Warning: mention of abuse against a child, lots of violence, and a bit of cruelty.
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Chapter 21
John's POV
The trip back to the flat was silent. Apparently he had shocked his human flatmate because after they had left the crime scene, after they had dealt with Dimmock he hadn't said a word. Even his path within the pack link was silent. It was just reaching dawn when he pushed open the door to the flat and froze, a growl low in his throat. There should not be people in their flat and he can smell several.
Before he could do anything else Jacob appears at the top of the steps, the expression on his face tense as he greets them, "Elder, Elder-second, there is a situation that needs dealt with. I apologize for the intrusion but thought it would be best as Senior."
Jacob rarely referred to him by any of his titles, accepting long before that he preferred to go by his first name instead. So the fact that he used both of their titles was concerning greatly. Focusing on the pack he can hear the anger from most of the members but something was off. Carefully he went through each member of the pack, starting with the military pack and working his way towards the wolf pack, however when he got to Jace's link it seemed to be missing, not broken but dampened. Like someone was trying to block it.
Once in the flat he realized that the people he smelled were mostly the military pack, plus two others that he did not know. The first stranger was a black cobra related to Eric according to the scent, the second a hawk who was keeping away from everyone else.
Upon his entry to the living room Daria was directly in front of him within seconds.
"Those creatures took my hatchling," she told him, her normally melodious voice cold with venom. "They attacked my bondmate and stole my hatchling. I would have already gone after them but the falcon convinced me that was a bad idea."
Focusing on soothing those in the room, he intentionally turns his scent to calming and the effect is immediate. Once that is done he moves to stand in the middle of the room like they would have done on a mission and the others gather around. Before anyone of the pack has a chance to speak the hawk approaches and bows low.
"Elite Alpha John Watson, M.D., Captain in Fifth Northumberland Fusiliers," the hawk states, using each of his titles, "On behalf of the Bainburn Coop I, Alexander Bainburn, Delta of the Bainburn Coop request an audience."
Sighing, he nods once, his attention mostly on the hawk, but also on the tall human who had moved over to his spot by the window and was watching everything with thoughtful look in his eyes.
Still with his head inclined even after he straightens up he speaks, "Elite Alpha, the Bainburn Coop requests your assistance with the Wolf Pack Devon. They have been encroaching on our territory, hunting Hawks, and disrupting the balance. I am to await your answer." Again the hawk bows, though not as low this time and holds his placing.
I really hate the old ways, he thinks as he narrows his eyes at the hawk. "Tell your Elder that the Wolf Pack Devon will not be a problem by the upcoming full moon Delta Alander Bainburn." He informs the younger man, using his title as such a situation requires.
"You have our thanks Elite Alpha, I will relay the message." The hawk replies, straightening up before inclining his head to Sherlock, Jacob, and Eric and leaving.
Snorting a little he reaches with his mind for the Eldest Alpha's and the council. Under the old ways I declare a blood hunt on Wolf Pack Devon for assaulting a member of my pack, kidnapping a member of my pack, intentionally harming a wolf pup, disregarding the peace treaty with the Hawk Coops, and interfering in my territory.
He does not wait for a response before telling his pack members, "We will hunt them like we would an enemy pack, seek to disarm and disable, not kill. Eric and Daria, that means no deadly venoms or squeezing." He waits until both have confirmed the order before continuing, "Daria, share the location of where your pup is then everyone divide into your teams and begin."
She nods, focusing on the link and sharing the information on the common path that their group had developed in order to not be over heard by others.
Once the information has been spread amongst them, he walks over to Eric and gives him a questioning look, glancing towards the younger black cobra.
"Elite Elder Wolf John Watson, I present Elite Black Cobra Aidan Jefferson, currently of the Corbin Den." Eric's voice is low as he says the introductions. "I have asked him to run the computers during this situation."
One blonde eyebrow arched at this, the cobra never allowed anyone near his computers so that was rather unusual. Taking a quick sniff of the air he discovered that the smell was not sibling or cousin like, but parent to child like. So the younger man was his son, interesting.
"Will it be a problem if I stay here to do so?" Aiden's voice is low, like Eric's, its tones reflecting his American upbringing.
He smiles at the younger man, answering, "You can stay here." Then turning his attention back to the rest and stating, "Let's move out."
The majority of them head out each shifting once they are out the front door and their forms are shielded. Sherlock watches all of it with the same thoughtful expression.
Giving a slight smile to his potential bondmate he queries, "Care for some potential danger?"
His dark-haired human smiles and nods once, heading downstairs to wait outside. When he gets there, John can smell his surprise that the others seemed to have vanished. Shifting and shielding, he lowers his larger body down so the human can get on before he is sprinting through the city, his mind following the trace that Daria had set up for each of the military pack to follow. Within minutes he had travelled several miles and not much longer he was outside of the city and still travelling. When he finally reached where they were going he checked in with every group not surprised to find that they had trapped the enemy pack within an abandoned barn.
Aidan says that the elders are coming, I sent directions. He hears Eric comment.
My thanks Tech. He replies stopping and lowering himself so Sherlock can hop off before he returns to his human form. Walking with purpose into the barn, he is unsurprised to see that his small group had cornered over twenty of them -in both human and wolf form- without any sort of problems. "I am addressing the supposed alpha of this pack. You will step forward now to address the charges brought against you."
One of the ones in wolf changes into a naked human and glares at him, demanding, "Who the hell do you think you are?"
He smiles tightly at the other wolf, but there is nothing nice about his smile. Anyone in his team would tell you that it was a dangerous smile that meant trouble for whoever he was dealing with. "I am Elite Alpha Wolf John Watson, M.D., Captain in Fifth Northumberland Fusiliers, and under the old ways I find you in violation of the Pack Laws. You have the choice to submit to punishment or be executed."
The other man stares at him in disbelief, "Who the hell do you think you are?"
"He is an Elite Alpha Wolf who will eventually take a place on the council. If he has pasted judgment on you, then the council will uphold it." A soft, posh woman's voice replies from behind them.
He just about feels his dark-haired human tense up as he smells the three highest ranking alphas enter the building. He knows that the other three alphas would have pack members with them but they had been left outside as a show of respect for him.
The other alpha's eyes got wide as he watched the leaders of their kind fan out watching him. Snarling the alpha lunged forward like he was going to attack him but he never had a chance. Before he had even moved two feet Eric had lashed his long black tail out, swiping the legs out from under the man with an easy that scared the enemy pack.
"You did say the only thing I was not to do was sink my fangs into him or kill him, so a little humiliation while he makes up his mind how he wants to die shouldn't matter." The cobra comments in an even, bored tone however he can hear the underlying edge to it.
He inclines his head at the cobra, "Indeed, however give him a chance to hang himself would you?" switching his attention back to the enemy alpha he remarks, "I want my missing pack member to start with, and whoever was foolish enough to touch him and his bond father should start groveling."
Normally he was not a mean person, he was direct, he would kill, but he did not torment. This man however had allowed and encouraged members of his pack to harm a pup who had done nothing more than be born a mixed breed. Then they had foolishly taken that same pup from his new family in a rather foolish method. Justice would allow for a bit of revenge this time.
"He's nothing but a worthless whelp, can't even shift properly, he deserves anything that piece of trash got. Besides he's not yours. He is packless, not even worth being called an omega." The alpha snarls as he gets to his feet.
Apparently it annoys Eric because that long tail slashes out again, this time snapping hard against the man's back but still knocking him to the ground. "Jace. Presented before his Elder now." The cobra hissed, his torso still mostly human except he had allowed his hood emerge and his legs to shift into a massive black tail.
The alpha looked between him and Eric, fear, rage, and disbelief heavily infusing his scent. "No. I demand an alpha's challenge if you want the whelp."
His smile curves into a smirk as he waves the cobra back. Eric moves, retaining his mixed form and watching closely while he steps forward unbuttoning his shirt. "I don't want your blood on this shirt, it's one of my favorites." He states conversationally as he strips it off and tosses it to the side. Cyanne catches without thinking about it and he continues to stalk forward."You might want to change soon, I plan to seek justice for every single mark on Jace. Past and present." He informs the other wolf conversationally. To Daria he comments, "Retrieve your pup and tell me what damage has been done."
She does so without comment, Nathan at her left and Eric to her right. While she does that he prowls around the edge of the circle that had formed by the enemy pack and his pack. He is studying the various members of this pack, his sense of smell telling him which ones need to be dealt with and which ones might be salvageable. He feels the anger before he sees the young man. But it is enough that he spins, slamming his fist into the other alpha's jaw before he has had a chance to react.
Skin that creature. He hears Daria snarl from within her mind as she focuses her attention on healing Jace once more.
Linking in, he ignores the other alpha as he studies the damage done. Pretty close all the same damage as the first time then. That really was not a good idea on their part. Carefully using Daria's link to him he sought out the names and face of each of them responsible, they would each be dead before this was done.
Spinning back to face the other alpha his eyes harden as he speaks. "You are guilty of the physical abduction of a non-connected pack member. You are guilty of the injury of a non-connected pack member. You are guilty of pup abuse in the highest order. You are guilty of promoting the abuse of said pup in the highest order. Your sentence for such is death. There will be no chance for you to escape." He pauses, using telepathy to signal to his three wolves who else is guilty and they make sure to separate them from their pack in a rather violent manner.
Apparently being told he was going to die was a trigger for the other wolf, because he shifted and lunged towards him, snarling and growling as the enemy wolf did so. Eyes narrow he doesn't bother shifting, instead he watches carefully and times it so that he can use a burst of speed to snap the other wolf's leg with a well placed strike. He falls to the ground yelping before struggling back to his feet to try attacking again even though it is futile. This time he aims for the back leg of the opposite side and smiles in grim satisfaction as he goes down and cannot get back up. With an ease born of being a soldier for more than half his adult life he walks over to where the other wolf lays and reaches down, grabbing the side of his head and twisting hard once. He had considered drawing it out but that was not his nature.
For those who were just as guilty he turned to face them.
"I'll give you the choice, honorable death by submitting to the pup's bond mother, or unhonorable death by having your neck snapped like a twig."
Those that had been responsible for the damage done to Jace look at each other than at their dead alpha lying on the ground. All but two of them, go down on their knees and submit. Those other two growl and swear that there is nothing wrong with their treatment of Jace. Trace raises and eyebrow in his direction and he nods once as he retrieves his shirt from Cyanne. Turning he watches as the two wolf brothers in his military pack snap the necks on those responsible without giving them a chance to fight.
"To the rest of you. You will be submerged into the Watson pack. Be thankful for that. By the old laws all of you could be executed for your part in this." Turning to Jacob he nods once and then heads over to where the council member alpha's stand.
"That was mildly calm John," Amara Wardi, the only female elder and only female elite wolf in England, comments.
He shrugs, replying, "I'm not him, I get little satisfaction out of harming others. You know I was an iota before I was an alpha."
She nods and looks over at where Daria is kneeling with Jace firmly in her embrace. He also shifts positioning to look over at the boy and is mildly surprised to see that he is leaning towards Eric more than Daria.
The iota's soft voice can be heard as she directs the cobra, "Guard him, I need to deal with them."
To most watching, the fact the cobra inclined his head once and settled his long tail carefully around Jace would be a surprise in and of itself. Particularly when Jace leans into that tail, curling up like the pup he is, and passing out from the shock of it all.
Daria's justice could be considered cruel but it is something he approves of. She traps those who had submitted to her punishment within their minds to feel every instant of pain that they had caused Jace. They would either die still trapped within their minds or they would learn to feel remorse and true guilt over their actions which would free them from their minds. It meant that they would need constant care until one of the two reactions occurred.
"We shall adjourn." He announces.
Jacob nods once sharply before collecting the three wolves and Hyder, they will collect up all of the new pack members to be dealt with.
Eric carefully leans down and scoops Jace up in his arms before returning to the partial form that he prefers. To either side of him is Daria and Nathan. Daria is the one who informs him that they are retreating to Eric's house before they bow out and leave, the two owls staying close with them to protect the injured pup.
Alpha Layard is the first to comment from the council as the scene breaks apart, "John, I forgot how deadly you can be at times. I trust that that the pup will be alright?"
He nods, "Indeed, his bond mother is the pack iota and she is rather skilled."
The elder wolf nods once, smiling, "That is good."
Amara pipes up with, "So who is the human who smells of pack and watches with keen eyes?" her voice is full of curiosity.
He smiles at her, accepting the change in topic, motioning Sherlock over he does the introductions. "Eldest Alpha Edward Layard, Elder Alpha Amara Wardi, and Elder Alpha Thomas Kinlochard this is the Watson Pack Alpha-second Sherlock Holmes."
Layard flicks a glance to him before stepping forward to shake his dark-haired human's hand, "Welcome to the packs, Alpha-second Holmes, you wouldn't happen to be related to Mycroft would you?"
Sherlock nods once glancing at him before answering, "My older brother."
The older gentlemen smiles, "He does not know your pack, does he?"
He shakes his head, "No, I haven't said anything to him about it, John said that only pack members were supposed to know and I didn't see any pack marks on him the last time I saw him."
Layard nods again, chuckling, "Very true, very true indeed."
Amara steps up to the human giving him a brief hug before stepping back, "Be welcome to the packs Sherlock, may you always run true."
He had tensed up when she touched him until remembering that wolves are a very tactile group. Instead he forced himself to relax, accepting the hug.
She chuckles a low sound that makes his human blush as she comments, "Your more cat like I shall assume and prefer not to be touched by most."
Nodding a bit, he can smell that Sherlock feels a bit out of his depth.
The third man smiles at Sherlock, offering a hand, "Good to meet you, Alpha-second Sherlock, welcome to the packs, you joined one of the best."
With the introductions out of the way the council members also leave.
Turning to Sherlock he smiles slightly, "Ready to go home?"
His human nods once, and when they step outside it is full daylight.