Chapter 7

ENZO

Dad was just as wary as we assumed that he would be when it came to the situation surrounding Violet. It was filled with too many unknowns both about who she was and why they had her.

Alpha Nico was known far and wide as a calculating bastard. He was feared by his enemies for a very good reason. He was a stickler for things being done a certain way. One such thing was assessing potential outside threats before they came into the pack. Normally, those seeking sanctuary were taken to temporary housing until they could be assessed properly. They were never just brought right into the packhouse like we did with her.

What worked in Violet’s favor was the fact that she was saved from hunters.

Dad held a small soft spot for those who have faced hunters ever since he rescued Mom after she was captured by them and kept for six long days. It had taken a long time for Mom to heal from the horrors that she faced there, but she did eventually heal.

The only thing that Dad said was that we were responsible for Violet and would be held accountable for whatever happened to or because of her.

Niccolò and I were actually very surprised that Dad caved as quickly and to the extent as he did.

My brother and I had gone out to run the territory and ensure that our warriors were made aware that we were to be informed immediately if they picked up on anything out of the ordinary.

We left Dr. Sutton in charge of watching over Violet. She wasn’t concerned about the fact that she was still unconscious after fourteen hours, insisting that there wasn’t anything medically wrong with her and would awaken whenever her body was ready to.

“What are you going to do with her once she wakes up?” Dr. Sutton asked me.

She had left to grab some supplies that might be needed for whenever Violet finally woke up. While there was nothing medically wrong, it didn’t mean she wouldn’t be in a world of pain.

Dr. Sutton was the one who changed her and catalogued the injuries. There were new and old ones alike. It would appear that the previous injuries were a collection of variety, but she didn’t go into details. There was no telling what all she had dealt with, but it was clear that her life wasn’t made of rainbows and sunshine.  

“The same thing that we did with all of the others,” I told her.

We’d provide medical treatment as well as psychological treatment if need be. Then she’d be set up with whatever she needed to start fresh. One of the biggest perks that new people enjoyed was having access to our training programs. Many of them appreciated learning how to protect themselves.

Dr. Sutton went inside of the room first so that Violet wouldn’t be overwhelmed but came right back out. There was a frown on her face as she beckoned me inside.

Violet wasn’t in the bed at all. I looked in the bathroom and closet, but she wasn’t there either. Where in the fuck was she?

Her scent wasn’t in the hallway, the window hadn’t been opened, and she wasn’t under the bed either.

‘Violet’s not in the room. Have you seen her?’ I mindlinked Niccolò.

‘You’re joking right?’ I growled through the link, warning him not to fuck around. ‘No, I haven’t. She couldn’t have gone far. I’m heading back to the packhouse,’ he told me before cutting the link.

“It might not be the best time to say this, but she might be a danger to those around her because she must be out of sorts right now,” Dr. Sutton said as we left the room.

“I don’t care! Find her.”

Not being able to track her scent was problematic because we’d be going at this blindly. That was confusing in and of itself. What happened to her scent? I highly doubted that she had been able to get her hands on any type of scent blocker. I also highly doubted that anyone in the packhouse was responsible, but it wasn’t something that I could absolutely refute.

‘Why not ask the best tracker for help?’ Titan questioned me.

How would a tracker help right now? We’d probably end up finding her by the time that they even got here.

‘I swear to all,’ he grumbled. ‘I can track her energy, dumbass. I spent enough time analyzing it while she was out.’

I just glared at him in our shared mindspace for calling me a dumbass. It was his favorite insult to use whenever he had to point something out that he felt should be self-explanatory.

Energy had its own signature. Each one was as unique as fingerprints. He was sensitive to identifying energies, so he could track them if he was particularly familiar enough.

It took another five minutes before he got a good lock onto Violet’s signature. We were both impressed that she had gotten as far as she had without being caught, especially while her body was not in prime condition.

I was coming up behind her, pausing to consider the best course of action right now and how to proceed.

Inside of me, Titan growled with how good she looked in my shirt. I was right there with him on that. Even the bagginess of it didn’t detract from how it made her look. Violet, from what I had seen despite her injuries, was beautiful.

Violet’s spine straightened. Her heartbeat sped up, most likely realizing that she wasn’t alone any longer.

I wasn’t certain what I’d expected to see when she turned around. Fear was one thing that I’d been prepared for, but it was surprisingly not what I saw. There was fire in her eyes when they landed on me.

Normally, I would’ve snapped at someone if they looked at me like she was, but I was fascinated by it instead. It showed the type of person that she was, and that was some who had a warrior’s heart – someone who wouldn’t roll over and accept defeat.

“I don’t care how much you paid him for me. I’m sure he’d be more than happy to suck you off in repayment. I don’t care how you get reimbursed, but I’m not letting you finish what was started,” she snapped coldly.

Well, shit. There was plenty to unpack with that declaration.

There was a little bit of context now. Someone sold her off to the hunters. Whoever was responsible for doing that would end up regretting their choices before they were no longer able to regret anything except for where they ended up for eternity.

My hands went into my pockets, giving off an air of nonchalance. I wasn’t her enemy and didn’t feel threatened by her. Plus, Titan was grinning at her boldness, impressed that she had a set of metaphorical balls on her.

“There are a few things wrong with that. First, I didn’t pay shit to whomever you’re referring. Second, I’m very straight and happy with that particular life choice of mine. Third, if I wanted to cause you harm then I already had ample opportunity.”

I was slowly approaching her as I laid out each statement. I didn’t want her to get hurt, but I also needed to make sure that I could restrain her if absolutely necessary. I’d rather not have to sedate her, but Dr. Sutton had an injection on hand if the worst-case scenario occurred.

She watched me warily as I advanced, but she had yet to move. She was really fucking brave. I’d give her that.

I was five feet away from her when I realized that she had something in her hand. It had been angled away so that I didn’t even notice it until she whipped it out in front of her. A letter opener. It wasn’t the ideal weapon but could do some damage if utilized properly.

Titan just snickered in amusement. What in the fuck had happened to my badass wolf who would’ve dropped anyone else that brandished a letter opener?

‘You’ve got this. Just make sure she doesn’t aim for your balls,’ he encouraged me.

Dick wolf. I’d remind him of this moment the next time that he faced off against some rogues or an enemy.

“Can we just talk like civilized people?” I asked her.

She scoffed and levelled a look at me, which clearly indicated that she believed I couldn’t be civil. Awfully presumptuous.

Other people were beginning to show up, curious about what was going on. I saw the exact moment when she decided on which side of the fight or flight equation she was going to settle on.

Had the nosey assholes stayed away, I might not have had a 5’7” woman launching herself at me. She clearly felt like there was nothing left to lose. Not that I could blame her given the way that the past twenty-four hours had gone for her.

She was fast despite her injuries. I moved out of the way just in time to avoid getting stabbed. Her body went into an immediate turn, coming right back at me, but I ducked just in time to miss her arm coming back in an arch.

I heard Niccolò’s distinct chuckle and saw him casually leaning against the wall with a grin as he watched the two of us.

“A little help?” I asked him.

“I think you’re doing good,” he said dismissively.

Niccolò’s voice caught Violet’s attention. Her head whipped up, and a look of anger washed over her features.

“YOU!” she exclaimed, pointing an accusatory finger at him.

“Hello to you too.” He gave her a little wave. “You’re doing great, spitfire. Don’t take your attention off of your opponent. Then we can talk once you’re all tuckered out. I promise that you’re in no danger here.”

She turned her attention back to me. I could see that she was trying to figure out what needed to happen. Honestly, I couldn’t imagine what she must be feeling right now. Her reaction was justified because I knew I’d go on a rampage if I was in her shoes.

Her shoulders sagged and body stopped moving. Had I been paying closer attention then I wouldn’t have been blindsided by thinking that she was giving in. I nearly hissed when the letter opener sliced my skin open.

I heard growls behind me and saw people moving to intervene, clearly believing that it was justified because she ‘attacked’ me.

“ENOUGH! This has nothing to do with any of you. Nobody touches her. Leave now,” I demanded.

I looked down at my arm and saw the blood dripping from the wound. It wasn’t anything serious and would be healed the matter of minutes.

“My brother is being honest. We’re not a threat to you, Violet. We saved you from the fuckers who had you zip-tied in their SUV. If you’re done trying to kill me, how about we all go find somewhere private to talk. I’ll even let you keep your weapon if that’ll make you feel better,” I offered.

She looked from me to Niccolò, trying to figure out what to believe. Eventually, she nodded her head and tightly gripped the letter opener.