All the Devils are Here

Alpha Down

Samael

“Don’t leave”, I tell Hera before I escort Asher and Lex out of the kitchen and into one of the spare rooms where we can talk privately.

This is the absolute worse timing and all I want to do is be with her there and ask her why she thinks coming here was a mistake. Was it only because of her nightmare? Did she think it bothered me? Because it didn’t. It doesn’t. I just want her to be okay. And there’s this impenetrable wall that is around her that I’m not trying to break down but, everytime we spend some time together, a piece of it crumbles.

She was crying in her sleep and saying ‘I’m sorry, Luca’. For some reason when I told her that, she completely shut me off. I didn’t mean to tell her to leave at first. I meant the statement but, I guess I didn’t say it the best way. But, I rectified my statement and told her not to leave so she should know I didn’t mean it when I said she should leave earlier.

I’m so consumed by the unfinished conversation Hera and I were having that I barely notice the look of utter remorse on Asher’s and Lex’s faces.

“Samael…..”, Asher starts. There’s a look on my face that is supposed to let him know he should hurry with whatever he has to say because I don’t have all day.

“Mara came back in the early hours of this morning”, good. My father and Slade will probably return soon then. The look on Asher’s face tells me otherwise;

“There was an accident. Xavier and Slade didn’t make it”.

Did I just hear right? What does he mean ‘didn’t make it’? How? What kind of accident. My brain is running around with all of these questions in my head but my vocals have chosen to betray me.

“No”, is all I can muster to say in disbelief. It can’t be. It can’t be. My father cannot be dead. The freaking Alpha of the most notorious pack in all of Northview cannot be f*****g dead!

“It was an explosion. In the south border of the city. It was all over the news last night”,

“How many people know about this?”, I ask. My head is already doing the math. Information like this is sensitive and the knowledge of it could be damaging to not only our pack but, the entire werewolf community. He wasn’t hunted down and murdered, he didn’t die in the middle of a mission, he didn’t die for any cause. A f*****g explosion. My blood boils and I’m afraid to say it’s for all the wrong reasons.

“Just us. She showed up at my front door. I didn’t know what to do so I called Asher”, Lex says. I don’t know how to feel that Mara showed up at Lex’s door to break this news even though it was my father that died. I suppose I can understand - he has always been her favorite. Like a son.

“Good. No one else finds out for now. Where is Mara?”, I ask. I’m not thinking about Hera, I’m not but, once she opens the door and walks out, I hear it. But the pain I feel from her leaving is irrelevant to the pain I’m feeling from the news I have just received.

“Still at my place”, Lex sighs and runs his hands through his hair in frustration;

“I don’t know what the f**k is going on, man. If other packs were to find out about this……How does our Alpha die in the most careless way possible”, I’m both annoyed and pleased at the same time that Lex is thinking the exact thing I was thinking. I highly doubt that this was an accident.

“We have to pull through this together. But, I think it’s important we tell the others what is going on”, Asher says and I’m disappointed in his suggestion.

“Tell the others? Who? Jackson and Rick? f*****g pups? The same pups that led a group of hunters to the dungeons. No f*****g way. They have loud mouths and the whole city would find out in a minute”,

“It’s not like we can exactly keep this a secret, Samael. They’re gonna find out anyway. A council meeting is coming up soon, who’s gonna go? How are we going to explain Xavier’s absence for that? The pack needs an Alpha”, he retorts.

“Xavier’s body isn’t even cold yet and you’ve already begun your Alpha campaign”, I shoot back before I even think. He looks taken aback but, quickly recovers his facial expression;

“That’s not what this is about and you know it”,

“Guys, we can’t do this right now. We’re the next in command. Right after Mara, that’s three of us and Dothan. We need to be on the same side”, Lex plays the role of peace maker even if there’s barely any chaos. Frankly I don’t care who becomes Alpha. All I care about is figuring out who or what was responsible for this so called accidental explosion.

“You’re right”, I acknowledge Lex and head for the door to exit the room. They’s confused so I add;

“She left”, explaining that Hera had left. Despite me basically begging her not to. Anyway….whatever.

We head back to the living room and take our seats at different places. The look of defeat and confusion is on all our faces as we think about the multiple implications of what this event will bring about. Where do we go from here?

Derek’s death

Dungeon riot.

And now this. An orientation isn’t enough. Taking lowlife hunters into custody and interrogating them isn’t enough. If you want to do something, if you want to make any real change in this world - you go for the head.

“When is the next council meeting?”, I ask Asher knowing he’d know because no one else cares about these things like he does.

“Two weeks from now”, two weeks sound like two years. I walk towards them as I pitch my plan. Well, it’s not really a plan. More like what I will do whether or not they agree with me.

“Okay, I can’t be the only one thinking that this explosion thing was no accident, can I?”,

“Seems pretty fishy if you ask me. You know how that popular singer got killed by one of the pups when we were still omegas but, on the news they said she had committed suicide. Cover up stories”, Lex chips in. He’s right. There’s a whole section on the council whose jobs is to cover up the mysterious happenings in the city and they are very fund of downplaying the cause of the incident and straight up lying to the general audience. The only issue here is that Mara had said the same thing too;

“So no doubt that the explosion happened since it was on the news but, isn’t there a possiblity that Xavier and Slade weren’t even there?”,

“Mara confirmed that they were”, Asher says;

“How conveniet”, I say sarcastically and continue what I was saying;

“Something or someone was responsible for that explosion and if there’s anyone who knows about it, it’s whoever is in charge of the cover ups in the city council. I intend to find out who that is and I’m not letting this slide under the wrong until whoever is responsible is fished out”,

“We’ve sang this song before, Samael. We still haven’t gotten who killed Derek or Wren, the kid from Parker’s pack. Or even who really started that riot since those hunters claim it had already begun before they arrived. What’s the assurance that we’re going to get whoever is responsible this time”

“Well Asher, I’m glad that you asked”, I lean back in my seat and say;

“We’re going to the south border. We’re not taking anyone for interrogation this time. We’re taking them for ransom. In exchange for the information we need”,

Asher scoffs at this and asks;” Ransom from who?”,

“The city council”