Deacon - Nicholas Bella Page 0,42
nights. A lot of wolves already lived with the Alpha, some only temporary, some permanently, like two of his Beta Capos, Graham and Bernard, which was going to make it hard for me to kill them.
I was led into the meeting room where a large, round, wooden table was set in the middle surrounded by sixteen chairs. I took one of the chairs designated for Capos, as we sat further from the Alpha. The Beta Capos sat at his immediate right and left by ranking on how old and powerful they were. Royce was to his immediate right, taking Winston’s old place while Bernard was to his left along with Graham. Angus’ chair to Royce’s right was empty. The thought of their deaths almost made me smile when I looked at Angus’ now vacant seat. I had to keep it in check. Another wolf sat in what used to be Royce’s seat, having been promoted decades ago after Winston’s death and the shift in ranks.
The Alpha didn’t say anything for another hour, which was a bit unnerving. He just watched us, listening to the conversation of those who were talking and the reaction to those who weren’t. I held some conversations with the other Capos sitting next to me just to seem normal. When he cleared his throat, he commanded the room and everyone fell silent, all eyes on him.
“I have gathered you all here because we have a crisis on our hands,” Connor said. He gestured to Angus’ empty seat. “I have given enough time for all of my Capos and Beta Capos to come, yet Angus is missing. I want him to be located immediately upon dismissal of this meeting. I also want this fire investigated as it is destroying businesses that financially impact our pack. But more importantly, I want you all to join the humans in extinguishing this fire before it consumes all of London.”
“Alpha, I went to Angus’ home before coming here, but he was not there,” said one of the Capos.
Connor frowned, because that was highly irregular for Angus. “Track his scent and find out where he was last. This meeting is adjourned.”
I didn’t say anything, because I knew why the Alpha had sent for all of us. He wanted to scent us, to see us, and though he could have delivered such a message when he sent his messengers, he wouldn’t have been able to do all that other stuff that Alphas needed to do in order to keep their packs in line. He had to keep us under his command with fear and respect. So, though I had traveled an hour to get here, he had proved the power was his. I left to carry out his command, riding to the raging fires and seeing just how much devastation had taken place in just a few hours.
How could it have gotten so out of control so quickly? Was it because the weather was so dry, the wood was also dry? That the thatch roofs caught flame so easily, making for easy kindling? For days, we helped the humans fight the blaze that seemed to take on a life of its own and would not be killed. Five days it took to finally extinguish the flames, which was good, because we managed to stop it before it crossed the Thames. But still, the docks had been destroyed as well as many businesses owned by members of my pack including myself. Many peopled died as a result, but more were homeless.
A wolf during the investigation had discovered Angus’ body in the bakery, but Thomas had survived, to my disappointment. He was now being investigated by the human authorities as the fire originated from his location. To his credit, he did not bring up our acquaintance, only said that he had been sabotaged. That the body found in his bakery had been one of the culprits.
Of course, our Alpha wanted to speak with the man himself to find out his relationship with Angus and why one of his Beta Capos had been killed in his bakery. I couldn’t let that happen, but I also needed to keep my distance. So, I paid a man named Robert Hubert to do the work I couldn’t. He was a French watchmaker, an imbecilic immigrant really, and easy enough to take the blame. He had a family who couldn’t afford to travel with him and he’d come to the shores of London to find work and possibly send for