did nothing faze him?

“Of course. They didn’t want to kill us, just make us stronger.” The calming atmosphere seeped into her bones, relaxing her. His words echoed in her mind, untangling some of her chaotic thoughts. “It wasn’t real, what the Academy put us through. Sure, they hurt us, but everything was quick to heal from. The pain was negligible compared to what the scientists did. I was free to leave whenever I wanted. I can’t escape the scientists.”

“But you did. You’re not their prisoner anymore. The facility is closed, and they’re all in prison themselves. How about we work on some coping skills? It will take time and a lot of work, but you can learn to manage the triggers.”

“Yes, please. I don’t want to live like this. They still have a hold on me, and I hate it.”

***

Sylvia leaned against
the concrete wall, hands balled in her jacket pockets. Davis should show up soon. Probably enjoying a coffee somewhere. She closed her eyes and let the sounds of the street wash over her. The constant babble comforted her, so different from the hushed tones and lack of animation at the facility.

Dr. Zayler had suggested a few different techniques, and they had practiced them in his office. Deep breathing without hyperventilating. It had taken her a few tries before the lightheadedness faded. Relax the muscles. Tensing built anxiety and created a negative feedback loop.

A plan, even this small one, filled her with hope.

“Hey look, it’s the Alpha’s whore.”

Her eyes snapped open and zeroed in on the speaker. “Excuse me. Are you speaking to me?”

The male werewolf nudged his friend, and they both chuckled. “I don’t see any other whores around right now, do you?”

Sylvia straightened and glared at the two men. Neither one belonged to her personal pack in Toronto. The speaker carried himself with an air of confidence that bordered on arrogant. Blonde hair that probably cost more to maintain than hers fell past his shoulders. His smile should’ve been charming, but coupled with the flat stare, it became creepy.

His friend seemed out of place, a pale geeky guy more suited to arguing over which style of video game he preferred than harassing a woman. He rubbed his hand on his shaved head then dropped it quickly, as if afraid he’d betrayed something important to her.

“Who are you?” she demanded, placing all the authority of a Beta into her voice. It might not have the power of an Alpha, forcing submission on another, but it still caused many to quake before her. She ignored her own inner quaking, the intense desire to cower.
They can’t hurt me. They aren’t the scientists.

“We don’t answer to you,
Beta,
” the cocky one jeered. He stepped closer, and his breath fanned against her cheek. She suppressed her shudder of revulsion. “You are nothing but a weak, useless wolf. Lame. Broken. Someone should put a bullet in your head.”

She jerked back, stunned at the brutality. The blood drained from her face, and her mind went numb. No thoughts at all as she stared into his cold eyes.

“You’re right, Ian, she is useless. No way did she become a Beta through skill. She must’ve been fucking the Alpha for years. My Beta wouldn’t let such an insult pass,” the other one spat out. “Derek’s soft. His time is done.”

Sylvia’s head whipped around to the geeky one, and she hissed, “Derek will slaughter you. Neither of you would stand a chance at challenging him.”

Ian laughed. “I don’t want his position. I want yours, little bitch. Someone else, someone more qualified for the job, will become Alpha. And your precious Derek will become worm food. It’s time Ontario had a change in leadership.”

“Hey, what’s going on here?” A male voice intruded. Another unfamiliar one. “Why are you harassing… oh, I see.” Self-satisfied slyness oozed with those last three words. “Hello again, little wolf.”

The two in front of her shifted to the side, revealing the newcomer. Sawyer.

Lips pressed together, Sylvia drew up to her full height, looking down at Ian and the other one. Sawyer, however, had a few inches on her. These
Alphas
wouldn’t make her cower. At least, not outwardly.

“Let me pass,” she demanded with no hint of shakiness.

“Ooh, look at the little wolf, trying to be tough. Do you see that, Dan? She thinks she can order us around,” Ian sneered, crowding in closer. The other two followed suit until her back was pressed against the wall, no place for retreat.

Dan snickered. “She’s used to a weak Alpha, one she can push around. Won’t find that here, little dog.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll keep you around, if you play nice.” Ian grabbed a fistful of hair and twisted her head towards him. She froze. Flight or fight? Instincts and her conditioned responses warred within her. “You can clean our toilets. It’s all you’re fit for.”

A loud growl from behind the men broke through Sylvia’s paralysis, and she punched Ian in the chest. He released her hair, spinning around to confront the new threat.

Davis, furious and close to changing, jumped at Dan, smashing his body into the Alpha. Sylvia, using the heel of her foot, kicked Ian in the back of the knee. He stumbled, but didn’t go down.

Sylvia pushed past the Alphas and grabbed hold of Davis arm. “Come on, no brawling in the alley.”

The Coterie heavily frowned upon the supernaturals fighting anywhere humans could get harmed. And an alley near her shrink’s office in downtown Toronto constituted such a place. Plus it reflected badly on Derek if his high-ranking officers couldn’t follow the rules they enforced.

“Expect to hear from Derek. Don’t leave town.” Davis snarled at the other three werewolves.