Chapter Text
Derek Hale relishes the taste of Kate Argent’s blood as he rips her throat out. Her eyes shutter as the last of her blood drains, staining the bedroom floor. Not that it matters, no werewolf would never degrade themselves to live in a place an Argent has touched. When the workers from the Empire arrive, they’ll tear the wretched building down.
The alpha wipes the blood off his lips and chin before looking down at the dead woman. With the last of the Argents dead, he knows this horrible war will come to an end. Seven years of fighting and it’s finally over. But the victory is short-lived; Derek has lost too much because of the hunter scum. His mother, father, aunt, baby brother and younger cousins all lost when an assassin had set fire to Hale castle. Derek is sure that Kate’s “peace” visits the year before had only been the true start to this war. If only he hadn’t been enamored by her false beauty.
Shaking his head, he thinks of more recent losses: two of his betas. Erica and Boyd have gone missing after they were ambushed in the Northern territory. There’s been no trace of them at any Argent stronghold and now that the last of them has been seized, Derek fears he’s lost his betas for good.
He stands and stretches his back and rolls his shoulders, retracting his claws and fangs. The knowledge that he’ll have to be the one to tell Lord Reyes and Lady Boyd that their children are now with the Mother Moon adds an unexpected weight on his soul. One that he’ll carry forever because he was the alpha that failed them, he was the one charged with protecting his friends and because of his misstep they paid the price.
He hears footsteps and turns to the door ripped from its hinges. The Argent witch had thought she could hide behind wood, as if Derek wasn’t strong enough to achieve justice. Cora Hale, his younger sister and the alpha leading the army, enters the room. Her eyes land on the dead body at Derek’s feet before she makes eye contact.
“So it’s done.” It should be a question. It isn’t.
Derek just grunts his agreement. He doesn’t trust himself to speak without snarling. And he never wants to fight with what little family he has left.
There’s a heavy silence and Derek knows Cora wants to say something. He looks at her and bares his neck slightly, signaling that he’s ready for whatever order she’s about to give. Cora responds by relaxing her shoulders and pulling her hair out of a tight bun. Her midnight black hair tumbles down, reminding him of tree branches collapsing to the ground.
“Isaac discovered the location of another stronghold,” Cora says, voice devoid of emotion. “To the North, near the border of the Wildlands. According to the records, it’s a tiny settlement, suspected to have fewer than 100 humans. Take your pack, scout ahead and conquer it. Kill their warriors, then bundle whatever livestock and useable humans they have.”
Cora lets her eyes flash red before continuing. “Laura says that when you’re done, the Lord of the Manor is yours to have.”
Derek snaps his head up and he locks eye with his sister. Laura giving him a Lord is a sign of respect, a declaration that Derek has served the Hale Empire well and lets him know that the settlement will be abandoned. His wolf howls at the compliment and the understanding that he’ll have his own personal slave.
Before the war, the Hales would never have allowed slavery within their borders. But as the battles progressed, they realized that instead of slaughtering all the humans, their bodies could be more useful alive than dead. Soon, the people of this horrid land became spoils of war along with their cows.
Derek doesn’t even try to contain his grin. He lets the wolf rein free and he knows he looks as predatory as he truly is.