This is an Alpha's World

“Thanks for taking a look boys. Some fresh eyes will really help us out. It feels like we are just running around in circles. This unsub has us chasing our tails. He is probably laughing at us right now.” Frank says. He holds the door to the conference room open so the two other aurors can step through before following them and shutting the door behind him. 

“Sure, sure. Just run it by us again.” James said, leaning a hip against the table and folding his arms across his chest. He listens intently to Frank give the details. From the corner of his eye he can see Regulus, his partner, shifting through the evidence and files. 

“So basically we’ve got 6 dead alphas, 1 dead beta, and the last attack the alpha survived and is currently in a coma at the hospital. But the mediwitches are pretty confident he will wake up soon.” 

Regulus looks up from the file he was holding, “A beta? I thought you said this killer was targeting alphas? A beta doesn't fit the pattern.”

“Ah, yes, Lockhart. He was using some pretty high end pheromones to fake his status. We don’t think the killer knew that at the time. He targets alphas right after they have a date with an omega. Usually right after they have dropped the omega off or left the date on their own. We have a pretty good theory that the alpha responsible is taking out any competition and is probably one of the omegas other suitors.” Frank has taken a seat at the head of the table. The bags under his eyes are dark against his skin and his jaw is tight. This case has his whole team working double time in an effort to catch whoever is doing this.

“What makes you think it's another alpha?” Regulus asks casually. 

Frank snorts in response. “Just take a look at the photos. Whoever did this has to be very strong in order to take these alphas down. It could be a beta, maybe, but the evidence points to an alpha.” Frank is an alpha, everything about him from his scent to his build screams alpha. Regulus gives him a curious look but goes back to the files in front of him.

“And the alpha that got away? Did they say anything?” James interjects. Regulus isn’t paying him any mind, instead his focus is on the photos. He holds up two from the first murder and compares them side by side. His finger traces along something in the photo he is holding. James moves around the side of the table to stand closer to Regulus. Glancing over his shoulder to see the photos he is currently looking over but Regulus sets it back in the pile before moving onto the next set. 

James admires how Regulus is able to take in so much information quickly. He prefers to look over all the evidence without any influence before moving forwards. It's what makes him and James such a great team. James is all action and Regulus is all calculation. 

Frank sighs, his fingers press into his eyes, clearly the stress and long hours are getting to him. He wouldn't ask another team to look over the case if it wasn’t. Regulus knows the minister is putting a lot of pressure on Frank to catch whoever it is that is committing these murders. “It was touch and go for this guy in the beginning but it seems like he is on the mend. His wife hasn't left his bedside the whole time he has been admitted. She’s pregnant with their first child.” 

James head snaps up. “Wait, I thought you said all the alphas were on dates with omegas before they were murdered. If he was with his wife did she notice anything that night? Has she given a statement yet?” 

Frank sucks his teeth, “His wife is a beta. She wasn't there the night of the attack. It seems Mr. Fenwick was seeing an omega on the side.”

“Fenwick? Not Benji Fenwick? The Ravenclaw from our year?” James asks, his eyes wide. Frank nods and Regulus gives him a sympathetic look. James would see the good in everyone before he would even think to look for the bad. As an alpha he also held onto the old fashion belief that partners mate for life. The idea that someone could cheat, let alone someone he personally knows, seems outlandish to him.

James coughs, uncomfortable, but trying to get back on track. “But the dates? All omega then?”

Frank nods again, “Yes. There were only four different omegas that went on the dates with the victims just before they were murdered. Each one went on at least one date with the victims. One omega, Reginald …” Frank shifts to pull out a notebook and checks his notes, “Cattermole, went on dates with three of the victims including Mr. Fenwick. We were able to clear them all though based on the violent nature of this attack. No omega could do this, especially to an alpha.” Frank says with absolute certainty.

Regulus shifts slightly on his feet. He doesn't want to try and challenge Franks ‘logic’. James waves his wand and produces a notepad and quick notes quill. A single tap to each has them floating near his head, the quill scribbling furiously as he mutters to himself. He scans each file Regulus has already looked through quickly and the quill writes down every bit he thinks stands out to him. 

Regulus picks up the last file and double checks the report page. “Am I reading this right? One of the omegas is Evan Rosier?” Regulus tilts the page so James can see it too. Evan is a close friend to Regulus and James has come to be close with him as well through Regulus. 

“Ah, yes. He is one of the ones we were able to clear right away since his parents were with him the whole time. They are both alphas but they seemed shocked to know that someone they personally picked to court their omega son was murdered.” Frank doesn't have to look. By this point he has memorized every important detail of this case. 

James tries to catch Regulus’s eye but he is not looking at him any longer. Evan is Regulus’s friend and last James had heard he was in a very serious relationship with a beta named Barty. Even if James didn't particularly care for Barty he knew the two were inseparable. Clearly the Rosiers felt differently about their omega son being with a beta if they were actively setting him up with alphas. Momentarily James flirted with the idea that Barty would be their first suspect but knowing there were others involved changed that thought quickly. Barty might be crazy, in James' opinion, but murdering several other alphas to prevent his boyfriend from being with an alpha seemed like a long shot. Double checking his notes he also removed Barty from his mental list because Evan had only gone on a date with one of the alphas, where the other omegas had been on two or more dates. 

Regardless he felt it would be a good idea to talk to them both at some point just to get a clear picture. If Barty knew about the date he might have been there too to watch out for Evan. 

“I’d like to call all the omegas back in to ask them a few more questions.”

“All of them?” Frank questions.

“Yes, if it wasn't them who murdered their dates then maybe they noticed someone following them during the evening. Especially those who went on more than one date. Maybe they will remember more going over the events again.” James grabbed the notepad again and read over the last few lines. “Also the staff from the restaurant they went to. If they all went to the same restaurant maybe someone on the staff recognised another person there at the same time as the couples. Someone who left right after the alphas did.” 

“All of them?” Frank asked again, a little taken aback. 

“Yes Frank. If we are going to be weighing in on this case then we need to look at everything and talk with everyone.” Regulus interrupts. He can see the vein in Franks neck as he grits his teeth. “We aren't trying to step on anyone’s toes here,” He adds to pacify the sensitive alpha. “But you did ask us here to help. The more we know the better we will be able to help you.”

“Petite León is an upscale place. They only serve dinner and use the same staff every time. The owner is a friend, I will reach out and talk to her about letting us speak with them. They use elves so there are at most four human staff members but we can see if any of them remember anything.” James adds. 

“I think it would help if we spoke to the elves as well,” Regulus interjects. His hand brushes against James’, out of habit, but Frank catches the action with a disapproving look. Regulus snatches his hand back and continues as if nothing happened. “They have excellent memories and would notice if there was someone who would be of interest.” He finishes and shoves his hands into his pockets. James doesn't seem to notice the strange shift in energy in the room but Frank is watching Regulus with a little more judgement than he did before. Regulus bites the inside of his cheek and pretends nothing is amiss.

[]

James is watching through the two way glass as he places fresh patches on his neck and wrists with practiced precision. They will dull his scent so it won't be too offensive to the omegas as he does the interviews. Regulus knows he wears the scent guards all the time for work so his scent isn’t overpowerful. They work with mostly omegas and a subtle alpha scent is helpful in calming a victim but overpowering scents can trigger some omegas or make their testimonies inadmissible due to the “suggestive nature of the pheromones”.  

Regulus paces behind him, “I can’t go in there.” 

“We weren’t assigned the case, Reg. We are just doing this a favor to Frank. Anything we find out will be cross referenced by his team. Besides I bet he will respond better if you are the one asking him questions.” 

Regulus pauses and then steels his face. The mask of the indifferent Black son falling perfectly into place. “You’re right. Alright, lets go.” 

James nods and holds the door open for Regulus to go in first.

“Rosier.”

“Black.”