Running with Wolves Ch. 15

Dominic's wolf was elated their mate was showing them affection. He kissed her back with a quick lick, then began guiding her away from the cage towards her family. She needed to be away from the danger in the cage.

Staying between her and Lark the entire walk, they quickly made their way over to the arguing individuals. There was a man there, a strong one, that was shouting at Sol. No one except Flint acknowledge their arrival, too focused on the confrontation.

Breaking from the group, Flint smiled brightly at the pair and jogged to meet them. Seeing him once again after almost a week was a shock. He was easily eight inches taller and now stood an impressive 6'6". He had filled out too, his chest now broader and limbs thicker. He no longer looked like the scrawny boy who was constantly sick; now he had the body of a healthy adult. He hugged first Misty and then Dominic, complementing him on his wolf form. He was glad to see both of them.

"It's good you came back when you did. Things have been taking a turn ever since you left." Flint guided them into the woods and pulled out another one of those bags filled with clothes. Apparently they had them all over the place.

"What the hell happened? Lark is completely feral." Misty took the clothes offered to her and helped Dominic shift back. It took some time to get it, but he was soon back on two feet and pulling on the clothes. He could feel the burn lines on his cheek and forehead stretch as he moved his features, but they had already sealed shut so it didn't hurt as much.

Flint glanced at the still arguing group. "The night you left, Augustine came to comfort Ben. She ended up letting him mark her with his scent."

Misty nodded, but Dominic asked what he meant by that. She was the one to answer. "When two Destines find each other but can't mate right away, they will mark one another by scent to tell the other wolves they are no longer available. It's a clear message to stay away."

Flint agreed with his sister and took up the conversation again. "The specifics are still up in the air, but from what I can gather Lark tried to claim Augustine the next morning and went nuts when she denied him. He attacked her and dominated her wolf."

Misty gasped, appalled. "You can't be serious." She turned to glare at Lark as he paced the cage, his glowing eyes flitting all over the place. "That bastard."

"You're telling me." Flint was watching his parents as they finally broke up the gathering. The two Alphas came walking towards them, while the rest either walked off towards the trees or over to the cage. Orion looked exhausted, while Sol was having to work to keep her agitation in check. Now that he was one of them, Dominic could feel his wolf responding to their dominance. Sol made eye contact with Dominic and held it, waiting until he gave in and recognized her as the stronger wolf. He backed up slightly and glanced down, but was far from kowtowing. Sol took what he was willing to give and excepted it. She turned away from him so she could speak to her daughter.

"You were gone longer than I thought you would be, Misty. I'm glad you have found your way home." Sol embraced her daughter tightly. The affection made Dominic feel awkward, not used to seeing a healthy relationship between a mother and child. Leaving them to their reunion, he occupied himself by stepping over to get a closer look at Lark.

The wolf in the cage never stopped pacing or relaxed his stride. His anger was a thing all its own, warning everyone around him that he was not one to be trifled with. At the door, the man that had been yelling at Sol stood speaking to the beast, while a woman and young man stood behind him. The two looked scared, while the man just seemed frustrated.

Flint came up to stand by Dominic. "Lark's family. The boy with them is his brother, Day, their mother, Willow, and father, Gray. Gray was the one fighting with Mother over what to do with their son."

"What exactly did he do? I know it must have been bad, but what exactly was it?"

Flint flinched as Lark charged his father and smashed into the silver bars. His shoulder ended up with bar marks on it, the same as Dominic's face. "Dominance is a large part of our culture, and just like anything else there are many rules that must be followed when using it. The rules of the pack are that no one besides the highest ranking pack members can impose their dominance on another at any time. Our ancestors created this rule when wolves began forcing those below them to submit in order to take advantage of them. It is considered to be similar to rape in your culture. We also have that rule because having dominance implies a desire to be leader and that in and of itself is a threat to the current Alphas.

"Lark attacked Augustine without the right to do so. He did it out of anger and jealousy. Then he forced her wolf to submit to him, a clear sign of his desire to control her. If she hadn't been able to call for help, she would've had much worse done to her besides some claw marks. That also leads to Lark's third offence: Rape is not tolerated by our pack."

Dominic understood the implications for dominance being used with ill intent and shuddered at the thought. "What are they going to do with him?"

"That's what the fight was about." Flint dropped his voice so that only Dominic could hear. "Not including his offence against you, which he was able to talk himself out of, there are rumors going around that he has been asserting himself over the weakest Omega females. None of them would confirm it, so Mother wasn't able to do anything, but now with a clear case of violence she has the evidence she needs to convict him."

Lark howled into the cool evening air and ran for the bars once more, this time jumping and trying to reach the top. His body was fluctuating and he fought to escape, his form becoming more hybrid as he reached for the top bars then shifting back to be more of a wolf shape when he missed and fell back to the ground. It looked and sounded painful.

"Madam Alpha!" Gray, Lark's father, stood to his full height and marched over to confront the woman who led him and his family. He was as naked as Sol was, having already shifted once and it looked like he was about to do it again. "I refuse to allow you to do this. He is obviously not in his right mind!"

Sol tensed, her eyes glowing slightly as she was confronted once again. "Your son has broken too many laws for me to forgive him. His acting does not change my decision."

"He feels threatened! That is why his wolf won't release his control!" Gray's eyes were burning gold and his skin was peppered with fur as he struggled to stay in control.

Sol's voice was level, and not in a positive way. "My mate has determined your son is in full control of himself, which means he is trying to gain reprieve by playing feral. He should be ashamed of himself, as should you be. Lark is a disgrace to Five Rivers and tomorrow night his sentence will be carried out. Kate!" A reddish brown wolf came bolting from the trees, her nose pointed to the ground as she stood dutifully next to her Madam Alpha. "Contact Cole and Clay and have them help you guard Lark until his sentencing. No one is to come near him until that time.

"Gray, Willow, I truly am sorry for the decisions your son has made, but they are choices he knew the consequences to."

"Please, Madam Alpha..." Willow, a petite brunette whose body embodied her name, whimpered as her eldest son once again burned himself trying to get out of his prison. "He didn't mean it. He will do better, I swear it."

Sol smiled sadly at the other woman, reaching out to hold her hand. "You know that is not true, Willow." The woman burst into tears and bowed her head, clutching onto her Madam Alpha's hand. "You will be allowed to say your goodbyes to your son before my verdict is given. For now, I want you back in the Den. You are to stay there until I send for you. Do I need to assign a detail?"

Gray glared daggers at Sol, but eventually averted his eyes and shook his head. He quickly gathered his family and left the clearing, his mate sobbing loudly the entire time.

With the situation handled, Sol and Orion decided it was time they also left the clearing. Turning to look behind them, Dominic witnessed as Lark stopped his pacing and glared straight at him. His eyes were no longer those of an insane animal. They were now the eyes of an intelligent creature that hated Dominic with every ounce of their being.

*

Samantha was watching Penny play on the floor under her activity gym when the door to the sitting room opened. She glanced up, expecting to see Flint who had gone to represent their group in their current issue, only to cry out and rush to give Dominic the biggest hug she could muster.

"Dominic! You're back! What happened to you? You were gone for so long and so much has gone down since you left. I'm so glad you-"

Behind her, the door to the bedroom on the right opened and Ben popped his head out. "Samantha!" He hissed, trying to keep his voice as quiet as possible. "You aren't helping."

Samantha blushed and let go of Dominic, feeling bad for not being more aware. "Sorry, Ben." She couldn't help but grin widely at him. "Dominic's back."

Ben seemed to notice their friend for the first time and he himself smiled at his return. The smile faded quickly as he stared at Dominic, his eyes becoming wide. "What the hell happened to you?"

As Ben came fully out of the bedroom, Samantha turned to see what Ben was referring to. It dawned on her that he was considerably taller than before. He seemed a bit fuller too, like he had been working out. His eyes were still the same brilliant shade of indigo, but they were somehow different too; his pupils were just slightly too dilated for the lighting in the room. He also kept flinching at every little thing, his eyes darting to and fro as both Jarod and Garrett came to greet him as well.

"Dude! What happened to your face?" Jared exclaimed, coming up to get a better look at the scabs on Dominic's cheek and forehead. "Looks like someone went at you with her curling iron or somethin'." Ben hissed again and Jarod smiled sheepishly, apologizing before asking his question again in a quieter voice.

"I just had a bad run in with some silver is all. What's with all the whispering?" Dominic walked into the room, greeting everyone with a hug or clasp on a shoulder.

Ben glanced worriedly at the door he had just come out of. "Augustine doesn't like the noise. It makes her anxious."

Dominic sat on the couch he usually occupied. Samantha was about to join him as she usually did, when from outside in the hall Misty came charging it. She was across the room and sitting next to Dominic before anyone could process it was her. Samantha gave Dom a puzzled look. His only answer was a shrug as he leaned back to get more comfortable.

Misty was the one to speak up next. "Why is Augustine with you? She should be in the infirmary." She may not have meant to, but the words came out snooty, especially when she turned her nose up to sniff the air. Ben immediately bristled, not liking someone who was basically a stranger coming in and dictating what should and should not be happening. He ignored her completely except to glare at her.

"What happened, Ben? Flint gave us the basics before ehe had to go take care of some stuff, but we don't know what happened past Augustine being attacked. Is she staying with you until she heals?" Dominic could tell Ben wasn't happy with Misty and automatically began running interference. Situations like this were not foreign in the least to the group.

Ben shrugged, uncomfortable. "Something like that." He didn't comment further as he sat in his own chair next to Dominic, his eyes glancing at Misty.

Not one to let Ben's behavior affect him, Jarod decided he would be the one to explain. "I found her in the hall all bloody and torn up the day after you up and ran off on us. She wouldn't talk or get up, so I got Garrett and Ben to come and help get her up. Ben took her into our room and ever since then she's been barricading herself under his bed. She won't come out for anything. Even to pee! Orion said if we tried to force it she may freak out and attack somebody again. She almost took my foot off when I got too close." He huffed like a petulant child as he sat down.

His words, however badly phrased, were true enough. She had swiped at him the first morning after she had come to them. Ben had taken Jarod's bed and let Augustine sleep in his after she panicked over being asked to go to the infirmary. At some point during the night, she had gotten out of the bed and crawled under it. She had even curled up with one of his dirty shirts. When Jared had gotten up from the sitting room couch and gone in to get his clothes for the day, she had reacted and swiped at his feet in warning. Even since then she had refused to leave or speak, only ever vocalizing when someone tried to move her. Samantha told Dominic as much.

Surprisingly, Misty was the one to speak up. "Lark did something horrible to her. Her wolf is probably in control while her human side tries to process what has happened to her. She will come back when she is strong enough."

"Sol and Orion already told us that." Ben, annoyed by her involvement, snapped at her. "The problem is she won't eat or drink anything while she is under there. The only time she moves is when I give her one of my shirts. She needs to come out now."

Samantha noticed how Misty's eyes tightened, most likely from not appreciating being talked to in such a way, but she held strong and persevered. "Have you, tried making her something to eat? Her wolf probably won't deny eating something if it smells strongly enough of you from making it."

Misty sat smugly as her words shut Ben up. Oddly enough, Dominic and Jarod smiled wide at her suggestion too.

"Yeah, Ben. Why don't you make something for her?" Jarod reached out with his foot and began nudging the bigger man's leg with it. Ben glared at him, pulling out of his reach only to find Dominic reaching out to poke him in the shoulder.

"Oh, come on, Ben. Do it for her. I bet she's starving under there. You might have to make a bunch of stuff."

"Dominic's right. You should make a bunch of stuff. Give her some variety. You never know if she may not like something."

Ben, for his part, was slowly curling in on himself while turning bright red. He wouldn't look at anyone as the two other men continued to goad him.

"I bet she likes pancakes. Augustine seems like the type of girl to like pancakes. What do you think, Misty? Do you know if Augustine would like some pancakes?"

Misty blinked, seeming as perplexed as Samantha felt. She gave a confused "I guess so" in response to Jarod's question, which only spurred them on further.

"You hear that, Ben? She does like pancakes. I think it would be really nice if you made her some."

"Yeah and you along with her." Ben grumbled. His two friends smiled unabashedly at him in response. His next question was directed at Misty, although begrudgingly. "Do you think me doing that will work?"

Before she could reply, Dominic rotated in his seat so that his back was to Ben and made eye contact with the mystified blond. He started aggressively mouthing the word "YES" while Ben glared daggers into the back of his head. Misty took a moment to answer, but she ended up repeating what Dominic wanted her to.

Ben cursed under his breath, but after a moment of silence relented and said he would make the pancakes. Samantha watched as Jared shot up and gave Dominic an enthusiastic high five.

"I think I'm missing something." Samantha commented to Garrett, who was preoccupying himself by playing with Penny and her archway of toys. He smirked as he continued making the dangling toys above her shake and dance.

"You'll see in a bit. Let's make a field trip out of it."

As everyone in on the secret cheered and began to gather by the door, Ben groaned and stomped off to the bedroom. From her point of view, Samantha could see how he knelt down by his bed and lowered his face until he could see underneath. He was telling Augustine he would be back soon, and not to do anything stupid until he got back. There was a responding whine. A clawed hand shot out from under the frame, grasping Ben around his wrist. The big guy sighed and pulled off his shirt, mumbling about how this was his last one. Once the shirt was off it was dragged quickly under the bed and Ben was able to get up again.

As he came out of the room, Dominic tossed a hoodie his way to cover up. Neither he nor Jarod let it bother Ben as they ushered him enthusiastically from the room.

When they made it to the Alpha Wing exit, it took them a moment to find Pearl. Usually she was standing guard by the door, keeping an eye on everyone that came in and out.

When Jarod had asked her some time before why she was always there, Pearl explained she was tasked to do so until all the humans under her care accepted their mates or were placed somewhere else. It was her punishment for failing in her duties the first day they had been brought to the Den. It took almost all of her time away from her new mate, but seeing as how he had been the main reason she had abandoned her post it was a good lesson for him too. While talking to them, she had glanced up and waved at one of the security cameras, which moved in response. Apparently they were making due with the cameras and their mating bond.

"Where is she?" Jarod began looking around, opening doors and peeking inside. Dominic was just standing where he had stopped, head tilted as if he was listening to a sound he couldn't quite place.

Garrett opened the main doors and leaned out. "Found her!"

There was a squeak from the other side of the ornate wooden doors. "What are you guys doing wondering around!?" Pearl came flying into the Alpha Wing, almost knocking Garrett on his ass. She was frantically pulling her shirt down, using her fingers to smooth the wrinkles and fix her hair. Behind her, a man went running past the open door.

Samantha smirked, figuring that the man was the mate Pearl was always teasing through the security cameras. "We need to go to the kitchen. I'm sure Misty can show us the way if you're too busy."

Pearl blushed, shaking her head vigorously. "That's not necessary!" She glanced at Misty, her head tilting down. "My apologies."

Samantha watched as Misty went to say something, but was cut off by Dominic. "No harm done, Pearl. It's not like you went far or anything." His blue eyes stared hard at the blond by his side, who gave him a steely golden gaze in return. Misty huffed and began walking off, her posture that of pompous annoyance. Not letting it go, Dominic was right next to her, using his longer stride to pace her easily. The rest of the group was right on their heels.

"She was lax in her duties. Again! Do you not remember the last time she wandered off to play with her mate?" Misty huffed, obviously upset he was letting the other woman off the hook.

Dominic gave her a pointed look. "She was right by the door and there was no harm done. She doesn't get to see him much so it's obvious she would take advantage of the times she could. She doesn't need to get into more trouble so drop it, Misty."

She growled at him. "She deserves to be punished. You may have grown to like her, but that doesn't mean she should be allowed to get away with things like this. She has a duty and should take it seriously."

"What the hell do you mean by, like her?"

Their argument lasted the entire walk to the kitchens. Soon it was clear the argument was no longer about punishing Pearl, but why Dominic was so keen on defending her. Dominic wasn't getting why Misty was really angry, and was continuing to defend Pearl. The entire thing ended when they got to the kitchen and both were too frustrated to continue speaking with one another. The few staff that were in the kitchen gave them both a wide berth.