Running with Wolves Ch. 19

"Any idea how you're going to get it finished?" Dominic pointed to a Japanese coy on Garrett's calf. It was only an outline, but the black lines created a curving body around the bulge of muscle giving even the simple picture movement and life.

Glancing down, Garrett shrugged. "Maybe. It's kinda moot now though. I don't have the cash to let Holy finish it." He grabbed the bottle once more and filled his hand with the fruity scented soap.

"What's with the sudden need to be fruity fresh?"

Garrett began to vigorously scrub at his hands. "This situation with Flint is complicated." He glanced at the closed door, his voice becoming lower. "There are some things I need to tell you."

*

The next day was a somber one. Pearl, who was usually quiet but friendly, looked sad and tired as she brought them their breakfast. When the group had asked her what was wrong, she told them that even though Lark had been a bad wolf, he had still been family and killing him was taking its toll on the pack.

Breakfast was an interesting experience. Misty showed up just as Pearl left and plopped herself down without a word. When everyone stared at her in confusion, she became embarrassed and defensive and asked if they would rather her leave. Samantha, after an extended silence, quietly passed her a plate of food and continued her argument with Ben about what to name their pet bird who was now fully healed and beginning to grow real feathers. They used that plus the internet to figure out they had a male Kestrel. They were stuck between Captain Fluffy Bottom, Tweaker, Thor, and Lil' Shit. It was a heated debate with valid points on all sides.

Not long after, Flint arrived. He also seemed surprised his sister was there, but didn't question it as he was far more interested in saying good morning to Garrett. For the entire meal the two men stared at one another knowingly. Garrett's eyes clearly read "I know you want me, but you have to come get it; I can wait as long as you can", while Flint looked to be silently screaming "Oh my Luna, I want to, but I have no idea what to do and you have seen me naked." All in all, Dominic was thoroughly entertained.

For the most part, everything was calm and comfortable, but one thing Dominic did pick up on were Flint and Misty's glances at one another. Watching them closely, he could see the emotions on their faces changing, and when he focused on their scents he noticed subtle changes, ones couldn't identify them. Even though they weren't actually looking at one another, it seemed they were having a conversation between just the two of them. Oddly enough, that fact irked him.

As soon as everyone was done eating, both of the siblings excused themselves. The tension ramped up expectantly as Flint explained they were going to have a discussion with their parents. Garrett had given both him and Dominic a worried look, but did not question them as they walked out of the room.

The others picked up on the change in mood as well. Once they were alone, they inquired about what was going on, and Garrett very quietly disclosed what had gone on the night before to the others. "Last night I had a talk with Flint. He told me about some problems that may affect us and our...well, my safety in the Den."

Predictably, Ben was the first and most volatile one to react. He was standing by the fireplace, warming his hand and feet. "What the hell could be the problem now? I thought Lark was dead?"

Used to his outburst, Garrett proceeded calmly. "Since we went to the trial last night, we have gained a lot of attention from the pack. For the most part we were only rumor and gossip among them, but now they have all seen us out in the open. We are an enigma to them, and like any canine they will become curious of us, and begin to try and find out as much as they can about us.

"The issue we have now is the problem with gays. It's a lot like my home town, except here they banish or social torture gays because they think homosexuals bring on misfortune, not send them off to a camp because they think we are unholy."

"Fucking hell. If it isn't one thing with these people, it's another." Ben began to pace the fireplace, clearly on the edge of losing his temper.

Dominic did his best to calm his friend down. "Garrett isn't in any real danger as of now. He is human, and being brought into the Den, so they won't consider him a precursor to negative events."

"Then what's the problem?" Jarod was curled up on the floor wrapped in a blanket. He was busy organizing puzzle pieces, first by shape then by color. His stress was beginning to show.

"The problem," Dominic moved one of the pieces from the wrong pile into the correct one, "is that Garrett is Flint's Destined, just like I am Misty's."

There was a collective gasp from the others. Garrett himself only shrugged and continued. "Apparently, our relationship will undermine a lot of their belief system and cause some serious problems with the religious factions, not just with us, but all Were kind. We need to keep this under wraps until we have adequate protection."

"We don't have that now?" Samantha asked. She unconsciously stroked one of Penny's pigtails as she sat noisily gumming at a rubber toy in her lap.

"From what Flint told me, right now we are not a part of Five Rivers Pack, but we also haven't declared ourselves our own pack and asked permission to be in this territory. That leaves us in a state of limbo with only Sol's word keeping us safe."

"Yea, because that's been so dependable up until now." Ben snarked.

"What happened to us was because there was defiance within the pack." Garrett calmly defended. "Lark was a disrupting force with the ideals of his father and the bravado of a wolf too young to know better but old enough to think he does. With the show Sol put on last night and both of those men dead, there won't be any more threats like that unless Flint and my relationship is discovered."

Ben was not pleased at all by that answer, but he settled nonetheless. He knew, just like the rest of them, that there wasn't anything else they could do while they were stuck in the werewolf Den.

"Well," Dominic sighed, "we haven't exactly been friendly up until now, I don't see why we need to start. Let's keep our distance from the pack, stay secluded for as long as possible. I'll talk to Misty once she gets back. I won't tell her anything about you and flint, but we can still get some answers from her."

Garrett paused, turning slightly to look directly at Dominic. "Misty already knows; she walked in on us last night."

Dominic's eyebrows scrunched together. "She did? She didn't say anything to me last night?"

Tilting his head, Ben looked confused. "Misty was here last night?"

Jarod snorted. "Yeah she was." He glanced up at his friend with a playful smirk. "You two weren't exactly in a talking mood last night."

All of the others oooh'ed and made smart-ass remarks about how they thought the two hadn't liked each other. Even Garrett joined in, but Dominic had a comeback for him.

"It's nothing compared to what Garrett did to Flint." The others became even more boisterous, demanding details from both of them. It took some more jibes, but eventually they gave in and told the others everything that had happened while they were sleeping.

They were all laughing and passing jabs consisting of past sexual mishaps back and forth when they were interrupted by a knock on the door. Still trying to catch his breath, Dominic shouted, "Come in." without wondering whom it could be. The entire room mellowed as Sol and Orion walked through the door, Misty and Flint flanking them. All four looked somber, but it was clear tears had been shed by more than one of them, Flint and his mother being the most apparent.

As they came in, Dominic was hit hard by not only their scents, but their very presences. The wolf within him rose sharply, as if to challenge Sol and Orion, even if he instinctively knew they were both far stronger than him. The only reason he didn't was because he became sharply sidetracked by Misty's scent filling his nose and head. It clouded his thoughts and pulled his eyes towards her. Now his wolf was not rising to fight, but to try and go to Misty and show her exactly what her scent did to his body. Stuck between the two extremes, Dominic ended up sitting tense and unmoving, fighting to get back into control.

Garrett was the first to respond to their presence. "Sol, Orion, it's good to see you." He stood and offered his chair to Sol. "Please, sit." She politely accepted the chair while Orion smoothly occupied the spot to her right. Dominic was positioned directly across from Sol, the others from his group coming to gather around him and Jarod, who was still sitting on the floor. Misty and Flint took up the couch in between the two groups, Flint closer to Garrett and Misty near her parents.

"What can we do for you?" The question was innocent enough, but coming from Ben it might as well have been a request for them to get the hell out. He was no fan of theirs at the moment. His refusal to come sit with the others and stay standing by the fireplace spoke to his desire to be away from them.

Sol smiled slightly at him, making it clear she wasn't intimidated in the least. "My son has just informed me of some very serious news. There is a... delicate situation forming that we need to discus with you."

"You mean the fact that him and Garrett are now magically forced to be together and how all of your people are going to flip their shit and want to kill them because of it?" Jarod nonchalantly shrugged. "We already know."

"Ah, is that so?" If Sol was surprised they had that information already, she didn't show it. Instead, she calmly addressed Dominic with the air of a business negotiator. "Good, then this will go much faster. You know your friend and my son are in danger. What I don't believe you understand is how much danger they will be in. I can keep a tight rein on my people, now that the issue of Gray and his son has been dealt with, but it won't just be my pack that poses a danger. Every true believer within a hundred miles and some even farther may and will come to investigate, and many won't be willing to tolerate such a union. This is far more than your pack can handle, which is why I am asking... no, I'm begging you, Dominic. Give up your title as Alpha, and allow Orion and I to assimilate your people in to Five Rivers. It is the only way to keep them safe." Sol leaned forward and stared directly into Dominic's eyes. Staring back into her hazel depths, he could see her fear and her plea for his acceptance. She was desperate for him to willingly agree to give in.

Even new to this life, Dominic realized the gravity of what she was asking. He would no longer be in control of what his family did or did not do. Those would be Sol's decisions now. They would be subject to her whims and choices, and from what he could discern from his wolf's reaction, they would have no choice but to obey. His wolf immediately balked to the idea.

Dominic looked to his people. "I need a private word with my family."

Sol nodded. "Of course." She stood and asked Misty to follow. "While you do I would like a word with my daughter. Is that acceptable?"

Dominic was confused as to why Sol would request he give his consent for the two of them to talk, but he gave it anyway. Misty hesitated, then rose along with her parents and exited the room. As they left, Dominic could actually hear their footsteps as they walked away from the door, but they were very faint. The walls must have had some sort of dense insulation in order to help with privacy.

As soon as the door was shut, Ben walked over to Dominic, taking up the seat right next to him. With his wolf roused as it was, he was immediately slammed with his friend's scent. It reminded Dominic of when they used to live with Ben's parents; baking bread with an underlying sweetness. It was also the first time Dominic had had a chance to really focus on his companions since coming back. With everything that was going on he hadn't noticed how Ben's dark green eyes seemed brighter, or how he could make out small dark blue dots in the irises that he had never noticed before. Even the scar above his right eyebrow was more noticeable now, even mostly hidden by his dark brown hair that hung down over his forehead. That would probably mean his other scars would be more noticeable too, a thought that saddened him greatly.

"I don't like this." Ben's words distracted Dominic examination, refocusing his attention on the situation at hand. "I know we agreed to make the most of this situation since we couldn't get out of it, but this is taking it too far."

"Neither do I. That's why we are talking about it first." Dominic turned to face the only person in the room that could give them any sort of answers. "What does this mean for us if we do this, Flint? What are our options?"

Flint seemed surprised that he was being called out. "There aren't a lot of good options." He straightened his back as he thought it through. "With everything going on, I would say you only have three options."

"Which are?" Ben snapped.

"One; you assimilate into the Five Rivers pack. You would be giving up your independence, but I grew up with this pack. All things considered they aren't bad people. There are pros and cons to that choice."

Dominic felt his reluctance, but pushed forward anyway. "Like what?"

"We would have the protection of the pack, but at the same time we would be stuck with them. If there is enough animosity towards Garrett and I, Mother will have a harder time keeping the peace. That being said, I don't think we would ever be in physical danger from within Five Rivers."

Sighing, Dominic dragged his hand through his hair and began pacing the room. "We would be trading our freedom for protection, but it would be conducted with hostility. That doesn't sound like a very appealing option." Worry began to form a knot in his stomach. This was all happening so quickly and he felt as if there was no time to make the right decision.

"It isn't, but the next isn't much better. You can hold your ground and keep our independence as your own pack."

Jarod perked up. "I like the sound of that one. Let's go with that."

Flint shook his head. "I would highly suggest against that."

"Why?" Samantha was in the same mindset as Jarod, as were the rest of them. "If we do that, can't we just leave, go back to the city?"

"The fact you brought that up is precisely why it would be a bad idea for us to become our own pack. The city is a neutral zone. A way station that Were can only stay in for a brief amount of time before they must move on. If you were to try and settle there, or anywhere for that matter, you would have to fight to keep that territory. Wolves don't like new packs getting anywhere near them because it causes a fight for resources. You would be fair game to anyone close by.

"You could become a wandering pack, like the way packs used to be when we were being hunted by the vampires, but there are so many rules and courtesies that must be followed just to keep you on everyone's good side. Plus, wandering packs have no standing, no protection. If we were misinterpreted as a Mongrel Pack, then neighboring packs can and will kill you to protect their territory. If you were all human it wouldn't be an issue, but Dominic and I would bring down the wrath of every pack we get close to.

"The other reason it wouldn't work is because it's already been established all but one of you is Destined. If you leave, your Destined wolves will try and stay with you, and Mother, as their Alpha, will have the right to challenge Dominic for their custody. You would all just be absorbed into Five Rivers anyway, so there's no point."

Everyone's expressions drooped. For a moment they thought they had a way out of this mess. The knot that had begun to loosen in Dominic's stomach came back full force, the walls around him began to seem smaller and the edges of his sight blurry.

"What's option three?" Jarod's asked. His voice sounded strange, as if it had a delay. The blurriness was become tighter, the most outer ring becoming black.

"You could dissolve the pack entirely. You would all be able to separate and just Dominic and I would have to make a decision of whether or not to join the pack. The reason why that isn't a good choice is because the only reason Thunder and Storm are courting Samantha instead of taking her into seclusion is because she is a part of a pack and therefore has protection. Augustine is the same with Ben. In the end, all of you except for Jarod would be taken in by the pack as mates, and he wouldn't be allowed to leave because he now knows of our existence. He will either live out his life here or be killed."

The room was dead silent. Everyone's wheels were spinning, trying to figure out how they were going to get out of their situation.

"What if we run?" Jarod asked. Everyone looked at him in confusion. "Not like last night. I mean, really run. If we can get out of here without being noticed, Sol won't be able to catch up to us and force us back here. And Flint, you can teach us what we need to know about werewolf behavior, and we've all been living on the streets for years. We've dealt with making nice with gangs and keeping clear of bad areas. Even if we do get in to trouble, we have two werewolves to keep up safe! Why can't we just... make a run for it?" He looked around the room, his dark brown eyes bright with hope.

Ben began nervously bouncing his leg, his arms tightly crossed against his chest. "Do you think we could do it?"

Dominic was frozen. He looked into the eyes of every person he called family, seeing the hope and fear and confusion in all of their eyes. They were looking to him to make this decision, for him to decide how the rest of their lives were going to play out. He had to make this choice, but how could he?

The air seemed to suck itself from his lungs, leaving a painful emptiness inside of him. Panic and uncertainty cooled his skin and shook his hands. The beast inside of him howled.

The door to the sitting room swung open and, like a shot, Dominic was out of it and in the hallway. He was so disoriented he slammed into the opposite wall and fell to the ground in pain. All he could see was what was directly in front of him; he had lost all peripheral vision. There were voices all around him, but they were layered over one another, leaving an unintelligible echo ringing in his ears. Everything compounded itself until he felt ready to explode. The air that had left him only moments before was now flowing into him, but it still felt as if nothing was inside of him. The pain was excruciating.

Getting up from the floor, Dominic had to use the wall to stay up. His body, which once felt cold, was now burning hot. He felt trapped by the enclosing walls, by his clothes, by his narrowing sight; he needed to escape, he needed to run.

Hands reached out from the darkness, grasping him under his arms and dragging him forward. He couldn't see who had him, but there was more than one; someone had his left arm wrapped around their shoulders and another was supporting him around the waist with their hands and arm. His feet half dragged as he stumbled forward, the pain and disorientation of his sight making it impossible to place his feet.

Cold air assaulted Dominic's lungs. It shocked his body, numbing him for a brief second while his bare feet felt the gravel of the outside path. He looked around, seeing blurs of green and blond. The swirling colors went straight to his stomach, twisting it around into a tight ball until he couldn't hold his breakfast. In the far reaches of his mind, Dominic hoped he didn't accidentally retch all over someone.