These are all good theories, (ATTN: SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!) I like the thought all of you have put in to this. So here’s my 2 cents. I think John just gets off on beating the hell out of Declan. Since his first appearance in Executable, Declan’s story is a constant revolving door of abuse. Starting with that asshat student and his bitch of a mother, to Miseri, to the witches Aerra, to Jenks and Delwood, the NSA, Crupp and Homeland, the bitches on Faerie, C.A.E.C.O, the Church of the True, and it keeps going. So I think it was just Brocks turn in the barrel. At some point John will run out of buckets of shit to dump on this kid, and introduce/start dumping on someone else.?? seriously though, it seems like everyone around the team and even the team itself is falling to the strain of a post emergence world. Law enforcement and the government always picking a fight, to Grim and Declan going at it, Tonya pissed off about Omega (the reasons change but she spends 3 books cheesed off), the Coven almost in civil war, and on and on. It’s no wonder Brock looks like he’s losing it. Trying to keep his pack viable, financially stable, and keeping idiots from bringing down the wrath of the regular humans. I can see why his postering gets out of control. Instead of having a one on one (well two on two, can’t leave out the mates) and discussing things rationally, his bluster and postering paint him into a corner, until the only option is to fight them (where no one wins) or exile them. It’s sad to see an alliance fall apart like that. Hell Brock is on the Demidova board of directors! Now that part of the relationship has not been written about yet, but that would have to be some awkward board meetings. I haven’t gotten to Blood Drawn yet but from the synopsis it seems like things get worse before it gets better. I really hope John eventually mends this relationship between the pack and the team.