Don't Mess With The Theta

Daryl left stile in the shack with Randel for a while, beating him to find out more about the Beta's Pack, and where they were. Rick waits outside, having volunteered to do it but he was shot down by the Alpha.

"You go in there like you are and you're gonna beat the kid to death, whether he tells ya anything or not. Yer Alpha's to close. I'll do it, I need to let out some frustration and it's better used on him than the Flock. You stand outside; if it sounds like I'm going too far, pull me out. Use your voice if ya gotta, I'll be pissy with ya, sure, but I'll be grateful too. Don't want the Beta beaten to death so close to the Packs, in case them pups hear it, ya know?" Rick had accepted that as an answer and let the Omega inside.

"I didn't know those guys!" Randel sobs through a bloody lip and black eye, "I met them on the road."

"How many in your group?" When stile doesn't get a response, he pulls out his hunting knife, ready to scare the answers out of him.

"NO! No no no no no no! PLEASE!" Randel sobs, "I swear I don't know anything!" stile stabs the ground next to his injured leg, going through the Beta's pants leg, causing the poor boy to yelp and piss himself. stile ignores the smell and the sound of Rick at the door, calling softly.

"HOW MANY?!" stile yells.

"30! 30. 30 guys, Alphas and Betas."

"We knew that." stile growls, looking at the Beta's eye growing wide at the news, "Tony and Dave, the fuckers my Prime took out, they already coughed up those details. Where are they?!"

"Uh...." stile rolls up the boy's pants leg some more and rips the Duct Tape over the bleeding leg wound off. The boy screams and swears he doesn't know again.

"I swear! We were never in one place for more than a night!"

"Scouting? Plans to stay local?" stile touches the tip of his knife into the stitches on his leg.

"I don't know, they left me behind."

"Ever pick off a scab?" stile growls, digging the knife a little deeper.

"Come on man! I'm trying to cooperate."

"Start real slow at first.... Sooner or later you just gotta rip it off!"

"OK! Ok! They- they have weapons. Heavy stuff, automatics." As the boy talks his voice changes from scared to coy, almost cocky, like he was making a sales pitch instead of begging for stile to not dig into his bloody leg even more. "But I- I didn't do anything!"

"Your Pack shot at my Pack, tried to take this farm. You just went along with the ride? You tryin' to tell me you're innocent?!"

"YES!" The Beta pants, "These people took me in. Not just guys- a whole group. Men and women," stile gets up, taking his knife with him as the kid talks, knowing Rick was hearing everything, "kids too- just like your Pack. Thought I'd have a better chance with them, ya know? But.... we go out, scavenge- just the men."

Randel gulps, "One night we- we found this little campsite. This Beta guy and his two daughters- Teenagers, one Beta one Omega. Real young...." He looks at stile with hooded glazed eyes, "... real cute. The Omega had just come out of a Heat a few days before. I'm a Beta and even I could smell it."

The Beta must have thought stile was an Alpha or a Beta, and given his redneck appearance, Randel was trying to appease him, find something in common to connect with his torturer. The Beta was so lost in memory that he couldn't see stile's rage, or smell his and Rick's scents of pain yet to befall him.

"They made their daddy watch while these guys- they-" The Beta's arousal almost had Rick breaking down the door, but stile's whispered purr to calm his Prime was enough to control the urge. Randel took the purr as something else.

"And they didn't even kill him afterwards. They just- they just made him watch-" The smell was so consuming with rage and hatred, Randel was starting to notice, the look on stile's face had him stuttering, "-as his daughter-ers- they just-just left him there. No but I-I didn't touch those girls. No, I swear- I didn't touch them."

stile threw all his force into a kick to the injured leg. Randel screams again, sobbing. stile throws another kick to the Beta's stomach, a punch to his face. The Omega pants as he looks at the crying Beta, before he gets an idea. He goes to the door and opens it a crack, motioning Rick over. "I'm gonna try something else. Go check on the others, he ain't going nowhere."

"You good?" The Alpha asks, looking inside. The Beta was a bloody pulp, crying and eyes begging Rick to not be left alone with Daryl again. The fear in Randel's eyes when he looked at stile's back made Rick want to rumble with pleasure, pleased the Omega had made an impact. The Theta was panting lightly through his nose, sweat making his skin shine, the bloody like rubies on the man's knuckles. Very pleased.

"Yeah, I'm good." stiles nods, silently preening with the approving smile and rumble Rick gave. His Prime was happy with him; he still thought stile was useful now that Sophia was found, and the hunter's usefulness had dwindled to bringing food and not much else. stile was pleased with that, it meant Rick wouldn't kick him out yet.

Rick nods and raises his hand to stile's neck, hesitating inches from the skin. stiles rolls his eyes but leans into it, letting the Alpha's fingers graze just shy of his glands before closing the door in Rick's face. The Omega waits for Rick to walk away before he turns back to Randel. stiles walks over and to the Beta's surprise, the Omega drops into his lap, the hunting knife inches from his eye.

"You telling' me your Pack found a young Omega and her family, just out of her Heat, and raped her? And her sister? Then left then with their father? Alive or dead?"

"The other-er guys, y-yeah. And they were-re de-ead. Dead."

"What were you gonna do when you got to the farm? Huh? Your Packmates knew we had women; we have Alphas.... Betas...." stiles shifts a little closer, intentionally grazing the Beta's lap, and hard-on, "... we have a couple Omegas too. And you just managed to piss off the most dangerous one with that little story of yours." stiles growls.

Randel's eye widens as far as it can, the other swollen shut, "You're an Omega?!"

"I'm the Theta." stiles drives the knife into the wall beside the kid's head.

Thetas were known to be the most aggressive in a Pack; the way rumors goes, a Theta could wipe out Delta Packs, slaughter every Alpha without remorse, if they put their hands on an Omega without consent. There were multiple news stories about it from Before, all of them from New-School Packs. Because the Theta has as much power as an Elder, or even more in most Pack where the Theta was Mated to the Prime, they almost always got away with killing rapist, or rapist-to-be, if the Omega attacked gave a testimony. Even then, they were never held long.

Randel had heard those stories of Thetas, and more, and he pissed himself again at the thought that he'd angered one as aggressive as stiles. When the Theta bares his teeth in a snarl, eyes black, the Beta regrets not having a better hold of his bladder, especially with the enraged Omega on his lap. Good thing stiles's tent was on the way back to the group.

...

stiles gets cleaned up before he goes see the Flock, changing his clothes and throwing the pants outside of the shack, along with the boxers soaked with the Beta's urine. Then he goes see Rick. The others are there as well, all except Shane. Even Maggie's Pack was outside, Beth no longer unresponsive and sporting new bandages from her suicide attempt.

She had tried to kill herself the morning after Rick and Glenn went looking for Hershel. Maggie was ever present at her side, until she had gone to the bathroom, leaving the distressed Omega in Andrea's care. The Beta had said some things to her then left her alone, saying it was her choice as to how she left this world. Maggie and Lori had broken down the bathroom door to find Beth with a broken mirror, arm bleeding and a piece of glass imbedded in her skin. Shaking and crying, Maggie had rushed her sobbing and apologetic sister into the other room, where Patricia had stopped the bleeding, and Hershel had stitched it up. Maggie was close to ripping into Andrea but settled for banning the Beta from the house and contact with Beth. Andrea had a lot of ass kissing to do if she wanted a warm bed for winter.

stiles stands next to Glenn and Rick while he gives the news, bloody knuckles on display where he was clutching his crossbow over his shoulder.

"It's a Delta Pack with a few Betas hanging around, over 30 men. They got heavy artillery and they ain't lookin' to make friends. They come through here and the Alpha and Beta men ain't gonna make it. The women, Omegas, and pups- we gonna wish we were." The Pack made no comment on how stiles included himself, not wanting to think of a group that could overpower the rouge Theta.

"What did you do?" Carol asked, clutching Sophia and Carl to her. stiles moves over to her and rubs the pup's hair, then scents her and Sophia lightly on their shoulders.

"We had a little chat." stiles was close enough that Carol could tell how the chat ended. Daryl's pheromones smelled sour, like he'd done something he hated. She knew he had used his Omega status to get some of the answers out of the Beta, though she was unclear as to what extent. Randel's scent was heavy on him, as though he'd been Marked by the Beta. Those that could smell it were worried. An unwanted Mark on an Omega, and ones as strong willed as stiles, their emotional state would have to be a mess. No one pushes though; Glenn hands stiles some shower supplies and Hershel leads him to the house, offering to clean his hand, the rest of the Greene Pack following quickly behind.

"No one goes near this guy." Rick rumbles, watching stiles's back, "He's dangerous and a threat. We don't have a choice anymore."

"You're gonna kill him?" Dale breathes.

"It's settled." Rick rumbles again, walking away, "I'll do it today."

Dale follows behind his Alpha quickly. "You can't do this. You don't want to do this, I know you don't."

"I thought about it all night. After what stiles said, and what I heard, I'm not taking any chances; not ones that will endanger the Pack like that."

"You can't just decide to take a man's life, not by yourself. And you didn't let anyone else speak up if they had any disagreements. This isn't the kind of Alpha you are. This sounds like Shane's way.... Not yours."

"What do you suggest then, as our Elder? Our people are scared, and I don't feel secure knowing he's close enough to where we sleep, that if he gets out.... If he gets out, one of ours could be hurt or worse before we can get to him."

"Let me talk to the others, please Rick."

"You have until sundown. After that, what happens, happens."

.....

Randel was straining against the chain holding him away from the door. "Hey! Can I get some water? Please? I'm thirsty." T-Dog was on watch now that Shane and Andrea were both under watch as well. They had Jimmy watching Shane, since he was faster than all the others, while Dale watched over Andrea and the camp from the top of the RV.

Randel watches as the Theta comes over with the Prime, and his guard walks up to meet them. They start talking about patrols and someone named Dale bugging stiles about Randel while the Omega was trying to make more arrows near the woods, where an old stone chimney stood. The beaten Beta pulls on his chain in frustration. Dust falls from the rafters along with a creak. The Beta looks up and see a kid with short brown hair under a sheriff's hat, watching him, his face void of all expressions.

"Hey." Randel whispers, not wanting the others to know he was talking to someone. "Hey. My names Randel, what's yours?"

Nothing.

"That's a nice hat. Is your dad the Prime? I like him, he's a good Alpha, I can tell." The Beta swallows, "Your mom out here too? You're lucky you got your family with ya' still. I lost mine.... Hey, I don't know what they've been saying about me, but I didn't do nothing, I swear."

The kid started walking down the beams, and then down a ladder.

"Yeah, your dad was gonna let me go until his Gamma started to fight with him. I was kind of worried." Randel wasn't paying attention to the volume of his voice anymore, not hearing that the group outside had gone silent. "My camp, we got a lot of supplies. You help me, and I'll take you and your folks back to my people. We'll take good care of you, keep you real safe."

Carl was standing just outside of Randel's reach, watching him with the same blank expression.

"Yeah, you just got to help me out of here, okay? Help me pick the lock or-or go find the key, okay? Please? Please?!" Randel lunges for the boy, his voice getting higher and the rattling of the chains covers the sound of the door opening.

"What the hell are you doing in here?!" stiles yanks Carl behind him, towards Rick and T-Dog. Then he turns on Randel, a pistol between the Beta's eyes and his hands wrapped around his throat in seconds, "WHAT'D YOU SAY TO HIM?! HUH?! YOU DON'T WANT TO TALK NOW THAT THE ADULTS ARE HERE?! IS THAT IT?! HUH?!"

"I didn't say nothing I-I-"

"OPEN YOUR MOUTH! WHAT'D YOU SAY TO HIM?!"

"Nothing I swear!"

"Daryl!" Rick pulled the Omega back, "stiles stop!" Daryl huffs, panting and pacing, but agrees. When Rick turns to the sniffling Beta he snarls.

"Thank you. I swear I-I didn't-" Rick grabs the boy's cheeks with one hand, squeezing his mouth shut and slams his head back against the wall, causing the Beta to whimper as the black eyed Prime digs his nails into the tender flesh.

"I ever catch you talking to my pup again," Rick flashes his teeth, "I'll rip your throat out."

Randel nods as best he could, pissing himself again, this time in submission. Rick drops him and pulls a pacing stiles out of the shack, slamming the door closed. The Prime storms past a cowering T-Dog, who was trying to explain he hadn't known Carl was in there. stiles moves towards him and grabs the man's neck, scenting him and crooning to calm his Packmate down. The Beta falls to his knees and latches onto the Theta when Rick snarls, punching the wall of the shack. stiles bares his teeth when Rick comes over to apologize, shaking his head to make the Alpha back off.

"Dad I-" Rick picks Carl up by his scruff and carries him away from the makeshift prison, the pup's limbs curl up to make the ride easier. Daryl is quick to follow, T-Dog stays at his post, not wanting to make his Prime any angrier than he was already. Rick walked all the way to the farm house, Carl whimpering at every person he passed as if asking for help getting out of trouble. stiles follows half a step behind the Alpha, silent and strong. Once they get into the house, stiles calls out to the Alpha.

"Dad. Hey, DAD." He tugs on the Prime's shirt collar, "Alpha."

Rick freezes; that was the first time in the months that Stiles had been a part of Rick's Pack, unofficially or otherwise, that he had called Rick his Alpha. Well, the first time he did it when he wasn't being sarcastic or making fun of.

"Hand me the pup and calm yourself down. Ya ain't gonna want to handle this while you're borderline Rut." stiles takes Carl from his father, lifting him under the arms and pulling him away. Once Rick is sure that stiles's got a good grip on Carl, he lets go and sits down on the couch, pulling at his hair. stiles checks Carl over for any indication Randel had hurt him, glaring at the pup when he tries to explain himself again. Once he's sure the pup is fine, he moves him over to stand in front of his dad. stiles retreats to the doorway where Glenn and Maggie are, then explains what happen to them. Rick sighs and looks up at his pup, Carl's eyes are at his feet and his eyes gleam with tears.

"What you did was dangerous. I told you and the Flock to stay away from him as much as possible because he's dangerous. A guy like that will say anything, ANYTHING, to get you to let your guard down. He'll try to make you feel sorry for him, paint himself out as a victim." Rick tilts Carl's chin up so the boy was looking him in the eye, "You let your guard down out here and people die. Don't go near him again."

"Yes sir." Carl whispers. Rick pulls his pup into his lap, scenting his glands as the pup whimpers and sniffles.

"I'm not angry at you pup. Mad that you disobeyed me, yes, but not at YOU. I'm sorry I scared you, but you terrified me being in there. What if he had gotten out of his chains? What if he had hurt you?" Rick purrs and croons at the boy until he calms down.

"I'm sorry dad." Carl sniffles with a small chirp. Rick pulls Carl into his own glands and chuffs. Once they were calmed down, Rick lets the pup up.

"You're grounded." Rick tells him, "You're not allowed to leave this house or the camp without someone from the Pack or Maggie's accompanying you. Today you're not leaving Carol's side and I'll make sure she says in the campsite. Tomorrow we'll see what else you can do. Glenn." The Prime looks at the younger Alpha, "Take him to Carol, please."

Carl goes to his Packmate after a quick hug from his dad. When he passes stiles, he lowers his chin to his chest. The Omega reaches out and rubs the back of the pup's neck, scenting him. Once he's gone, the two Alphas with him, stiles turns to Rick. "dad, man I'm sorry. I didn't have any right to-"

Rick pulls the Omega into a hug, letting go just as quick and backing away, flushed. He clears his throat and looks at stiles, "No. No, you had every right. You're the Pack Theta, you look out for the Omegas and pups, as well as everyone else. You were right about Carl, and T-Dog, and about my temper. Thank you."

"It's what we do. We're Pack, and Packs look out for one another."

Rick smiles and nods. "I'm going to go apologize to T." He walks out of the room, pausing to pat stiles on the shoulder. The Omega uses that time to rub Rick's neck, fully scenting the Alpha, and hurrying away before Rick could say anything.

...

It was almost sunset when the Packs started to gather around the house. Rick had been cleaning out the barn while keeping an eye out on Shane, the Gamma was still out from Rick's choke hold. Carol had kept the pups entertained all afternoon with chores and schoolwork, then they helped cook dinner, Carl staying right by her side the whole time.

Glenn walks into Beth's room where Hershel was checking on her, the two singing an old nursery rhyme and laughing together. It reminder Glenn of what he used to do with his dad and papa, and siblings. His dad used to hold them to her chest and sing, while their papa did his best to make them laugh with little dances. The Alpha clears his throat to get Hershel's attention and clear away the whine of longing in his throat.

"How is she?"

"Better. Aren't you doodlebug?" Hershel kisses Beth's forehead and follows Glenn out of the room.

"Let me know if you guys need anything; I don't mind making runs into town."

"That won't be necessary, though I appreciate the offer." Hershel puts his hands in his pockets and looks at the Alpha with interest, "Not to be rude, but where is your family from?"

"Michigan." The Alphas chuckle, "But uh... before that, Korea."

"Immigrants built this country, never forget that." Hershel smiles at the other, trying to ease the nervousness from him. "Our family came from Ireland."

"Maggie Greene- Kind of figured."

Hershel pulls out an old pocket watch with a sliver chain, twisting it in his hands, "My grandfather brought this over from the old country. He passed it on to my father, who passed it on to me as the male, Alpha heir. I pawned it to pay for a night of drinking I no longer remember."

They chuckle again. Glenn gestures to it, "You bought it back."

"My late Mate did- Josephine, Maggie's mother." Hershel sighs, rolling his shoulder where the faded Mark was, "She gave it back, years later when I sobered up. She was a good woman, my Jo. Maggie's a lot like her."

Hershel looks at Glenn, could see the calmness sweep over him at Maggie's name. The pup had it bad for his daughter, Alpha or not. It helped make this easier, "When we were in that bar, and afterwards, I thought about a lot of things. You become a father someday, you'll understand. No one is good enough for your little girl; no Alpha, no Beta, no Omega."

Hershel grabs Glenn's hand and places the watch in his palm, then curls his fingers around it with a loving pat, "Until one is."

"Sir I-"

"Think of it as a gift." Hershel cuts the speechless Alpha off with a chuckle, "And my blessing to your's and Maggie's courtship."

"Hershel-" The door opens, and the Packs wonder in.

"Come on now, son." The Elder steers Glenn into the living room with a nod to Rick, "Let's join the meeting before they vote without us."

...

Guilty.

Rick, Daryl, Glenn and T-Dog drag Randel from the shack to the barn, a bag over the Beta's head. They force him to the center of the barn, Shane's eyes glow in the light from the oil lamp from under the loft where he was tied up. He'd been beaten again and gagged after he woke and started screaming profanity so loud it could be heard from the house. And if they could hear it, so could Walkers. Randel was sobbing as Rick checked the chamber to his python, double checking the silencer was secured.

"Would you like to stand or kneel?" Rick asks the boy. The boy only cried harder. Daryl kicks the injured leg, forcing him to his knees with a yelp. The Theta grabs his hair and pulls back before the Beta could face plant into the straw that covered the ground, then steadied him and let go, backing away.

"Do you have any final words?" Randel sobs some more and begs for Rick not to do it. The Alpha looks at his Pack, each giving their own nods, then points the gun at the Beta's head and clicks the safety off. Randel sobs louder.

"Mr. Grimes? Is Daryl with you?" Sophia stood in the doorway with wide eyes, staring at the men.

"Girl what are you doing out here?! Where's your ma?" Daryl moves quickly, blocking the Omega's view of what was going to happen and herding her outside.

"What's going on? Who's that?" Sophia starts sobbing and chirping in fear, holding onto Daryl tightly as he picks her up and carries her from the door. Rick secures the gun and holsters it, near sprinting to the opening. Sophia had her head buried in Daryl's neck, the poor girl was chirping louder even as Daryl tries to sooth her. Rick turns to Glenn and T-Dog, "Get him back in the shack, then head to the house. Daryl."

The Alpha was already walking, Rick jogging to keep up. His Pack works quick to move the Beta back in his cell and close the barn. Carol was slamming the house door open and sprinting towards them before they even got halfway there, the older Omega was crying too, her thrills and croons loud and desperate.

"Sophia!" She takes her daughter into her arms when Daryl hands her over, finally soothing the pup's chirps. Then she turns to Rick and Daryl with quiet sniffles. "I'm so sorry. I went to take a shower, I thought her and Carl were still asleep. I came back and she wasn't there; I thought she just went looking for one of the Pack members in the house, so I was checking the rooms when I heard her. I'm so sorry."

"Hey, no harm done. She didn't see anything." Daryl reassures the Omega.

"Where's everyone else?" Just as Rick asks, the house door opens again and everyone spills out. Andrea comes out of the RV, and Glenn and T-Dog jog up behind them. Everyone was there; Hershel, Carl, Patricia, Beth, Maggie, Lori, Dale....

"Where's Dale? Has anyone seen him since we voted? Or Jimmy?" Rick raises his voice so everyone could hear him.

"He was upset because of the verdict and went to take a walk." Andrea says.

"Jimmy's inside." Maggie adds. Suddenly a scream was heard; Dale.

"Carol, take the pups inside, lock all the doors and turn off the lights! GO!" Daryl instructs as the Flock takes off towards the field.

"Beth goes with Carol! Hurry!" Maggie send her sister inside, just as Jimmy came out slamming the screen door, handing a shotgun to T-Dog as he ran. They call for Dale as his screams get louder and more pain filled.

stiles finds the Elder first, laying on the ground with a mutilated cow next to him, a Walker fist deep in the man's gut. Snarling in rage, stiles drops his oil lamp, catching the lightly damp grass to catch fire but not spreading as his body slams the Walker off Dale. Rolling on the ground with it, the Theta rips the head off with his bare hand, fingers digging into the eye sockets. He stabs it with his knife for good measure and then drops it next to its body. Forgetting the knife, he falls to his knees next to the Elder: he wasn't going to make it. Seeing the lights coming closer, Daryl throws his head back and Howls, signaling his location.

Rick hears the Howl of their Theta, filled with pain and grief, and knew they were too late. They were going to lose Dale. Pushing ahead of the Pack, Rick falls to his knees next to the old man, Stiles's hands adding pressure to the wound, trying desperately to save his Packmate.

"Hang in there buddy." The Omega's voice was rough and thick with emotion.

"HERSHEL!" Rick roars. The Pack surrounds them, all calling out to Dale and trying to choke back their sobs as the link to the Elder started to fade. Once the other Elder was next to them, everyone quieted down. "What can we do?"

"Nothing." Everyone cries harder at his words, "If we try to move him, he'll die. If I try to go get my kit and come back, he'll die. It's too dark out here for me to operate now, if I try to...."

"He'll die?" stiles's cries. The Theta had never been a big one for emotion, except with Merle or the pups, but no one could fault him for his tears over this. It was hard on them all.

"I'm sorry." Hershel turns to Rick, "He's only going to suffer the longer he's like this."

Dale could understand what Hershel was saying, and grabs Rick's hand, nodding through the pain. The Alpha whines loudly, pulling the gun from his holster and causing a fresh wave of sobs from the Flock. Rick stands and points the gun shakily at the Elder's head. stiles comes up on the other side of the Alpha and pulls the gun from him, choking out croons to calm him. Rick lets the Theta pull the gun from his hand and pulls Andrea from her knees next to Dale's body, hiding the distraught Beta's sobs in his chest. He purrs but knows it won't be enough; Dale had been a father to her, to all of them. She didn't need to see this. Rick pulls Maggie and Glenn to him as well, letting them cry it out, while stiles kneels.

Click. "Sorry brother." BOOM!

Rick doesn't look away; he owed it to Dale, as his Prime, to be there for his final moments. When the gun goes off, most of the Flock hits their knees. stiles drops the gun and stands up, moving over to the Walker's corpse and kicking out his frustration on it. Rick hands Andrea off to Glenn and Maggie who help her back to the house. The rest of the Flock moves with them, all crying and whining. Jimmy comes up to Rick with a blanket, tears in his eyes and sniffling. Rick takes it with a nod and hugs the teenage Alpha, thanking him, before handing him off to Hershel.

Soon it was just the two of them with Dale's body; the Prime and the Theta, the leaders. Rick pours some water on the small fire that the oil lamp made from his canteen, then he covers their fallen Elder with the blanket. Rick stands up and wipes his eyes, watching as the blanket turns red. The Alpha looks up as near silent sobbing draws his attention to the Omega. Rick walks up to the hunter and lays a hand on his shoulder.

"stiles-" The Omega turns around and buries his face in Rick's neck with a whine. Rick lowers them to their knees as he breaks down, purring and crooning at the Omega. stiles sniffles and rubs his glands against Rick's, scenting his Alpha properly for the first time. Rick does the same, and they sit there until the moon is high in the sky, before making their way back to the farm house, needing a full night sleep for tomorrow. Dale had loved the willow by the barn, where they had buried the others. They'd put his grave under it too.