Running with Wolves Ch. 23

Samantha let out a shuttering breath. "I need a minute." When Thunder attempted to say something, she looked away and raised a finger to silence him. "I need... a minute." She turned away, leaning against the sink. She could hear Thunder and Storm talk it out between them whether or not to leave her alone, before they silently agreed and left the bathroom.

Samantha stared blankly into the white basin of the sink, her mind running a mile a minute and yet frozen into stillness. She couldn't feel her legs or arms. Every beat of her heart felt as if it were twisting into the pit of her hollow stomach. She wasn't sure how long she stood frozen at the sink. It felt like both seconds and hours, but she was able to break free when her eyes locked in on shiny droplets of water in the sink. At first they didn't register, but as a few more fell she realized they were tears; she was crying, without realizing.

Pulling her arms from their locked pose, she wiped the wet trails from her cheeks. This was not her. She was not the type of girl who cried while hiding away in a bathroom because something bad happened. She had known she was pushing things last night allowing them to take her. She didn't regret what they had done, and she had known they would change her eventually.

Samantha paused, looking up at herself in the mirror. If she had known what was going to happen, known the consequences, then why was she so afraid? Her black hair was its usual mess haloing her head, the slight curl coming through from the sweat and damp towel she remembered Storm using to clean her. Her green eyes stood out sharper because of the redness from her crying, and her cheeks and lips were a few shades redder than normal, but other than that she was still her. No massive growth spurts or gold ringing her pupils like Dominic. No shadowy wolf form skulking around her head, ready to burst forward at the slightest provocation. The twins were right; they had time to teach her.

Taking one last look at herself in the mirror, something else caught her attention. In her furious exploration of her love bites, she had failed to notice she was wearing one of their shirts. Storm and thunder had dressed her while she slept. They knew she hated sleeping nude, and had taken the time to make sure she had something on.

It was a small detail, but one that meant a lot to her. In her previous line of work, men did not take the time to treat her with any real tenderness; none that was just for her benefit, anyway. The twins took care of her and saw to her needs, even the ones that were only quirks. That filled her heart with warmth as she wiped away the last of her tears.

With one last look at herself she walked back out to the twins. They were sitting on the bed, heads together and glassy eyed. Both looked panicked and sad as they silently shared their thoughts.

Storm was the first to glance up and see her coming out. He slowly stood, as if she were a frightened rabbit that would dart away at any second. There was an undercurrent to his expression though; anger. He was angry about something. Thunder turned to lock eyes with her, but he did not get up. He looked full of fear and guilt.

Samantha did not like seeing him like that. These two men were too beautiful and strong for them to look at her with anything but happiness. She walked up to Thunder, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. "I'm okay." She pulled back enough to place a kiss on the corner of his mouth. "I'm okay."

Thunder searched her face thoroughly, until finally he let out a shuddering breath and unleased the most relieved smile. He brought her down into his lap, his arms holding her tight as Storm knelt in front and wrapped his arms around the both of them. "We love you, Samantha."

*

"So, it could be a few weeks before I shift? Dominic didn't take that long." Samantha was lying on her side on their bed, munching on dry orange cereal as she and the twins discussed her fast approaching future. She was in between the brothers facing the TV that hung on their bedroom wall. She had teased them about how it was the first thing they had done when they moved in, but she was learning to see the benefits. There really was nothing like watching cartoons in bed on a wide screen TV. Or porn.

Thunder was lying on his back behind to her, his head propped up on a pillow and one hand resting on her thigh. His thumb moved in a continuous circle as he answered her. "If things stay as they are. Alpha Dominic's situation was unique because of his link with Flint, but it usually only takes a few days after the bite for our DNA to bring the dormant instincts within a human to the surface. My mark was not a full mark, as I was holding my wolf back." There it was again; the fear, and the guilt. She was lying over one of Storm's legs, and felt him tense. Looking at him, he was trying to hide his inner feelings, but she could see them. His earlier emotions were coming forward as well.

"Why are you angry, Storm? I thought you wanted this?"

Storm looked to her slowly, thinking about his words carefully. "It is not that I am angry, Sweet Sammy. It is just... that we had both looked forward to doing this together, for both of us to leave our mark on our neck, but now you will only bear my brother's scar."

Samantha froze, her hand half clenched around her cereal. She had overlooked that. "Well, I mean... It's not too late, right?" They were quiet. Samantha looked at Thunder, who would not meet her eye. "Can't you just bite me now? Then I would have both of your marks."

Storm pulled his leg away from under her and sat up completely, crossing his legs with his elbows resting on them. "We do not believe so. This situation, like Alpha Dominic's, is unique. All identical twins in our history have had two Destines, one for each twin, but you are destined for us both. When the mating mark is placed, there is a short period of time between the human body receives the bite and the Were gene taking hold. During that time the wound begins to heal and scar, leaving the mark. If you were to look at the born Were pairs, none of them bear the scar that you will, because their wounds heal too quickly. The mark is extremely faint, barely noticeable except by scent, but it is felt by the Were at all times. I will place my mark on you, but it will not show as my brother's will."

Thunder hung his head. "I am sorry, brother. Everything we had planned for our mating night is now ruined, all because I was unable to keep control of myself."

His brother took a deep breath. When he let it out, he reached over and placed his hand against his brother's face. "It is alright. Our mate will still have my mark on her, and all Were will know whom she belongs to."

Thunder nodded, tucking his head farther into his brother's hand. "I am so sorry."

Samantha could see that, even with the understanding that it was an accident, both of them were still hurting. She had seen, during the time she had been living in the same apartment as them, that they shared pretty much everything. It was almost pathological. They had told her that at times, when in the heat of battle or in deep connection, it could be hard for them to distinguish between themselves.

Knowing this, she knew it would be hard for only have one scar.

Samantha lifted herself up, rolling to her knees so she was kneeling between them. First she placed her hand over Thunder's, letting him know that she too was forgiving him for his mistake. When he looked up at her and she was able to give him a reassuring smile, she released him to grab ahold of Storm's hand. "It hasn't been that long since I was bitten. I don't feel any different, so I'm sure if you bit me now it will stick."

Both of the twins' eyes widened considerably. They looked at one another, and then back to her, all the while silently conversing between themselves, she was sure. "But, Samantha. If I do this... if I were to bite you now, you would not have weeks before your change. It would be days. You were not ready to be marked before; we cannot take what short time you have left to prepare, just so that you will carry one more scar."

Samantha shook her head, climbing onto Storms lap and straddling his waist. She put her hands on his chest, trying to conjure up the words that would convey to him just what she was feeling. "I'm scared, I won't lie about that, but I'm no more scared now than I will be in two weeks. Or would've been two years from now, I think. I'm not ready to become a werewolf, but I don't think I ever will be. Making such a huge decision, to change species... If you had allowed me to decide the exact moment I was ready for you to bite me then it probably wouldn't've happened. How could someone ever be ready for that? But it's happening now, and I don't want to go into this with any regrets. A few weeks longer as a human isn't going to be worth a life time with only one mark on my neck. Please, Storm, for all of us. Mark me."

Storm stared at her for a long moment, his eyes glassy as he processed her words. Then, suddenly, he yanked her forward into a fierce hug. She gasped and laughed as he held her tightly to himself, a flood of foreign emotion saturating her system. Gratitude, love, admiration, all of those feelings brought tears to her eyes as she realized they were coming from Thunder. She hoped it wasn't a sign they were too late.

Storm pulled back and clasped her face between his hands. He gave her a gentle, but passionate kiss as he rocked forward and guided her onto her back. His lips left hers soon after she was settled, traveling across her cheek and down to her neck. He searched up and down the column as pale skin, searching for the perfect place to set his claim in her skin. He honed in on the crook of her neck, just above her collar bone. "I will do this as quickly as I can. Hold onto me." She did, clutching him around his neck with her left arm and around his side with her right, leaving her throat extended.

Without warning, both Storm and Thunder cried out in excruciating pain. Storm buckled above Samantha, half his weight landing on her as he clutched his head with both hands. Thunder, who had moved to a kneeling position next to them, was also grabbing at his head, completely slouched forward as he was assaulted by an unknown attack.

Samantha cried out, confused and panicked by their abrupt deterioration. She held onto Storm, shouting for him to tell her what was wrong, but he never answered. Before she could say two words he was off her and out the door, his brother staying behind to grab her and rush into Penny's room. He dropped her unceremoniously on the floor before slamming the door shut, his massive wolf-man form snarling as he stood protectively in front of Samantha, who was desperately trying to console a startled and screaming Penny.

"Thunder! What happened?! What's going on?!" Like his brother, Thunder did not answer, only tensed further and readied himself for whatever came through that door.

*

Dominic jolted awake, the howl of another Were ripping him from his deep sleep. In his sudden panic he shot backwards, falling off his bed and crab crawling into the corner, a growl reverberating through his chest. There were others now as well, maybe two or three, all running past his room and farther down the hallway.

Movement next to him snapped his attention back to the bed. A female was sitting amongst the sheets as still as a frightened rabbit, unmoving and wide-eyed, but with the posture of a predator ready to strike with her extended claws and bared fangs. He raised his own clawed hand to defend himself, before realizing she was not focused on him. Her entire attention was focused on the door, and the fading sounds of howling beast.

Once it was quiet, Misty lowered her furled lips and pulled back her claws. She still looked uneasy as she slipped off the mattress. "Something's wrong."

Dominic was thrown by her comment. Then, he realized something incredibly odd. "What are you doing in my room?" He was never very coherent when he was forced awake from his insomnia induced sleeps, but even so he knew that she hadn't been there when he had fallen asleep...

She raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm not."

His own eyebrows scrunched together. He glanced from side to side, taking in the room. What he saw was not what he would have ever expected.

Everything was pink. Everything.

The comforter he had half pulled off the bed in his scramble to the corner was a monstrosity of light pink lacy trim and fabric roses. The pillows and sheets were dark grey, offsetting some of the glare, but the headboard was an equally bright pink and tufted. On the far wall across from him was a vanity made of white painted wood and covered in a multitude of hair accessories, from basic Bobbi pins to garish headbands made of flowers and seashells, to decorated hair pins with little charms dangling from the ends. A mirror, bordered in thick gold filigree, was hanging from the dark pink wall behind the low table.

To the right of the vanity was a white dresser with mirrored drawer faces and top, the door where the howling had emanated form, and next to that a set of bookshelves that took up one entire corner. Stationed cattycorner to the shelves was a gold tufted chair, similar to the one in her mother's office with its wide arms and winged back. A side table, glass lamp with a gray fur lamp shade, and an ottoman matching the chair accompanied it. The rest of the room he could not see because of the giant wardrobe that was next to him. It was gold, and just as ornate as the mirror with filigree and wolves carved into it.

"What happened? How did I get here?" As Dominic continued to take in Misty's bedroom, she was focused on getting to the bottom of whatever had just gone down in the Den. She swung her legs off the bed, her satin nightgown swishing around her thighs as she walked hurriedly to the wall he could not see.

"Your wolf brought you here last night. I guess you just got used to sleeping with me every night; it was habit." He leaned forward to watch her as she walked past, seeing that, as well as a desk with a laptop and what looked like textbooks, there was a door. She opened it and went inside, emerging quickly with jean shorts and a tank-top. In short order she threw her outfit on her bed and had the skimpy dress off, revealing that she did not sleep with any underwear on.

Before Dominic could stop himself, he was out of the corner and behind Misty. She was reaching for her clothes, unprepared for the assault, but then again neither was he. Unable to control his sudden speed, he crashed into her from behind and they both fell forward onto the bed, Misty on her stomach and Dominic on her back. He buried his head against her neck, taking in her scent as he ground his growing erection against her naked bottom.

Misty was stunned for only a short moment before she started to struggle. She thrashed and shouted his name, gasping and squeaking when he nipped her in retaliation. When she tried to push up to dislodge him, he growled, using his larger size to force her back down. Her nutty sweet scent spiked. The warmth between her legs began to leak into the fabric of his boxers and he groaned as she whimpered when he pushed the tip against her entrance. Misty's legs moved slightly apart, leaving more of herself exposed. Dominic was panting with excitement as he propped himself up with one hand, the other pulling the fabric off one hip-

Without warning, Misty threw her elbow back. It landed hard against his left ear, knocking him back and to the side. The ringing pain immobilized him enough to give her the upper hand. She lunged at him, pinning him to the floor with his hands above his head and hips trapped beneath hers. He struggled just as she had, but she was better trained and countered his brute force with distracting rotations of her hips. She giggled, her eyes glowing brightly, as he threw his head back in pleasure. She kissed his neck all the way down to his chest, but never releasing his hands. When she came back up to meet his eyes, she was panting just as hard as he was, her breasts jumping with every sharp inhale.

Dominic tried to free himself again, but this time Misty's growl was not so flirty. She smashed his wrists back down each time he tried to pull them down. He wasn't trying to get free; he had no problem with her being on top, but he would not be controlled. Their struggle was no longer being fuelled by lust, but by the need to assert dominance.

The longer they wrestled, the clearer it became that neither was going to give in. Misty was unwilling to cede any control and Dominic was unwilling to let her keep it all to herself. He would not feel used; not by the woman who was supposed to become his mate for the rest of their lives.

Their struggle was on the verge of turning into an all out fight when Dominic suddenly yelped in pain, distracting Misty enough that he could gain the upper hand. He pulled his bleeding wrists free and shoved her back by her lower ribs. She landed on her butt and rolled back, so as not to allow him to get back on top of her. Once she was back facing him in a crouch, they both froze. They were at a standstill once again Dominic hissed in pain. He clutched on wrist, watching as the blood pumped out of the deep gashes in time with his heart beat.

"Holy shit..." Dominic's head filled with fog. He looked up just in time to see Misty realize what she had done and lunge for him. She cradled his head as he fell backwards, whispering her apologies as darkness took him.

*

Dominic was back in the woods again. The night air was crisp; tiny snowflakes dancing as he flew threw the night. There was nothing holding him back; it didn't even feel like he was touching the ground as he ran.

A flash of white, too large to be a snowflake, dashed to his right. He slowed so he could investigate, seeing that it was the white wolf that had been his constant companion since his painful emergence. She was his mate, his Destined, and his teacher. She had shown him so much without his human views holding him back. They hunted large game, dug for drinkable water, and scouted his new home for intruders and unsafe locations. They had come into contact with few others; he would not tolerate them coming any closer than the other side of one of the rivers running through the territory. One bitch that had come too close had learned her lesson, and no others had come since.

Seeing the white female, he slowed further until they were prancing under the lower tree branches, keeping clear of the thicker flakes that had begun to fall. Dominic could see his breath puffing out in front of him in giant plumes, but he wasn't cold, not even his paws...

Time shifted suddenly, and they were bedded down in an underground Den. It was warm and roomy, but it smelt of others and Dominic did not like it. He grumbled, agitated.

His mate was pressed against his side and heard his disproval. She licked at his ears and face, attempting to sooth him. It did more than that. He returned her affection ten fold, nipping her playfully and bopping her with his nose. He stood, lifting his front paw over her back with the intention of mounting her, but she rebuffed him by standing as well. He tried again, undeterred by her new position, but she continued to evade his advances. Dominic was beginning to become annoyed, and nipped her rump in retaliation. She did not appreciate the gesture and snapped back at him, before shifting into her human form. She gave him an expectant look, then shoved a thought into his mind. She wanted him to shift too. He quirked his head to the side and yipped at her, digging gently at her closed legs.

"Uh, uh, uh." She flicked his nose, making him sneeze, multiple times. Once the spell was over, he grumbled at her and attempted to do as she wanted.