Roar
AN: Warning, warning – this chapter contains the aftermath of Victoria using the device against the betas. There is a fight, people are hurt. There is descriptions of people wounded in the battle. I don't want to cause anyone to be upset so please read with caution.
"Derek, I need you to trust me." His mate's words echoed in his head. Of course he trusted his mate but the need to have him safe, protected in his embrace and care, dug at his skin and worried at his nerves. With a growl he pressed on the gas, letting the car pick up even more speed. The faster he stopped these crazed terrorists the faster he could get his mate to safety.
He could hear the protesters from a block away, their chants against wolf rule filling the air and bouncing off the glass and metal until Derek could no longer pinpoint the sound's origin. It was like storm waves crashing on a beach, waves of loathing and rage.
Derek was taken aback by the amount of hatred the human population felt toward the wolves. His pack and all those he associated with had always taken the greatest care in making sure they worked comfortably within the human's societal structure. Each decision had always been run past their human agencies to make sure it was for the good for wolf and human alike.
Where had they gone wrong?
By the time he reached the news platform where the media had prepared for him to make a statement the situation was almost out of control. The City Pack had formed a long defensive line in front of the protesters who surged forward, their sheer numbers forcing the betas back to the very edge of the stage.
The part of his pack that he had left behind in his aborted rescue of Stiles stood together at the far end of the stage letting the humans deal with the increasingly angry crowd. No one stopped the tall red head that stalked toward the podium pushing back the ineffective man that was trying to talk over the raging crowd.
Derek's breath froze in his chest as he recognized Victoria Argent but separated by the mass of humans there was no way he could reach her in time.
"For too long you have been blind to the beast that walks among us. Humans have been complacent, acting like cattle, unaware they are being fattened for the slaughter. I stand here before you ready to force your eyes open, today you will see the truth." With a dramatic flourish she produced a small rounded device and pushed the single button in the center.
A frightened hush fell over the crowd.
And then a sense of unease built as the group looked about for an explosion or something to happen, an event to explain the dramatic gestures from the podium. Someone in the back giggled and the tension broke into jeers and yells to get off the stage. Victoria stood defiant with a smile that made Derek's blood run cold.
The Humans First returned to their chanting paying little mind to the betas in front of them. Only the few pressed against the beta's line saw the first tell-tale signs of their distress but even they didn't understand the ramifications of the wolves' glazing eyes and twisting stance.
Boyd and Isaac both saw Derek, struggling through the crowd, at the same time and moved to intercept him. That was all it took for the mob to notice he was a Hale and the press of humanity that he had been wading through suddenly turned and surrounded him.
"What right do you have to rule?" "Where are our equal rights as promised by the Cooper Treaty?" "How do you condone the fact that half the human population lives in poverty?" They screamed and pushed, covering Derek in a fine mist of their hate filled spittle. His wolf rose under his skin, pushing against his control with the need to roar at these weak creatures and drive them back.
Derek held onto his control. He let the words wash over him, listening to the BELIEVED truth behind them. How had the pack been so blind to the needs of the people they were supposed to protect? His wolf growled at his logic, seeing only the threat of attack, the crushing press of bodies, and the scent of anger and fear.
Three betas closest to where the red head activated the device dropped to their knees. The Humans First protesters used their momentary weakness to push through the line, charging the stage to face off against the Hale Pack and members of the city council. The media circled the whole event like vultures ready for a feast. It didn't matter who won or lost, it was the visual carnage they were after.
More of the betas went down, clutching at their heads and tearing at their hair. "Down with the Pack," screamed a voice in the crowd which was quickly taken up by the multitude. Derek was swept away in the surge forward not wanting to hurt the humans around him with his strength.
"The betas," yelled Derek across the masses to Boyd. "She did something to the betas."
Ahead the cries of anger turned to fear as the first of the affected betas turned to attack those closest to him. Ames leapt from the stage to tackle the rabid wolf before it could do more than tear a long bloody gash in a humans arm.
The tide of humanity turned. Those closest to the stages ran back and away only to be trapped between the press of the crowd behind them and the growling wolves in front of them. To the left and right the streets had been blocked off with metal gates and barriers, trapping the crowd in a small corridor of space with no room to flee.
More of the betas started to attack and the Hale Pack found themselves acting as defenders for the mob of people that just seconds before had been spewing hate at them. Derek reached down to lift a young woman from the ground, her face bloodied and body bruised from being stepped upon in the crowds' panicked rush.
Fighting his way to the gates Derek ripped them from their concrete supports opening the way for the flood of frightened people stampeding to escape. Two betas with mouths caked in black tinted foam raged his direction attacking anyone who got within their reach.
Their path was littered with the wounded, bleeding bodies of the protesters who scrambled and crawled away. A woman screamed, drawing their attention to her, as she clutched her son to her chest, their matching 'Leash the Pack' shirts a bright splash of red in the mass.
Derek stopped the first beta's claws just inches from the boy's back pushing the larger beta back with just the one hand to his wrist. The woman cowered behind him fingers tangling in his shirt as she sobbed her thanks.
The second beta ducked in raking his claws across Derek's unguarded stomach. Snarling Derek dropped down catching the first beta in the waist with his shoulder before lifting the thrashing wolf over his head and tossing him at the other beta.
"Run," he called to the woman who had frozen behind him. For a second he didn't think she would move, too frozen in shock to respond. Reaching out Derek clasped her arm gently making her look at him with fear dilated eyes. "I need you to get to safety, okay. Get your son somewhere safe." With a small nod she turned and followed the crowd that streamed through the shattered gate.
Leaping to the top of a cement barricade Derek roared with his head thrown back and arms spread wide. The sound echoed down the urban canyon molded from metal and glass. Wolves and humans alike paused in their struggles as they responded as one to the call of an alpha.
The City betas were the first to break from his control scratching at their heads with clawed fingers, soaking their uniforms with their own blood. The momentary lull gave the humans around them time to clear out of the way leaving only those too wounded by the panicked stampede behind.
One young man stumbled to his feet just a few yards from one beta. Eyes blazing amber the wolf flung himself at the back of the fleeing human only to be met in mid-air by Isaac. The City beta was more muscular than Isaac but fought without logic or reason leaving himself exposed to attack. Isaac quickly took him down, slamming his head into the concrete and knocking him out.
Derek fought his way to the platform trying to take out as many betas as he could without killing them outright. His pack fought together as one, watching each other's backs and creating openings for their pack mates to bring down the crazed wolves.
In the end the City betas stumbled to a stop, those that were still fighting dropping suddenly to their knees with a blank stare before toppling over as the drug in their system burned out. The air was filled with the stench of them, the scent of the chemical cloying and fowl.
Humans huddled in groups behind the stage slowly came out of hiding. Derek counted at least eleven recording devices and growled at human's need to show everything on television. There were too many ways to make pictures lie snarled his wolf and Derek found himself wrestling for control for the third time that day.
"What the hell was that?" Isaac asked his voice higher pitched from the stress of the fight.
"A drug of some sort. Stiles was able to warn me. Did anyone grab the red headed woman?" Isaac turned and gestured to the bottom left of the stage. Parts of her hair ruffled lightly in the soft breeze but the rest was matted to the blood that mimicked its color. "She tried to run but jumped right into the worst of it. None of us could get to her in time."
Derek heard the truth in Isaac's heartbeat. He patted the young wolf on the shoulder before making his way over to the body. Her eyes were open and seemed to stare right at him as he knelt by her side. Even in death her features were filled with hatred. Sighing Derek closed her eyes and covered her with part of the draping that decorated the stage.
"Boyd, we need to check for wounded. Humans don't heal like us so any blood you see could be a fatal injury. Let's spread out. Approach them carefully. Keep your movements slow and your eyes down. We don't want the hurting themselves more in an effort to escape us."
Derek could hear the sirens in the distance. He coaxed a group out from under the stage before moving to dismantle the rest of the gate that blocked one part of the street.
A young male, not much older than Stiles, clutched his camera and continued to snap pictures even with his leg pinned beneath some metal railing that had toppled over. Derek could smell the fear and pain radiating from the man but he faced the alpha without flinching.
Derek checked the leg carefully before lifting the bars off the man while the camera continued to click away. The leg was a mess, tendons and muscle visible through the shredded skin. Derek pulled his shirt off and used it to stem the flow of blood.
Derek looked up when the camera stopped fearing that the young man had passed out from the blood loss. Instead he found himself staring into confused green eyes. "Why? Why are you helping us?"
"Because no matter what you believe, we have never been your enemy. The packs only want to live in peace with humans." Derek finished tying off the makeshift bandage and lifted the human into his arms to carry him away from the debris.
By the time Derek had carried the young man to safety the ambulances and emergency response teams had arrived, swarming the area to triage the wounded. Some of the braver ones even approached members of the Hale pack offering to look at the deep gashes and cuts evident on many of their bodies. "Thank you but I'm healing," Derek heard Boyd mumble to a petite woman with a no nonsense attitude that insisted on looking at the laceration that covered most of his back.
With wide eyes the huge wolf submitted to her professional touch leaning closer to draw in her scent. "They're closing," she whispered in awe. Derek smiled over her head at Boyd.
"Thank you for tending my beta." Derek helped her to her feet and smiled making sure to keep his posture loose and harmless. The paramedic patted Boyd once on the shoulder before heading over to help the others. Boyd watched her until Derek pulled his attention back.
"I need you to stay here and take control of this mess. Make sure the humans get all the help they need. I'm taking Isaac and Ames with me to get Stiles. Let them know that all pack resources are available for those that need them."
Boyd stood, eyes tracking the area and pin pointing issues that needed his immediate attention. With a nod to his alpha he moved quickly off to take control of the situation and help organize the relief effort.
Derek turned to Isaac and Ames. "We need to go get Stiles. I want him home with a guard on him twenty four hours a day until we find the rest of the people involved in this."
Derek could feel Stiles down the link between them. The bond carried fear and pain as well as the knowledge that his mate was alive. Alive was all that mattered at this point to Derek. Isaac and Ames had to pick up speed to keep up as Derek raced through the chaos filled streets to the waiting car.
"We'll get him to safety," Isaac soothed.
Derek nodded but the tension didn't leave his shoulders. He wouldn't relax until he had his mate in his arms. Then he would hold him and protect him and never let him go.