Enforcer's Redemption.

by Carrie Ann Ryan.

Enforcer's Redemption Blurb.

Adam Jamenson has suffered through the worst loss known to man. The only reason he lives day-to-day is to ensure the safety of his Pack. As the Enforcer of the Redwood Pack, it is his job to protect all in his path, though he was unable to protect the ones he held dear. The war with the Centrals is heating up and Adam must try and grit through it in order to survive. Though the broken man inside of him may not want to...

Bay Milton is a werewolf with a past. And a secret. She's met the Redwood's Enforcer only once, but it left a lasting effect. Now she needs to find him or everything he had thought he lost, may be lost again.

Together, they must struggle and find a way to fight their pasts and present in order to protect their future. But the Centrals have a plan that might make their path one of loss and destruction.

Dedication.

To Lia Davis. Thank you for helping me keep it together with Adam. We needed you.

Acknowledgments.

This book took almost everything I had in me to write and I couldn't have done it without my writing family. Thank you Lia Davis for being there for me with everything. Thanks to my Pack, you know who you are. You guys are so energetic about Adam, that it totally helps.

Thanks to my hubby for not laughing at me when I'm sobbing as I write. I know I looked a mess, but you stood strong. And thanks to my readers. You guys have been so supportive and vocal about wanting Adam's story. You're the reason I get to do this. Thank you.

Prologue.

"Damn, it wasn't supposed to be this difficult." Caym cursed as he paced, his fists itched to punch something. He picked up the piece of paper he'd dropped on the floor earlier and saw red as rage coursed through him.

Still no results. Target not acquired.

Caym screamed and flexed his powers, the pulse of energy causing the paper to go up in flames. The heat burned, leaving trails of ash on his skin. Good. He needed the pain. He brushed a lock of hair out of his face and cursed again. Nothing was going as planned. Nothing.

A whimper sounded in the corner of the room, and Caym snarled. The wolf had failed him. Well, not exactly this wolf, but it was one of the hairy beasts. He always had such trouble figuring out which wolf was which. Not because it was hard, but because he really didn't give a damn. It was just unfortunate that this wolf had delivered the message. The man he'd sent out on his mission must have known Caym would be displeased and sent another wolf instead. That pissed Caym off even more.

It would be a shame to kill the messenger, but Caym loved to go against the grain, especially when blood and mayhem were involved.

They'd failed him. Again.

He'd known another of his kind resided on this plane the moment he'd set foot on that grassy circle the night the Centrals had called him and sacrificed two of their own. Still, he'd held the fact a fellow brethren lived on this plane closely to his chest in case he needed it. With the Centrals fucking up at every turn, first with the Willow girl, then with the trinity bond, he needed to step up his timeline and take control sooner rather than later.

Now, since that abomination, Josh, had killed Hector, there was only one wolf in his way-Corbin. Caym almost felt something for the sadistic bastard, but not enough to waylay his plans. No one was good enough for that.

But, back to the point-he couldn't find his brethren. All demons could find each other if needed; it was in their genetic code. Why was he having so much trouble finding this one?

Though he wouldn't dare to mention it aloud, he desperately needed this other demon to make his plans work. The trinity bond had severed his connection to the hell that he came from. Without that, he wouldn't be able to call forth his brothers to take over this world, but there was another here that could help him.

If only he could find the bastard.

He didn't know how the other could elude him, but he was beyond pissed. Caym didn't want to use the wolves any more than he needed to for his plan to work, but he might have to. This, after all, was the second time he'd been on this plane. He couldn't allow for failure. Not this time.

Caym turned to the whimpering wolf in the corner who clutched his arm. He looked closer and saw a bit of bone sticking out at an odd angle. Ah, oops, he supposed he'd gotten a bit rough earlier.

No worries. He'd make sure the wolf wouldn't feel any pain...after he felt just a bit more. Okay, a lot more.

Caym smiled, and tears fell down the other wolf's cheeks. "You've failed me. I asked for results, and all I get are six words that mean nothing to me."

"But...but I only gave you the note. I don't even know what it says." The wolf curled up into himself, sobbing harder.

Pity. He'd thought wolves were supposed to be strong. Though, he did like it when they begged.

"I don't care. I take it as a personal offense that you dared showed your presence here without results."

"Please...don't..."

Caym couldn't hear what the other wolf said under his pleas and moaning.

Whatever.

Suddenly, not in the mood to deal with the piece of garbage in front of him, he flicked his wrist, and demon fire erupted around the wolf. The other man screamed in pain, and Caym let himself smile a bit.

It was a good sound after all.

When the wolf was nothing but ashes, Caym stopped the fire. Nothing surrounding the scorch marks was burned due to the powers of his fire. A perk, if he did say so himself. Updating the upholstery of any home he was in was ever so bothersome.

Caym straightened his cuffs and tie then went back to his leather desk chair, sinking into the cushions. He'd have to take matters into his own hands, apparently. He needed to find this other demon, and the wolves weren't getting the job done.

And if the demon was shielding from him and didn't go along with Caym's plans, there would be hell to pay. After all, he was a demon; giving hell was his expertise.

Chapter 1.

Adam Jamenson watched as Jasper swept Willow around the dance floor, which the family had built outside their den, delight on both of their faces. A sharp and familiar pang pierced his heart, rattled around his ribs, and then settled in his stomach like a rotting, dead weight. He took a swig of his Jack on the rocks, the burn not quite dulling the ache that had haunted him for two decades.

God, he missed Anna.

He rubbed a hand through his shorn, dark brown hair, trying to release some of the tension he'd felt over the past eight months. Well, if he was honest, it'd been much longer than that, but the intensity had increased dramatically since... No, he couldn't and wouldn't think about that.

Not again. Not ever.

He drained the last of his glass and wondered if he should get up and pour himself another. What he needed right now was to get blinding drunk, but his family was watching him. They were always watching him, and with this being Willow's birthday party, the Pack was celebrating and trying to be happy.

Adam didn't want to be happy.

He wanted to be fucking drunk, that way the feel of the spindly fingers wrapped around his heart in a death grip would dissipate to a dull clench. His body felt on alert at all times, as if, at any moment, something would come in and attack, taking away anything else he thought he had.

It wasn't much, just a jumble of memories that wouldn't fade away.

He was the Enforcer of the Redwood Pack. As such, he felt the threats to the Pack deep in his soul and held the duty to protect his family. Sometimes, though, he felt as if he were failing at every turn.

Willow's laugh brought him out of his gloomy thoughts. She smiled, her face brightening as North took her from Jasper's arms, and they two-stepped to the change in music. He loved Willow like a sister and would do anything for her. He'd almost taken her into his home when she'd had a falling out with Jasper. She wouldn't have taken Anna's place, but maybe her laughter would have warmed up his tomb slightly.

Did he even want warmth?

"You don't want that other drink, man," Maddox grumbled as he took the seat next to Adam without invitation.

"Damn it. Stay out of my head."

"You know I don't read minds."

Adam held back a wince. Of all his brothers, Maddox was the one he did his best to avoid. As the Omega of the Pack, he could feel every emotion from its members, and Adam didn't want Maddox to be privy to some of his emotions. Or, rather, any of his emotions. He didn't even want to deal with them himself. But, Maddox knew everything. He'd seen the way Maddox looked after Anna's...death. He knew too much, and Adam didn't want to look his brother in his all-too-knowing gaze and see pity...or worse, understanding.

No one could understand.

He had been the first of his brothers to be mated. He'd met and fallen in love with Anna forty years before. He'd had twenty years with the love of his life and then had lost her and their unborn child. He gripped his glass tighter as the gaping wound bled just a bit more. Now, one by one, his brothers were finding their mates, in Reed's case two mates.

Adam was left to sit back and watch. Alone.

He didn't want to be around to watch the smiles on their faces, see the love radiating from their pores, watch the women grow full and ripe with their children.

Children.

He closed his eyes, the stinging increasing.

He didn't want to see Finn, Mel and Kade's son, and Brie, Jasper and Willow's daughter, toddle and grow up. That was the worst part. The part he couldn't ignore. They were the physical representations and proof of a mating bond so strong that the Redwoods had a chance of a future.

Adam had almost had that once...then the Centrals had taken it away from him.

"Tone it down, man. You're projecting enough emotion right now that everyone else can feel it as well." Maddox put his hand on Adam's shoulder, and Adam flinched.

"Don't touch me," he snapped. God, he sounded like an ass. "Please."

Maddox pulled his hand back, but he didn't move his gaze. Adam's gaze traced the jagged scar on the right side of his brother's face. He didn't know where he'd received it, but he knew it held more meaning than Adam knew.

"Adam, what's going on?"

"Like you don't know?" Adam growled. "Just leave me the fuck alone."

"Stop lashing out at him, he's just trying to help," his wolf pleaded.

Adam ignored him. His wolf had failed him when he needed him most. He didn't want to talk to the constant reminder of why he hadn't been there for Anna.

"No, I won't leave you the fuck alone. I don't know what happened, but something's changed. You were healing, Adam."

Adam snarled and stormed away from the party, ignoring the cautious and concerned looks boring holes into his back. Yeah, let them look at the deranged Enforcer. He was used to that.

"Adam, don't run from it. You're going to fuck up if you don't stop this." Maddox walked behind him, his voice low.

Adam stopped and turned, glaring at his younger brother. "What the fuck are you talking about?"

Maddox raised his chin, undaunted. "If you don't reign in those chaotic emotions of yours, you're going to fuck up, and the Pack will be the ones who pay the price"

Adam planted his feet on the ground and put his shoulders back, chest forward, shock radiating through him. "You don't think I can handle my Enforcer duties?"

Maddox shook his head. "I don't know. I don't think you'd purposely put anyone in harm's way, but you're not yourself. What happened when you were away, Adam? You were finally healing, smiling more. Laughing and hanging out with Willow. What changed?"

"Nothing."

Maddox frowned, disappointment on his face. "You need to trust someone, Adam."

"I trust my family." Just not with everything. No, not this.

"I just wish it were enough." Maddox sighed. "I'm here if you need me."

Adam nodded, unable to speak. He loved his family with everything he had...because they were everything he had.

"Adam? Maddox? Is everything okay?" Ellie Reyes, the Centrals' princess and newest Redwood Pack member, came up to them, Maddox's twin brother, North, on her heels.

Maddox stiffened at the duo's approach, and Adam raised a brow. It looked as though he wasn't the only one with secrets.

"We're fine," Maddox grumbled. "Just having a brotherly chat."

North tilted his head. "Anything I should know about?"

Adam shook his head. "Nothing. Just dumb shit."

Ellie looked at Maddox, her gaze unwavering. "If you're sure," she whispered, the scent of pain radiating off her like a thick blanket.

She still hadn't healed from her lifetime of torture at the hands of her brother, Corbin. Frankly, Adam didn't think she ever would. Though the female wolf was one of the strongest wolves he'd ever met. People just couldn't get over some things.