William's office, a sanctuary of glass and steel high above the metropolis, had become a 24/7 command center.
The normally pristine environment now thrummed with the tension of the past few weeks, a cold fog seeping into every aspect of his organized empire.
The raid on their warehouses, the manipulation of their workers, all confirmed that the occult had returned with an alarming sophistication that gave rise to report after report.
William, immersed in reading coded reports detailing Democles's activity patterns, looked up at the discreet notification from his secretary.
"Sir," Xander's voice echoed over the intercom, his tone always professional, "your aunt, Miss Veronica Aballay, insists on seeing you. She says it's urgent and of vital importance."
William's face, which had been impassive, showed a slight but perceptible change. Veronica's unannounced arrival was unusual. She, the direct matriarch, was practically the public face of the family, having to be in full view of a camera as much as possible. She only appeared in person when the situation was critical, beyond the usual management of her vast intelligence network.
William stood, his expression tense. "Show her in immediately," he ordered, his voice a deep murmur.
Veronica entered the office with restrained elegance, backed by experience, but with an urgency that was almost palpable in the air. This wasn't the same Veronica William saw at family gatherings; this was the strategist, the shadow protecting the family's deepest interests.
The alpha wore a dark, impeccable suit that gave her an undeniable air of authority. Her deep, shrewd eyes scanned the vast office before settling directly on her nephew, with a concern she rarely allowed to show. "William," Veronica began, her voice tempered, but with a barely perceptible edge of unease. "We need to talk. It's about Democles."
The occultist's name echoed through the office, capturing William's full attention. His eyes, once simply analytical, now bore into her with icy intensity.
William gestured to the chair in front of his desk. "Auntie, your presence here already tells me the gravity of the matter. Sit down. You have my full attention."
Veronica sat down, her eyes never leaving William's. "My network of contacts, the one that monitors the darkest movements, has intercepted crucial information. Democles is weaving a network of Omegas; he doesn't use them as mere pawns... He... molds them. He uses a combination of extreme psychological manipulation and, dare I say, some kind of pheromone or psychic control that overrides their will."
She paused, her gaze fixed on her nephew, seeking his reaction. She was well aware of William's tendency toward obsession and his fierce protectiveness.
William listened, his face an impassive mask, but his Alpha Gamma mind was working at a thousand miles an hour what Veronica was saying matched the fragmented reports he'd been receiving about the erratic behavior of some Omegas.
The brutality of Democles' recent attacks on their properties wasn't limited to material damage; it was a message, an attempt to destabilize confidence in his authority.
The Omega's suicide in the harbor, a detail William had kept strictly confidential, now took on a new and sinister significance.
"And what makes you think this requires your intervention, Aunt?"
Veronica didn't flinch. The urgency in her pheromones grew more palpable, a scent of alarm that not even William could contain.
"Because that's not all the information, William. My most trusted contact assures me that Democles has a specific target in this city. An Omega with a special aura, a purity of essence that he considers key to a large-scale ritual, a ritual that seeks to expand his control, possibly over the entire Omega population, or even beyond what we can conceive. And he's turned his attention to an Omega you've been following very closely, one who... interests you particularly."
William's breath caught in his throat, a slight twitch in his jaw. The mention of an Omega you've been following very closely was a direct hit, a tacit confirmation of his obsession, which Veronica had detected. His pheromones fluctuated, a change so subtle that only his aunt, with her keen perception and intimate knowledge, could have noticed it. The air in the room grew thicker, charged with a tension that scratched at her skin.
"Who?" William asked, his voice lower, almost a suppressed roar, as a cold fury began to heat his veins.
"Erika Belion," Veronica said, and the name fell on her like a judgment. My contact was very specific. He believes Erika's essence is... unique. Pure. And that Democles has been studying her for some time, biding his time. The attacks on her properties, the destruction of her assets... they're not just a turf war. They're a distraction, to get them to let down their guard while he prepares his real move... He wants Erika.
The office fell into a heavy silence. William processed the information, his gaze fixed on the city skyline... A distraction. It made sense; Democles had always been a master of manipulation, of using chaos to hide his true objective.
But that target was Erika... that elevated the threat to a personal and intolerable level. He had been protecting her out of his obsession, yes, but the confirmation of this real and imminent danger justified his every action, every shadow he had moved under. His possessiveness hardened, becoming an unbreakable armor.
"And what does your contact want in exchange for this information, Veronica?" William asked, his voice regaining its usual control, albeit with a steely edge. He knew his aunt didn't operate on rumors, much less on information without a price, not even in her most intimate information network.
Veronica nodded, a slight tension in her shoulders relaxing at William's seriousness. "She's asking for something you have, a device, a prototype communications encryption device your company has been developing. They call it 'The Oracle.'"
William barely held back a cruel smile. The Oracle. A state-of-the-art encrypted communications device, designed for his network. A tool that could render any information invisible.
"A high price for a warning, Aunt, even for your source."
"It's not a warning, William," Veronica replied firmly, her voice ringing with the conviction of the truth. "It's an exchange for his survival and yours. My contact knows that Democles has infiltrated the circles of power, attempting to corrupt the most influential councils, and this device would allow him to neutralize that threat undetected. He assures me that if we don't act quickly, Democles's network will spiral out of control." His tone was a mixture of pleading and unspoken ultimatum, a rare display of vulnerability from the always imperturbable Veronica.
William leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms. "Tell me more about this 'contact,' Aunt. Why doesn't he come himself to negotiate a trade of such magnitude?"
Veronica hesitated, a microexpression of wariness crossing her face. "My contact prefers to operate in the shadows. He's someone with a wealth of information about Democles's movements, but who cannot expose himself without being annihilated. He needs the protection of a tool like The Oracle to continue his work, work that is crucial to all of us, William."
William considered her words. The situation was precarious, and the information was too important to ignore. "Send me all the details of your contact, Veronica. All the information you have on him, his modus operandi, his history, his reliability… I want every crumb. If the information on Democles is as valuable as you claim, I will consider the exchange. I know your contacts, Aunt, but I need independent confirmation and certainty that this isn't a trap."
Veronica nodded, the tension in her shoulders easing noticeably. "I will. All the information I have, you will have it in less than an hour."
William watched her leave, the door closing behind her with a nearly inaudible hiss. The office window, which overlooked the vast city, had become a canvas for his suppressed fury.
After a few moments of unreadable thoughts, the alpha smiled a cold and predatory smile. The hunt had entered a critical phase, and he was more than ready to claim what he considered his and skin anyone who dared to get in the way.