Running with Wolves Ch. 19

Ben was mumbling softly, the blankets gathered around his waist as he slept on his side. His arms were pulled in front of his chest, his hands tucked close to his face against his pillow. It was the most innocent the man ever looked, a fact the others liked to tease him about whenever he was being a macho ass.

Dominic had to hold back a laugh as he spotted Jarod on the other bed. His poor friend was completely tangled up in his sheet, the comforter having been knocked half way off the bed by his movements. His head was at the wrong end, and his limbs were flung in random directions as he slept on his stomach. Feeling bad, Dominic did his best not to wake his friend as he untangled the sheet and replaced the comforter. Jarod didn't even stir.

Satisfied that everyone was resting, he went to go find his one missing friend. They had agreed not to go onto the roof that night because of Lark, but Garrett may have done so anyway. He, like Dominic, thought best when out in the open.

Walking back into the main room, Dominic was just about to head out into the hall when the doors opened. From the dark, Misty came gliding in, silent as a ghost. Her blond hair glowed white as she passed through the light filtering in from the window, her skin becoming just as pale. She was wearing a large men's shirt, the fabric only reaching to her mid thigh; a fact Dominic's wolf was quick to take notice of. Dominic could feel his eyes fighting to glance down at the short hem, but he held firm. The sexual attraction he felt for her was still a tough pill for him to swallow and he was not yet ready to face it.

Misty instantly recognized he was in the room, her golden eyes zeroing in on his shadowed form. They didn't speak for a moment as they both came to terms with the other's presence.

Things had been a bit off after coming back to the Den. They had all hightailed it back so as not to be caught up in the Run, then after coming inside said their goodnights to each other and went to bed. Since then, Dominic hadn't seen Misty, but there had been a nagging unease in the back of his mind that he knew wasn't his. He assumed it was hers, even though she had told him they wouldn't have any psychic connection while in human form. It hadn't been anything overt, but something had upset her when everyone had gone to bed down for the night. It was during that time the feeling had started.

Dominic grasped for anything to say, just to break the silence. "Have you seen Garrett? He isn't here."

Misty looked away, her eyes focusing on random objects on the far wall. "He is with my brother." There was an edge to her response, prompting the topic to drop. "I think I should go..." Misty turned back to the door, her hair covering her face as she grasped the handle.

"Wait-"

Misty froze, her face still shadowed by the curtain of blond waves. Her voice sounded both resigned and sad as she spoke. "I'm sorry I entered your space without permission. I didn't mean to intrude. I'll just go back to my room."

Dominic sighed, plopping down on one of the tufted couches. His eyes wandered over the curve of her bare legs, following the line from her heel up to her toned calf and farther until he forced himself to shift his eyes away. "It's no big deal, Misty. If you want to come in, you can. Have you heard anything about the Run?"

Misty slowly released the door handle and turned to face him, though her eyes never actually landed on Dominic. "Lark is dead. The pack returned a little while ago."

"That's good. Well, I don't mean it like it's good, but... I'm glad he won't be causing problems any more." Forcing his wolf to the back of his mind, Dominic once again landed eyes on Misty. She continued to stand on the other side of the room, seeming uncomfortable to be there but not knowing where else to go. He had never seen her so unsure of her place. "Misty... Do you want to come sit down?"

She seemed startled by the question, but nervously nodded her head and came over to sit on the same couch. Her back was stiff as she slowly lowered her body down onto the cushion with her right thigh pressed as tight to the arm as possible. It took every ounce of control for Dominic not to allow his wolf to push forward as her scent wafted over to him for the first time. As he fought his internal battle they once again lapsed into silence.

Lost in his thoughts about what to do, Dominic wasn't prepared for her next question.

"Dominic, do you find me unattractive?"

Thrown by the sudden question, he gave her a perplexed look. "What?"

She pulled the inside of her bottom lip between her teeth. "Am I not appealing to you? O-or maybe you still just have too much bias against me? I know you might not want to talk about this, but I'm just trying to understand..."

"Understand what?" Dominic turned his body on the couch, his right leg bending to rest fully on the cushion. He leaned forward slightly, bracing his arm on his knee as his senses once again heightened and he could suddenly hear her rapid heart beat. "What the hell are you talking about, Misty?"

Misty just continued to nibble her lip and stare studiously at her hands as they clutched at the edge of her shirt. She was biting her lip so hard he was worried she would make herself bleed. "I just... I wanted to understand why."

"Why, what? Look, I can feel something is bothering you, Misty. I can't give you an answer if you don't ask me the question."

Misty startled, finally making eye contact. "You can feel me? But... how? We aren't fully mated yet."

Dominic shook his head. "I don't know. It's not strong; just a nag in the back of my head. Now, would you please just tell me why you are asking all of these ridiculous questions?"

Once again eye contact was dropped. It took her a second to get up the courage, but finally the truth came out. "I just thought, after the time in the forest, you had forgiven me for the way I behaved before your change. I'm sorry if I was incorrect in that assumption. I didn't mean to assume I was forgiven just because we had spent that time together."

Her response, while answering one question, brought up another. "Well, I have let go of a lot of that since there really isn't much I can do about it now." Dominic probed the energy of his wolf, feeling the alien presence respond. "But from what did you come to the conclusion I didn't think you were attractive?"

Seeming to finally break down some of her barriers, Misty brought in a deep breath before answering. "If you thought I was attractive, and you weren't still angry with me, then there wasn't any reason I could see for you not wanting to come and sleep with me, instead of," Misty made a face towards his bedroom door, "them. Why aren't you coming to lie with me as you were before?"

A sudden sense of clarity came over Dominic, and he felt like smacking himself on the head.

After his first shift, Dominic had been very much an animal. He was too new to have a more balanced relationship with his inner beast, so his human side was easily overshadowed by his primal mindset. Because of that, he had had no issue bedding down with Misty at night to keep warm. For that entire week they had slept side by side, cuddled together under a tree or in a rocky alcove.

Upon returning to the Den, Dominic and his group had been quick to decide to go to bed. Everyone was exhausted, both physically and emotionally. Garrett had made a passing comment to Dominic about how he would see him in their room, and for some reason Misty had seemed startled. She had looked at Dominic with a question in her eyes that he could not decipher. Not knowing what her change in demeanor meant he had responded in agreement and told Misty he would see her in the morning. Her eyes had instantly flashed hurt, then anger, only to be clouded over with grim resignation. She had stiffly given a "goodnight" to the others and left the room quickly after. Her reaction had confused Dominic, but even more confusing was his wolf's sudden surge to forward. He had fought it off, not understanding the sudden agitation resonating from the wolf in his head, and shoved it down so that he could go sleep.

Understanding his mistake, but not knowing how to fix it, Dominic left the silence to grow once again. Soon it became stifling, choking the life out of the both of them. Finally, it forced one of them to break.

"But... that wasn't the only reason."

"What?" Dominic was jolted out of his thoughts. Misty was biting her lip again, an uncharacteristic pink hue coloring her cheeks.

"N-never mind, it's stupid." She suddenly sprung up, nervously adjusting her shirt that she was probably regretting putting on for bed. "I should just leave."

As she made her way to the door, her progress was suddenly stopped by Dominic's hand snatching her wrist. She turned, trying to tug away from her restraint, but Dominic was having none of it. He was tired of only every getting bits and pieces of information, then being left to guess the rest.

"For God's sake, will you just tell me, Misty? Stop skirting around what you want to say and just spit it out." In a different environment, Dominic would have been a much more impassioned and allowed his anger and maybe his wolf out, but Samantha and the others were still asleep in either room, so he settled for standing up close to Misty and glaring down at her. She stood frozen, dumbstruck as she stared back into his eyes.

"They haven't changed yet."

Dominic rocked back slightly, the air taken out of his sails. Her response wasn't at all what he was hoping for. "Huh?"

She blinked twice, swallowing lightly. "Your eyes. They should have changed once you shifted back for the first time. They haven't changed." Misty dropped her chin, staring forward at the graphic design on Dominic's shirt. "You haven't changed nearly at all."

This time it was Misty who sat down heavily on the couch, her body bouncing slightly on the short springs. She took a moment to build up her courage before finally giving in. "You've been merged with your new instincts for a while now; close to a full week. There are certain changes that should be happening. You should be less in control than you are. Your wolf should be less stable. And your... your feelings towards me. Those should be changing quite drastically right about now, but they aren't. I thought they hadn't because you were still fighting them for some reason, but it doesn't sound like you are."

"Why would my feelings towards you be changing?" Dominic positioned himself directly in front of Misty, blocking her escape if she tried to bolt. He was finally getting answers.

She continued after a deep breath. "When a wolf first shifts, there is a period of time where only the most basic emotions and desires from the wolf are apparent. Soon, as the instincts evolve, those feelings become stronger, most of the time overwhelming the human mind and taking over. The balance between man and beast is constantly in flux until they learn to stabilize each other out and become one cohesive mind. This period has a sharp incline during the first week, but is at its most volatile and impulsive during the second and third weeks, before it starts to slowly even out over the following months to years.

"But you, Dominic. You are having none of those issues. I mean, yes, there have been some instances when you have lost control and responded on instinct, but other than that you have had your human mind in control. By now you should be responding aggressively to establish your dominance, you shouldn't be able to handle being in another wolf pack's territory, and you should..."

Dominic crossed his arms over his chest. "Should what, Misty?"

She finally looked up at him, her hazel eyes reflecting gold in the moonlight. "You should be feeling the mating pull, like you were before your change." Her eyes were filled with uncertainty. "Perhaps, I have damaged the bond between us so much that you can no longer feel it?"

The sight of Misty, submissive and vulnerable before him, triggered his wolf so strongly Dominic never had a chance to hold it back. Without his consent his body dropped down onto its knees, his hands darting out to gently weave his fingers through Misty's hair. She looked shocked, the surprise rendering her unmoving on the couch. He leaned in just as quickly, her scent coating his nose and mouth as he buried his face in her neck and clavicle. She gasped as he pushed her back against the couch, releasing her hair only to hook his fingers behind her knees and pull the forward on either side his waist.

In seconds, Dominic found himself licking and kissing Misty over her throat with her groin snugly pulled against his lower stomach.

Misty did not fight Dominic's sudden advances. Instead, she did as he had done and laced her nimble fingers through his black strands, using it as leverage to hold him in place. Her hips flinched and rolled against him, her movements shifting their clothing until her panty-covered crotch was rubbing against his bare stomach.

Feeling her becoming aroused both encouraged Dominic's wolf and snapped Dominic out of his trance. He could feel his body responding to her clumsy grasps at his shoulders and desperate little whimpers every time he nipped his teeth into her flesh. His instant human reaction was repulsion to his own response. It was enough for him to get control and pull himself back.

The air was filled with the sounds of their panting. If it had been cold they would have been able to watch their breaths mingle as they stared glassy eyed at one another. Dominic was still leaning over Misty, his weight resting on his elbows as they dug into the cushion on either side of her stomach. Her hands were no longer grasping at his shoulders and clothing, but were now resting limply against her chest, her fingers absently stroking the exposed skin Dominic had been ravishing.

"Why did you stop?" Misty's question was breathy and slightly whiny. Her hips pushed out slightly, trying to find the friction his body had provided.

Dominic pulled farther back to avoid temptation. He pushed unsteadily to his feet, only to find Misty had leaned forward and was now sitting on the very edge of the couch. She looked up at him through her lashes, her chest pushed slightly out and her legs still spread where Dominic had put them. Everything about her begged to be fucked, but that wasn't how Dominic wanted this to be.

"I think I've made it clear that I am feeling this mating pull between us. I have since I turned into a wolf, but it has been easy distracting myself up until now." Misty went to respond, but Dominic took another step back. "I do want you, Misty, but I need to know that I want you. Not because of some magic werewolf thing, but because the human side of me has chosen to be involved with you. Do you understand?"

The spike of lust was finally beginning to fade from Misty, her bright eyes finally beginning to dull. She looked down from his face, pulling her knees together and tugging at her shirt to get it back down. "I... I understand." The sadness and resignation had returned to her voice, which was not something Dominic wanted. He reached out and put two fingers under her chin, forcing her to look up at him.

"I'm not doing this because I'm angry, Misty. I already told you I let most of that go. I just need some time to get to know myself again, and get to know you better, before I run head first into a decision." He released her chin to grasp her hands, guiding her to stand in front of him. "I want to take this slow, and having sex with you tonight would not be slow."

She didn't respond at first, but seemed to find acceptance as she nodded in agreement. "Alright."

"Thank you." Leaning forward, Dominic planted a light kiss to Misty's forehead. It felt awkward for him, but it was a gesture to her. He was going to try and see if they could make this work.

*

Dominic stayed up the rest of the night, sitting on his bed while the early morning hours ticked by. Penny only stirred once, but he had been quick to lull her back to sleep. She was now resting soundly next to her mother.

By four in the morning, Dominic was still no closer to figuring out how he was going to proceed in not just his sudden relationship, but his life in general. There were so many massive changes, sifting through all of the possibilities was giving him a headache.

He was contemplating Misty's visit when there was the subtle click of a door latch. Dominic leaned to the side until he could see out the open bedroom door, spotting Garrett coming into the sitting room. His behavior was odd; he was glancing around as if making sure no one was there, then turned to close the door as carefully as possible. Once it was shut, Garrett let out a big sigh and began tiptoeing towards the bedroom. He made it two steps before he glanced up and saw Dominic almost lying sideways to watch him through the door. He flinched in surprise, to which Dominic raised one eyebrow. This was nothing like Garrett's usually cool, collected, and assured demeanor. Sliding back into his sitting position as his friend padded less subtly into the room, Dominic contemplated his friend's behavior.

Dominic waited until he was fully in the room before saying anything. "You were out late."

Garrett blushed, another uncharacteristic behavior coming from him. "I... I just went for a walk. Nothing exciting."

Another peculiarity; Garrett was never one to skim over the truth, much less lie. "That walk include showering? I didn't think they had group showers in this wing." Dominic could smell the soap and see the slight dampness in his hair.

"Oh, um, that's uh..." Garrett tried to come up with something to say, but just ended up giving a defeated sigh. "I used Flint's."

"Huh." Dominic didn't say anything more. He watched Garrett climb in next to him.

"I'm his Destined." The words came out as if he were ripping off a Band-Aid. He flinched as if he had.

Dominic wasn't surprised by the admission. He had suspected something since coming back. "How long has this been going on?"

"I've known for sure since the night you changed. He told me and I opened up to him about what I had done. He told me we couldn't be open because of the pack, so I told him to come find me when we could.

"But tonight, I woke up and I just had this urge to go see him. Like how Samantha and Ben have been saying they need to go and see the twins and Augustine." Suddenly, Garrett's face took on an impish quality. "He was jacking himself off and I ended up jumping him. Poor kid had no idea what was coming."

Dominic snorted out a laugh. "Is that why you smell like him?"

Garrett froze. "I still smell like him?"

The worry in his voice gave Dominic pause. Of all his friends, Garrett was the least affected by outside stimuli, and he rarely showed deep emotion. He was the cool guy that looked right through you with his air of calm detachment. For him to be noticeably upset was a red flag. "Yeah, kinda. It isn't that strong really. My nose is just a lot more sensitive now. If we hadn't spent the day with him, I wouldn't even know who it was."

"Damn." Garrett swung his legs off the bed and dropped his pants as he walked into the bathroom. Dominic moved to the edge of the mattress, listening as the shower water began to run. He watched Samantha and Penny to make sure they were still settled before following into the bathroom.

It was a good size room, with a claw-foot tub against one wall and a walk in shower in the opposite corner. With the dark grey floors, chrome fixtures and accessories, and black stone of the shower with its white veining, it was by far the most luxurious looking place Dominic had ever been.

Garrett was standing under the rain showerhead, scrubbing his chest with an excessive amount of soap. Dominic walked over to sit inside the empty tub, leaning back as he watched the falling water hit his friend's head and shoulders. The two men were beyond being conservative with one another; there had been more than a few times they had been paid to participate in parties, both public and private, and asked to do things to each other that friends wouldn't normally do. It gave them a certain closeness they didn't share with any of the others.