Fierce Claim (Her Vicious Pack #4)

1. Vera

1

Vera

Calming down after the eventful evening we’ve just had isn’t easy. We were supposed to have a relaxing dinner at Mathew’s favourite place, but it ended in a horrible fight instead.

The adrenaline might be gone now we’re back home, but an angry and nervous energy is still rushing through my body, keeping me on edge.

Getting attacked by the Hearts at the restaurant was the last straw; I’m done waiting. I’m done waiting for them to make another move and get even closer to us. I’m done waiting and never knowing where the threat comes from next.

I’ve lived like that for six years with Caleb and I’m not going to start my pack life the same way. My pack life will be different.

Hell, what’s the use of sharing a pack with Mathew ‘The Cleaner’ Page, someone who isn’t just feared but who’s also fucking rich, if I still live the same way as I did when it was just Caleb and me? Always fearful, always on edge. I’ve had enough of it.

Caleb, Jorge, Mathew and the others have been trying to find out how close the Hearts have gotten to us, how they could so easily influence Jorge’s sources and how long this has been going on. But what if that’s the wrong direction? What if that’s not what we should be doing?

If we stay on the defence like this, we’ll never get the upper hand.

I know that my pack is protective, that they want to make sure nobody gets hurt while they’re figuring things out. But even if we find out how much the Hearts have been messing with us, that’s not going to stop them —or anyone else from the Suits Syndicate— from coming after us.

Tonight proved that. Tonight proved that they’re willing to do anything to get to us.

I have no idea if they knew ahead of time that Riley would run into us —at this point, anything is possible— but someone from the group she was meeting with didn’t hesitate and called for reinforcements. They contacted someone at the Hearts because they saw Mathew was there. They were willing to take a chance like that, risk everything, just to get to him.

And it cost them their lives.

If anything, this shows that it’s very likely that the Hearts are behind the bounties that are on our heads, or, at least, that they’re happy to act on them if they get an opportunity.

Either way, we’re in more danger than we were before and we have to stop worrying ‘what if’ and start making our own plans. The next time something like this happens, we might not be so lucky.

I don’t want to think what could have happened if Derrick and the others hadn’t been there.

How I could have lost my pack…

“Vera?” Caleb’s voice is soft as he reaches out to me, pulling me onto his lap.

We’re in the garden, the warm early summer air wrapped around us, as we’re trying to calm down after the eventful evening. I found Caleb and Riley sitting here, looking very serious, after I came down from my shower with Mathew and Jorge.

Not that our conversation has gotten any lighter since then…

“Hmm?” I sit down so I’m leaning against his chest but can still look at Riley. I like their combined pheromones, it’s a perfect mix, deep forest and dark red roses, comfortable and heady at the same time.

“Did I ever fully explain what Erika’s organisation does?” He slides his arms around me, keeping me nestled against him. His steady heartbeat a soothing metronome, making me drowsy with sleep.

“They help people escape bad situations, help them to start new lives. Things like that, right?” I’m aware that what they’re doing is much more involved, but since it’s all pretty secretive —to help protect the victims— I never asked for details. I didn’t need them. They were doing good work. That’s all I needed to know.

“Correct.” He wraps his arms around me more, his pheromones spiking with satisfaction, and I watch Riley keep a close eye on us. She seems interested in where this is going. “Do you know what kind of situations she helps them out of?”

I think, trying to remember what Caleb or others have told me before and what I’ve picked up over the years. “All sorts of things. Bad packs. Forced sex work. Human trafficking. Ehh… Probably more, but that’s all I remember right now.”

“Correct. Though that’s just the surface level.” He lets out a long breath, his pheromones calm but he feels tense. “They specialise in helping people escape from the Suits Syndicate. They mostly focus on the Diamonds, as that’s the area they live in.”

I blink, looking up at him. “You’ve known about the Suits Syndicate all this time?”

Until Mathew told me about them, I had no idea organisations like that existed and —until not too long ago— I had no idea the Suits Syndicate was even a thing. But Caleb knew all along?

“I worked for Erika and her pack before we met, remember? She explained the whole Suits Syndicate situation before I started, to make sure I knew the danger I was dealing with. Plus, it’s not like it really mattered where the people came from. They were in need, I helped them, that was all there was to it for me.”

I keep staring at him, not sure if I should be angry or annoyed that he never told me this. But then, I guess I had enough shit on my plate without also being aware that Erika’s work wasn’t simply rescuing people but that she was rescuing them from very dangerous organisations. I don’t think I would have been able to deal with that at the time.

“You worked for Erika?” Riley’s warm rose scent fills with surprise.

Caleb nods. “For quite a long time. I think I was one of the first people she asked to help them after she married her pack. I worked for them until I met Vera and we had to go on the run. It’s a bit complicated to help people return to society when we didn’t even have a stable place to stay ourselves.”

“You were on the run?” Riley frowns, eyeing Caleb and then me, her body tense. “You met Vera while dealing with the Syndicate? How are you still alive?”

“No. We weren’t running from the Syndicate.” I let out a soft laugh at her incredulous look. “We were running from the Alpha my parents’ pack married me off to.” I glance up at Caleb and give him a kiss on his jaw, grinning. “This one here stole me out of the wedding car.”

That makes Riley blink, her confusion deepening, which makes me smile. “Because he was ordered to by Erika?” She looks at Caleb, who smiles sheepishly.

“No. I was driving past her parents’ pack’s place on my way to pick up some parts for a car I was working on. I smelled her distressed pheromones, parked the car and grabbed her. It was instinct more than anything else.” He kisses the top of my head. “I didn’t really realise what I’d done until we were far away and had both calmed down.”

Riley reaches out, carefully touching my knee, worry still in her gaze. “But you’re no longer in danger? You’re safe now?”

I nod. Though I’m not sure how she’s going to take the next part of our story. “Mathew killed the Alpha. He’s no longer a problem.”

“Ah.” She relaxes as she nods. “And that’s how you met. When you hired him to kill the Alpha. That’s a pretty extreme way to deal with things, but it makes sense.”

“Nope.” I can’t hide my grin. “The Alpha I was supposed to marry hired Mathew to kidnap us . Which Mathew’s team succeeded in.”

“Then how did the Alpha end up dead?” Her confusion is interesting to watch, makes her look more human, less in control.

To be fair, there are a lot of moving parts to our past…

“Because they are my scent matches.” Mathew’s voice reaches us from the door, sounding amused. “The bastard was trying to renegotiate the pricing and pissed me off. It was easier to get rid of him and keep them for myself.”

I narrow my eyes at Mathew, now he’s simplifying things way too much. “I’m pretty sure there was more involved than ‘keeping us for yourself’. I remember a contract and you making us choose between becoming ‘yours’ or paying you a million quid or something ridiculous like that.”

He grins as he reaches out, sliding his fingers along my neck, his touch tender. “Did I ever make you sign anything?”

“Not really... But still, you did make us choose.”

“It wasn’t really a choice.” His voice is filled with warmth and pride. “I knew you wouldn’t choose the second option. You were too smart and practical for that.”

He looks almost awkward as he drops his hand, staring out into the garden. “I didn’t know how else to make sure you wouldn’t immediately run away after what you’d just been through. Binding you to me like that seemed like the only way.”

“I would have killed you, or at least kicked your ass.” Riley’s growling words and angry pheromones make it very clear what she thinks of his actions. She doesn’t have a good impression of Mathew and stories like this don’t make it any better.

“I know.” Mathew flashes her a grin, his awkwardness and vulnerability gone. “And if Caleb hadn’t been hurt, and if they hadn’t been lifted from their beds in the middle of the night by my men, they would have kicked my ass too. Or, at least, would have attempted it.”

That makes Riley stare at Caleb, her anger growing. “You were hurt?!”

He nods, which makes Riley glare at Mathew even more. “You don’t hurt your targets. You should know that. What kind of crap team are you running here?”

Caleb holds up his hand, stopping the rest of her words. “It wasn’t their fault. I was barefoot and stepped in some broken glass. It was an accident.” He lets out a soft laugh as he pulls me against him more. “This one here was ready to fight the whole time, but didn’t because I was hurt and wouldn’t have been able to escape with her. She wouldn’t leave me behind.”

Riley’s eyes soften as she looks at me. “I believe that immediately. The way she handled herself tonight was magnificent.”

“She definitely knows how to handle herself, she basically castrated one of my men.” Mathew laughs, pride in his eyes. “The two of them nearly took out half of the team before they were caught. And Vera had as much of a hand in that as Caleb did. With a knife, she might be more dangerous than me. Do not let her cuteness fool you.”

My cheeks heat up and I glance down to my hands, my heart racing. “I’m not that impressive. I only applied what Caleb taught me. It’s just basic fighting skills.”

Riley reaches out, touching my hand, her pheromones filled with joy. “In this world, being able to protect yourself, especially as an Omega, is a big advantage. And what I saw you do tonight, how controlled you moved and how aware of your surroundings you were, you’ve got great instincts and skills. I’d happily have you at my side when I’m on a mission.”

“Those are some mighty compliments.” Jorge saunters over, dressed in boxer briefs and a t-shirt, his arm wrapped in clean bandages. “Riley won’t even let me near her when she’s on a mission. She claims it’s ‘too dangerous’.”

I glance between Riley, Jorge and Mathew, and the soft way Riley smiles makes my face heat up even more and my pheromones flare.

I’m not used to getting compliments. Especially from people who I know are much more skilled than me.

Though, the thought of going on a mission with Riley, to see how she works and what she does, that’s very tempting too...

Very, very tempting...