surrounded by fellow Lycans allowed
one to relax and act natural without fear of discovery.
Later in the
evening, when Brad had sought him out and reminded him of his
promise to talk to Tabitha’s friend, he’d figured it would just be
a quick chat. After all, a female Enforcer was unheard of. Now he
hoped the conversation would take a lot longer. His conscience
pricked him, but he told it to shut up. There was no harm in a
little conversation. He wasn’t promising her anything.
Their drinks
arrived and surprisingly enough she did ask him about his job as an
Enforcer.
“So is it true
what they say?” She was looking at him speculatively while taking a
sip of her beer.
“Is what
true?”
“That most
Enforcers would be too dangerous to have in a normal pack?” No
sooner had she uttered the words than she winced and ducked her
head, seeming regretful. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked
something so personal.”
Reno shrugged and
gave a dry laugh. “Don’t worry about it. It’s nothing new and yeah,
most Enforcers are borderline rogues, ready to go over the edge if
we’re not kept in line.”
“Rogues? That’s
awfully harsh.” She frowned at his words. “I’ve always envisioned
Enforcers more as frustrated Alphas that didn’t have a pack to use
up all their protective energies.”
A frustrated
Alpha. Huh. Is that what you are, buddy? He asked the wolf inside
himself before focussing back on the female sitting across from
him. “You’re trying to put a pretty spin on a harsh reality. For
most Enforcers, our innate personality makes us aggressive. We want
to lead and dominate, but a pack can only have one Alpha and they
don’t usually want to give up the position.”
“So in the
interest of pack peace, you choose to leave your home. You put the
needs of the pack first.”
“Or we’re forced
out before we become a threat.” He shrugged, feeling uncomfortable
with how she was trying to elevate his particular brand of wolf to
something nobler than it was. He knew the facts, having seen his
assessment file when he entered the Academy all those years ago.
Learning he’d been classified as potentially dangerous was a shock,
but he preferred reality to fantasy. It wasn’t a pretty label, but
he’d learned to accept it and had made the best of his life.
She frowned,
obviously not happy with his interpretation of the facts and he
tried to reassure her.
“Hey, it’s not
that bad. Lycan Link is a great place to live. I have some good
friends there, enjoy my job—”
“But it makes no
sense. If all the Enforcers are these dangerous near-rogue types,
how is it that you aren’t always fighting?”
“There are
confrontations, believe me. Some have more trouble integrating than
others—there’s even a screening process to see if potential
Enforcers can handle being around the others—but with no real
‘pack’ to fight over it’s easier and we’re kept busy dealing with
situations all over the continent. Besides that, the captain is
uber-dominant and keeps us all in line.” Reno chuckled thinking of
all the times the man had literally wiped the floor with one or
another of the men when they’d become too cocky.
He spent the next
while entertaining her with tales of his life as an Enforcer,
sharing a few of his more interesting cases before moving on to how
instructor stints compared to being in the field.
Just as he was
going to ask her what she’d been studying at the Academy her
friends arrived to drag her onto the dance floor. She looked at him
apologetically, but he waved her on her way. It gave him some time
to study her, to watch how she moved, to note the way her eyes
reflected her emotions as she talked to her friend. No doubt she
was scolding the other girl for setting her up. Both of the girls
looked his way and he raised his glass in a mock toast.
The
blonde—Tabitha—was laughing and seemed to be encouraging Brandi to
do something. Brandi looked hesitant, nibbling her
one to relax and act natural without fear of discovery.
Later in the
evening, when Brad had sought him out and reminded him of his
promise to talk to Tabitha’s friend, he’d figured it would just be
a quick chat. After all, a female Enforcer was unheard of. Now he
hoped the conversation would take a lot longer. His conscience
pricked him, but he told it to shut up. There was no harm in a
little conversation. He wasn’t promising her anything.
Their drinks
arrived and surprisingly enough she did ask him about his job as an
Enforcer.
“So is it true
what they say?” She was looking at him speculatively while taking a
sip of her beer.
“Is what
true?”
“That most
Enforcers would be too dangerous to have in a normal pack?” No
sooner had she uttered the words than she winced and ducked her
head, seeming regretful. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked
something so personal.”
Reno shrugged and
gave a dry laugh. “Don’t worry about it. It’s nothing new and yeah,
most Enforcers are borderline rogues, ready to go over the edge if
we’re not kept in line.”
“Rogues? That’s
awfully harsh.” She frowned at his words. “I’ve always envisioned
Enforcers more as frustrated Alphas that didn’t have a pack to use
up all their protective energies.”
A frustrated
Alpha. Huh. Is that what you are, buddy? He asked the wolf inside
himself before focussing back on the female sitting across from
him. “You’re trying to put a pretty spin on a harsh reality. For
most Enforcers, our innate personality makes us aggressive. We want
to lead and dominate, but a pack can only have one Alpha and they
don’t usually want to give up the position.”
“So in the
interest of pack peace, you choose to leave your home. You put the
needs of the pack first.”
“Or we’re forced
out before we become a threat.” He shrugged, feeling uncomfortable
with how she was trying to elevate his particular brand of wolf to
something nobler than it was. He knew the facts, having seen his
assessment file when he entered the Academy all those years ago.
Learning he’d been classified as potentially dangerous was a shock,
but he preferred reality to fantasy. It wasn’t a pretty label, but
he’d learned to accept it and had made the best of his life.
She frowned,
obviously not happy with his interpretation of the facts and he
tried to reassure her.
“Hey, it’s not
that bad. Lycan Link is a great place to live. I have some good
friends there, enjoy my job—”
“But it makes no
sense. If all the Enforcers are these dangerous near-rogue types,
how is it that you aren’t always fighting?”
“There are
confrontations, believe me. Some have more trouble integrating than
others—there’s even a screening process to see if potential
Enforcers can handle being around the others—but with no real
‘pack’ to fight over it’s easier and we’re kept busy dealing with
situations all over the continent. Besides that, the captain is
uber-dominant and keeps us all in line.” Reno chuckled thinking of
all the times the man had literally wiped the floor with one or
another of the men when they’d become too cocky.
He spent the next
while entertaining her with tales of his life as an Enforcer,
sharing a few of his more interesting cases before moving on to how
instructor stints compared to being in the field.
Just as he was
going to ask her what she’d been studying at the Academy her
friends arrived to drag her onto the dance floor. She looked at him
apologetically, but he waved her on her way. It gave him some time
to study her, to watch how she moved, to note the way her eyes
reflected her emotions as she talked to her friend. No doubt she
was scolding the other girl for setting her up. Both of the girls
looked his way and he raised his glass in a mock toast.
The
blonde—Tabitha—was laughing and seemed to be encouraging Brandi to
do something. Brandi looked hesitant, nibbling her
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