Chapter 43

#Chapter 43 – Banished Edgar, apparently finished securing the assailant, hurries over. Evelyn startles at first – not knowing who approaches, but seeing who it is reaches out a hand.

“Edgar – I – I’m so sorry,”

“No, Evelyn,” he says, holding her face between his hands – an intimate gesture that Victor suddenly feels awkward to see. “You didn’t do anything wrong. What happened? Do you know who she is?”

“Yes,” Evelyn murmurs. “My – the stalker. My former patient. She’s…totally unhinged, thinks I stole her boyfriend –“

“The one who wrote things on your car at your old house? Who threw the note through the window last night?” Victor asks, standing and crossing his arms across his chest. He placed extra guards against precisely this threat – what happened?

As Evelyn explains further to Edgar – her voice weak with exhaustion, fear, and tears – Victor moves to the front porch. There, quietly in the dark, he sees another body – slumped in a chair in the darkest corner of the porch.

Victor hurries out, crossing carefully to the body just as the ambulance pulls into Evelyn’s drive, followed immediately by a black van full of back-up Betas. Good – Edgar thought quickly, calling in all the appropriate reinforcements. Victor makes a mental note to commend him as he moves slowly towards the inert form.

As he gets closer, Victor suddenly realizes that he recognizes the body. Beta Pete. Victor moves to his side, fearing the worst – but no, Pete has a pulse. Victor heaves a sigh of relief and notes, in passing, that Pete holds a dark square in his inert hand.

The Betas swarm the porch, their training clearly demonstrated as they move as a concentrated pack.

Once they have marked the location as secure, they wave the paramedic team forward and two Betas come over to Victor to assess the situation with Pete.

“He’s unconscious,” Victor says, “thank god. I don’t know what happened.”

“Any sign of injury?” one of the Betas asks.

“Not that I can see.” Victor confirms, studying Pete’s body again.

“We’ll get the paramedics on him too,” the Beta says, snapping at personnel waiting by the ambulance.

They spring into action.

“Sir?” The second Beta leans close to Pete, sniffing. “What’s that in his hand? I smell…chocolate…”

Victor likewise leans close. “I think it’s…I think it’s a brownie,” he murmurs, baffled by this strange change of events. Pulling a handkerchief from his pocket, he takes the brown square out of Pete’s hand and studies it closely. Yes – a brownie. How bizarre. “Take this to the lab. I want it analyzed immediately.”

The Betas nod, taking it and rushing away to complete their duties. As Victor watches them go, he senses someone moving to his side.

“Sir?” Victor turns his head and nods to Edgar, inviting him to continue. “Sir, the paramedics are cleaning Evelyn up, but they’ve given her the clear – they say there’s no reason for her to go to the hospital for further checks. If you’ll allow it, I’d like to stand guard here tonight. I would feel better doing it myself.”

Victor eyes Edgar for a moment, wondering…but no. It was none of his business. He nods sharply.

“Approved, Beta. Thank you for your good work tonight. I am…in your debt.”

Edgar can barely hold back his smile, but he manages. It is no small thing for an Alpha to admit a debt of honor to his Beta. “Sir.” Edgar says, snapping a salute.

“Your watch beings now,” Victor says, turning back to the house. “Send my team up to the big house to tell Amelia what happened. Have them bring back my laptop, my second phone, everything we might need. We have work to do.”

The next day, Victor sets up camp in Evelyn’s office. A steady stream of Betas come through the doors all day, each reporting on the results of the varied tasks they’ve been assigned.

“Is this necessary, Victor?” Evelyn says, coming downstairs in her robe during a lull, a broad white bandage across her injured cheek.

“Yes,” he says, not looking up as he types on his computer, confirming an appointment.

Evelyn scoffs at Victor and he looks up at her to see her standing across from him, her arms folded, looking angry. “What?” He asks.

“Victor, I’ve got two frightened boys upstairs. We need peace and quiet – not an army of Betas stomping around down here like it’s command central. I need to get them back to normal – this is anything but normal.”

“This is all for your protection, Evelyn,” Victor says, returning his attention to the computer as he sits down. “I promised you protection, and I failed in that promise –“

“Victor, you did everything you coul-“

“No, Evelyn,” he says, snapping his eyes back to her. “If I had done everything I could have, that insane woman would never have broken into your house. I’m fixing this. Let me fix this.”

Evelyn sighs and looks him up and down and then slowly nods. “Can we at least have some food?

We’ve got an Avengers movie marathon going on upstairs, which seems to be calming them down, but we’re getting hungry.”

Victor passively gestures to some bags sitting on the kitchen table. “I ordered you Chinese. Please, eat whatever you like.”

Making a small noise of appreciation, Evelyn moves to the package and starts to unwarp it, investigating the containers. A few minutes later, she calls goodbye to him and Victor catches a glance of her carrying what seems like a ridiculous amount of food up the stairs to the boys’ room.

He smirks. Whatever. Let them indulge, feel happy and safe. He’d order them all the takeout they wanted, if it would help. Besides, Edgar was up there with them all. They would be safe.

Secretly, though, Victor is pleased that Evelyn and the boys will be distracted upstairs. He has an important meeting, and as it has to happen now, and in person. And, as Victor refuses to leave the premises, it has to happen in this dining-room-turned-office. And, much as she would hate it, it has to happen without Evelyn knowing.

As he waits for his interlocutor to arrive, Victor looks over the materials that his Betas have gathered.

The first is a report on the brownie from the previous evening, confirming that it was poisoned, but that Pete is expected to make a full recovery. Good.

The next document is regarding the stalker’s identity. Emily Perkins, no-rank lycanthrope, officially a member of the small, progressive pack run by Alpha James Willard – Evelyn’s official pack as well, which is probably how Emily’s boyfriend came to find Evelyn as his therapist.

Victor notes, with only slight interest, that the same agency which assigned him to his own therapist is noted as the one which serves this pack as well.

Victor studies the stalker’s picture. She is a rather unimpressive specimen, he thinks. Weak bloodlines, weak mind – no talents. The sort of wolf which he wouldn’t be pleased to call a member of his own pack, though his pack only accepts new members through familial lineage and marriage. These new, progressive packs…don’t they see how they are courting ruin by accepting anyone?

As he considers, Victor hears a knock at his door. “Ah, Willard,” Victor says, “you are quite welcome here. Please, come in, make yourself comfortable.”

“Happily,” Willard says, sauntering into the room and over to Evelyn’s desk. He unbuttons the jacket on his blue suitcoat and sits down, casually crossing his legs. “Apologies, Kensington,” he says, looking Victor over from top to bottom. “I hear that there was quite a disruption to your peace last night, caused by two members of my pack.”

Victor considers the man before replying. Willard is tall and distinguished, with a white hair and beard and warm blue eyes. Though the older gentleman presents himself as approachable, Victor is not fooled – he’s still an Alpha, driven by a need for control, for power. And it does not pass Victor’s attention that Willard has opened the conversation by claiming both Evelyn and her assailant as his own. Victor carefully considers his next steps.

“Emily Perkins, a member of your pack, assaulted persons on my property last night. As these persons were under my care, and on my property, it is my within my rights to aid in the decisions regarding her punishment. I seek to enact those rights now.”

“So formal,” Willard says, his eyes crinkling in a friendly smile. “Really, Kensington, can’t we speak about this as old friends?”

Victor clenches his jaw, wanting nothing less than to negotiate with this man who is not his friend. Still, Victor has to recognize that his power over this situation is tenuous at best. “Of course,” he says.

“As far as I know, this is a minor assault between two members of my pack. If one of the members is your…tenant…” Willard takes a moment here to study Victor’s reaction to his word, nodding slowly when he sees Victor’s body tense involuntarily.

“Then,” Willard continues, “I appreciate your dedication to your renters, Kensington, but I don’t see, really, how your rights come into play.”

Victor sees that his hand is being forced. He clenches his fists, placing them on the table before him and leaning his weight onto them. “The persons involved in the assault – Evelyn Ortega, and her sons – they are…important to me,” he says, through gritted teeth.

“Why?” Willard enquires, c*****g his head innocently though Victor suspects Willard already knows. Or, if he doesn’t, then knows that there is something more at stake.

“Do you need to know why? Is it not enough for me to come to you, Alpha to Alpha, with this request?”

“What is it, specifically, that you request?” Willard says, folding his hands over his knee, accepting the power which Victor has just handed to him.

“Emily Perkins. I want her made Rogue. Banished. Officially. Forever.”

“My my,” Willard says softly, his eyebrows raising on his wrinkled forehead. “That is a big ask. In order to comply, I will want some things in return.”

“Make your requests,” Victor says, his teeth gritted.