Dominant Species Ch. 37-40

"Mommy, can we get out of the car and play?"

Abigail looked back at the children in the back; her daughter Autumn was giving her the puppy eye look. Fitting, she thought, for a young girl who was in the process of becoming a werewolf. She was still wearing the soft cast on her arm from where it had been broken the previous night while running around in the back yard with her friends. "How does your arm feel?"

"It throbs a little, Mommy, but I can still play. I'll be careful."

Michelle was still asleep in the car seat, and Zach was also begging to be let out. "Mom, we won't go far. We can just play on the grass right there by the creek."

Abigail looked over at Silvia, who was sitting in the front passenger seat now. She was still recovering from her miscarriage, and clearly didn't have the energy. She looked in Abigail's eyes. "If you can watch them, that will be fine. We don't know how long it will be until Josi and Rachel are back, they won't want to be cooped up in the seats that long."

Abigail nodded. "I'll watch them." She opened the door and helped the two out. "I'll let you guys play, but there are some rules." She knelt down so she could look in their eyes. "No rough play, you have to be IN MY SIGHT at all times, and you have to stay in bounds."

"In bounds? Where?" Autumn was confused, looking around at the grass and the woods behind it.

"We'll find out. I'm going to tell you to run, and then I'll count to ten. Wherever you end up, that's out of bounds. And if I tell you to run back to the car, you RUN, got me? No arguing, no delays or you can sit in the seat buckled up." Their children nodded. "Ready? Set! GO!" The two took off down the ditch and up the other side, racing across the field as she counted. "Three, two, one, STOP!" They had made it about halfway across the field. "NO FARTHER, AND YOU COME IF I YELL." The two nodded and started to run a little closer, burning off some of their energy.

"There might be a ball or something in the trunk," Silvia said. Abigail took the keys and opened the trunk, there was a soccer ball under one of the bags. She tossed it to them and closed the trunk; the moon was just coming up, it wasn't easy to see but it was better than nothing.

"What do you think will happen, Silvia?"

"I don't know." She reclined her seat and looked up at the stars and the incredibly northern light displays they had been having since the solar flare that wiped out civilization as they knew it. "I hope they find a way to stop it, but you know... the werewolves are so much stronger than us. They are predators, they are at home in the same night that gives me the willies. I get out of this car and I feel helpless against them." She sighed. "Then again, I owe my life to them. Most have been nothing but kind to me, to my family. I could see myself staying, if only they weren't going to wipe out my entire race." She closed her eyes. "I keep telling myself that you can't judge a people by a single person, so I'm trying to keep an open mind. This Alpha up in North Fork sounds like a good man."

"And if he's not?"

"Then I'll take my chances. I'll protect my kids first, same as you will. It's just... it's just not the same world any more. Those men who attacked me, they were human. As much as I hate it, I know that I need to be with people in order to stay safe. It makes me feel vulnerable, but with David gone, I have to face my new reality."

"I don't trust her parents, but I do trust Rachel," Abigail said. "Believe me, I gave them plenty of cause to hurt me if they wanted." She told them the story of how she found out they were wolves, and how she had shot a can of baked beans over Rachel's brother and sister in law. Silvia's laughter at how she described it made them both feel better.

"Marcus is a good man too, I wish they were in charge of the Pack." Silvia told her about her first impressions of him, certainly a one-eyed, three-legged werewolf was NOT what she expected to come to her rescue.

They stopped talking when they heard whistles, first one then it was repeated from different places in the town. Abigail froze, then she figured it out. "KIDS! BACK HERE NOW!" The two looked up, then started to run for the car. They weren't halfway there before there was a series of loud bangs.

"Gunshots!" Silvia brought the seat up as Abigail opened the door so the kids could jump in. She then raced around and jumped in, firing up the classic car. Silvia looked around, trying to make out what was happening through the dim moonlight. The shots stopped, then they heard pained howls coming from the center of town. "GO GO GO!!"

Abigail dropped it into gear and floored it, peeling out of the parking area by the creek and over the bridge. They headed north as fast as they could go, leaving the war and death behind them.

-

Beta Donald Ross was working his way south from North Fork on his patrol. His group had been tasked with Security, and one of their first priorities had been scouting. The North Fork Pack needed to know what was out there that could be an asset or a threat; they couldn't afford to be surprised.

So far the trip had been relatively boring; the road coming north from Salmon wasn't heavily traveled. He had come across a dozen vehicles so far, and no survivors. Some people he found dead in their cars, others had tried to get to the hills, but no one had made it that far. The radiation blinded them and they ended up going in circles or falling. He was collecting anything useful in the bag he carried on his chest while in wolf form. He hadn't hit any jackpots yet, but he had a good collection of road flares and a few other items that would be helpful.

He could still make out the faint scent of Marcus along the ditch on one side of the road, along with the human Josi he had taken with him. He had to smile when he thought of the young woman, she was a real spitfire. The whole Pack had taken to the girls after Britney and Bethany were found to be mates of two of their Pack. He was trotting down the road at an easy pace when he suddenly stopped, realizing the scent had left. He circled back, tracking Marcus as he left the road and climbed the hill.

When he got to the top, he was even more confused; the scent of Josi was stronger, and when he got to the cliff edge following her trail he found the empty shell casings. Worried, he followed her scent back down to the road and carefully moved forward, expecting the worst.

When he got down there, the wind shifted and blew the smell of blood and rotting flesh his way. He could smell both of them among the strange scents, and it took a few minutes to find the bodies and verify it wasn't them. Two had been shot, the other had its throat ripped out, but that wasn't what made him growl. It was that the three men shared the scent of a woman, and from the blood mixed with the scent she had not been with them willingly. Rape was not something that happened in Werewolf society, they respected their women and their equipment wouldn't work for another anyway. If he ever found his mate, he vowed, he would protect her from bastards like these.

"WHEN we find our mate," his wolf said to him. He shook his head; he was fifty years old, well past the age that werewolves found their mates. He had visited other packs, traveled the world, but his other half was not to be found. He kept wondering if she had died, if she was hard to find, or if Luna just didn't want him to be complete. When he turned forty, he had given up on the search and devoted himself to protecting his extended family in his Pack.

He went back up to the road; sniffing around, he could tell there was a car involved that was no longer there. The scent of Marcus and Josi mixed with other humans, but it was faint. They had gotten in the car, he concluded.

He sat on the road and thought for a while. His joints were starting to ache, patrol was a young man's game, he thought. It was clear to him that he would have to go to South Fork to get answers, but it was too late in the night to run there and make it back. He was about to get up when his ears picked up a noise he hadn't heard in a while.

An engine.

Donald shrugged off the bag and shifted back to human form, his six foot four frame slowly standing as he continued to look down the road. He was still well built, from a lifetime of training and the blessings of his parent's lines, but it wasn't a bodybuilder's physique. He had grey hair on his temples and his body, and he carried the scars from dozens of fights and injuries over the decades. He pulled a pair of shorts out and put them on, then a shirt. Finally, he put the strap of the bag over his shoulder, keeping his right hand inside where it could grip the .44 Magnum revolver.

He smiled as he gripped the old Model 29, it was the kind of gun you carried when you didn't want to worry about how many shots it would take to put a man or a bear down.

He stood tall in the center of the road as the car approached. He linked the Alpha, who promised to send help if he needed it. A usable vehicle was a valuable commodity now, and you never knew who would be the one to take it.

He held his left hand out in front of him in the universal signal to stop as it came closer. It slowed, then stopped, but stayed a good thirty yards away from him. "Smart," he thought to himself as he let his senses seek out the danger. He could make out two people in front... both women... and kids, including a baby. A baby who needed a diaper change. He felt himself relax, this wasn't the threat he expected, but he forced himself to stay alert. "IDENTIFY YOUSELVES!"

The occupants didn't move, so he started to walk forward. He stopped when he heard the slide racking on a pistol, and he could see the passenger was sitting on top of the seat, with a two handed hold on a pistol. "NO, YOU IDENTIFY YOURSELF!"

He let go of the pistol and brought both hands up in a position of surrender; he could smell their fear, and among the smells was something that had his wolf sitting up and taking notice. "Donald Ross, from North Fork. And you?"

"Abigail and Silvia, Josi told us to come here and request asylum with Calvin."

With that, he relaxed and gave them a huge smile. "Josi's friends? Welcome!" He started to walk towards them when his wolf sorted through the smells and found the one he had been looking for his entire adult life. He stumbled momentarily, they were human, but one was HIS. Dropping his bag, he ran forward to find her and finally have her in his arms.

BANG!

The round hit just in front of him, the sound of the shot and the ricochet echoed through the canyon. He froze.

"NO CLOSER!"

He nodded, still holding his hands up. "I mean you no harm." It physically hurt to know she was so close, but the women were afraid of him and he knew he couldn't push it now. "You know what we are?"

"Yes, we all do," the driver replied. "My daughter is becoming one of you, she was bitten last night." He sorted through the scents and could verify that.

"All right then. I'm going to shift and lead you back, just follow me into town and I'll take you to Alpha Calvin. Oh, and you might want to change your daughter before we get there."

He moved forward to where they wouldn't see him naked, respecting their human customs, then shifted to his wolf and trotted back. The passenger had a baby in her arms, and he smiled as she made a face when she checked the diaper. He sat down in the center of the road, the moon casting shadows on his tan and grey fur, his eyes almost golden in the light.

Finally, they started moving forward. He let out a yip and started to run, listening to make sure they followed. He was in a good mood, he had finally found his mate and she was coming home with him.

Now he just needed to have her turned so she would recognize him as well.

--

Reggie's first task as Alpha was a somber one. He stood at the entrance to their subdivision, the mates and children lining the road with him, as his parents were returned home for the last time.

The warriors who had gone to Salmon to wage peace were a somber lot as they returned. The two bodies were wrapped in sheets and he could see the bloodstains on them, dark in the moonlight. The men bearing the load paused before their Alpha, eyes lowered and necks bared. No one knew what to expect from him.

Reggie walked forward and pulled the first sheet down, exposing his father's face. A sob tore from his throat as he covered him up again; he hadn't liked what his father had become, but he was still his Dad and the loss struck him hard. He took a deep breath and then moved to the next bundle.

His hands were shaking as he pulled the sheet down and exposed her face. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he cupped her cheek with his hand. "Why, Mom? We were so close to having peace..." He fell on her, his arms squeezing her for the last time.

The rest of the Pack had looked away, giving him a moment of privacy. Finally, he stood and addressed them. "Richard and Lisa died with honor, for the sins of the past they were killed. There will be no vengeance, the person responsible is already dead and it is no one else's fault. It was the Moon's will." He waited while the pack settled, it wasn't natural to werewolves to leave deaths unavenged. "My mate and your Luna was right, we are better than this. Their deaths will be the event that launches a permanent peace between our race and the human race. The Moon Goddess could not make things any more obvious to us; both my sister and I have found mates among the humans. In the North Fork Pack, two men have found human mates and are turning them. We need each other, there is something that each race brings that we need. We will respect all people, and live at peace with them."

One of the elders stepped forward. "And if they choose to turn?"

"The Goddess gave us the power to change them if they choose. It is already happening here, and it is a good thing. Over a hundred lives have been saved because of the healing properties of our bite. Our Pack will grow and become stronger as a result."

He waved his arms at the mountains. "Things will never be the same; there will be no technological revolution, no far-off all powerful government that will rise from this tragedy. Travel is limited, communications are gone... it is just us and our neighbors right now. We have the ability to choose what comes next, and our Pack model will be the start of that change."

He knelt back down, lifting his mother's body in his arms and nodding to others to bring his father. "We burn them tonight when the moon is high. I need the men to make preparations for the pyre while the elders prepare them. Tonight, they fly to the Moon." He walked off towards their house, the Pack falling in behind him as he went. They were laid on tables, then he turned around. "I must go back to town and bring my mate home for this."

"Alpha, do you need an escort?" The warriors gathered around him in support.

"No, there is no threat remaining in town. I'll be back in an hour." With that, he shifted into his wolf and took off to the north.

"Josi?" He sent the mental link out to her, he was uncomfortable since he wasn't there when she came into her powers as Alpha. He had been shocked to hear it, her wolf must be strong to push forward so early in the change. He felt her anxiety as the bond opened up to him. "Baby, what's wrong?"

"They're gone." He could feel her sadness as she gathered her thoughts. "Abigail and Silvia and their children, when Rachel and I went to the clinic they didn't want to be too close so I told them to wait at the edge of town. They aren't here anymore."

"Are they hiding somewhere?

"No, they left. I found a man who lived nearby, he heard the car driving off just after the shots were fired. They must have gotten scared, figuring the battle was on."

He continued to eat up the flat ground along the river with his long strides as he neared town. "They will be all right, they probably are heading up to North Fork. Alpha Calvin will take them in, they will be fine."

She shrugged her shoulders and forced herself to accept they were gone. "I know they will, but I had promised to keep them safe and now I don't know if they are." She turned back towards town. "I'm heading back to the Clinic, where are you?"

"Just reaching town, love. I'll meet you there, I have to check on my sister."

"She's going to be fine, Reggie, it was her leg. How are you holding up? I know how much you loved your parents, especially your Mom."

Reggie stopped in the woods just outside town, and shifted into human form. Pulling the clothes from the bag around his neck, he quickly dressed in jeans, T-shirt and sneakers and walked into town. "It hasn't fully hit yet, I've got so much else going on... I suppose when we burn them tonight it will seem more real to me. I'm still having trouble accepting that I'm Alpha, much less that your wolf has already burst forth. It's a lot to deal with." He started walking past the barrels with fires lit that cast shadows on the street.

"I'll be there in a few minutes, and I have a plan to distract you from your troubles. It's going to be a lot of fun, and it will take HOURS before you are done, panting in exhaustion at my feet." She mentally smirked as she felt his lust coming over the bond, he wanted her again. She did too, but she wasn't about to let him know how badly she wanted him inside her again. "I have a Frisbee, try not to chew it up while you're playing fetch with me!"

-

Marcus walked out of the clinic treatment room and pulled the plastic protective smock off, wadding it up and stuffing it in a hazmat disposal bin. Most of their blood came off with it.

Not all.

He walked to the loading dock area, pulling out two pairs of fresh scrubs before returning to the treatment area and stripping. He used some wipes to clean the remainder of the blood off his body before he got dressed again. It was a reminder of how he hadn't been able to protect his mate, how he couldn't save his mother. He hated the feeling, but it was a feeling of helplessness he had worked through before. Sometimes, people are going to die and it doesn't matter how hard you try.

He walked back into the room where Rachel lay on fresh sheets, her leg heavily bandaged after the emergency surgery. The bullet had blasted through her thigh and nicked her femoral artery. He knew that if he hadn't been there, if he hadn't gotten her into surgery, she would have died.

He sat by her head, gently moving the hair out of her face as he cleaned her face and neck of the blood that had sprayed in the air as she lay on the ground. She was knocked out, a strong dose of sedative that would wear off in an hour or two. Now that he was Pack again, he knew what would happen tonight and he knew he had to get her home; her parents were being sent to the Moon tonight, and she needed to be there. He had linked with Reggie after he had awoken, and updated him on his sister's condition. He was on his way.

Marcus sat her up and finished cleaning her torso, then pulled the scrub top over her. Holding her up, he pulled the bloody sheets out of the way so he could lay her down and repeat the process on her lower body. A few minutes later, he picked her up and set her on a stretcher just as Reggie arrived.

"How is she?" Reggie was a little out of breath and was still pulling on the scrub top he'd grabbed on the way in.

"Good, she's ready to go. She should wake up in time." Marcus moved to take one end of the stretcher while Reggie took the other, and together they moved through the deserted hallways.

"Where is everyone?" Reggie had expected to see the clinic packed with people again, but it was quiet.

"The fevers have hit, and with the threat gone they decided it would be best to take them all outside. It's much easier to keep them cool with the night air and the breeze." As they moved to the front doors, they were noticed and two men rushed to get the doors open for them. They stepped into the cool night air and were immediately surrounded by concerned friends and neighbors.