Trouble Is Back

[silver-bowed-huntress]

“Damian.” Allison repeated, smiling faintly. Hearing how much Kate cared about the boy struck a nerve with her, how lovingly she talked about him… She couldn’t help but see herself in her aunt. How she was doing everything she was for her son, the same as Allison would do for her daughter. She just needed to be as brave as Kate. As confident that at the end of the day, it was all going to be worth it.

“I can’t wait to meet him. And I can’t wait for him to meet Victoria.” She said softly, hugging her aunt. “We’re going to get through this, both of us. They can’t keep fighting for long. Things will change.”

[vicious-argent]

“It’ll be nice for him to have a little family again. It’s...I have a lot of regrets in my life, Allison. Not being able to raise him as a proper Argent is one of them. I miss that support, the purpose we all had. Someday, when we’ve finally settled this, maybe he could be a part of that again.”

It was a foolish dream, she knew. They’d never be done fighting as long as there were still alphas breathing. No one would be safe until they managed to wipe every last one of them off the face of the earth.

[silver-bowed-huntress]

“He’s the son of the same Alpha as Victoria. She has just as much potential of being one of them. Same as your son.” Allison pointed out, staring at Kate. She was willing to go so far to keep herself and her child safe, but killing another innocent seemed cruel, and unfair. He’d done nothing but adore his father. 

The weight of Kate’s words hung heavy on Allison’s shoulders, and she closed her eyes, almost too tired to process them. She’d been trained as an Alpha killer, knew exactly what to do, but despite the abuse, despite the threat to her family… There was still guilt. Her mind trying to fight the justification of killing someone.

“… You haven’t told me much about your son.” She said, suddenly, both as a subject change, and because… She’d hurt Derek’s family so much, didn’t he deserve to have the smallest scrap of knowledge? “… What’s his name? What’s he like?”

[vicious-argent]

“Our children are Argents.” Kate said, confident that their genes would win out. They weren’t some weak omega breeding family picked for the chance to bear alphas. They were Argents, strong betas with a line going back centuries. Their blood was stronger than any alphas, they were the ones that kept the alphas awake at night. “His children are worthless, yours are the only ones that matter. You’re saving him from growing up to being another monster like his father. If you spare him, he’ll be shipped off with other relatives to learn how to be cruel. It’s what they do, there’s no saving them.”

Kate paused, weighing the risks of passing along the information before sighing, shoulders dropping. “He’s the best thing that ever happened to me. It was worth everything that happened to the Hales to be able to keep him. His name is Damian, he’s brave and reckless. I think he’d love you, Allison. Because of what I do, I can’t spend as much time with him as I’d like, but I’m going to make this world safer for him.”

[silver-bowed-huntress]

Allison whimpered as she felt the pain lessen, her hand grabbing onto Kate’s, and she shook her head. She couldn’t make her hurt for her. She was already doing so much for her, taking her pain only made her feel more guilty. More useless.

“I got into a physical fight with Aiden Moore. About Lydia Martin.” She eyed the other woman carefully, convinced that she’d have an idea what, and who she was talking about, before she carried on. “… He said he had to punish me for it.” The tired voice inside tried telling her that it was her fault, that she should’ve just accepted it, shouldn’t have lied to him about anything, but Allison refused to give into that. This was not her fault.

“What do you need from me?” She frowned, hugging herself. “We’ve… been trying to get me pregnant again. To fulfil the contract. So I might…” Another thought came to her, an image of a smiling, giggling boy in his father’s arms, and Allison felt sick. “… His son’s only two, Kate. You won’t… hurt him, right?” Even if Dimitri terrified her, Jeremiah was just a kid. He didn’t deserve to suffer for whatever Kate had planned.

[vicious-argent]

“He’s the son of an alpha, Kate. That makes him potentially one of them. More one of them than one of us.” She snarled. “And I will take care of Aiden. The boy will learn his place. His anger is good, but he needs to direct it at the people who hurt him and not his allies. If he’s too dangerous, then I’ll make sure he doesn’t hurt anyone again.” The boy was a loose canon and their network was too important to trust to someone who wasn’t in control. Lives depended on them, countless omegas relying on them to make their escape from abusive alphas or to disappear where no one could find them. It could all be jeopardized by one hot headed idiot.

“I won’t have him touch you again, I’m sorry I put you in this position. I underestimated his cruelty and that won’t happen again. I want you to end him like I ended the Hales, Allison. Send them a message and remind the people in Beacon Hills that omegas are to be respected or we’ll burn the town down around them.”

[omegacorey-blog]

Corey was really lost now. “B…but that is my place.” He looked around in a nervous fashion.  It wasn’t himself he was really worried about but he had met a few other omegas that he worried about. So while her words weren’t applying to him he was thinking about them. “I… They… That… That isn’t what happens.” He whispered. He bit his lip. ‘They don’t really hurt my friends do they…” He asked looking over the other fear filling his eyes at the thought of the others being hurt in those manners. 

[vicious-argent]

“Of course they do.” He reeked of fear, that was a good first step. She leaned in close like she was sharing some secret, confident that every word she said was the truth. “They don’t have to contract you, sweetheart. If they like you, they can take what they want, use you until you’re broken, and dump you in the gutter. No one cares if they kill an omega, you’re not even human to them. And if you manage by some ‘luck’ to get yourself a contract, then you get a paycheck for your abuse, as if that means being bred and broken is any better. They do it to make you feel like you asked for it. At the end of the day, they still throw you away.”

[scarredbyfire]

[Text] Does he ever?

[Text] But no, he’s being perfect. Asking after you, though.

[vicious-argent]

[Text] Tell him I love him. I hope to be back soon.

[Text] I’m so close. Once I’m done, we can leave this place.

[urfalseidol]

Dark eyes studied her for another long moment, his thoughts whirling. When he came down to it, he was still all but alone in the world. He trusted Scott, to a point, but a newly discovered brother would never warrant the same protection as his children or his mate. No, the only person that had his and his daughter’s best interests in mind was him.

“Alright,” he said quietly. “If I were to want that help, how would I contact you?”

[vicious-argent]

She produced a business card with a flourish, blank white except for a phone number printed in black across its surface. No name, no title, just a number. “Call me if you need help. I’m just one person, there’s a network of others who help omegas in bad situations. The ones being beaten, or kidnapped, or their children taken away from them. We have to look out for each other because no one else will. If you call, there will always be someone there to help you, whatever you need.”

[scarredbyfire]

[Picture Message]

[Text] Apparently one of them is you, and I have to guess.

@vicious-argent

[vicious-argent]

[Text] He’s quite the little artist.

[Text] He’s not giving you any trouble, is he?

[silver-bowed-huntress]

As soon as Allison had confirmation from Kate for a meeting place, she snuck out of the house and ran. She wished she was getting out of there for good, but it wasn’t possible right now. The danger she and Victoria would be in too much - she’d seen Dimitri murder a guard in cold blood simply for overhearing a conversation, there was no telling what torture he had in mind for her if she tried to leave with her daughter again.

Spotting Kate, she ran to her, wrapping her arms around her tightly, breaking down without a word of explanation. She’d never felt more pathetic, more weak, more omega before. She wasn’t even sure if she had the fight she used to have in her any more. A reassuring hand placed on her back sent white hot pain through her, and she tensed up, looking up at her aunt for reassurance.

“H-he… He whipped me with Wolfsbane, Kate, I… I can’t do this.”

@vicious-argent

[vicious-argent]

Kate swallowed her rage and focused on comforting her niece. She murmured soothing nonsense, stroking her fingers through Allison’s hair. With gritted teeth, she leached the pain away into her own bones to spare the girl another ache. “I’m so sorry, Allison. I’m so sorry. You’re going to be okay, I promise you. I’m not going to ever let him hurt you again.”

Dimitri was going to die for this, she would tear him and his entire pack apart so he could watch before ending him. She would throw everything her organization had at the alpha and burn it all down around him. “It’s time to act, okay? I’ve put people in place to start chipping away at everything he owns, but we’re going to take your child and end him. You can get me and my people into his home. We’ll take care of the rest.”

[omegacorey-blog]

The way the woman spoke had him leaning in a bit focused on the way her lips moved. He agreed that waiting waiting for an Alpha did feel sort of like a game. But was it all bad. And why had this been a meeting his parents had set up. Maybe this woman was some super trainer. He’d read about them. Omegas who were struggling would hire a trainer to help them navigate the world of contract forging. “So you like help people like me deal with that? Teach me how to keep them interested?” He asked his innocent eyes meeting hers. “I don’t really want to disappoint my alpha… when I have one I mean…”

[vicious-argent]

Kate smiled around a mouth full of fangs. “No, I’m going to teach you something even better.” She purred. “An alpha is just going to use you, handsome. That’s what they do. They take what they want and they think a few dollars are going to make up for being treated like a slave and thrown away. You don’t want them to hurt you like that, right? Or to breed you like a pet so they can steal your child? That’s not the kind of paycheck you want to earn. You’re stronger than that, you can be braver. There’s a way to stop them if you have help.”

[vicious-argent]

“Calm down.” She said soothingly. “I know why you’re nervous and I think you misunderstand. I’m not here to breed you, handsome. I’m here to help you.” Kate sat back into her chair and regarded her prey. He could make a useful asset if she could turn him and place him somewhere close to an alpha. He was afraid enough, it would be easy to manipulate that. “It’s frightening to try and lure in a wild animal, isn’t it? That’s what they are. They can offer you money and status, but what’s the cost? They use you, take your children, and throw you away with a paycheck if you even live that long. Is that what you really want?”

[vicious-argent]

“Yeah.” Nodding, he cast the woman a sidelong glance. Her warnings made sense, so he wouldn’t discount them. In fact, it might be worth creating additional insurance to protect himself and Nim. But he’d grown up knowing that the world was full of predators, each one on the prowl for its next meal.

“For what it’s worth, I think you’re right.” Then he tilted his head, looking back at where the EMTs had arrived on the scene of the accident. “But if you think I’m going to share that kind of information with some stranger on a street corner, you’re destined for disappointment.”

Kate held up her hands in mock surrender. It would be a slow process to win this boy’s trust, but she was a patient hunter who had waited this long to get what she wanted. Moving slowly was better than watching it all tumble, this was too important to mess up. If she could set the fires of rebellion here, then it would spread and omegas all over the world would finally be able to rise up against their oppressors. The first step would be to drive a wedge between him and the McCalls, his loyalty to her would come later.

“I’m not saying that you should, sweetheart. I’m just offering a little advice, I’m not asking you to pour your heart out to me when you barely know me. I just want you to know that if anything did ever happen, you have options and people who’d be willing to help. We know what it’s like being an omega in their world.”

[vicious-argent]

She had him there, as long as he wore this collar he was theirs. “I’ll do it, who are you anyway? I deserve to know that much, don’t I?”

She just smiled. “Call me the Benefactor because this is your lucky day.”

[omegacorey-blog]

Corey fidgeted in the coffee shop seat waiting for his ‘date; to arrive. He was still a bit sore from the lashings his father had given him on account of his last screw up with a potential contract but he did his best to hide it by limiting his movement. “Are you here for me? Or rather… Am I here for you?“ He asked when a stranger approached the corner he had nearly hidden himself in. His hands gripped his coffee nervously. His fingers drummed along the white cup as he slowly raised his eyes over the other making sure not to make eye contact.

[vicious-argent]

“Well aren’t you a cute little thing.” Kate said, slipping into the seat across from the young omega. He looked scared enough to eat. “I think you’re definitely here for me, and you’re lucky I’m the one who found you first. A handsome guy like you is just bait sitting out here all alone.”

[ho-stiles]

[Text] Mr. Stilinski-McCall, it's Alpha Megere. Could we chat? I'm a little unnerved by recent events.

[Text:] With all do respect, Alpha, if a sex scandal and a little blood is enough to unnerve you, we aren’t a pack you can run with.

[ho-stiles]

He could taste blood over his teeth, but the implications of that video ran deep. There was too much of a risk that they had a traitor in their midst, and Stiles hated to think about that. Their team had stood by them through some of the worst threats the McCalls had faced. They’d risked their lives for them, proved their loyalty a dozen times over, and one of them had let this bitch in.

The Dimitri Roman and his pack weren’t a problem. He’d toyed with the idea for days, trying to determine how it would look if the far better established McCalls decided to bulldoze a traditional pack. At best, the public would see it as an unprompted attack. At worst, they would tie Allison back to the mess, and Scott would seem as a bigger threat. He was already far too sympathetic to omegas. But Stiles wanted to grind that piece of shit into the dirt and leave him begging for mercy. He only needed an excuse.

There was only one unknown variable.

“Who the Hell are you?” He spat. Someone who didn’t care for alphas, but cared for traditional alphas even less. Someone with the resources to go after them and destroy them at will. Stiles would find out one way or another.

[vicious-argent]

Kate finished her drink, placing it gently on the table in front of Stiles and flashed him a smile that was more fang than anything else. “Just call me the Benefactor, sweetheart.” She purred. “Because this is your lucky day. You’re going to make out like a bandit because of our partnership, even if all you want to do is tear out my throat right now. Give it some time to sink in, I’m sure you’ll come around. It’s in your blood, after all.”

She slipped the phone back into her pocket and stood to leave without another word, striding confidently passed the McCall guards.

[ho-stiles]

[Text] Mr. Stilinski-McCall, it's Alpha Megere. Could we chat? I'm a little unnerved by recent events.

[Text:] With all do respect, Alpha, if a sex scandal and a little blood is enough to unnerve you, we aren’t a pack you can run with.

[ho-stiles]

An icy chill whispered down Stiles’s back, seeping through his kin an wrapping around his bones. It was like winter had blown over the room, catching the Alpha’s smile and all its cruelty. No one dare breathed, but Stiles could feel his fangs twisting behind his lips, aching to cut through her pulse. No one dared

“I will tear you and yours apart, limb from limb,” he promised, voice barely above a whisper, and guns were drawn with startling ease, eager for the chance to strike. Stiles used to worry about his capacity for cruelty, but in that moment, he couldn’t care about how easily it came. 

[vicious-argent]

“But not before you tear apart the Romans for me.” She said, still calm as she slipped her phone away. “I don’t want to hurt you, Stiles. Your husband is a...well, quite frankly, he’s a threat. But as long as you can control him, then we’ll let him and your children live. If you defy me, then there is nowhere on earth you can run that my people can’t find you. We’re connected, organized, and well funded. You don’t want to live your lives on the run, that’s not fair to your family. Trust me, I’ve done it before.”

She picked up a glass, running her fingers idly along the rim. “It’s better this way. You help me by ridding Beacon Hills of a dangerous alpha, your family can fill the power vacuum and everyone’s safe. Disobey me, go public with this, or attack me in any way, and I can’t promise you anything. I’m a voice of reason, many of my people are not. Do we have a deal?”

[ofhalealpha-blog]

Derek shook his head as Kate spoke, his anger taking over his body, the little control he had completely focused on not snapping her neck. “I talked to her, I got her to agree to take you in, so we could be together, so we could raise him together.” A growl rumbled in his throat, the Alpha baring his fangs at the Omega. “You didn’t wait, you didn’t trust me, you acted out of your own selfishness and now you want to hide behind some bullshit about family?” His hand was shaking, taking everything in him not to sink his claws into her skin, reminding himself over and over he needed her alive to find his son. “You killed our son’s family! You are no savior, you are murderer!”

Derek snarled when Kate said she’d done him a favor, his grip tightening around her throat as she continued to speak. “I know exactly what being an Argents means,” he replied. “You’ve made that clear.” They couldn’t be trusted, they couldn’t be loved, and they took everything from others for their own benefits. “Where’s my son?” Derek demanded, his voice holding a tone of authority. “Do you drag him along with you, teach him all the lies you’ve constructed to make yourself feel better?”

[vicious-argent]

She struck fast, all the years of Argent training and another ten on the run honing her into a weapon cut with rage and claws. She slammed her fist into Derek’s solar plexus to knock the wind from his lungs and break his grip around her neck. Another quick jab to the throat to disable him, though she kept her claws in check. There was the temptation to tear it out right now, but Derek still had to suffer. She wasn’t done teaching him yet, there was a world of pain left to drag him through.

“Your son knows you’re an enemy.” She said through a mouth full of fangs. “And if I’m not the one who ends you, then I’ll make sure he does. Argent blood will win out in the end, he knows what he is. Say hello to that sister of yours. I suggest she starts running now.” She spat in the dirt at Derek’s feet and retreated, racing off through the ally before the alpha retaliated. Soon, they would end this soon.

[morethantheseblueeyes-blog]

“You’d have better luck taking down her father, no one likes him.Everyone loves Lydia.” He murmured, taking the card and looking down at it. He programmed it into his phone before handing it back. He didn’t need Lydia finding the card in his clothes or something.

[vicious-argent]

“Take them both down. It’s not one alpha that will ruin you, it’s all of them.” She flicked her finger against the collar he war around his neck. “It’s the Martin’s symbol you’ve got there, they all own you.”