The Alpha Killer
Civil War

Talia’s POV

Tomah Pack House

“How bad is this going to get, Master Nikolai?” We had been in the conference room as he was given updates from the Council, and I’d gotten a call from Master Jarrod already. He convinced me that Randall was needed there along with his coven. The Vampire Council staff couldn’t be trusted.

“I’m not sure, but it could be really bad,” he said. “Talia has seen our side, but you need to understand that our method of government isn’t like yours. There is no Pack bond, no Alpha command. The vampires are loyal to their Maker, and the Covens are far smaller than your Packs. As such, it is more a collection of strong-willed people than a top-down military structure.” I watched Dad as he nodded, he was familiar with Jarrod’s small coven. “The Vampire Council is on your side strongly now that Daniela is dead and Louis is on the run, but that doesn’t mean the Covens will go along.”

“What do you think the proportion is that will align with Louis against us?”

“I’m not sure. Masters pride themselves on being emotionless and difficult to read, and politics are a blood sport. I’m sure the two of them were working the Coven leaders for years.”

“The hatred is difficult to overcome for those who have been alive so long,” Leonardo said. “Werewolves don’t have the same memory as your lifespan is so much shorter. Others, like me, are more pragmatic. We realize that these wars have been harmful to both sides. With the technology surrounding us now, we can’t take the risk of a war.”

“It’s true, things have changed quite a bit in these cities. All the surveillance cameras, everyone having cellphones, government surveillance; it all makes it more difficult for vampires to operate in the city.”

My father-in-law nodded at this. “We don’t have the same issues as you, but satellite imagery, drones and trail cameras make us restrict where and when we can be in our wolf forms. A war would be just as disastrous for us.”

“So what are you gong to do, Master Nikolai? Return to New York?”

“I don’t think that would be wise,” Leonardo said. “If Jarrod can’t trust the staff, you shouldn’t either. You are far more vulnerable on the road than you are here.”

“I trust them, and I know Talia and Brent will not allow anything to happen here. I’m worried about the Packs, though.” Nikolai looked at Chairman Brent. “What would cause war to break out the fastest?”

“Vampires attacking a Pack,” he said quickly. “Oh fuck. All it would take is a couple Packs around the country to be hit and the Alphas would be demanding war.”

“You’ve got time, they won’t be able to do anything until sunset.”

“Put the word out, Dad,” I said. “All Packs should go on precautionary lockdown tonight. Get everyone but the fighters into the safe rooms and pull the warriors back to the Pack Houses.”

“No patrols?”

“Vampires would cut patrols to pieces before they can raise an alarm, there’s no point in getting someone killed. Set up cameras, put sentries on the roofs and arm them.”

“Put ultraviolet lights in place, shining around the buildings,” Leonardo said. “Buy as many UV lights as you can find, replace all the exterior lights with them. The light will blind the vampires as they get closer, and a focused beam can burn their skin.”

“I’ll make the arrangements for an emergency video call,” I said. “The more prep time the better.”

“Good idea. Meanwhile, Leonardo and I will go through the Coven locations and try to identify those most likely to attack, and the Packs closest to them.” Nikolai was already pulling out his phone. “We only have six hours until sunset on the East Coast.”

“We better work fast then,” I said. “I’ll send an alert message, video conference in twenty minutes Dad. We can’t delay.”

I was more than happy to have Dad be in charge, but as Chief Enforcer, protecting our kind and the fragile treaty with the Vampire Council was MY responsibility. I went to my desk and logged in, pulling up the messaging program. “YELLOW ALERT V-threat make preparations and fall back to defensive positions. Videoconference at 1500 EDT same protocol. This is NOT a drill.” Hitting send, I waited for the message to come into the dedicated pager. Every Pack had more than one of these, ensuring that with one message, every Pack in North America could be notified. Most kept it in the Alpha office and a security post that was always manned. It was only used when there was a threat against multiple Packs.

The pager beeped, and I checked the message was received properly. I set up the videoconference and put it on mute so it would be ready for us. Then I called in my Enforcers and quickly briefed them on the actions that needed to be taken. “Work with Master Leonardo’s men on defense,” I said. “Having vampires imbedded with our men will be more effective than working alone.”

“How many Vampires are we talking, boss?”

“Unknown, it depends on how many Covens he can rally to his cause and coordinate. I doubt they’d take on two Masters and a Hybrid, plus the werewolves, with less than a dozen.” The men nodded, knowing we were not an easy target. We had experienced werewolf warriors and Alphas, and Vampire strength was proportional to age. “I want all the noncombatants within thirty seconds of the safe room as soon as possible. We’ll defend the building, not the grounds. Issue rifles with silver ammunition.” Silver wouldn’t kill a vampire, but it would slow their healing and make them more vulnerable to our attacks.

“I need permission to set anti-personnel silver charges,” one asked. I looked at him quizzically. “We have homemade Claymore mines, using pure silver balls as shrapnel instead of the standard steel ones. They can be set around the base of the building and remote detonated if the vampires get close. They’re effective out to twenty-five yards.”

“Why wouldn’t we use them?”

“We’ll be picking silver off our land for months if we set them off, Chief Enforcer.”

If we were overrun, it wouldn’t matter. “Use them. Use anything we can. The doors and windows need to be barricaded to delay them. Any other ideas?”

“Fire,” one of the men said. “We used homemade napalm fifty years ago when my Pack was attacked. It’s difficult to kill a vampire with fire, but it sure fucks up their day. I can make some barrels up and attach them to remote-detonators where they might be coming through the trees. It will make a mess, but it will slow them down.”

What the hell, the building was made of stone, it wasn’t going to be burned down. “Will you need anything to make it?”

“A visit to the mail room should do it, if I can’t get enough packing peanuts there, I’ll send someone to the UPS store. The formula is simple, half a barrel of gasoline then you dissolve Styrofoam in it until full and thick. I’ll get some of the Omegas working with me, we’ll need at least a dozen barrels. The explosives and detonators we have in the arsenal.”

I could just imagine what fifty-five gallons of sticky flame would do to the landscaping. “Get it ready. We meet one hour before sundown back here to finalize plans.” I divided the men into tasks and let them get to work. I only had three minutes until the start of the videoconference.

Dad took the Chairman position, with me to his left and Jacque to his right. Master Nikolai and Master Leonardo had their own cameras but were not included in the conference yet. At precisely three PM, he unmuted his microphone. “Before we start, an update. Chief Enforcer Jacque has resigned and will be moving to join his mate as Betas of the Tomah Pack. I have selected his replacements; my son, Randall, and his mate Talia Stillwater.” There was shock on the faces of the Alphas.

“She is the Alpha Killer, a wanted CRIMINAL,” one of the Alphas yelled. “She killed my brother!”

“Your brother was kidnapping humans and turning them without permission. He got a cleaner death than the Council would have given him,” I said. “Anyone who thinks they can do a better job than me, or my FBI Agent mate, is welcome to challenge either of us for the position once this crisis is over. Until then, shut the fuck up and listen to your chairman.” Wisely, he sat back down.

Brent looked directly into the camera. “Gentlemen, we have a problem.” Over the next five minutes he laid it all out; the split in the Vampire Council over peace with the Werewolves and the Hybrids, the escape of Master Louis, and the possibility rebel Covens would attack Packs to spur a war.

“I knew this was a horrible idea,” Alpha Thomas from Virginia said. “How could we possibly trust the bloodsuckers to keep up the peace. What kind of fool is leading them anyway?”

Dad just looked to his left and when Master Nikolai nodded, Dad brought them into the videoconference. “I am Master Nikolai, Chairman of the Vampire Council, and this is Master Leonardo of the Syracuse Coven. Our Council is solidly behind the peace treaty, and all Covens have been informed as to the consequences of breaking the peace we’ve brokered.”

“Consequences? You let the man ESCAPE!”

“I didn’t LET anything, Alpha Thomas. Good men died as traitors broke him from my jail. I’ve already killed one rebellious Council member, and Louis will be killed when he is found. Any Coven that breaks the peace will be exterminated, and they all know this. I am here with Chairman Brent and his staff, working to keep all of you safe until I can find and destroy these rebel vampire covens.”

The discussion went on for ten minutes, but it was going nowhere. People were shifting blame, looking to use this to boost a candidate or sink another for the Council elections, or just trying to make themselves sound important. It was childish and I’d had it. “ENOUGH!” I slammed my hands on the table, denting the hardwood. “We don’t have time for this. Right now we know there is a potentially serious threat to our kind, but we don’t know where they might strike. It’s time for you to protect your Packs as you were sworn to do.” I laid out some of the ideas we were using, including the UV lights and explosives. “If you have other ideas to share on defending our women and children from the Vampire threat, then speak up. The rest can wait for tomorrow.”

No one spoke for a while, then the first Alphas started to contribute concrete ideas. I felt better when Brent finally wrapped up the call.

I was glad I had Vampire sleep needs, because this was going to be a long night.

Randall Meechum’s POV

JFK International Airport, New York

I watched from my first-class seat as the Delta Airlines jet touched down in New York. I had taken the first direct flight out, and the ticket agent flirted with me as she upgraded my ticket. I had to fill out paperwork to fly with my gun, but it all worked out. The sun was setting as we pulled off the runway.

I turned my phone on, and it quickly filled with messages. I sent a quick text to Talia, letting her know I had landed safe, and another to Master Jarrod.

Talia called me back as I was leaving the plane, and as I walked towards baggage claim I was caught up on all I had missed. It sounded like they had it well in hand, but she was worried about Jarrod. New York had more covens than any other city, and they’d already broken Louis out. His Coven in Toronto was gone, the eight vampires in it nowhere to be found.

A driver was waiting for me, one of the familiars Master Nikolai trusted implicitly. As we were driving, he filled me in on what was happening. “We’re going to the mattresses, so to speak,” he said. “The ones Master Nikolai can trust with his life are protecting the lower levels of the Headquarters; the lower the trust, the farther away the vampires are stationed. Master Jarrod and his Coven are all in place, working with Master Lukaku and Mistress Edith to contain this.”

“How are they containing it?”

“Master Nikolai is not a man to cross lightly. The Council members have been contacting every Coven leader personally to warn them. Only four have refused the call, and those Covens are going to be visited by those loyal to the Council. Examples will be made, and order will be restored.” It sounded like a plan, but the sooner we found the rebels the better.

We were halfway there when my phone rang. “Jarrod?”

“Tell him to bring you in the back way, and be careful. We’re under attack.”

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