Kaden

Adjusting

"I'd rather my daughter dead than mated to you," played through my head on repeat, giving me the calm coldness required for my task. If my emotions surfaced, I'd lose myself to tears and I couldn't. After Riversong reported a banished pack abused their young, I was sent to inspect it. The alpha assumed his banishment meant our laws no longer applied to him. It was my job the teach him how wrong he was.

Three other enforcers were with me, and they were horrified. Albeit, they knew not to let their emotions cloud their judgment too. The man was a monster. He made his pups fight to eat. If they lost, they starved. If they couldn't ever win, they died. Either though starvation, or he took them out into the woods and ripped them apart himself. When we arrived, that's what we caught him doing. The screams echoed in my ears, and I nearly gagged while tears poured from my eyes until I recalled Kaden. That led to what my father said and calmness was mine once more.

We'd been here for several days, collecting evidence, and had finally received permission to take him down. It broke my heart to creep through the halls of his home and witness the devastation he wreaked. His pack was dead inside. They had no joy, only pain. But they didn't give us away when we stalked through the dirty, ruined halls. Only the elite were allowed rooms. The rest slept on the floor in the hall among the trash. It felt intentional. Like the elite destroyed the hallway so those who slept on the floor lay among remains of vases, pictures, wadded paper, and shards of glass. The sight of rats and flies near babies boiled my blood, but I kept myself calm. My temper couldn't save them. But my strength could. The two were opposite sides of the same coin, so I needed to remain between them to use both to my advantage. The last thing these poor souls needed was false hope. If I fell, if we failed, how could they ever trust again?

Every face was dirty. Blood and dirt streaked cheeks with tear tracks cutting through the grime. Oh, how my heart ached. I desired to rescue each poor soul doomed to this cruel hell after I vanquished the devil. My fellow enforcers growled under their breath when we witnessed a stronger wolf steal food from a weaker one. Sure, fat rat, steal from the starving rat to prove you're better. I will enjoy putting you in your place. When I cleared my throat, the werewolf looked at me and snarled. I bared my teeth in a cold mockery of a smile. Without looking, I knew the enforcers behind me did the same. On the receiving end it was... intimidating. Or so I'd heard.

"Who the fuck are you," the bully demanded and I scoffed.

"Your worst nightmare," I offered with a slight smirk. As I hoped, he ran at me, swinging his fist once he got close. I yawned as he approached, catching his fist while my eyes were closed and driving it into his face before I opened my eyes again. When I tilted my head to the side with a mocking smile he snarled, his hand cupping his bleeding nose.

"You bitch!" He snapped and I chuckled.

"I did nothing to you, sweetheart. You hit yourself," I responded with a shrug. His growl was pathetic, and I blinked slow to show I wasn't the least bit worried about his supposed threat. He tried to be cautious, but his belief he was the best damned him. I wasn't kind this time, he'd had his warning, and I broke his wrist when I caught his fist. It was a sharp twist, and it took him several seconds to realize the snap he heard was his bone. Then he screamed. While I distracted him, Thanor, the enforcer I trusted the most, saw to the teenager he'd stolen food from.

The boy was little more than a skeleton, and I feared the wolf who fought him let him win out of mercy. Or, his opponent was in worse shape than him. Either way, it was heartbreaking. We had the attention of every wolf in the hall, since they were curious to see how we treated a weak wolf. Thanor, knelt, offering him a piece of bespelled jerky. It wouldn't heal him, but it would make him feel full while giving his body nutrients and vitamins it needed. And, when he ate a full meal later, he wouldn't get sick. We had enough for double the number of werewolves we'd seen. Trina was a lifesaver.