Work Text:
A big smile broke out on Stiiles’ face just as a loud crash sounded from outside the office door. He rushed out to see a woman sprawled on the floor. Her dress was halfway up her waist and her panties were on display for everyone in the office to see. Her assistants were trying to help her up but she was shooing them away. The one closest to her offered her a muscular hand and she pulled herself up. As he studied her she pulled off her heels and looked at them. One of them had completely snapped off and that’s what had sent her tumbling down.
“Fucking pieces of shit. You would think a thousand-dollar pair of heels would support all 105 pounds of me.” She says as she throws them to the floor.
“Stiles! Go to my car and get another pair of shoes from the trunk. Go to Starbucks and get my coffee. You!” She says as she snaps at one of the men. “Go with him and make sure he doesn’t put salt in it like he did the last time.”
“That wasn’t my fault, Princess” Stiles sputters. “Their sugar packets were messed up.”
“I don’t fucking care. GO!” She yells as she goes into her office and slams the door.
The two of them run across the street and instead of letting Stiles get the coffee, the man picks up the coffee and sugar packets himself. On the way back, Stiles gets her another pair of shoes from the trunk of her Mercedes. This time a pair of heels that are shorter and thicker. These won’t snap like the last ones.
They return to the office and the man sets the coffee on her desk and drops the sugar packets next to them.
“These better not be fucking salt” she says, looking at Stiles.
“He never touched the coffee. I picked up the coffee and sugar myself.” He says. Stiles drops the shoes next to her desk. “I told you it wasn’t my fault.”
“You’re cursed. I’ve never met someone with such bad luck. It’s probably your fault my heel broke off and sent me down the stairs this morning.”
Stiles just smiles. “Bad luck follows me around I guess, but never hits me directly.”
“Yet you’re always smiling. How fucking convenient.”
“I’ve had some rough times.” He says, dropping the smile and letting his face go cold for a second before his smile returns. “Someone smiled and made my day brighter, so I try to pass it around.”
The phone starts to ring so she shoos him out. “Go do something other than annoy me. Answer the phone.”
Stiles runs out to his desk and picks up the phone. “Miss Domenico’s office. This is Stiles, how can I help you? Oh, yes Sir. I’ll let her know right away. Goodbye.”
“Princess?” Stiles says as he pokes his head into her office.
“WHAT? I told you not to annoy me” She snaps.
“That was your father. He wants you in his office right now, and he sounds furious.”
“Jesus Christ. What’s his fucking problem now?” She says as she stands up. “I’ll be back. Let me see what the old man wants. If anyone calls tell them I’m busy. I’m meeting with the Matriarch Council this evening so make sure my calendar is empty.”
With that, she goes stomping down the hall.
When she gets to her father’s office she knocks on the door. As assistant opens it and motions for her to take a seat. The older man is on the phone so the assistant leaves, closing the door behind him. Dia crosses her legs and starts to bounce one of them as if she’s annoyed having to be there.
The man finishes up his phone call, says goodbye, and returns the phone to its cradle. As soon as he’s done he slams both of his hands on the desk and stands up.
“You ungrateful little bitch!” He yells and Dia jumps back in her seat. “Put both of your feet on the floor and sit like a woman. You are the matriarch of this family and you’re sitting there like a petulant child. I kept this family intact when your mother died so that one day you could take it over. I sat on the Matriarch Council with those fucking harpies as a family regent. The sole male member, knowing I was there at their sufferance kept my mouth shut for 12 years. I never offered my opinion, never spoke unless I was spoken to so that one day you could take your rightful place among the great hunter family leadership and here you are running around wanting the staff to call you Princess, acting like a self-entitled spoiled brat. ENOUGH”
Dia turns bright red and doesn’t say anything. Even as the matriarch of the Domineco family she knows when he father speaks, she listens.
“I heard this morning you took a tumble down the stairs. If you had followed protocol that wouldn’t have happened. How many times have I told you that we have these rules in place for a reason? Bodies in the front, on the side, and behind. Whoever was in front would have caught you, and instead there you were sprawled on the floor with your skirt up and your panties showing to the whole damn office. Do you have any shame at all? Your mother’s sister Gloria was willing to step aside for me to be family regent until you turned 18, but if you don’t get your shit together, she will gladly step up and take the role herself. Is that clear?” He asks.
“Yes Sir. I’m sorry. I know this is a serious business but I thought I would try to make it fun at the same time.” She replies.
“Most of the staff doesn’t know what we do. Make it a good place to work, but don’t get sloppy. That’s when people find out the truth. Only vetted staff know, and it’s going to stay that way. One other thing, my darling daughter, and I’m not kidding in the slightest bit. If I catch you fucking your guards, I’ll rip their dicks off and feed them to the feral werewolf in the black ops lab. If you’ve been intimate with any of them, I want them replaced today. Intimate guards are hesitant guards and hesitant guards will get you killed. Understood?”
“Understood.”
“Now, you pain in my ass, get the hell out of my office before you stress me into a heart attack.”
“Love you too, Daddy,” Dia says with a laugh as she gets up and leaves.
When she returns to her office she slams her door and picks up the phone. A few numbers punched into the phone connected her to the executive HR office.
“Good Morning Miss Domenico, How can I help you?” The voice answers.
“Hi, Laura. Call Jackson at West Arms. He’s in charge of providing my security team. Tell him I want Mark and James terminated today. They have the day off for training, so he can collect their access cards and have them destroyed. I want replacements on-site tomorrow.”
“Understood Ma’am. Will there be anything else?”
“No. That will do it. Thank you.” She says before replacing the handset in the cradle.
“Damn. That was a waste of some good dick, but a headshot is better than being werewolf food.” She mumbles to herself.
“Stiles!” She barks as she opens her door. “Call my team. I have plans to make.”
—————————
That evening a black limo picks Dia up at her family compound. She’s meeting with the Matriarch Council on their yearly stop in New York. To make her father proud, she’s decided to put a team together and take out a small pack in her territory. There has been peace for a long time, but she thinks it’s time to remind the shifters that the hunters are still there and still watching.
The council Matriarch calls the meeting to order and introduces everyone. It’s a usual round of business. They discuss finances and any small troubles that have happened in their areas. The Guardian has kept things peaceful for years and while there are occasional issues, pack wars are a thing of the past. Hunters are more watchers than anything these days. Rarely does a family need to be called upon to remove a wolf that is causing problems. When that happens negotiations happen respectfully between the pack and the hunter family with communication to the council and if need be, the druids. Care is taken to make sure humans are not exposed to the supernatural world if it can be helped. Those who are educated and those who cause problems are dealt with by the druids.
The Matriarch asks if there is any final business to discuss before they adjourn for dinner and Dia says she has a matter to bring before the council.
“What would you like to discuss Lady Domenico?”
“There is a small pack in Springs New York near the eastern end of Long Island. They are within my territory. A teenager was bitten and died from the bite. I want to give restitution to the pack.” She says.
“Surely you have more to go on than that?”
“My team is researching it for clarification, but it appears to be an unprovoked bite. It’s been far too long since the beasts were reminded of their place in this world.” Dia says with a tone that almost borders on defiance.
“Do your research and send it to us. If you can prove what you say, then we will authorize a strike, but we will not support an unprovoked attack. Your world is not the world we knew at your age. At times it was a blood bath, and many of us watched our sisters and mothers die, sometimes from their own mistakes. We don’t want to go back to those times. We all wish we could have achieved the peace we have now without paying the price we did.”
When the Matriarch finishes speaking a hooded figure appears in the center of the room. The dark cloak billows from an unfelt breeze.
“Guardian! We were not expecting you to attend this meeting. Has something happened?” She asks.
“Young Miss Domenico is about to make a grave mistake.” The figure says as it turns toward her. The face is hidden deep within the cowl of the cloak.
“Who are fuck are you?” Dia asks.
“Do not challenge the Guardian, Dia.” She says. “The Shadow Walker follows in his footsteps.”
“The Shadow Walker has his agenda. We work together, but don’t fool yourself into thinking he is mine to command, at times it has been very much the opposite. If he visits you, then it’s because you’ve done something to attract his attention.” The deep voice says as the figure starts to fade away. “Turn from this course. This is not the way to make a name for yourself.”
“Do as the Guardian says, Dia.” The Matriarch implores. “Whatever you have planned, forget about it.”
“What kind of parlor trick is this?” Dia asks. “Smoke and mirrors? Fuck that! That pack in my territory took a life, and I’m going to make them pay.”
“Ladies! I have a motion to set before the council” one of the women at the far end of the table says as she stands up.
“State your motion.” The Matriarch says.
“I move that we offer no support to Lady Domenico and her family should she call for it. We’ve all witnessed it. She has been warned.”
“Does anyone second the motion?”
Several hands go up in response.
”Nay if you oppose.” The room is silent and then she says, “Hands up if you agree.”
Every single hand goes up.
“Motion passed. The Guardian is not to be trifled with. If whatever you’re planning warranted a personal visit, then it’s clear you haven’t told us the truth. You have been warned and you will get no support from us. Meeting adjourned.”
As the women start to stand the Matriarch rushes to where Dia is sitting. “Dia, your mother was one of my childhood friends. We can’t lose another Domenico Matriarch. You have your mother's passion. You have your mother's fire. Your father was a fine Family Regent, but he can’t serve us like you can, and he won’t come back. Your mother's sister Gloria will have to take your place until one of her daughters or granddaughters can take the family seat. Please take the Guardian’s warning seriously.”
Dia looks at the woman and says “I think you’re all fools. You’ve lost the fire yourselves. Sit here in stagnation. I’m going to bring life back to the hunters. Just wait and see.”
Dia grabs her stuff and stomps out of the venue back to her limo where she snaps at the driver to take her back home.
The next day she’s in a foul mood when she gets to the office.
It’s mid-morning when she yells out of her open office door. “Stiles!”
“Ma’am?”
“Send someone to get me another coffee. I don’t want you touching it or I might end up with lemonade instead. Then come in here. You’re going to do something for me.”
“Yes, Ma’am. I’ll be right back.”
A few minutes later Stiles appears in her doorway. “What can I do for you today?” He asks with a smile.
“We have an operation planned and you’re going to take a two-week vacation. I’m sending you home to visit your dad. I can’t take the chance of your bad lucking fucking everything up for us. Go home and pack a bag. The limo will pick you up at 2 pm. The driver will have a ticket for you.”
“I already had PTO planned for the last week of the month. Am I to combine them? That will give me several weeks off.”
“It doesn’t matter. I just need you out of here for a few weeks. With your bad luck following you around, I might be hit by a bus walking down the hall to the bathroom.”
“In this office, that would be horrible luck.” He says with a smile. “OK, I’ll gather my things and head home. Good luck with your project. I hate those filthy beasts as much as you do. See you next month.”
She waves him away and then picks up her phone. When the voice answers she says. “I’m on the way down. Let’s get to work.”
—————————-
Things did not go as planned. The pack was warned and while the fighting was brutal, the pack defended themselves and lost only one beta. By the time the Domenico family retreated they had been decimated. Dia had lost several of her brothers, her father, her entire team of bodyguards, and a good portion of her assault team. She made several frantic calls to nearby hunter families for reinforcements but no one answered. Knowing they were beaten they loaded the bodies into their vehicles and headed back to the company facility where they had planned the operation. Above ground was a training and medical facility, and below ground was the armory, morgue, and crematorium. Several bodies had been processed and the others were stacked on the floor. Dia had sent the remaining team members upstairs to have their wounds tended while she finished disposing of the bodies.
She had manhandled her father's body into the crematory and said a few words before pushing the button to start the cremation process. A flood of thoughts ran through her mind as she sat down on the floor to rest. The family and the company were both in jeopardy. She would rise to take over his position as CEO, but she knew the board would most likely dismiss her and her aunt Gloria would take over. She, herself would be quietly retired to some out-of-the-way villa in Italy with a sizable pension to support her for the rest of her life. She could live well knowing that if she ever returned to the States or made waves within the supernatural community she would be summarily executed.
The room suddenly went dark, leaving just the flicker of the fire coming through the thick glass window in the crematory. A single shaft of light appeared in the room, illuminating a cloaked figure. The Guardian had appeared.
“Get up girl.” The deep voice commands.
“Fuck you,” Dia says as she drags herself to her feet. “I don’t have time for parlor tricks. Who the fuck are you?”
“You were warned, and yet you persisted. Now here you are, licking your wounds and burning the dead.”
“Which one of those fucking harpies are you? I know you’re all a bunch of old charlatans who hate the idea of younger blood coming into the council and disturbing the status quo. I’ve got news for you sister. When I find out who you are, you’ll end up in here as a pile of ashes too.” Dia screams at the dark figure.
“Little girl. In this whole world of the supernatural, you’re no more than a fruit fly. Something very tiny. Gone in the blink of an eye. In a century, will anyone even know your name?” The voice says.
Die pulls a gun from her waistband and starts to move toward the figure. “Show yourself or I’ll blow your fucking head off.”
All of the lights turn back on, but the figure remains. It becomes harder and harder for Dia to walk, but she struggles forward a few more steps before she can no longer move. When her feet won’t move anymore she starts to fire directly into the cowl of the hood. The bullets just disappear into the darkness.
“Princess. You have such bad luck, or maybe it’s my bad luck rubbing off on you.” The familiar voice says as the cloak dissolves revealing Stiles standing there.
“I knew it!” She yells as she realizes who it is. “I’m going to fucking kill you!”
“Oh, I doubt that. You’re going to insult me just like you’ve been doing for months. Then you’re going to scream a lot, and I do mean a lot, but you won’t kill me.”
“Don’t flatter yourself, kid. I’m going to kill you, then one by one I’m going to kill your whole fucking family.” She screams.
The lights go out and Stiles flashes right up to her face, his body glowing and his eyes solid white. “Don’t flatter yourself, little girl. No human on this planet is powerful enough to kill me.”
Dia closes her eyes and shakes her head. When she opens her eyes again Stiles is standing back where he was.
“Have I made myself clear? You’ve spent months insulting me and I’ve let it pass because you are utterly insignificant. Your sisters know where they stand, and they tried to warn you, but you let that big, big ego and little tiny brain affect your judgment.”
“So what are you going to do about it?” She asks sarcastically.
“So what are you going to do about it?” Stiles replies in an equally sarcastic tone. “If sarcasm was an Olympic sport I would have gold medals in it. Now, let’s review your mistake. The Springs pack is a small pack living in a small community. They aren’t bothering anyone and they aren’t looking to increase their numbers by non-consensual means. The young man that died was dating a young beta and they were in a car accident. His injuries were fatal and with the consent of his parents, he was given the bite in an attempt to save his life. Unfortunately, he experienced bite rejection and didn’t survive. He did not die of an unprovoked attack. You knew this and you willingly withheld it from the Matriarch Council. You were warned, and they rightfully withheld their assistance. Which leads us to where we are now. You’re here cremating the bodies of people who needlessly died for you all because you wanted to make a name for yourself.”
“Who told the pack we were coming?” She asks.
“I did.” Stiles snaps. “Are you daft? Catch up!”
“You were supposed to be in California.”
“I’m in California every night, with my family. We live in a large mansion full of werewolves and a few other supernaturals. My husband is an Alpha werewolf. We have six adopted werewolf kids. One of them became an alpha at the age of six when his father died. You might say I have a soft spot for wolves that are traumatized by hunters since my husband was the victim of an abusive hunter bitch when he was a teenager. Like I told you before. I’ve had some rough times.”
“I made sure you were put on a plane to California. I had someone follow you. He was supposed to be on the same flight and watching you in California. How the fuck are you doing this?” She asks.
“I know you did. He’s hanging out in my apartment having a wonderful hallucination. He eats, and sleeps, watches TV, relieves himself, showers, and shaves once a day. I even made sure to have groceries delivered for him. His mind thinks he’s in California having a fantastic vacation with absolutely no memory of my existence. In a few weeks, he will find himself back at the airport getting his car out of long-term parking. When he returns to the office he will discover the chaos going on here and he will tender his resignation. He’s a young man, but I’ve seen to his financial future so he can retire early. He’ll meet a lovely woman his age and they will live a comfortable, happy life together. You will be the vague memory of an unpleasant boss he did some temp work for and then moved on. No hunter or supernatural will ever bother him again.”
“Well, aren’t you just the spirit of generosity.” She says sarcastically.
“I can be quite generous when I need to be. He would have taken his own life due to the horrors your family has exposed him to. He was a good person and deserved better. I don’t often meddle in the natural course of human lives, but I made an exception for him. You, however, won’t have it quite so easy.” Stiles replies as Jack appears next to him.
“Who is that?” She asks.
“Now I see where your incompetence comes from. You’ve received absolutely no training. Your father taught you business, family protocol, firearm safety, and the hatred of werewolves, but to truly be a hunter you must also understand fear, and that’s something only the women hunters can teach you.”
“Let me introduce you. This is the Shadow Walker. I would say you could call him Jack, but you won’t be spending time in casual conversation. Jack, this is Dia Domenico. She was the Matriarch of the Domenico Hunter Family.”
“I see that she needs to learn about fear. I’ll take care of that.” Jack says as both he and Dia disappear.
Stiles walks over to the stack of bodies and with a few waves of his hands, they are spread out. One by one they disintegrate into piles of ash. Individual engraved boxes appear and the ashes flow into them. The ones that have already been cremated appear in boxes as well as the ones that are in progress.
“Wench. She couldn’t even show the dead some respect.” Stiles says as both he and the boxes disappear.
—————————
Gloria Domenico was just sitting down to a quiet meal alone when a stack of engraved wooden boxes appeared against the wall of her dining room. A cloaked figure appears seated across from her.
“Guardian, I presume.” She says with a slight dip of her head. “It appears you come bearing bad news.”
“Good evening Lady Domenico, you are well educated. My apologies for interrupting your meal. I’ll be brief. Your niece has forfeited her position as matriarch. The council will summon you to take her place at the table with the other houses.” The deep voice says.
“I’m only surprised that it took this long, and these poor souls?” She says waving her hand at the boxes.
“Victims of Dia’s stupidity. She treated them with disregard in life, can you make sure they are returned to their family so they can be given a respectful burial in whatever way gives their loved ones peace? I regret to inform you that your brother-in-law is among them.”
“I will personally make sure they are handled properly and with the utmost respect. I am not surprised that Carlos is among them. He was of no use to me, but my sister loved him. I know they wished to be buried together so I’ll see to it.” Gloria says. “What of my niece? Does she live?”
“She is with the Shadow Walker.”
Gloria visibly pales then says, “Understood.”
“Again, my apologies for the interruption. I will see you and the council soon.” He says as he fades out of sight.
—————————————
“Hello, love,” Stiles says as he appears on the sofa next to Derek who has the television on low so he doesn’t disturb the sleeping cubs.
“You know I wish you would give me some warning.” He says as he jumps on Stiles.
“But you always pounce on me when you’re surprised and I happen to like you being all cuddly like this,” Stiles says as he wraps his arms around Derek's neck and kisses him.
“Are you hungry? There are some leftovers downstairs that I can heat for you.” He asks lifting himself from where he had Stiles pinned down.
“I could eat. Being mysterious and spooky all day makes me hungry. I have one more thing to do and then I can put this family to rest. Hopefully, they won’t be a bother for a few more decades.”
Both men go downstairs and it doesn’t take long for Derek to reheat a plate of bolognese with some of Danny’s homemade pasta. It’s one of his favorite comfort foods and Danny always seems to know when Stiles will need it.
“Want to talk about it?” Derek asks. “This one seems different.”
“There isn’t much to say. You know how one of these hunter families goes rogue once in a while. It’s the same thing we’ve seen before, but I almost feel sorry for this one. She lost her mother to cancer when she was 10. Her father raised her, and he tried his best, but he couldn’t give her that one thing that she needed. She needed a hunter to train her. To teach her what the hunters stand for, what they believe, and the how and why of it. When it’s appropriate to act, and when it isn’t. All she knew was hatred of werewolves. She also did not know fear. Her father could have sought out one of the hunter families to train her. One of the families could have offered. She had a lot of potential, and so many people failed her. Her unchecked ego and lack of education got the best of her. The hunters don’t fill the same role they used to, but there is still a need for them. Maybe they need a reckoning to get them on the right path again. It worked for the druids. It can work for them.”
“I know you’ll do what’s right for them,” Derek says bumping his shoulder against Stiles.
“I doubt she will survive her encounter with Jack.” Stiles replies. “I had hopes she could be directed to a new course in life. Now that he has her, there is no path forward.”
“People pay the price for their choices. You can’t save them all.” Derek says.
“I know. I just wish more people could save themselves.”
“How about you get some sleep? In a few days, you can put this behind you. The cubs miss you during the day and they don’t see enough of you in the evening. Spending a full day or two with them will be great for both you and them. They are getting older and before too long they won’t want to spend time with either of us anyway. Get it while you still can.”
“Are you kidding? When they move into their apartments we’ll have the place all to ourselves. Do you know the things I’m going to do to you?”
A pair of arms snake around his shoulders and Sophia snuggles up to his face. “I miss you when you’re gone, Daddy, but I like you coming home so late that you two don’t fuck like bunnies and keep everyone awake. If you don’t shut up, I’m going to drop a screaming infant in your bed at 4 am.”
Derek chuckles and pulls Sophia away from Stiles. He wraps her up in a hug of his own, kisses her on the head, and then says. “Go back to your apartment, and mind your business. You may have a partner and a child of your own, but that won’t keep me from holding you down and tickling the hell out of you.” He lets go and then reaches out to tickle her but she scampers away toward her place.
“Love you.” She whispers as she disappears down the hallway.
“Alright. I get it. Let’s go to bed. I need some sleep. I’ll take the cubs out in the morning and we can all recharge together.”
Stiles spends a full week at home enjoying time with the cubs and Derek, and then he feels the call of the council. He sends a brief pulse back indicating he will arrive the following evening.
The next morning he’s up with the sun and sitting back to back on the rock at the nematon grove with Jackson. They don’t share a lot of one-on-one time, but once in a while, Jackson will just show up at the grove to watch the sunrise with him. Sometimes Jackson will lay back with his head on Stiles’ lap, other times he will invite Stiles to do the same. Many times they don’t even speak, other times Jackson will softly speak of his past while Stiles listens in silence. This is beyond what Jackson shares with Lydia or Danny. Stiles is his ultimate safe space, and once in a while he just needs to sit in quiet solitude with Stiles. Jackson hasn’t said anything, and Stiles hasn’t asked. When the sun is high enough Jackson stands, whispers “Thanks” and quietly walks off toward the house. Derek appears a few minutes later with a basket containing breakfast.
“How is Jackson?” Derek asks.
“He’s fine. I’ve been in and out so much over the past few months that he hasn’t seen me. Just needed some quiet time. I need to make more time for him when my schedule allows.”
“Just don’t wear yourself too thin,” Derek says.
“Pack is primary Derek,” Stiles says, waving a finger at him. “Don’t make me have grandma come and explain it to you again.”
“I got the tongue lashing. You got bitch slapped.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, so I need to see the ladies tonight and that will be the end of this sad chapter for this hunter family. I’m sure they will pop up in another generation or two and maybe I’ll have to deal with them again, or maybe I won’t. Who knows?”
“Will you be home in time for movie night?” Derek asks.
“I should be. Don’t wait for me, but I’ll join you if I can.”
They enjoy their breakfast and spend the rest of the morning together at the grove. In the afternoon Stiles leaves to take care of his business.
——————————————
The Matriarch Council has gathered once again. They hadn’t planned on meeting again in New York that year. Normally the core group travels and the family Matriarch joins the council for meetings. As they make their way around the country everyone stays informed. Once a year there is a conclave of the family leaders where they discuss global issues and elect new leadership if necessary.
The Matriarch stands to address the table.
“Ladies, it’s unfortunate that we gather here again so soon. As we feared, Dia has lost her place at the table. As you can tell, Gloria Domenico has been summoned to take her place. I fear that Dia’s unprovoked attack may have repercussions that none of us want. In light of that, I have taken the rare step of requesting the Guardian join us this evening.”
There is murmuring around the table. The Guardian usually requests to attend a meeting if there is a disturbance in the supernatural community that the hunters need to know about. If the Guardian appears uninvited, it’s always a bad sign. The council being in the position to request the Guardian to join them is a rare event.
As if on cue the hooded figure appears in front of the table, dark cloak slowly waving in the ethereal wind.
“Ladies, you’ve requested my presence. We have unfinished business regarding the young Lady Domenico.”
“Yes. I implored her to listen to your advice and she ignored both of us. We made the choice not to offer assistance should she call for it. She did and we ignored her. The senior members and I feel that her attack may start to destabilize the peace that we have all worked so hard to secure over the years.”
“I spoke to young Miss Domenico and pointed out the error of her ways. She carried out an unprovoked attack on a pack that performed a consensual bite to a young man who was fatally injured in a car accident. It was a valiant, yet futile attempt to save his life. He unfortunately died of bite rejection. Dia willingly withheld this information from you. The beta that was killed in the attack was the young man’s girlfriend. Both the human family and the pack suffered a loss and their grief has brought them together. The humans have been educated about hunters and now feel disgusted by their fellow human beings. The pack has no plan for retribution, though they would be within their rights to enter the Domenico homes on Long Island and slaughter any with the last name. Lady Domenico, don’t be surprised if you hear of more consensual bites within that community. I believe many of the humans in that family will choose to join the pack and leave humanity behind. I also believe they may choose to leave Long Island and retreat to the mountains of upstate New York. Leave them in peace. They have earned it.”
The Matriarch lets out the breath she had been holding. “Thank you,” she says. “None of us wanted a war.”
“What of my niece, Guardian? Did she survive her encounter with the Shadow Walker?” Lady Domenico asks.
There was a collective gasp around the table as they were not aware of what had happened to the young lady.
At that moment there is a crack in the air and both Jack and Dia appear. He is holding her in his arms. She’s dressed in a white gown and is curled up in a fetal position. He lays her down on the table and a white blanket falls out of the air to cover her.
“She lives,” Jack says plainly.
“What did you do to her?” Someone asks.
“You presume to question?” Jack says, turning towards the voice as the room darkens around them.
“I meant no disrespect.”
The lights return and Jack says “I tried to educate her. She failed to learn.” Then he disappears.
“You have collectively failed a generation of young ladies.” The dark figure says. “Dia is a perfect example. A young woman who was taught skills but nothing else. She learned how to fire a gun, run a business, and give emergency medical triage in the wilderness, but she had no morals. She had no respect, and she had no fear. Those of you who grew up fighting decades ago, lived knowing fear. You never knew what might happen from one day to the next. It made you tough, it made you sharp. You made critical decisions because not only was your life at stake but so were those around you. You had respect for life, and aside from a few rogue families, hunters didn’t kill out of turn. These young ladies have no fear and it’s made them stupid. Did any of you step up and offer to train her? No. She fell through the cracks and her father raised her to be a spoiled brat who spent her downtime playing with guns and fucking her security guards. You’ve become soft, ladies. Take a good hard look at yourself and reexamine your purpose. You provide a necessary service to the supernatural community. Get it together, or disband. Another group will rise to fill the vacuum you leave behind.”
“Will she survive?” Gloria asks.
“Her body lives, but her mind is broken. She will regain consciousness, but she will need care for the rest of her life. Let her father's fortune pay for it.”
“What happened to her?”
“The Shadow Walker reached into her mind and discovered what truly scared her, then he used it to teach her to be afraid. She didn’t know fear, and it broke her.”
The room is silent for a few minutes while they stare at the shell of a young woman lying on the table.
“We will meet again, two years from this date. 6 pm. San Francisco. No need to notify me. I’ll know where to meet you. I expect to see young ladies being mentored, looking forward to eventually filling your shoes and you being proud to let them do so. If not, then the Shadow Walker may start visiting homes to continue their education in person.”
“I bid you a good evening, Ladies,” the figure says as he fades out of sight.
Almost a century later, Stiles’ great-grandson, Joshua, now firmly making his way as Guardian calls upon him to ask for his advice on dealing with the Domenico family. Stiles suggests he creates an illusion of their long-dead ancestor to frighten them with what awaits them if they don’t stop.
Joshua attempts to negotiate with the current matriarch, but she won’t listen to any reason. When he gives up, Jack appears and starts to snatch away her children. That finally gets her attention. When she disappears the family gives up their plan of attack and scatters like rats, but it’s too late. The local authorities arrive along with ATF and the FBI and the property is searched for firearms and illegal drug manufacturing. Of course, they were dealing with firearms, and while they weren’t involved in drug manufacturing, kilos of cocaine were found hidden around the property. Back at the company headquarters, the SEC has arrived and taken control of the company. All in all, it’s been a very unlucky day for them.
The worldwide hunter community has severed ties with the Domenico family. No family will conduct training, coordinate an operation, or share resources with them. No hunter family will agree to a marriage with anyone who either is a Domenico or is even tangentially related to one. They have been shunned on a global scale.
In one last act, Joshua renders every member of the Domenico family sterile. Those currently living will be the last. It’s so subtle, and yet such a simple solution that Stiles wishes he had thought of it himself.
Thus ends the sad tale of the Domenico Hunter Family.