Chapter 115 Alpha among the Alphas

*Diana*

We parked infront of One's building. A flurry of cars and a few armored trucks were racing out from basement parking. From the outside, other than the vehicles, One's building was quiet.

Uncle Mike stepped out of the car to collect the gear and weapons he and Ethan needed, despite of me telling them those things weren't needed. Uncle Mike wanted to be ready.

"Sorry Diana, when it comes to magic, I don't want to take any chances. When Lucas and I were cornered by Aranck at the bistro, we were sitting ducks. It's better to be prepared. Any idea why One has powers?" Uncle Mike asked after explaining why he needed all his paraphernalia.

"Not completely sure how One has powers. My only theory is he has something of Aranck's that must have caused everything," I answered.

They put on their bullet proof vests over their tuxedos as well as gloves and head gear in the car and made sure their weapons were loaded. I looked down at myself. I was wearing a nice emerald green ballgown that matched my eyes.

Uncle Mike noticed I was looking at my ballgown and grinned. "Can't you use magic to change what you're wearing? I have a combat suit in the trunk although I think it'll be too big for you to wear."

"Hmmm...magic." I imagined myself wearing my favorite pair of jeans with a white blouse and a long coat. I instantly started to glow and my ballgown changed. "Perfect. Seems like One is going to blow up his own building. There are rogues setting up C-4." Ethan looked at me with an uneasy smile.

"In jeans, good. Now let's go before One blows this place up into smithereens," Ethan said. "Can you see what floor he's on?"

"Ninth," Onyx said. "He's in a boardroom of sorts surrounded by rogues."

"Onyx says ninth floor. In a boardroom," I answered.

"Ethan, you've packed enough ammo?" Uncle Mike asked.

"Yep."

"Only use it if the target is far. If we can sneak up on them, do a quiet kill. If we're out of ammo and cornered, shift into wolf," Uncle Mike said. "Where is Lucas?"

"They're on their way," I answered.

"Good, we're all set. Come on," Uncle Mike exited the car followed by Ethan and myself. We ran towards the entrance of the building. Uncle Mike tested the doors and found they were unlocked. He signaled for the two of us to follow his lead.

"Onyx, is there anyone here on the ground level?" I asked while entering the building.

"They're all dead. On the first floor, Sixth is in an office while ten rogues which are guarding the elevator doors and hallway," she answered.

"Everyone is dead on this floor. On the first floor are ten rogues guarding the elevator. Sixth is in an office," I told Ethan and Uncle Mike through mind-link.

"Copy," Uncle Mike answered through mind-link. "Let's take the stairs and surprise them. The stairs are over there." He pointed with his head.

Ethan cautiously opened the door to the stairwell and checked. "All clear." I followed him into the stairwell with Uncle Mike closely behind me.

We slowly walked up the stairs trying to make as little sound as possible. We could hear voices from the upper levels, echoing through the stairwell.

When we reached the first floor, Ethan peaked through the tiny rectangular window of the door. He immediately bent down to take cover.

"We have three just outside our door," Ethan said through mind-link.

"Fall asleep and fall to the floor," I whispered, snapping my fingers. We heard several thuds near the door. "Check now, Ethan," I told him through mind-link. "I made them fall asleep."

He opened the door just a crack to check. The hinges of the door squeaked as he opened it. "Damn it! These hinges need to be oiled," he exclaimed through mind-link. "Let's just leave this floor and head up to the ninth."

"We can't. Sixth is here. I need to save him. He has all the documents we need. Plus, he's an undercover wolf troop, not a rogue," I argued through mind-link.

"Okay, okay," Uncle Mike said, placing his gun in his holster. "No gunfire, Ethan. If they hear us, all the Rogues will come down to this floor and it will be near impossible to fight our way through. I know Diana can control them, but we have to play it safe. Where's the office Sixth is in, Diana, and how many rogues are in the vicinity?"

Onyx answered for me through mind-link. "Turn left, second door on your right. All rogues are asleep on this floor. Ethan, you can open the door."

Ethan placed his gun on his holster and opened the door. We all walked into the first floor hallway. I turned left and walked towards the second door on my right while Uncle Mike and Ethan proceeded in snapping the necks of the rogues asleep on the floor. Well, knowing Uncle Mike, he doesn't like taking any chances.

I opened the door and found Sixth on the floor with a head injury. He was bleeding. I placed a hand on his wound and willed it to heal. A glowing light emanated from my hand and disappeared when the wound was completely healed.

"No One!" Sixth yelled, covering his face.

"Ssshhhh. It's me, Diana," I said, rubbing his arm to calm him down. His frightened eyes softened once he recognized who I was.

"Diana! You shouldn't be here. He's planning to blow this building up when the fireworks begin," he said.

"We still have time. He's upstairs on the ninth floor overseeing the transfer of several paintings," I said, seeing through the eyes of one the rogues. Sixth nodded his head.

"Nine is a lucky number, so on the ninth floor is where all the expensive art One has collected is stashed. Those pieces are worth hundreds of millions. I had One sign a document giving you his art collection," he replied, rummaging through a drawer.

"He's actually employed humans to ship the art to an undisclosed location," I said, hearing the thoughts of a rogue. "I can't see through the eyes of humans." No wonder I couldn't see the people in the armored trucks. They were humans.

"Diana, floor is clear. Sixth, here's a weapon. We need to go to the ninth floor and get to One," Ethan said while handing Sixth a gun. Sixth looked at the gun, then at us with a puzzled expression on his face.

"No, we have to leave. If we don't-"

Uncle Mike cut him off. "If we don't stop One now, we'll have a bigger problem in the future. We need to stop him. As a Wolf Troop, you need to take the gun and help us," Uncle Mike said. "There is no other way. Gather up all the documents you need. If this place is going to blow, you need to save what you can. We'll give you five minutes." Uncle Mike threw him a bag which was on a desk table. Sixth scurried, placing sheets of paper into the bag, including his laptop.

While he was busy, Uncle Mike, Ethan and I made our plans through mind-link.

"Diana, make all the rogues fall asleep in the building once we're on the ninth floor. When we finish off One and exit the building, you can wake up the rogues," Uncle Mike instructed. "Tell Lucas what floor we're on and warn them about the bombs." I nodded my head and forwarded everything to my dad. He said they were almost here.

"Dad is almost here," I told Uncle Mike and Ethan. I glanced at Sixth who was zipping up his bag. He was done. He then checked his gun and walked up to us.

"Let's go. There's a small utility elevator we can use. It'll be easier for us to get to the ninth floor undetected. Follow me," Sixth instructed.

The utility elevator was at the far end of the hallway. It was small and we could all barely fit, but we managed to. We rode the elevator to the ninth floor and hopped off, thankful it was a short ride.

We entered a small room barricaded by a thick door. The lights flickered above us and the room smelt awfully like gasoline. I looked down on the floor to check for gasoline. Uncle Mike did the same.

"No gasoline here. Probably outside," Uncle Mike said.

"Humans must have doused this floor with gasoline. This door opens up to a torturing room," I said. "There are wolves even humans on the other side chained to the wall."

"That is Eighth and Ninth's expertise. Torture. Those who are caught cheating are brought here. If the human is young, he is given to the Mage. If not, they are stuck here until they die." Sixth placed his palm on the security panel. The door opened and the pungent smell of gasoline hit us.

We were wrong. The prisoners were the ones doused in gasoline. They were blindfolded and theirs mouths gagged while chained to the walls.

"Quick! Out through here," Sixth placed his palm on the security panel so the door would open.

"Wait. Let me place the rogues to sleep," I said, snapping my fingers. When the doors opened, two rogues fell through the doorway. Uncle Mike and Ethan pushed the rogues into the dungeon so the door could close behind us.

I snapped my fingers again and the shackles around the prisoners opened allowing them their freedom. They all fell to the ground.

"Take the small elevator out of the building," I told them as the door closed.

"Fresh air!" Ethan said before taking out his gun from his holster. "Are all the Rogues asleep?"

"Yes," I answered. "One should be there through those doors."

The doors suddenly opened. Out came humans with guns. As much as I hated hurting humans, there was nothing else I could do. I had to shift into Onyx.

Before they could shoot at us, Onyx sped towards them, slashing them with her giant shiny claws. One by one, they collapsed on the floor, bleeding. I felt my heart break. They shouldn't be entangled in something like this.

I shifted back with the same clothes on. There was no way Onyx could fit through the doorway. I walked inside the room and shifted back to Onyx.

There were many more humans inside. How One was able to hire so many was beyond me. Seated in the front of the room, holding a detonator in his hand, was One.

Onyx attacked every human who was standing until there was none left. Then, we turned to One.

He had the same reddish eyes as Aranck and his disciples, however he didn't transform into a member of the Black Resistance.

"I was supposed to blow this place up with all the rogues inside, so I could hide and create an empire without your knowledge. You know,  employ humans instead of wolves," he explained.  "How does it feel to kill humans? Does it feel like killing your own mother?" One laughed sinisterly.

"Who are you?" I asked him, shifting back. He looked at me insulted that I didn't know who he was.

"Aranck, Black Wolf. The rogue named One saved some of my blood. I came back through him," he said.

"One is a wolf, Aranck and since you have only possessed him, he will follow my bidding," I argued. I raised my hands up above my head, my ring on my finger, the green of the emerald shining at the ceiling, and chanted, "I am the Alpha among the Alphas, heed my words, wolf! Now give me the detonator!"

One stood up and walked towards me, his hand extended to give me the detonator. One's reddish eyes were filled with rage as he struggled to stop his body from following me. With each step, he forcibly would try to take a step back. His thumb could not push the detonator as much as tried. I walked towards him and grabbed the detonator before he could do anything stupid. I gave it to Uncle Mike then grabbed One's throat and raised him in the air.

I sniffed him for the smell of blood and found a towel with blood stains on it. I wanted to burn it, unfortunately, the room next door was drenched in gasoline. Good thing the one person I needed came barreling inside the boardroom.

"Alpha, I'm here," Emmett said, panting. "This room is so far from the elevator."

I tossed him the towel. "That blood is from Aranck." Emmett had made sure to shine his moonstone gem on every ounce of blood spilt from Aranck and his men back at the penitentiary so none of them could come back. I didn't know a little rogue named One would keep a souvenir.

Emmett took off his jacket, uncuffed the wrist of his shirt so he could roll his sleeve up to reveal his bracelet. The light from the gemstone glared brightly and the stains on the towel disappeared.

"Burn it, but after we leave the building. The room down the hall is drenched in gasoline."

Emmett then moved his arm to shine his bracelet on One. A little red cloud came out from his head which eventually turned to black, then poof, it was gone. One's eyes turned back to their original color and he began to gag from my chokehold.

"I c-can't breath, Diana," he croaked. I sighed and let him go. He fell to the floor on his knees and looked at the empty walls of his art gallery while he coughed for air.

"What happened to my art collection?" One asked between breaths. All the art was gone. The humans employed by Aranck were quick.

"They're gone," I answered. Actually, they were on their way to the docks, but I didn't want to tell him that.

Sixth looked at his watch. "We have to leave now. This building will explode at exactly midnight. It's eleven-forty. We need to evacuate everyone including all the rogues or we are all going to die."

"Even if I have the detonator?" Uncle Mike said.

"I don't want to find out the answer to your question, Michael, " Alpha Connor said. He pulled up One from the floor and held his arm. "I should leave you here for sabotaging my night."

"As much as he deserves to roast, we can't leave him here," my dad said. He gestured for all of us to exit the room. "Let's all leave now before it's too late.

We all hurried to the elevators which were both opened and waiting for us, thanks to Emmett. I snapped my fingers to awaken the rogues and commanded all of them to leave the building.

We were all able to get out of the building and into our cars with time to spare. As we sped off swerving through traffic, and while New York's skyline erupted in bright and colorful fireworks, One's building exploded. The blast was so immense, it leveled the entire building to the ground.