Running with Wolves Ch. 02

With his weapon finished Dominic now had everything he needed.

He pulled out the last tool to finish his plan. The smokers lighter. He had lifted it off him after they came back inside.

With everything re-hidden under the edge of his bed, he reached over and plugged the monitor back in, placed the sensor on his finger, turned up the sensitivity so that any elevation would set off the alarm, and Dominic's plan was put into motion.

He began to violently choke and gasp for air, hands grasping the rails on the bad and back slightly arched in the air, mimicking one of Garrett's allergic reaction he had seen after they had first met. He couldn't go too far or his shoulder would hurt too much for him to tolerate. The monitor went nuts with his heart rate.

The two guards did not disappoint.

Both came bursting into the room, panicked and shouting.

"The HELL?!"

"What the fuck did you do!?"

"What do you mean me?! I was with you! Oh hell oh FUCK!"

"Go get Doc NOW!" One of the men attempted to turn Dominic onto his side. Dominic simply switched from deep gasping to holding his breath all together, gurgling slightly and throwing his head back to show his neck veins popping out.

"But I don't know where-"

"Just FIND SOMEONE!"

The other guy bolted from the room. Perfect.

"Don't you die on me! Not you! Do you have any idea the hell-"

Suddenly Dom took a deep breath, the monitor went back to normal, and the alarm stopped. The man was stunned.

"Hold on, Aspen, I think he's-" When he turned to go get his friend, who was long gone, Dominic slipped his fingers under the mattress and pulled out the spear. With the man a good distance away, he thrust the makeshift weapon at the guard's thigh. The guy yelped and spun. "What the hell did, you..." He fell to the side, breaking his fall with the corner of the bed.

"Sorry about that." Dominic flung off the blanket and stood on the bed. Lighter in hand, he flicked it open and held the tiny flame to the sprinkler head above the bed. "Come on, come on."

Water began shooting out. "Yes!"

Alarms sounded all over the Estate. They would freak out the guests enough that everyone would begin to panic. It would give him time to get out of there before the other guy managed to find help for him, and hopefully delay them even after that.

Hopping down, Dominic moved quickly off the bed, wiping water from his eyes and face. He left his room and moved past the beds and a still sleeping Hale. He really was out cold. He didn't deserve it, but out of sympathy Dominic tilted his head to the side and took a pillow off the other bed as he walked by, putting it on his face so he wouldn't breathe in any of the water.

That done he approached the office door. Inside was his large backpack.

Looking around for something to help him get inside he ended up grabbing a short rolling stool. He swung it with his good arm and smashed the glass, reaching inside to open the door and unlocking Doc's office door.

He grabbed the heavy pack, slinging it over his good shoulder, then, in a moment of curiosity, he began opening the drawers of the desk. They would have been stupid to do so, but maybe- AH HA!

The Rugar was sitting in a bottom drawer along with the removed clip. He picked it up and inserted the magazine, raking the slide to chamber the first bullet. He didn't want to actually have to use it, but at this moment his life was more important than some kidnapper's. He slipped it into the back of his pants for easy retrieval if it came to that.

Dominic made his way outside. Hearing shouting and talking in the direction of the entrance, he quickly shuffled to the back lot where he had seen the cars. There were a few people clustered by the back door, but they were far enough away that as long as he was careful, they wouldn't notice anything.

He crouched low, keeping to the wall behind a line of box shrubs. When he got to the closest vehicle, the van, he pushed through the shaped foliage and lifted the door handle. Unlocked, perfect.

Placing his pack on the gravel with a hiss, Dominic unzipped a side pocket and produced a modified flat head screwdriver. It was Ben's, but 'what's yours is everyone's as long as they ask' as they said. It would come in handy now anyway. He re-zipped up the pocket and lifted the bag into the seat, pushing till it fell into the passenger side and then jumped in himself, feeling the firearm press into his spine as he leaned back. With the screwdriver in hand he popped off the metal cover to the ignition and inserted the rod of metal into the key hole. With a twist the van engine came to life and the dash lit up like Christmas. Dominic felt like it was Christmas, and gave a "Oh thank you baby Jesus!" There was a full tank of gas.

"Hey!" Dominic had celebrated too soon. A group of the party goers, mainly the guards, had noticed his unauthorized use of their company car and were coming to investigate. When they saw his wide-eyed face and didn't recognize it as one of theirs, they broke into a run. Some pulled out guns, others radios. One elderly looking guard looked down right panicked.

'Shit they're fast!'

Dom grabbed the shifter and threw it into reverse. The wheels took a moment to find purchase on the gravel when he slammed on the gas, but after a panicked second they found their grip and jolted the van backwards. Once far enough back, he slapped the stick into drive and gunned it again, flying around the corner and almost putting the mammoth on its side. But it righted and sped forward on the side drive heading to the front. When he turned the corner and slammed the brakes, that's when it got dicey.

Pulling around the corner to the front of the Estate, Dominic came face to face with a crowd of angry, dolled up rich people. Every last one of them was dressed to the nines in expensive suits, long gowns and cocktail dresses, heels and slicked back hair. Not to mention barely any of them were under 5'5". It made for a very intimidating picture.

Almost in sync, every one of their beautiful heads (and they were all beautiful to some degree or another), turned to look at him in the van. None of them seemed to know what to think of him. Their individual faces wore varying emotions of surprise and shock to anger and even a few looked at him with flat out hatred.

One of them, to Dominic's utter shock, was the girl that had rammed into him earlier that evening. She was dressed in a red lace dress, skin tight from the strapless sweet heart neck line all the way down to her round hips where it flared to her calves. Her blond hair was up in a messy bun on top of her head. She looked stunning, and she looked pissed. Dominic sat stunned. 'Was it her? Is she the reason for all of this? Because SHE ran into ME?!'

His eyes went cold. What were they planning to do to him anyway? Put a gun to his head and force him to grovel for her forgiveness? Fuck that. No way in hell was he going to bow down 'cause some uppity little rich priss couldn't handle being snapped at over something she did. It didn't matter how beautiful her body was or how something about her tugged at his core. He was leaving this rat's nest of psychotics, and she was just going to have to deal with that.

The group of pedestrians were blocking the exit side of the roundabout. Dominic considered gunning it and letting them figure it out, but he spotted Orion approaching him slowly in his peripheral vision. He was saying something, probably along the lines of how he should surrender. Even if the guy did allow his people to kidnap him, Dom didn't want to hurt the man.

So instead he grabbed the gearshift and pulled it into reverse, making eye contact with the pissed off beauty the entire time, daring her to try and stop him. Her eyes seemed to glow with the challenge, her body shaking with the rage she must have been feeling. He didn't care, he would be gone long before she could do anything.

Breaking eye contact, Dominic looked into the side mirror, watching the guards from out back begin to surround and approach the van. Seeing a bit of a gap, he turned the wheel slightly. The men began shouting at the movement, but it was too late. He floored it and the van began flying backwards, the guards wisely diving out of the way. As he continued around the circle nearing the straightaway, the guards seemed to sense his intent. Guns came up, bullets leaving their chambers and piercing the metal of the van. People began yelling and screaming. The drive got shorter. Just a bit further. A bullet went through the windshield, then another. A few more seconds.

The back of the van made contact with the security gate. The vehicle jolted, then the wrought iron gave way with the force of a half-ton missile going 90 miles per hour. The force knocked Dominic against his seat, but he managed to swerve in time not to hit an oncoming car. The van spun half a turn, listed, then slammed down with a final rock before settling. Not wanting to give up this opportunity, Dominic didn't hesitate to once again push the gas pedal to the floor, leaving behind one confused stopped driver and the insanity that was that house.

*

Flint hadn't wanted to leave Dominic in his room alone with his father, but when the Alpha tells you to do something, vocally or not, you do it. He moved away from the scared man in the corner, holding his I.V. stand in defense. No one else would notice it, even holding the makeshift weapon at the ready, but he was utterly terrified. To anyone else, his dark blue eyes would just look angry and determined, but he truly was scared of them.

That was the last thing Flint wanted.

Leaving the room, he first caught sight of his mother in the hall. She didn't really acknowledge him, simply put a hand on his shoulder then moved past to go check on her mate. It stung to be so disconnected from her, but he couldn't really be angry. Everyone was coping in their own way.

He moved on into the main portion of the clinic. Doc Rivers along with most of the wolves in Kate's unit were there, looking shocked and mystified. They must have found out about Misty's new mate.

Doc Rivers smiled at him, the only one to do so. Everyone else looked down and away. "How are you tonight Flint? Feeling ok?" Her fingers automatically began pressing against his forehead and pulse. She did that pretty much every time she saw him.

"He's been doing well. Not as many fits as before. Those meds you gave him are really doing the trick." Hale chirped from his bed. "When he does have one, they aren't nearly as bad. I think he is getting better."

"Well maybe this one will do the trick." Her voice was enthusiastic, but Flint could see it in her eyes. She didn't think this was going to change anything, just delay the inevitable. But why burst Hale's bubble? It would just bring more strife to the pack than there already was.

"Yeah I've been doing fine. How are you Hale? The leg feel any better?"

Hale snorted. "Yeah its fine. Already feel it mending. How are you doing? You had a lot of excitement tonight. Maybe you should sit. Hey June, could you grab him a chair?"

June, one of the lower ranking Betas, jumped out of her own chair and brought it over to Flint. "Oh, no June I'm good, really I'm not even dizzy-"

"Your brother is right. Sit for a while." Sol breezed past her youngest son, barely looking at him. "You may not feel dizzy now, but there is no way to tell when another episode will occur. Rest for now." She walked over to Hale's bed, placing herself at his feet to wait for Orion. Flint didn't argue farther and accepted the chair held for him. He hated the babying, but fighting it would just make it worse.

"Maybe when we get back to the Den we can run to the old creek? We haven't done that in forever." Hale smiled big at his baby brother. "I can carry you like when you were small. We could-"

"You have far too much work to get done before you can go gallivanting in the woods like children. Maybe when you finish your duties you may run to the creek." Orion moved in behind Flint, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Are you well?"

Flint looked at his father and smiled in gratitude. His brother could be a bit much. "Yeah, Mother just thought it best I sit for awhile. How did your talk with Dominic go?" Every one else had probably heard most of the conversation, but he hadn't caught a whisper.

Orion smirked. "He will be good for Misty." The light in his eyes left. "Though I am not happy how these events unfolded. Hale, you will be receiving a course in self control and awareness. The rest of you will be dealt with on a different date. We need to make our appearance soon or the guest will take offence. Times may be changing with this new treaty but it is still a delicate matter with the Southern packs. We need this night to go off with as few issues as possible. All of you need to get ready. Brigid, check on our guest other before you go. He took a nasty spill when he awoke."

"I want him sedated after he eats." Sol stood from her spot on her sons bed. "Make sure he is unconscious until we can get Misty to speak with him. She may not like this, but she must accept it. Her behavior when it came to finding her Destined is not acceptable."

Doc Rivers nodded to her Madame Alpha. "I will need to double check the dosages but he will be sedated within the hour."

"Good. Now let us hurry, we can't give those Southerners another reason to be angry with us." Sol addressed her guard for the night.

Kate and her wolves nodded and set off to get ready for the night. There would be multiple teams already positioned in and around the Estate, her team would be the primary on the Alphas and their family. Flint especially, which he grumbled at.

The wars between the packs had been going on for thousands of years, long before any of them had been born. It was small territorial disputes that had escalated into massive ones that led to the wars, with smaller conflicts and misunderstandings mixed in that made it worse. Many had their own version of why they hated one another. The grudges and mistrust had been passed down from generation to generation till finally, Orion and Sol had had enough. They gathered many Alphas from neighboring packs and after years of talks and negotiations, agreed on a truce. Together they continued to spread word and soon all but the Southern packs had given up the fighting. Outnumbered 4 to 1, the South had held out as long as they could but recently they had realized how futile it was and joined the treaty. Today had been the day that all the Alphas gathered together in solitude, unaffected by outside influence, and set borders and laws that everyone would have to abide by. It was the beginnings of true peace.

This party that was being thrown by the Five Rivers Pack in the Pine Glen Territory was a symbol of working with one another to support a goal. The two packs had been trying to annihilate each other for years, so this show was to prove that co existing was possible. Of course it didn't stop everyone from trying to out show each other. That was still perfectly legal.

Flint wasn't looking forward to this party at all. Even with all the progress there were still splinter groups, rogue packs created by pack deserters who had defected in protest against the truce, that still posed a threat to this fragile bit of peace they had built. There was word of a possible attack on this gathering, and with Flint being the weakest link, he would be the easiest target. That meant more special treatment.

"Take your medicine, Flint. And Hale, I don't want you moving around and hurting yourself trying to come up to the party. You need your strength to heal. I'm going to have Brigid give you something as well."

Hale grumbled. Flint knew he had planned on sneaking up to the party to watch over him, but the Alpha had seen through him.

Flint's father squeezed his shoulder in encouragement. They would make it through this.

*

About an hour into the gathering, Flint became dizzy. He wasn't going to make it through this after all.

This was how all his episodes started. First the dizziness, then the tunnel vision, followed by rounds and rounds of intense muscle cramps and a splitting headache that all could last up to a day. It felt as if his body was being torn apart.

And in a way it was.

Not wanting to upset the party or his family he slipped out the back door, his world slowly becoming smaller and smaller. Soon all he would be able to see would be about a face size blur with no peripheral vision. He needed somewhere dark to lay down and soon.

"Flint, what's wrong?" Dagwood, an old Beta and loyal to a fault pack member of the Five Rivers approached from somewhere outside of his vision. Apparently the meds had just held back the episodes and now a monster of one had built up until it couldn't be controlled anymore. He already couldn't focus enough to speak correctly. "Here here, grab my arm. Do you want me to take you to a room to lay down?"

"No! N-no, just t-t-Take me sommmewhere quiet. D-dark." 'God my head hurts when I talk.'

"Ok, let's move over here. Brook!" There was a sound like keys being caught, then they were moving. The gravel didn't have any more distinction, just blurry flecks of gray. It was getting darker, so they must be moving away from the back porch. Dagwood lifted him without much effort and put him on what felt like a bed of blankets. It was dark, and quiet so he didn't feel too bad about what he was laying on.

"I'll sit with you."

So they stayed that way for a while. Flint for the most part silently withering in pain while Dagwood stood watch. His muscles felt like they were being pulled to the point that the tendons would rip off chunks of bone. At times it would only be a few cramps, then his entire body would feel like it was being stretched like a rubber band, ready to snap into multiple pieces.

Flint begged for it to end, to just end him permanently.

His familiarity with the pain kept him silent, so no one came to investigate. The two just stayed in their bubble of solitude waiting to see if it would subside.

It was a little while later that the alarms went off.

"What the hell." Flint was aware enough to notice Dagwood's worry. Something had happened.

"G-g-go, I'm n-not going any w-where."

"I can't leave you here."

Flint turned to look at the old wolf. He looked torn. Protect someone who he cared for, but had no worth to the pack, or go to help protect the Alphas, the most important members of the pack. It was a difficult choice, one that Flint would not force Dagwood to make. "My f-family, nnneeds you, more than I. For t-the good of the p-pack, go." Flint laid his head down on the blankets again. "I-I'll st-till be here when you g-get back."

Dagwood looked down on him one last time, before standing straight and nodding. "I will be back soon. Your father knows where you are." There was a slam and it was quiet again.

Once Dagwood was gone, Flint lay there focusing on his breathing. It seemed to help because his muscles began to relax and go limp. He wouldn't be able to move for a while but it was better than being in excruciating pain. He wouldn't survive this much longer. Soon his body would give out unless something changed, but that was unlikely. They had tried everything they and others could think of.

There was a sound of a door opening. The floor beneath the blankets began to vibrate.

"Oh thank you baby Jesus."

'Jesus? Isn't he part of the human belief system? We don't worship him, what an odd thing for a wolf to say.' Flint thought, confused and not completely grasping the situation.

The van suddenly lurched backwards, causing Flint to slide closer to the back bench seat, then it pitched to the left, flipping him onto his stomach. He whimpered at the movement, but it was an almost silent sound. He was too sore and pained to do anything to stop what was happening. It lurched again and sat a moment. Flint could hear his father somewhere, but couldn't make out exact words. Something about Dominic. 'Dominic? I thought he was sedated in the infirmary?'