Running with Wolves Ch. 10

For now, Flint would keep his sexuality to himself. No need to come out immediately and it would give him time to figure things out. For now, he would give his family some reprieve from worrying about him.

He listened for a moment as Amethyst and Cole quietly spoke to one another. She was asking him how he was feeling, if his injuries were healing well.

"Did I hurt anyone?" Flint opened his eyes, turning his head to lock eyes with his brother. Hale smiled big at him, coming closer.

"Hey, brother. How do you feel? You gave all of us a heart attack out there. What were you thinking going out into the woods like that?" Again with the patronizing tone. That really needed to stop.

"I was thinking I wasn't going to let the last thing I see be this infirmary." Flint looked away from his eldest brother to scan the room. He was in the main room of the infirmary, Cole right next to him and two others farther down the line of beds. "Who did I hurt?"

Amethyst tried to block his sight. "You don't need to be thinking about that. It wasn't your fault-"

"Who?" The harshness in Flint's tone was made worse by his pain of trying to get up. If they wouldn't tell him he would find out on his own.

"Hey, don't do that! You're still hurt." Hale stopped him from getting up, but Flint stared his sister down until she gave in.

"You got Cole in the flank. Nothing serious, but it will take some time to heal. Sage tried to be a hero and take you down himself. He got torn up on one side but he still has enough energy to flirt, so he's fine. Cricket got it the worst." She hesitated, looking guilty.

"What did I do, Amethyst?" She wouldn't meet his eye. "Did I kill him?"

"No! No, he'll live but... You mauled him pretty badly. He may lose his status and be demoted to Theta."

Flint closed his eyes, shame pouring over him. He had attacked his pack and one of them had been so badly hurt they may be permanently damaged. He felt like crawling into a hole and dying.

"Do not blame yourself, Flint." Flint opened his eyes to meet Cole's. "You weren't in your right mind, and in the end you managed to gain control and merge with your instincts. Nothing else matters. All anyone cares about is that we didn't have to put down our brother today. That is a blessing from Luna herself."

On the far end of the room, a door opened and Sol came walking through. She scanned the room and laid eyes on Flint, seeing he was awake. Tears welled up in Flint eyes as she walked towards him and stepped up beside his bed.

Sol didn't say anything. She just leaned down and hugged him as best she could while he was lying down. For the first time in a long time, he felt the warmth of his mother's touch.

The tears came harder, thickening his voice. "I'm sorry mother."

"Oh hush." Flint was surprised to hear that her voice sounded like his. "I'm the one who is sorry. You needed me and I wasn't here for you. I haven't been there for a long time." She stood back up and he could see that the tears in her voice had begun to spill from her eyes.

"How else is a mother supposed to cope when she knows her son is going to die?" Flint wiped at his wet cheeks. "I can't feel you anymore, or father. Who did I bond with? Did another pack get to me before you could?"

"Well, that's something we need to discus." Sol perched herself on the bed next to her son. "When your bonds to us were broken, we think you reached out and bonded with the closest strong bond you could find. We believe you ended up bonded with Dominic."

Flint's eyes went wide. "I don't understand. How?" He was bonded with a human? Dominic was his Alpha now?

"We don't know, but it isn't something that needs to be worried about right now. Just rest, get your strength back, and in a week or so we can speak with Dominic and guide him in breaking the bond so that we can reestablish you in our pack. It's going to take some time, but soon, soon you will become a full fledged part of the pack." Rising from the bed, Sol gave Flint one last departing kiss. "There are some things I need to attend to, so for now get some rest and I'll be back to see you later."

Flint nodded, still a bit stunned. "Yeah, ok. Where is father?"

"He is doing some research in the library, but I'll tell him you are awake and send him down."

With that Sol walked off. As she disappeared through the doors, both Hale and Amethyst also made their move to leave. They had been slacking in their duties so they could be there when he woke up, and needed to get back. Flint waved goodbye as they went off to take care of their pack-related duties. After that it was just Cole who was awake, and when he realized Flint was in no mood to make small talk, he buried himself in a textbook and headphones.

Left to his spinning thoughts, Flint tried to wade through all the information threatening to drown him. It was all so much to take in, and to top it all off, he now had a second opinion rustling in the back of his mind.

His wolf had been relatively quiet, still adjusting to the new world of thought and decisions.

'What do you think?' Flint received a huff in response. Apparently his wolf did not care about all the problems they now faced. 'Well thanks, for being no help.' There was a snort.

Flint rolled his mind's eye and went back to thinking about his situation. The big thing that stuck out to him was that he was not in any way bonded to his birth pack. All things considered, that may turn out to be a blessing in disguise.

*

The next morning, and Augustine was standing in front of her bedroom mirror, trying to figure out what she was going to wear to go and visit Ben.

The day before, Aunt Sol had gathered all the Destined wolves together for an update. Dominic had somehow been strong enough to create a bond with a wolf without the mating bond, something that Alpha Orion had yet to find happened anywhere in Were history. It was amazing, but also concerning. If Dominic was powerful enough to do that, then what were the others capable of? It was a question her Madam Alpha was not willing to sit wait and for the answers . So it was now left in the hands of the Destined wolves to convince this Sistema of Destines that it was worth staying and becoming their mates.

As she fussed with her make-up and whether or not to wear the yellow dress with the pink flats or the black skirt with the cowl-neck sweater, Augustine's mother, Aries, came striding into the room. She looked much like her sister, Sol, with the light blond hair and slim figure, but she was a few inches shorter than her littermate. She was a mid-level Beta, and if anyone in the house ever brought up that fact it would turn into a sour evening. Augustine got most of her looks from her mother, but the rest was her father.

Aries didn't look overly thrilled at her daughter's choices on the bed, but refrained from commenting. Instead she moved to stand behind the vanity chair and appraised the messy bun her daughter had spent the last hour working on.

"It would look nicer down."

Augustine bunched up a fist around the lip gloss she held in her hand, holding in the snarky comment she so badly wanted snap at her mother. "I thought it would look nice up for a change." She rose up from her seat and went to her closet, sliding the hangers to see if there was anything else she might find more suitable.

"The green blouse with the lace would have been perfect."

"Well," the snapping of the hangers grew faster, "I don't have it anymore. It was too damaged for me to fix." Not finding anything else that looked promising, Augustine slid her closet door shut and went to appraise the two outfits on the bed. "I'm thinking the skirt."

"Oh honey, this isn't a funeral." Aries reopened the closet and began slowly scanning through the hanging clothes.

"The yellow dress it is then."

"Mmm, if you think that's best." Augustine almost ripped the dress in half as her mother reclosed the closet and sat in the vanity chair. She began absent-mindedly sorting the make-up containers into the two small drawers. They were quiet as Augustine stripped out of her robe and slipped the dress on, zipping up the side. "You are trying quite hard to impress this, boy."

"Well, he is my mate. Why wouldn't I try and impress him?"

"He just doesn't seem..."

"What mother? Worthy?" Augustine spun to face her mother, her wolf rising to the implied insult to her Destined.

"He just isn't the type of, man, I saw you being with." Aries sighed and rose from her seat, heading towards the door. "Wear the white sandal wedges, they make your legs look nice."

Augustine let out a long breath. She knew her mother meant well, but Luna she could be a real bitch sometimes.

She could also be a big help when she wanted to be. The white wedges would be perfect with the dress. It was almost begrudgingly that Augustine went and grabbed them from her shoe cabinet.

With the last piece of her outfit in place, Augustine gave herself one last once over before heading out of her family's apartments. The hall of the Family's Wing she lived in was filled with pups, all heading to the playroom to be watched over while parents and older siblings went to take care of their respective duties. Normally, Augustine would be helping to take her own young siblings before heading to the training fields, but finding her Destined had given her a pass for the time being. It was a nice reprieve; Clay was a real slave driver when it came to Beta training.

Making her way through the sea of knee-high monsters, some of the adults stopped to give Augustine a few words of encouragement, others gave advice on the 'refinements of seduction,' which was mostly done by the older members to make Augustine blush. One female elder, with four grandpups hanging off her, even started adjusting her breasts in her dress to make them pop out a bit farther. That had gotten them practically rolling on the floor with laughter as she grabbed her boobs to protect them from further manhandling. It was all done in good fun and Augustine couldn't help but laugh as well as she ran through the throng of busybodies.

Everything was going well until a familiar and unwelcome sight blocked her path as she drew closer to the Alpha Wing where she was going to meet Ben.

Lark stood in the hall ahead of her, talking with her mother. That wasn't surprising since Aries was training his group of year mates. However, ever since Augustine had made the monumental mistake of allowing him to bed her, Lark had somehow gotten it into his head that they had some sort of relationship. She had made it abundantly clear that they weren't. That what had happened between them would never happen again. But Lark wasn't the type to take no for an answer, nor was he the type used to females saying no to his charm.

Ever since it had become clear she was not interested, Lark had been going above and beyond his usual level of brown-nosing and practically had his head up her mother's rear for months. He somehow thought that if he got on her mother's good side then she would sleep with him again. The fact that he was still trying even as she left to meet with her Destined spoke to the level of his delusions.

"Augustine." Lark straightened further, puffing out his chest as if to impress her. It didn't work.

"Lark." Augustine did her best to remain calm, her wolf pushing to the surface of her mind. The urge to put this ass in his place was overwhelming.

Aries glanced over to her daughter. "I see you chose the sandals. I'm so glad. Lark, I expect you in the gym in 20 minutes. Don't be late."

"Oh course not, ma'am. I would never be late to one of your training sessions. I'll be down very soon: I would just like a word with your wonderful daughter."

'Ugh, barf.' Augustine heard her wolf grunt in agreement.

Once Aries was down the hall and out of earshot, Lark turned fully to face Augustine, his expression smug as usual. "Hello, Augustine. You look lovely in that pretty little dress." His eyes skimmed the hem at her mid thigh. She felt the urge to tug it down farther. "Were you off to go somewhere or did you get all dressed up to come see me?" Did he ever give up?

"Actually, I'm on my way to see my Destined Mate. After the incident yesterday Aunt Sol is allowing us to push a bit to get our mates to become acquainted with us. Now, if you'll excuse me." The look on his face was almost priceless. Lark had been in denial for the last few weeks that Augustine had actually found her mate, even after the announcement in the Dining Hall. It was funny to see him so blindsided with her blatant dismissal of him.

But then his expression changed. His eyes flashed bright, and a snarl crossed his lips. Without warning he had her against the wall, pinned by her arms with his tight fists. It was so sudden she had no time to react.

"The fuck are you saying, Augustine? Are you actually saying you're picking some human trash over me?! Are you serious?" Lark's hands tightened further. His wolf was right on the surface, showing in his eyes and shifting features.

Augustine remained outwardly calm, but she could feel fear beginning to bubble up. Even though she was younger and less experienced, she knew she could take him if he decided to make this physical, but only if she was further into her shift than he was. "You expect me to pick you, a rude, self centered, delusional, condescending, kiss-ass, over the one soul on this planet that Luna has chosen to be my Destined?"

"You know damn well that bastard isn't capable of being anything more than some pathetic Theta if you're lucky. What does your mother think of that? Huh? How do you expect to become the next Second if your mate can never lead with you?"

He had a point there. Augustine's mother had always held a high standard for her oldest daughter, and having a human mate that would more than likely be a low level Theta was not something in Aries' lifelong plan for her oldest. It was something Augustine would have to discuss with her mother.

But it would be with her mother, and not with the likes of Lark. "While I appreciate the concern for my relationship with my mother and my future rankings within the pack, that just so happens to be none of your damn business. He is my mate and nothing either of you do or say will change that. If it is not my destiny to become Second, then so be it."

"He isn't your mate, Augustine, and I know you know that. He isn't good enough for a wolf, especially a wolf as strong as you. You just want him to be because you don't want to accept you and I are meant to be together." Lark took his chance while Augustine was pinned and slammed his mouth against hers, his tongue shoving inside her mouth when she gasped. He forcefully kissed her for a moment, fighting her shoves by pressing his body fully against hers and using his larger size and weight to keep her on the wall. She could feel his body become excited by her struggling.

Without thought, Augustine allowed her wolf to rise. She could feel the instincts shifting her body, giving her the strength she needed to drive her arms up and around his in order to break his hold. With another shove, she had him against the opposite wall by his throat.

Augustine was furious, allowing her wolf to grow her claws and pierce his neck. "If you EVER, touch me like that again Lark, I swear to Luna that I will use my standing as a direct relative of Madam Alpha Sol and have you exiled from the pack. And while I have your attention, let me make it perfectly clear just one last time. I am NOT yours, I never was, and I never will be. I have a Destined Mate and nothing you say or do is ever going to convince me that you are worth more than that. Now. Leave. Me. Be!" With that she gave one last shove and released him. If she held him any longer he might notice her hand shaking. Lark grabbed his neck, stanching the puncture wounds with his fingers.

There was a throat clearing, snapping both of their attentions to the other end of the hall. There standing at the end of the hall was Pearl, along with Ben. Lark instantly bristled, a low growl emitting from his chest. Augustine turned and snarled back.

"You're going to regret choosing him. Just remember that you had your chance to be with a real wolf, and not some cheap imitation." Lark made a speedy retreat. Augustine glared at his back as he headed in the direction of the Family Wing. No way would he go to the infirmary, and he needed to change his bloody shirt. The coward would probably make his little brother fix him up.

"We witnessed everything." Pearl came forward, giving Augustine a supportive pat.

"Everything?" Augustine hated the weakness in her voice, the shaking in her hands. Ben had seen everything. He had witnessed her relationship with Lark, how she lost control, and the kiss. Standing there with her back to her Destined, Augustine could feel her dress loosening around her torso. It must have torn when she shifted to fight off Lark.

"He had no right to make a move like that. If you decide to go to Madam Alpha Sol, just have someone call for me and I'll back you up." Pearl noticed how her friend was clutching the side of her dress in order to keep it in place. "Oh, your dress. Let me see... Okay, it's just the zipper. Nothing we can't take care of."

Pearl gave her a reassuring smile. "I'll get my sister to fix it. She's a magician when it comes to this stuff."

Augustine tried to smile back but it felt forced. She was too humiliated to even turn around and say a proper hello to Ben. She didn't want to even guess at what he must think of her.

There was the sound of approaching footsteps, and Augustine found herself being cloaked in a large hoodie, one that smelt very strongly of Ben. She turned, seeing Ben had in fact slipped his jacket off his own shoulders and draped it over hers. She felt her cheeks warm as Ben's deep green eyes stared directly into her honey colored ones.

He was the same height as her in her short heels, but broader than her in every way. His chest was built like a tank, and his arms were thick with muscle. She could tell even underneath the long sleeve T-shirt he was wearing. His short hair was barely two finger widths, and she couldn't help but imagine the way it would feel in her hands. The way it would contrast so darkly against her lightly tanned skin. His scent was mellow, like baking bread with something sweet.

"Thank you, Ben." Augustine had to pull her eyes away from his in order to address Pearl. "I'm okay." She gave Pearl her most convincing smile so as not to worry her. Pearl gave her one in return, but before she could comment, another pack member came rushing into the hall.

"Pearl, there you are. I've been looking for you everywhere." As the two women began talking, Ben and Augustine were left to the side on their own.

Augustine grasped for something to talk about. ''Nice weather we're having.' Seriously? 'How have you been?' Trapped in a werewolf den with no option but to stay. 'You're my mate, soooo can we fuck so I can bite you to turn into a werewolf, too?' Yeah, that will get him to like you.' Her wolf liked the last idea quite a bit, and she showed her approval by flashing images of them doing just that. She had to shake her head a bit to get the pictures out of her head.

"So, um, I'm Augustine. Augustine Fiver Rivers." Augustine thrust out her hand, cringing as she did. It would have been less awkward to just ask if they could fuck. "We met, once, at the warehouse. You're my Destined."

For a moment, Ben just stared down at her hand. He looked back up at her, and she lowered her hand. They stood in silence for a while.

Ben bit his lip. "He's a real douche." Augustine looked at him with confusion. "Lark. Every time I see him he's making an ass of himself."

Augustine was a bit thrown by the comment, but then laughed. "Well that's Lark for you. His mother and father are the former Alpha's Seconds and he was a bit spoiled growing up. He has a sense of, entitlement, I guess you could say."