DISCLAIMER/AUTHOR'S NOTE
Chicago Fire, PD, and Med belongs to Dick Wolf. I'm just borrowing the characters for a bit. The plot is mine.
Hours later, Kelly walked up to his apartment and tried the knob, smiling when he found it unlocked. Shay must be home, he thought to himself as he walked in. Shay had been amazing and supportive.
"Shay?" he asked.
"Kitchen," she responded and he walked up to her.
"Hey," he greeted.
"Hey, yourself," she responded.
"I wanna…thank you again. For staying with me, I mean. I know it probably messed some things up with-" the firefighter began to apologize.
"Oh don't even go there. She gets it," the medic interrupted.
"But you guys-" he started to say.
"Hey, Clarice gets it," she interrupted again.
"Okay." So lucky, he thought to himself. How had he gotten so lucky? He had a pack, a girlfriend, and Shay was helping him out here. Okay, maybe it was too soon to say that he and Erin were boyfriend and girlfriend, but he didn't really care, to be honest. At least, when it was just to himself. He rather liked the idea.
"And Clarice likes you." Kelly nodded. She right: his friend's girlfriend did seem to like him, for which he was grateful for. But still…he needed to give Shay and Clarice some room. But he wasn't really sure where he would go. He didn't want to just assume that Erin would be okay with him moving in. It was too soon to be thinking about moving in. She was an Alpha, and he was just a Rover. Okay, so she didn't think that way, but still…he didn't want to overstep. He had gotten lucky when she had agreed to bond with him. Okay, he knew had to stop thinking like that. They didn't see him like that. It was just…hard to not slip into that mindset. But he was going to do his best on this this one. He had people that cared about him. That would take some getting used to. Not that Scott and April didn't care about him, because he knew they did, but they had been busy creating a pack of their own, just the two of them. This was different. Now he had a whole plethora of people looking out for him. That was going to take some getting used to. Still don't get why people are looking out for me, he thought to himself. As if sensing what he was thinking, the liaison nudged him.
"I see where those thoughts are heading, Mister," she scolded. "And people are looking out for you because they love you and they care about you."
"How is it that you know me so well?"
"Because it's my business to know wolves and what makes them tick." At this, Kelly grinned.
"True." Then, "How'd you fall into being a liaison, anyway? I mean, there's not a lot of people-humans or wolves-who want to deal with the politics of it."
"My mom was a liaison and she taught me that a good relationship between the species was important and needed to be protected at all costs." He nodded. That made sense.
"Do you enjoy it?"
"Yeah. I mean there are good parts and bad parts but yeah, I'm happy where I am." He nodded again.
"That's good." They had become closer friends since he had moved in with her and Clarice and he wanted her to be happy. She smiled back at him. "But I'm still gonna see what I can do about getting back to my apartment."
"Hey, you know what Head Alpha Voight said. You can't stay there while Pridgen and his cronies are still at large. It'd be the first place they looked." At this he sighed.
"I know. It just sucks." Leslie looked at him sympathetically and reached up to squeeze his shoulder. Wish I knew how to help him, she thought to herself. They had been friends for a long time now and yet there was still a distance between them due to the whole wolf and human thing. Not that he had ever acted like he was better than her or anything, but she knew that if he wanted to, he could easily kill her with ease, as could any other wolf, though she knew that they wouldn't be prone to such actions. Okay, this train of thought was getting out of hand. She needed to focus on things, which was making sure that Kelly didn't fall into a bad slump of some sort. And knowing him, it could happen. So yeah, she was going to make sure that it didn't. Not losing him now, she thought to herself. He was too important to her. And from what she could tell, his new pack felt the same. And that's good. They'll watch out for him, she thought to herself. And that was something that he desperately needed: people looking out for him. He didn't have enough of it in her opinion. Well it wasn't going to continue. No, she was going to make sure that Kelly knew how much he was loved and valued.
"It'll all be over soon." At this, Kelly nodded. Wish I could be as sure as her, he thought to himself. How could be so sure that everything would be over soon? Seeing the unsure expression, Leslie smiled at Kelly. "I know this because Head Alpha Voight is a hard ass who doesn't let anything happen to his pack. We've all seen this. He'll make sure that this doesn't drag on." Hearing this, Kelly nodded. It was a good point. Every wolf in Chicago knew of the Head Alpha's reputation. And if he said he was going to take care of something, it was as good as taken care of. It was just…hard…leaving something like this to someone else. For so long, he could only depend on himself, Scott, and April when it came to wolf things. Having a whole pack that actually cared about him would take some getting used to. While this was going on, Pridgen and Welch had gotten into Chicago and were heading for a hotel. As he did so, the Head Alpha frowned in concentration. Briggs! he called. Hearing the voice and slight pressure in his mind, Rodney's head shot up. Back in town, is he? Okay. Time to play, he thought to himself. Yes, Head Alpha Pridgen? he asked, his eyes turning grey. Tommy and I are heading to the Marriot on Fourth Street. Meet us there, came the command, his voice reverberating in the other wolf's head. Yes, Head Alpha, he responded and a moment later, he felt the pressure leave, and he smiled, his eyes returning to his natural silver color. Pridgen still had no clue what he was. He thought he was Omega, and to him, Omegas were weak and not worthy of respect. He would be able to use that at the meeting he had just called. Raymond? he called. Yes, Rodney? he heard him ask. Patrick just called me to a meeting with him and Welch and wants me to meet them at the Marriot on Fourth Street, he reported. Go to the meeting. I'll keep an eye on you, Raymond instructed. You got it, Rodney agreed and then headed out. This ought to be interesting, Raymond thought to himself. Of course, viewing things from another wolf's eyes was always interesting. And that was what he was going to do with Rodney: spy on the meeting, using the younger wolf's eyes. Without another word, Rodney headed to the meeting, only letting out a soft grunt as he felt the other Elder's presence in his head. It would feel a little weird, but it'd help them prove their suspicions about Pridgen, so he wasn't that bothered by it. Once he's gone, packs will be safe again, he thought to himself. And that's all he wanted: for Kelly and others like him to feel safe. He then walked in to the hotel and glanced around until he spotted the other two men. Wonder how they got here so fast, he mused. Last he had head, Pridgen had left Chicago. Well, obviously, he was back, which meant that he had probably arrived before calling him. Okay, this would be fun. Not. He then shoved his musings aside as he sat down. Riddle's eyes clouded in concentration as he watched Rodney sit down.
"Why are we here, Head Alpha Pridgen?" he heard the younger wolf ask.
"Because we have a situation that needs to be taken care of," Pridgen replied. "Kelly Severide is running loose and knowing him, he's probably spread some harsh lies about me. I need to nip it in the bud. I want you and Tommy to find him and bring him to me so that we can talk." Riddle watched as the other two wolves nodded.
"Of course, Alpha," Welch responded. Getting so sick of Severide. He needs to be taken care of, he thought to himself. The guy had betrayed their pack by snapping and betrayals were often severely punished. Alpha Pridgen had actually been merciful by not killing him yet, but he knew that that mercy would soon be coming to an end. Kelly never should've snapped from me. I'll show him what happens when one of my pack betrays me, Pridgen thought to himself. And the best part was that he had their laws to back him up. The boy had snapped from him, hadn't pledged fealty to another pack, so all he had to do was kill the kid and then claim that he had gone Feral. He would get Welch or Briggs to attack him to substantiate the claims and no one would be none the wiser. Riddle's eyes darkened as he scowled and he had to resist the urge to let out a roar his disapproval. No need to give poor Briggs a headache. It wasn't his fault that the Alpha was two different kinds of crazy.
"When do you want to strike, Alpha?" Riddle heard Rodney ask.
"As soon as possible," Pridgen stated. I'll show the boy what happens when someone betrays me, he thought to himself. Severide's disobedience wouldn't be tolerated. And he would give him what he deserved. Then Scott and April would fall in line and everything would be just like it was supposed to be again. Can't wait for that, he thought to himself as his lips curved into a terrible grin. His rule over his pack would be re-established and he would finally be recognized by the Elders enough to be made into a Head Alpha. Everyone knew that they respected displays of power. And taking care of insubordinate wolves would certainly be that. It was a good plan and one that would come to fruition soon. He just had to wait until tonight. Then, he would track Severide down and kill him, followed by Scott and April. Yes, going to be great, he thought. Finally! Vengeance, Tommy thought to himself. He wouldn't be letting Harold down. Harold deserved justice and he was going to make sure that he got it. Rodney's eyes flickered. Raymond, are you getting this? he asked. I am, Raymond assured. And he had to confess, that he didn't like it. From what he was hearing, Pridgen had gone completely off of his rocker. Going to have to discuss this with the others, he thought to himself. But if it was just up to him, he'd have Patrick Pridgen put down. And that's why we became a council. To make sure that Elders didn't just react on an initial feeling, he thought to himself. In his opinion, it was more the pity in this case. All right, he had to stop this train of thought as it wasn't doing any good. But Patrick Pridgen would be dealt with. They just needed the right moment. After all, this required a little finesse. But it would absolutely be taken care of. Patrick would learn that he couldn't bully other wolves and get away with it. Frowning, he went back into his office and sat down. Almost immediately, there was a knock on the door.
"Enter!" he called and the door opened to reveal Susan who walked in, closing the door behind her.
"How close are we to getting something on Pridgen?" she queried.
"I think we can finally do something about him," he responded. "I just got through listening in on a conversation between him, Rodney, and Thomas Welch. Pridgen just ordered them to bring Kelly Severide to him," he continued.
"That won't do at all," Susan murmured. "All right. We'll take care of this tonight," she declared. Not letting him go through with whatever he has planned, she thought to herself. They had to put a stop to this before they lost another wolf. Pridgen's antics had gone on long enough. It was time to mete out justice. She looked at the other members of the Council and they all nodded, indicating that they had come to the same conclusion. It was decided then. Patrick Pridgen's fate had been sealed.