Running with Wolves Ch. 05

On either side of the porch, the building jutted out and up a level, curving around to give it a slight castle-like appearance. All of the windows were old, the lead creating ornate patterns and the glass starting to sag. The driveway was horseshoe shaped and wrapped around a statue similar to the one in front of the Mayfield Estate with its howling wolves and water running around their rock perches. All in all, it was extremely intimidating.

Dominic was able to see all of this from outside the iron security gate that was blocking the road leading to the structure. The lead car drove right up to it before they rolled down the window and pressed a button on a large covered box sticking out of the ground on a pole. There was the sound of talking, then the gate let out a buzz and began to swing inward, allowing the cars to pass. Each car pulled up along the steps of the front of the building, parking and turning off the ignition. Dominic didn't move, and looking at the car behind him, the others from his group didn't either. None of the wolves hesitated to get out, many stretching and taking in deep gulps of air.

Sol and Orion were getting out of their own vehicle, the second in the line, followed by their three children. Misty looked to where Dominic was, her eyes focusing first on him, then his arm around Samantha. Her upper lip rose a bit before she shook her head and stormed off inside. As she was leaving, others began to gather from inside the mansion and from the surrounding woods. Many were in wolf form and were walking around sniffing or even rubbing up against the ones that had been in the city. One man even leaned forward to allow a wolf to lick his face and neck. A few approached the two Alphas, gently touching them with their noses and tongues.

But the most attention was being pulled towards the two SUVs with the humans inside. Both vehicles were completely surrounded by giant sniffing wolves, all pacing in circles around the SUVs and looking into the windows. Some whined, others growled. Samantha wasn't the only one shaking anymore.

Without warning, Samantha's door popped open and one of the furry beasts came shooting head first into the back seat. Samantha screamed and practically flew onto and over Dominic's lap, his left arm lifting her out of instinct to put himself between the creature and his friend. The move startled Penny, and she began to scream. All the while the wolf moved forwards till it was half way inside the car, it's ears forward and front legs on the seats. Dominic began yelling at it, using his legs to kick at its face and try to get it to back down.

There was a commotion outside, and just as quickly as the thing had gotten inside, it was yanked out by none other than one of the two men that was all over Samantha back at the warehouse. His hand reached in and grabbed the wolf by the scruff of its neck, pulling hard, and once it was out of the van he pinned the beast to the ground. His eyes were shining gold and his mouth was pulled up in a snarl. The pinned wolf began to squeal and whine in pain and fear, thrashing to try and get away.

"STORM! I SAID BACK DOWN!" Sol moved to separate the two before Storm ended up killing the werewolf on the ground.

For a brief second the two humans in the car sat petrified, their bodies frozen in fear, then Samantha screamed again as Dominic's door flew open as well. Dominic had so much adrenaline coursing through him that he didn't look to see who, or what, it was; he simply flung himself over Samantha and attacked on instinct. He caught the other twin by surprise, just enough to get him on the ground in a tackle without too much effort. That small takedown did bring on a lot of pain still for Dominic. He really needed to get some rest soon.

All around them the new wolves began snarling, but Dom was quick and back on his feet sliding into the SUV before they could sink their teeth into him. He slammed his door shut behind himself, (one wolf was so close to biting him that it smacked into the door of the SUV, denting the door to where it most likely wouldn't be able to open anymore), and seeing Samantha had done the same, he scurried awkwardly into the front seat and pressed the automatic locks on the doors. Cliff had made the mistake of leaving the keys in the cup holder.

Panic started to set in. Penny was still screaming, Samantha trying to calm her through her own tears, all around they were surrounded by a pack of riled werewolves, and behind them Jarod, Ben, and Garrett were also freaking out and had used the distraction to barricade themselves in their car as well. Garrett had a hold on Ben to most likely keep him from making a run for Dominic's car. Dominic could hear blood rushing in his ears, his chest was heaving with panicked breaths, and his hands were clammy. His entire body felt hot and cold and numb at the same time.

Outside, Sol was shouting orders. In his state of mind, Dominic couldn't make out what she was saying, but he was able to recognize that what ever it was, was getting the werewolves outside to calm down and go back inside the building. Soon the only ones left were Sol, Orion, Cliff, and Kate.

As the final werewolf entered he mansion, Dominic looked in the side mirror at his separated friends. Garrett was keeping the other two calm, so no worries there, but Jarod looked like he was breathing heavy. Garrett glanced up and made eye contact in the mirror, his eyes asking an unspoken question.

Should they make a run for it?

They had the cars; all their people were together. They could just start the engines and gun it out the front gates. Once they were away, it would be as simple as dropping by a chop shop and selling off the SUVs for a decent amount of cash. With that they could easily get out of the city.

Dominic looked to the gate, judging if they could bust through it. But as he watched, the spaces between the trees began to shift.

He could just make out the reflection of shiny fur and the shapes of people in the surrounding forest. Dominic looked back to Garrett, shaking his head. It was too late to run.

The clock in the dash read that they had been at a standstill for five minutes when there was movement outside. Orion started to approach with slow, measured steps. He walked right up to Dominic's window. "You won't make it."

Dominic nodded. "We know."

The big man gave him a sympathetic look. "I apologize for Jasper's behavior. He is young, barely shifted a few weeks ago, and has never seen a human before. His excitement got the best of him, he meant you no harm." He glanced back at the other vehicle. "It is safe for you now. Come out, and we will escort you to your new accommodations."

Giving Garrett one last glance, Dominic sighed and unlocked the doors. He slid out with a groan, his body sore from all the movement. The other three men followed suit. Samantha still looked a bit scared, but seeing all her friends outside persuaded her to slide over to the working door and get out. Penny was quieting down some, lying on her mother's shoulder and getting gentle pats on her back.

Sol began walking up the steps to the entrance, and Dominic took that as a cue to follow. His group was behind him, the three boys surrounding Samantha, while Orion, Kate, and Cliff flanked them. Together they followed Sol through the heavy double doors.

Immediately inside was a foyer that led into a large rectangular room. Straight ahead was another set of doors, intricately carved with a design of wolves running and howling to a moon at the center that overlapped symmetrically between the two doors. Wrapping around on either side was a staircase that met at the second floor. Most everything was made of stone with wrought iron finishes. Red and gold runner carpets covered the floors to walk on and muffle any echoes on the ground floor and stairs. Behind them, starting on the second floor was another set of stairs that curled up to frame the stained glass symbol and grant access to the third floor. On each floor were large halls that led to different sections of the massive Den. It was a lot to take in.

Sol didn't pause to let the newcomers look around. Instead she led them straight through the second set of doors. They swung open easily, revealing yet another hallway. This one was long and wide, with doors spaced far apart on both sides. The right side had the same ornate windows that had been outside lining the walls, and looking through them they could see a large courtyard with trees and benches, surrounded by the perimeter wall and covered walkway.

As they continued on their way, no one came into sight. Not a single soul was present along their path, but Dominic could feel eyes on him. No move they made was without the watchful eye of what was undoubtedly a predator's gaze. It was beyond unsettling to feel those eyes following them.

After some time of walking through the hall, they reached the end and made a right, then a left, and soon Dominic began losing track of where they were or how to get back. The front half was a simple layout of what could have been a school, but the back half was a maze of hallways, doors, and staircases. All Dominic knew for sure was that this part of the building was newer and they were heading towards the top floor. Reaching the top of yet another set of steps, they entered another hall, this one lined with more windows that overlooked the surrounding forest. Sol kept going, passing multiple doors till she was at the very end of the hall and stopped, turning to address the group.

"This is the top floor of the far northeast corner of our Den. Mostly unmated Omegas live in this wing, but we have moved everyone out of this hall for now. Just until you have adjusted into our way of things and we find you more permanent placements. These far rooms had not been occupied yet so they should be unused still." She grabbed the knob and pushed the door open, motioning them to go inside. Dominic entered first, the others close on his heels.

Inside was a large but basic room. It had a bed, a couch, a small flat-screen TV propped on the wall opposite the bed, and second door that looked to be a half bathroom. There was also a desk and small fridge with a microwave on top in one corner. One window filled the room with early morning light. It looked like a nice hotel room.

"The last five rooms are yours to use. Settle in for now, and begin making a list of items you will need or wan tin the near future. I will have some of the Thetas bring you whatever you need."

Garrett, who had been checking out the view from the window, turned to her. "What about our things?"

"Anything of great importance to you will be given back, but the rest will be discarded. Everything will be provided by the pack from now on."

Before any of them could argue, she shut the door, leaving them to their own devices.