The Demon and His Plaything

15| Stark reality

Samantha woke slowly. She tested her body as she moved, feeling okay all things considered.

She opened the robe and checked Derek's nips on her. Most had practically healed, there were a few that were going to take a few days to go completely. She reached back and felt the one on her neck. It was actually not the worst one, Derek's wolf not trying to kill he had just been rough there, causing the most bruising. The worst one was on her forearm, where he'd bitten her foreleg as she tried to twist away from him at one point. She hadn't been trying to get away but he'd been incensed and reacted harshly to every move that had seemed like less than complete surrender.

She had felt raw after her time with Godrick, the added fury Derek's wolf unleashed on top had been bracing. Testing how steady she felt on her feet, she climbed out of the bed. Her legs still felt rubbery but she could walk. She saw a note from Derek.

Something happened at the Half Moon Pack. We're heading there. Will link when I can.

I'm sorry

Derek.

She groaned as she remembered where her phone was. She stuck her head out of Derek's apartment. The Beta hall was clear. She trotted to the stairwell and took it up to her floor. There was no movement on her floor either as she made her way to the Alpha penthouse.

She called out as she entered, not really expecting anyone to be home. She quickly got dressed, opting for a maxi dress and a light high-neck jumper over the top. Thankfully, she had lots of clothes to cover up marring on her skin.

She was just arriving where she hid her backpack, leaving the packhouse via the back way, when she felt Derek trying to reach her. "I just had to get something I left outside yesterday." She answered immediately, assuming he had just gone back to his room to see her gone.

"Something really bad happened." His voice in her head sounded broken.

"Where are you now?" She looked at her phone. It was surprisingly still on, with twenty per cent battery. She had a bunch of missed calls and messages from Godrick. She groaned. She couldn't deal with that right now but she opened up the messages nonetheless.

Her brown furrowed in confusion by the messages of concern from her demon mate. I'm fine, sir, she messaged him quickly.

Jamming her phone into a pocket, she stuffed the bag back into the hole, thinking she would get it later. She lifted her head after Derek didn't respond after a few seconds. "Derek, where are you? I'll come to you."

She felt her mother. Frowning, she let the link in. "Sammy. Come to the pack hospital."

"What's going on?" She asked panicked. "Derek?" She called to him again.

She ran to the front of the packhouse and could see people rushing about, piling sheets and towels into cars. The hospital was only a short five-minute drive–she could run it in about double that time.

"Samantha!" That was Patrick. "You on your way to the hospital? We're running supplies. I'll give you a lift."

She angled into his car and jumped in. Her mind was reeling. "Patrick, what happened?"

"You don't know?" He sounded surprised. "The Half Moon Pack was attacked last night. Half the pack is dead."

~*~

Samantha ran through the hospital halls, ferrying supplies. They were bringing in the wounded that were too hurt to wait for treatment back at their own pack hospital and not hurt so badly they couldn't be moved. The air was filled with cries and people yelling orders. The pack hospital was only the small side, its main purpose not dealing with dozens of wounded.

She had just traded out fresh towels and sheets her arms full again as she rushed back the way she came when she passed her mother.

"Sammy, they're bringing all the kids from the pack here. I've already got a group setting up the theatre and gaming rooms for them to sleep in, I need you to help them back there. And I need someone to match families that are still together to rooms. Can you help coordinate both of those things?"

Her lips felt numb. "Can Beth help?"

Rachel gave her daughter a tight look. "No Samantha–you can do this. My staff are at your disposal."

Samantha unloaded her soiled armful and then removed her medical protection gear.

Something wasn’t quite right. There was something bothering Samantha, it was always right at the edge of her mind, but she just pushed through. There was no time to think, she just had to do. Help was all that was needed right now.

She headed back to the packhouse, a bus of crying children pulling up as she arrived. While they were being shepherded off the bus, she ran ahead and into the building. People were running around like crazy. "Arnold!" She called, seeing her mother's chief of staff.

"Samantha. Your mum linked me."

"She said she was going to use the theatre and games room for the kids to sleep in."

"Yeah."

"Let's not do that. These kids will need somewhere to hang and let loose."

Arnold shook his head. "Where else can we put them?"

"How many?"

"Fifty, another twenty still have a family member…"

Samantha nodded, glossing over the horror of that statement. "Clear the gym and set up beds in there. Give me the list of families and how many children they have under twelve. We need the kitchen to increase food. Have them make the usual hearty meals but get them to have packed meals ready, enough for two security contingents and keep that going for every meal–starting now."

Arnold nodded. "On it."

She rushed back outside where a few of her mother's staff were looking lost with the kids. "Call for any responsible kids over the age of sixteen from our pack to come help entertain. Take them through to the theatre and put on a Disney movie." She started walking away to turn back, "one without death in it or dead parents… you know what, just put on one of the kid's channels."

She sat by the front door matching families to rooms. She used the vantage point to greet and direct people. Arriving families were sent to eat in the ballroom before being sent to their rooms. She had to do some careful swapping to make things fit.

By two pm she had placed most of the refugees that had arrived, and with a lull in arrivals and having to wait on the hospital release list to finalise placements, she had less to focus her mind on. The unfamiliar feeling of anxiety bubbled in her belly. Instead of letting the heaviness of the situation weigh her down, Samantha instead thought through how many spare homes she could free up, regardless of how many more people needed homes–coming at it from the other angle.

She chewed on her lip as she wondered if Derek would be okay to free up his apartment. Both the Alpha and Beta apartments had spare rooms in them, though she assumed Tracy and Daniel would just take her own room back. She thought Derek could bunk with her and she could get Tom and Patrick to move in with the Beta family. There were a few singles left to house and she would need to reach out to a few households she knew who had more rooms than they needed.

Something caused her to look up and she saw Derek walking towards her. She stood, placing her pen down and running to him.

Her eyes studied him as she approached him. He looked devastated. She could only imagine what he had seen. She hadn't heard much, just that the pack had been taken by surprise. She had assumed rogues, though it felt too big to be a simple rogue attack.

"Are you okay?" She took his hands, guiding him towards the packhouse. He walked slowly. "Do they know what happened yet?"

"Tracy's dead."

She stopped in her tracks. "What?"

He pulled her into a hug, sobs wracking his body. She held him but the words weren't sinking in. She couldn't stop blinking but her eyes were dry. "Mum?" An uncontrolled whine in her mental voice broke through, the only tell of the hot emotion she felt at what Derek had told her.

"... Sammy... I'm so sorry."

"Did you know already? Earlier?" She frowned remembering how her mother had handled her at the hospital.

Her mother was slow to respond. "We need you right now, Samantha. Your pack needs you."

Samantha cut the link. "Derek." She tried to pull from his arms but he held her too tight. She switched to a mindlink. "Let me take you to my room."

She led him up via the stairs out of habit but the movement seemed to bring him out of his head. "Why your room?"

She winced. "I was hoping I could put a family in your apartment…"

He glared at her coldness, her being practical at a time like this, giving a cranky shrug in answer. Samantha powered on, her heart and mind racing a mile a minute. Not slowed since she had received that mind link from her mother. She understood her duty.

She led Derek to her bedroom, turning immediately to leave.

"Stay. Just for a minute…"

Derek's voice paused her drifting towards the door. She nodded and climbed into her bed with him. She sat so he could curl up against her with his head in her lap. Her fingers worked their way through his hair, massaging down to rub his tight muscles loose across his shoulders. She worked silently and mind-linked orders. She fielded questions from throughout the packhouse. Making decisions and delegating tasks where people raised problems with her.

Derek fell asleep at some stage, Samantha using the opportunity to carefully slip out from him and went back to join the madness. It was quickly approaching dinner. She checked to make sure they were on track to feed all the new mouths in the house, those working in the hospital and completing increased guard duty. She stood back and watched as half a dozen pack teens led the orphaned children from the kid zone to the ballroom.

All hierarchy for seating was forgotten, everyone just ate where they could. The children of her pack were brought in too, having been kept late at school that day.

Her brother ran up to her, tears in his eyes as he threw his arms around his sister's waist. "Where's mum?"

"She's helping at the hospital. Let's get you dinner and I'll take you upstairs."

She helped him fill a plate and made one for Derek. She looked around and saw Patrick finishing his meal. She walked over to him.

"Can you take Arthur upstairs with Derek's dinner? He's… lying down. So just put it in the kitchen if he isn't up." She bent down to her brother. "Dereks really sad so please don't bother him, okay? Just go watch something with your headphones, okay?"

With that taken care of she walked around the room and spoke with the disrupted pack members. She gave the teen volunteers encouraging smiles and thanked them. As she looked around she noticed that it was mainly young women, children and the elderly. The hospital had a lot of their fighting force but a small amount compared to how many would have been in a full pack.

Samantha was pretty sure the Half Moon Pack wasn't as big as hers, but the low numbers of those brought here concerned her.

~*~

Derek woke to find Samantha gone. He ventured out of her room, a seeping light coming from the living room and drawing him there.

Arthur looked up as Derek entered, quickly lowering the headphones he had on. "Hi, Derek."

"Hey, kiddo." He looked around. "Where's Sam?"

"She stayed downstairs. She got you dinner in the kitchen."

"Thanks." He shuffled to the kitchen and stared at the plate of food. It looked congealed and very unappealing.

He shouted back. "I'm going to go downstairs."

"Okay!"

He took the lift. He was annoyed she'd left him and then guilty that he was annoyed at her. He'd been on a rollercoaster of emotions–going from reliving what he and his wolf had done to her, to seeing the c*****e of what had been the Half Moon Pack, finding Tracy, having to keep on working to help find all the dead, hoping to find someone who needed medical attention because the vast majority did not.

He had finally been sent home, the pack's Delta splitting everyone into a shift to go back and rest with security to be doubled that night and for the foreseeable future–the fear that their pack would be next hanging over them. He would be going on duty at midnight.

He stood in the doorway of the ballroom. It was a good hour after dinner service would have usually stopped, the extra volume of people meaning they had to extend. He saw Samantha walking around and talking to people, helping a few injured people who had been discharged from the hospital.

He felt his chest relax as she moved about. He thought she looked odd with her high neck long sleeve jumper on such a warm night and with running around she had to be hot. It took him a few moments to realise she'd be covering the injuries he'd inflicted.

He felt despair wash over him, ready to collapse. Her eyes landed on him, lifting him and inspiring him to be stronger.

She rushed over. "What are you doing down here? Go back upstairs. Dad told me you'd be going on security tonight. You need as much rest as possible."

He shook his head. "I should be helping."

"You are." She gave him a quick squeeze. "By keeping us all safe. Did you eat?"

He shook his head.

She directed him to sit, which he did without thinking. He looked around from a different vantage point than he was used to. There were a lot of faces he didn't know.

Samantha was back swiftly with a plate of food. "Eat up."

As she went to walk away, he hooked his fingers in hers. "Sam..?"

She thought for a second and pulled a chair closer to him.

"Do you know what happened?" He asked low.

She shook her head. He switched to link her. "They said it was an attack from Demons. Some of the survivors claim that there were Warlocks as well."

Her eyes went wide. She spoke out loud, "That… why?"

He shook his head, swallowing thickly. "No one knows yet."

He forced himself to eat. He hadn't eaten all day. Not even the thought of food had crossed his mind since he brought her breakfast up. Samantha's wounded body flashed in his mind again. "Are you okay?"

"Don't worry about me," She dismissed his concern, rubbing his arm absently.

He looked at her with the most hurt look. "Why did I do that to you?"

"I–I'll explain later." She looked distracted, obviously being mindlinked. Samantha let out a deep breath.

"Our parents will be home soon." She stood up and looked around. "I'll be back in a second."

He watched her leave the room. He felt such grief. It twisted in him. He hadn't wanted his sister to leave their pack. They'd spoken only the previous day. She'd already felt so welcomed by her new pack. Daniel was the youngest son of the Delta there. Derek had proposed to make him his Delta, suggesting she move back and he started training for it. Daniel hadn't sounded interested but they had promised to think about it. Now they were both dead.

Guilt also coursed through him. He couldn't dedicate his thoughts and feelings to his sister. His disgust and confusion at his actions in wolf form was sliding in across his mourning and blacking it out.

He glanced around the room. Every face was haunted. He rubbed his hand across his mouth, anguish pulling his chest apart. She had been running around here since at least ten this morning. She'd looked so hurt when he left her, yet she'd gotten up and got to work. She hadn't even been angry at him. I don't deserve her.

Samantha appeared back at his side. "I wanted to make sure the kids were settling into bed," she explained. She set her hand on his knee but her eyes cast across the room.

His hands dropped into his lap feeling ashamed. "I'll speak with the doctor tomorrow. I'll see what's wrong with my wolf. I won't let him near you until I'm better… though I understand if you don't want–

"Derek." She turned towards him and grabbed his hands. "We'll talk later, but please don't worry, I'm completely fine." Her head turned sharply. "Our parents are here."

They both rose and walked to the foyer, arriving just as their parents entered the packhouse. Tom was with them too. He rushed forward and hugged Derek, pulling Samantha in. "I'm so sorry."

He quickly untangled, wiping his eyes. Derek thanked him and holding Samantha's hand he walked to his parents. He cast his eyes down, unable to stand the look on his mother's face.

"Mum–” his voice broke and she embraced him. Samantha pulled her hand out of his, standing back and twisting her fingers together.

She turned to Benjamin. He looked broken, pain evident in his eyes. She spoke softly, "Words cannot begin to–"

"Spare us," Beth snarled at her. She twisted out of her son's arms and took a threatening step towards her. Samantha held her ground but she was taken aback by the venom in the woman's voice.

Derek looked at his mother in shock. "Mum!"

Benjamin had moved to hold his wife, trying to steer her past Samantha.

"Did you even shed a tear for her?" Beth shrieked.

Samantha pursed her lips. She could see the look on her parent's face. Her father opened his mouth to defend his daughter but Samantha shook her head at him. Samantha didn't feel things like other people but she understood when emotions were driving others.

Beth said something unintelligible and broke down crying in her mate's arms.

Derek watched after his mother as Benjamin led her towards the lift. "I'm sorry. I don't know why…" he looked back at Samantha with a lost look on his face.

"It's okay. Go with them." Samantha watched Derek follow his parents. He looked back once before disappearing around the corner.

Rachel put an arm around Samantha. "She's just hurting. Come on, your father needs to eat.”

Samantha nodded in understanding as she took her father in. She had never seen him look so sad and tired. His broad shoulders were low. Her mother looked frazzled but in a very held-together way.

Samantha led them to the ballroom. There was still some food so her parents grabbed a plate–but not before going around and speaking with those there first.

As they sat her mother spoke. "Tell me where we're at with the packhouse."

Samantha briefed her on the progress and her adjustments to the sleeping arrangements. She mentioned the additional changes to sleeping arrangements that might be needed when more wounded were released. Her mother mind-linked that the patient release list was short, bringing the trio into a sombre silence for a few minutes.

"That was you that directed the kitchen?" Her mother asked.

Samantha nodded, drinking some water. She realised this was her first drink since that morning. Now that she felt like she could relax her body was making it known that it wasn't happy with her.

"That was good thinking," Andrew said around a mouthful of food. "They were couriered down to us, which, although no one thought they'd have the stomach to eat, it was needed. It was gruelling work." He spoke low so only they would be able to hear it.

Samantha leant forward and mindlinked. "Is it true it was Warlocks and Demons?"

Andrew regarded her and glanced at his wife. Rachel shrugged delicately.

"Yes. As near as we can tell they arrived just as the run was about to start. They circled them and…" He trailed off.

Her mother continued, "The majority of those present died in that first attack. There were further casualties via smaller skirmishes–into the night. We think they had a way to block communications…" Rachel sighed. "Some of the vulnerable members of the pack made it to their bunkers and a member made it to our borders this morning."

"How many dead?" Samantha asked dread settling over her.

"A little over fifteen hundred. What we have here and at the hospital is all that is left."

Samantha couldn't hide the shock on her face. She looked around at the final few people here, most having retired to their new rooms. "What are we going to do?"

~*~