Page 1 of Fierce Claim
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.
