Running with Wolves Ch. 12

Okay my lovelies here it is, Chapter 12! Hope you love it. Much thanks to my wonderful editors MarieFlower and markrane for keeping my story up to par.

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Samantha turned to Dominic. "For a little while. Not too long."

Dominic had his reservations about leaving Samantha alone with Storm and Thunder. She hadn't been around anyone outside of their small group since coming to stay with him at the warehouse. The airstrip had been so isolated there was no one else for her to be in contact with and the only place any of them ever went was the city. She didn't want to go back to the city until she was sure no one was looking for her anymore. Pimps would only search for a runaway for so long before moving on.

Looking into her eyes, Dominic could see she felt confident enough to be left on her own. She knew he would come and get her if anything were to happen, so he gave in and headed back to the others. If she felt she could handle it he would trust her.

When Dominic turned around and began to walk back to his people, it was obvious they were not pleased Samantha wasn't following him.

"Dom, what's going on?" Jarod was leaning to the side, trying to keep his eyes on Samantha. "Why isn't she coming back?"

Dominic sighed. "She's fine. They asked to speak with her, and she agreed."

"You have got to be kidding me, Dom. How can she be okay with being so close to them after what they were just about to do? How can you?" He sounded pissed now, his dark brown eyes turning black with his anger. It was pretty obvious to everyone that Jarod had romantic feelings for the only female companion in their group. He had confided in Dominic a few weeks after Penny's birth that he hoped one day to have a relationship with her and take Penny as his own. Dominic could practically feel his oldest friend's heart breaking as he watched her interact with the two other men.

"This entire thing was a misunderstanding. They were trying to do the honorable thing and do right by her, Jarod. They thought we were in a relationship, and wouldn't approach her until they knew she was unattached. As backwards as this whole thing was, I can kinda respect them for it." Dominic's eyes zeroed in on the blond standing not too far off by the start of the trail. "Though it could have been avoided if someone had thought to ask us instead of just assuming. Would've saved a lot of grief, don't'cha think, Misty?"

Misty's face pinched up a bit. She looked ready to unleash a very unflattering spew of curses at him but she held her tongue, instead turning to walk off down the trail. Dominic was having none of that. He wanted to talk and by God, they were going to talk. "Orion, can you take my family back to our rooms?" Orion had barely gotten his agreement out before Dominic began following after the irate blond, leaving the others to head back to the Den on their own. Orion was with them, so they would be safe.

Misty was a short ways ahead of him when Dominic felt something in him change. The fact that she was running from him sparked something deep inside; it pissed him off that she had turned her back, but it also excited him in a way he didn't quite understand. Without really thinking about it, he began stalking her up the path. He lightened his footsteps as they moved closer to the shadows made by the bordering trees, taking in the way she moved and figuring out the easiest ways to sneak up close and take her down.

Misty froze suddenly, turning slowly to behind at what was behind her. She was standing in the moonlight, the light catching in her hair and turning it bright silver. It was down in loose curls, haloing around her face and down to below her shoulder blades. The thin tank she wore became translucent from his angle, revealing her silhouette of her round breasts to him while her tight shorts showed off her long legs and curve of her ass. Looking back at her face, Misty's eyes reflected brightly with a golden glow. She was absolutely lovely, and it was making him hard.

The look in Dominic's eyes must have warned her of his intentions, because as quickly as she had stopped, she was suddenly bolting onto what could barely pass as a trail branching off the main path.

Dominic didn't even pause to think. He just sprinted after her, a snarl of pleasure crossing his lips. His bitch wanted to play, so he would play.

Running down the narrow path, Dominic was so focused on tracking Misty that he didn't even notice how he was following her by the scent of hazelnuts and coffee she was leaving behind, the sound her feet made as they smacked against the ground, her short rapid breaths.

His heart rate was speeding up, both from the exertion and his excitement from the chase. He wasn't gaining on Misty, but he wasn't losing ground either. The black energy from before had risen up again, giving him speed while brightening the dark forest, allowing him to spot the unearthed tree roots and potholes in his path. The trees blurred past as he ran, but even so he could see every detail of his surroundings; the patterns of bark on each tree, the moss and fungus growing around the bases and up the sides, tiny nocturnal animals that scurried away at his approach, and flashes of silver blond hair illuminated by the spots of moonlight peeking in through the canopy. He contemplated pouncing on a few of the furry creatures he ran past, but the wolf within him kept focused on hunting the much more satisfying prey.

She was just ahead of him when she abruptly stopped. Dominic responded in kind, veering to the side and starting to circle his prey. She was snarling at him, her human form slightly hunched and clawed hands at the ready. Drawing on all his experiences living on the streets and in hostile environments, Dominic circled the she-wolf, noting her aggressive stance and shining gold eyes. She wasn't going to make this easy for him.

While Dominic continued his loop, the wind shifted bringing Misty's scent to him. It had that same sweetness as before in his bedroom. The wolf inside of him responded almost violently to the scent, pushing itself to the forefront of his mind with a resonation howl.

Pain racked Dominic's body. His bones felt as if they were breaking, his muscles ready to snap from their tendons. His mind became blank from the pain and in that moment the wolf seized control and set out to accomplish its most basic of needs.

The need to prove his dominance, mark his bitch, and fuck her till she was filled with both his seed and young.

From the back of his own mind, Dominic watched through a thick haze as his body lunged at Misty through the trees. His hands sported claws much like hers, however, his were covered in blood from his cuticles and beds splitting. The pain didn't faze the creature Dominic now was. His only focus was Misty, and taking her down by whatever means he could. He would have her no matter the cost.

Panic over took Dominic. He hadn't had any intention of hurting Misty when he had chased after her through the woods. He didn't know why he had done it exactly, but hurting her was definitely not on the list. He screamed a silent plea for her to run, to get help before he did something unforgivable to her.

Surprise and horror crossed Misty's face as Dominic leapt through the dense foliage at her. She probably hadn't expected he would react so rashly considering his past confrontations with her pack, but this was not a calculated plot made by a patient mind. It was impulsive, fueled by the need of a greedy one-track mind. Within his silent prison, Dominic screamed in anguish as he descended on the blond.

Her surprise only lasted for a moment, before a cold and determined mask settled over her face. Just before the wolf landed on top of her, she jumped back out of his reach. Landing on his feet, Dominic's wolf didn't pause as he used the momentum to shove up and dive after her, claws aimed at her legs. She was prepared for that, and spun to catch his head against the side of her foot, dazing the creature. Dominic cheered from inside his head, relief coursing through him that she was able to take him down.

"Dominic! You need to fight this! Don't let your instincts rule you, don't let them win!"

Hearing her call for him, Dominic knew he had to get his body back under control. Who knew what would happen if he didn't. Using what little energy he had at his disposal, he steeled himself for a fight.

Bracing himself, Dominic watched as the wolf shook off the kick and stood back up. He was glaring at Misty, anger flowing out of him in waves. He was not pleased that he was being challenged. He lunged again, the anger giving him extra power.

Seeing the attack coming, Dominic waited till the wolf was completely focused on his battle, and right as he was about to make contact with Misty's right arm, Dom thrust out his consciousness, trying to take the instincts by surprise and gain back control.

It worked somewhat. The creature wasn't expecting his rational mind to fight back and stumbled as he made his move on Misty. She saw his misstep and took advantage, punching him in his gut. The simultaneous blows weakened the wolf significantly. The haze over Dominic began to lift, and he was beginning to get back feeling of his body. The pain was still there but he ignored it as best he could in order to focus on his task. He didn't let up his assault, steadily shoving himself forward and overtaking the wolf.

As he fought the battle within, Misty was holding up well in the physical fight. The wolf was having a difficult time blocking and attacking while trying to keep in power. His body was slowing, becoming almost drunken in its movements. Misty kept calling out to Dominic, pushing him to keep fighting, to not let himself be lost to his instincts. She was gracefully dodging around the beast, keeping out of his reach until an opening presented itself, and attacking. She reminded Dominic of a viper, her calm exterior only breaking when striking.

Misty wasn't completely infallible though. At times, Dominic would slip and lose ground to his wolf watching as Misty came in for an attack, only to be caught off guard and caught by a claw or fist. She didn't allow it to affect her fighting, but the scent of her blood was driving the wolf insane, giving it an edge over Dominic. The haze would thicken again, threatening to cut him off from all consciousness, but he would hear her again and find the strength to push back once again.

At one point they got lucky. Misty's arm was caught by a swiping claw, nicking an artery. A short stream of blood shot from her arm, landing on Dominic's face directly on his mouth and nose. The taste of her blood, as well as the overwhelming scent, completely side tracked the wolf and Dominic felt its hold loosen on their mind. He took his chance and shoved forward with all his might. One more well placed blow from Misty and he would be in full control again.

Misty was getting into her stance to lunge at Dominic, when the breeze kicked up once more. It carried with it the scent of multiple wolves, all converged not far from their location.

Memories of the last time Dominic was surrounded by wolves surfaced, and the ground he had gained was lost as a lightning bolt of fear went through him. An instinct that he recognized reared back and crashed into him, shoving him back once again to the back of his mind. Fight or flight.

Dominic could feel his wolf fighting with which to choose. The female was right in front of him, wounded and vulnerable, and he couldn't leave her to fend for herself against the wolves surrounding them. On the other hand, he knew he most likely wouldn't be able to fight off all of his opponents even if he did stay.

Watching the female, he noticed her head turn to the direction of the wind, taking a deep breath. No fear clouded her scent, only relief. She knew these wolves; they were her pack. They would not harm her, but help her to defeat him, maybe even kill him. Packs did not take too kindly to an outsider trying to steal away one of their females, even if she did belong to him.

Decision made, Dominic's rational mind watched as his wolf spun on his heel and bolted back in the direction they had come. They could hear the female crying out after them; to Dominic it was a plea for him not to run, to the wolf it was the signal for the hunt to begin. He began running faster from the hunting party.

After a brief run, the sound of more wolves surrounded him. First beside him, then ahead. He was completely boxed in with nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. His flight instinct became fight very quickly as he realized there was nowhere else to run. Raising his hackles and readying his claws, the wolf let out as vicious of a growl as he could, the fear driving him to keep himself alive and silence his rational mind once and for all.

*

As soon as she was off Storm's back Thunder was dropping Penny back into her arms, jarring her baby enough to wake her up. Penny's crying filled the night air surrounding them, the only other sound besides the growls coming from the woods and the two werewolves standing in front of her. Samantha was frightened of the sudden change in the twins' demeanor. They had been fine a moment ago, helping her as she broke down unexpectedly, and now they were snarling at one another and adopting aggressive stances.

The growling wasn't aimed at her as she first believed. It was directed to a wolf that was coming out of the trees in front of them. It snarled back at them, stopping halfway out of the foliage.

For a moment they were all silent, staring at one another before the new wolf turned around and disappeared into the dark trees.

Samantha did her best to calm Penny down while her own heart pumped adrenaline in mass through her system. "What the hell is going on? Who was that? Tell me what is happening!" Thunder quickly spun around and began to shush her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. Samantha shrugged it off, not wanting to be comforted but wanting the answers to her questions. "Tell me what's going on."

The big man seemed torn for a moment, but one unyielding glare had him groaning in defeat. "Something has happened to Dominic. He has lost control of his wolf, and is fighting with the pack. The wolf you just saw was Kate. She was one of the Patrol and is going to head him off. He is ahead of us, so we need to stay back while they do their work." His tone threw up a red flag for Samantha.

"What work? What are they going to do to him, Thunder?" Her voice was rising in panic. Catastrophic thoughts began filling her mind. Images of Dominic being attacked, of him being hurt or even killed by giant growling wolves. Her breaths were coming out as shallow pants.

Storm, who had been patrolling around them, came trotting over to her. He whined, pressing the top of his head against her stomach and pushed gently. Samantha placed her hand on his cheek, feeling a pulse of calm wash over her. Her breathing became deeper, her heart rate settling. She needed to keep it together. Dominic needed her and after everything he had done for her it was time to pay it back.

"Tell me, right now. What is happening with Dominic, and what are they going to do to him?"

The wolf backed up once again, making eye contact with his brother. They had another moment of silent staring before Storm huffed and walked away, going a dozen or so feet up the trail and standing guard with his nose to the wind. Thunder looked slightly peeved at his brother, but gave in to Samantha's questions. "We aren't sure what happened in full. No one besides Misty was there to witness the events that pushed him to this point, but what we do know is this. For some reason Dominic's instincts are progressing at an accelerated rate. So quickly, in fact, that he is weeks, if not an entire month, ahead of where he should be development-wise. His wolf is already so strong that it has taken over Dominic's mind and is now driving his actions.

"He is posing a danger both to himself and the pack. He already attacked two of the Patrol, and is lashing out at the others surrounding him. They will do their best not to hurt him, but they must neutralize the threat to the Den as quickly as possible. They will not kill him, as he is a Destined Human, but maiming him is not out of the question."

Samantha stopped breathing all together. Her fears would actually come to pass unless she stepped in and did something to prevent it. She glanced down at her crying baby, her lucky Penny, who would not be there if not for Dominic and the sacrifices he made to save them both.

Bracing for what was to come, Samantha handed Penny back to Thunder and strode past him, a surprised look on his face. He didn't seem to understand what she was doing until she also walked past Storm on her way up the trail.

"Samantha! What in Luna's name do you think you are doing?" The big man was quick to get ahead of her and block her path, his wolf shaped brother right behind him. Their looks of anger did not faze her in the least.

The switch within her had flipped. She was the only one who had the power to help so there was no time to be weak. Nothing would get in her way of protecting those she cared about.

"I'm going to go and help him. He is one of my best friends and I will not leave him to fend for himself against a pack of monsters. Now get out of my way." Samantha tried to pass them once again, but this time Thunder reached out and stopped her. His hand was like stone as it curled around her bicep, refusing to let her go.

"There is no fucking way I am letting you anywhere near this fight. I already told you they will not kill him, but they must do what needs to be done to keep the pack safe. You must understand, we need to protect the vulnerable members in the Den."

"Well I'm glad you are so keen on keeping your people safe, but Dominic is my people and I intend to keep him safe. So you have two choices here; you can get out of my way and protect Penny while I help Dominic on my own, or you can come along and help keep us both safe while I help Dominic. Either way, I am going."

A hard edge came into Thunder's golden hazel eyes. "And what if we just keep you right here? One human girl against her wolf Destines? There is no way you could get past us."

Samantha didn't back down from his stare, her stubborn nature coming forward to lend her strength. "Then you are guaranteeing I will never let you touch me again. I don't care what I am to you, or what feelings I may have given in to when I agreed to speak with you tonight. I promise that no matter what you do, I will never allow you to mate with me, because I will never forgive you for keeping me away from my family when they needed me the most."

Her words cut him deep, she could tell. The look of pain on Thunder's face was almost enough to get Samantha to take her words back, but she held strong. She was doing this for Dominic. She had to save him, no matter what.

"It is too dangerous." Thunder's words were weak. She pushed forward.

"That isn't for you to decide. He is my family, Thunder. What would you be willing to do if it was yours?"

They stood on the path in a silent battle of wills. The only sounds between them were Penny's hiccupping breaths and the insects hidden within the tall trees.

Thunder growled under his breath. "You will stay close to us and do exactly as we say. If it becomes too dangerous, we are leaving, no excuses. We do not care if you never speak with us again. We will not allow you to be harmed."

Samantha sighed with relief and gave Thunder her biggest smile. He didn't smile back, but it softened his expression considerably. He picked her up once again and placed her on his brother's back, keeping Penny in his own arms so they could move quickly.