#unveilingalec

The United Worlds Association had a very long list of carnival attendees they needed to bring in for questioning, how fast they could identify and locate them highly dependent on the quality of the surveillance footage they had. Most of the names already recorded were total strangers to Clary, the auburn haired nephilim only knowing them through reports or word of mouth from the local officers who were helping. However, one of the top names on the list was very familiar to her, the fact quickly brought up by her squad leader when assignments were being handed out.

He ordered her not to get involved in that specific case, giving her the Peter Hale assignment instead. But, as much as Clary agreed with the decision and didn't want to disobey direct orders; she couldn't just ignore it.

Clary looked over the report when others were distracted and memorized the address on it, exiting the sheriff's station and quickly making her way to the apartment complex. The group assigned to the case wouldn't contact him until the morning, so she had plenty of time to warn him. Once she reached the front door of the correct apartment, Clary took a deep breath and knocked, doing her best to mask the nerves coursing through her body before the door was opened.

"Hey, Alec," she greeted. "--Do you mind if we talk?"

The pain of losing a packmate was something every Alpha, every werewolf, was warned about early on. It wasn't like losing friends or family, as devastating as that was; the best way wolves could describe it to each other being that it felt like losing a limb. In some ways, the warning was enough to make the severity of it clear. But there was no way to prepare someone for when it actually happened, for what it genuinely felt like.

And having felt it before, did nothing to alleviate the pain if it happened again.

After checking on his sisters and the rest of the pack, Derek descended the stairs and entered the True Alpha's apartment. He waited for Scott to arrive from the sheriff's station, like he was asked, pacing from side to side until he heard the engine of the Camaro approaching the loft building. He met Scott at the door, not bothering to ask how the talk with the Sheriff had gone, instead leading the Alpha to his room in hopes of getting him to rest. But as they passed the room Stiles was meant to move into, Derek didn't have the heart to pull Scott away.

His hand rested on the True Alpha's shoulder, unable to find the words to offer the comfort Scott so desperately needed. Derek instead squeezed the other's shoulder, walking back to the living room after a moment. He sat on the couch, meeting Allison's gaze when she entered the apartment. The Beta listened to their exchange for a while, but the hurt in Scott's voice wasn't something he could withstand. 

Derek wasn't the comforting type, he wasn't the talking type either. He needed to do something, he needed to find something.

The born wolf grabbed the keys of his car and exited the apartment, driving back to what was left of the Valentine's Day Carnival. He didn't bother talking to the police looking over the area, finding a blind spot in their patrol and entering the gated grounds. The wolf searched the surroundings, attempting to find any trace of the human's familiar scent. As he walked near the ferris wheel, Derek sensed footsteps behind him, brow furrowing as he recognized who the scent belonged to.

The nephilim who had helped at the front gates during the attack. "By your lack of uniform,” he said. “I’m guessing you aren’t part of the surveillance team.”

The mob of crazed supernaturals was overwhelming, and there didn't seem to be an end to it. No matter how many ran away, no matter how many fell unconscious, another vampire or wendigo appeared almost instantly in their place; the more resistance they encountered, the more desperate and violent they seemed to become. Though portals were a safer option for Beacon Hills as a whole, to avoid letting the vampires and wendigos loose in town, they still presented a risk to those who were injured or unable to visualize the specific destination. They couldn't wait around, they needed to get the main gates open, and protect the exit for as long as was necessary.

Howling to let the Pack know where he was headed, Derek hurried towards the main entrance of the carnival, meeting up with Kira. As the kitsune and others kept the attackers at bay, the wolf reached the gates and attempted to break the lock. No matter how much or how hard he tried though, the lock wouldn't budge. Had someone reinforced it with magic? Before the wolf could process the thought, a wendigo tackled him to the ground, Derek growling at the creature as he attempted to kick them off. Spotting someone with a bow and arrow approaching, the wolf took a hold of the wendigo's arms, trying to keep them from following the other.

He just needed to hold the creature long enough to let others out. "Open the gate!"