Unwilling - 9. Home is where you are

~*George*~

Carmen, the youngest werewolf of the Banes pack, was fidgeting. Her being able to do that while sitting down in the most comfortable recliner George owned was a feat for itself, but she also made it look easy. "Do I really have to?" she asked for the third time, her eyes pleading more to Mary than to George, whom she had found to be utterly untouched by her unease.

Mary, being her aunt and thusly put in the most unfortunate position, sighed and threw another glance at George. His brows were still furred, and his forehead wrinkled with resolve.

"Yes. You know George is a good man, and he is still Beta. Only formally, but he can still pull rank if he wants to."

Mary sounded as unhappy as George felt about the situation, but it couldn't be helped. Being told his son was dead once had been enough of a wake-up call for George to stop making others' lives easier than his own.

Just two days ago Carl had called and told Mary that Darwin had changed allegiance. That he had broken the rules, and that Carl had had to kill him. Mary had tried to cover the phone and stop him from listening in, but it had been too late.

Now George knew that the pain of a stroke was nothing, absolutely nothing compared to the pain of losing a child. That day, George had thought his cowardice had cost him his son's life, and now that fate had given him a second chance, he wasn't going to throw it away just to save Carmen some trouble.

Her young eyes held some of the arrogant sullenness only beautiful teenage girls could afford, and she made an unflattering sound of protest, crossing her arms beneath her developing bosom. "People don't really talk to me, you know? I'm just the young girl allowed to sit in because of some archaic rules," she tried to argue, but George knew better.

"You don't need someone to tell you personally what went on, you just need to listen. And you did listen to what the others said about Darwin, didn't you?"

Carmen had the grace to look caught. No teenage girl had ever turned a deaf ear to rumors, especially not outrageous ones.

"Maybe," she huffed and blushed.

The blushing gave George a thought of a different kind, and suddenly he grinned. "You don't want to talk to me because I'm his father, is that it?" he pressed gently, and scratched his chin. Carmen having a crush on Darwin was surprising, but not unusual. Everyone knew Darwin was as handsome as he was gay, but knowing and feeling were two different things, more so for a young heart. As long as Carmen didn't get her hopes up on a future between her and his son, there was nothing to worry about.

Carmen turned crimson and ducked her head until her raven-black hair slid into her face, but didn't answer. There was no need to, her actions said everything.

With a touch of his fingers to the joystick, George wheeled his chair closer to her. He couldn't lean forward without the risk of toppling over, but he had found out over time that people reacted the way he wanted them to if he just moved as a whole. It made Carmen look up and meet his gaze.

"Listen to me, girl. I will not make you go against Carl's orders, and I will not ask you to do anything that could get you in trouble with him. But Darwin is my son, and I have a right to know what's going on," George said, pleading to her with his eyes but ordering her with his voice. "One day, Darwin is declared a traitor and pronounced dead. The next day, suddenly everyone's hunting for him, so he's very much alive. How did that happen?"

Carmen crumbled after a few seconds of staring. George could feel Mary's disapproving glance burn into the back of his head, but he didn't care.

"Well, obviously Darwin has a boyfriend--" Carmen began, and was promptly interrupted.

"A boyfriend?! Who? Is it someone from the pack? He never told me!" George ranted, and only remembered to breathe when Mary touched his shoulder.

The girl on the sofa made a surprised face, then hesitantly resumed explaining. "I don't know, really. I just know he has a boyfriend who seems to be an Alpha, and that Darwin lured that guy into Banes to overthrow Carl," she said, hesitated again, and then added, "which Carl found out. Are you alright, uncle George?"

The question was prompted by George's dumbfounded expression, and he didn't react to it until Mary touched his shoulder again. "What? Oh, yes, I mean, no. But I will be," he stammered. It all made no sense, no sense at all. To George, the story Carmen told sounded like a bad soap opera plot, not like anything even remotely related to his boy. Darwin would never do such a thing, never. He was a levelheaded young man, loyal and trustworthy, and Carl knew that. Carl had watched Darwin grow up. He had to know.

So why was Carl hunting Darwin?

"Carl had Rayne, Dennis and Greta catch Darwin's friend from college, and I think they are out right now to find Darwin and his boyfriend to bring them in for sentencing. But you're not supposed to be there," Carmen added, fidgeting nervously. Her gray eyes flashed through the curtain of raven-black hair like little stars on a night sky, always away from George's searching glance.

"George, please calm down. You know what happened last time you got this worked up!"

It took Mary's worried voice to snap the old man out of hyperventilating with rage. Of course, he couldn't shut off his anger on command, as much as he wanted to.

"What does he think, that I'd provoke a revolution, a palace revolt, if I'm there?!" he finally yelled at nobody in particular. "What in god's name has happened to Carl to make him act like this!"

His speeding heart made his pulse thud painfully through his paralyzed side, and for a moment he thought the shooting pain would be the last thing he ever felt. But what would happen to Darwin if he died now?

As a disabled man, George had always known people were holding back around him for his sake. He might be partly paralyzed, but he wasn't stupid, or blind. It had bothered him for a good year, especially in the beginning when he had had to fight to utter a single sentence, and had to be fed and washed and clothed by nurses, unable to do anything but drool and scream silently inside his head. People had listened to his stuttering, halting speech, taken one look at his distorted face, and ceased really talking to him. It wasn't cruelty on their part either; it was a fact of life that nobody liked one-sided conversations.

It had been a frustrating, depressing time, but hard work on his part and getting over the shock of the changes on part of everyone else had slowly mended that wound.

Other things would never be mended, and George knew. He knew his son, Darwin, kept secrets from him. He could see it in his eyes, could tell by the dark circles around them, and by the way he kept to his bed on some days. He just couldn't do anything about it. Doctors had told him to not get upset so much because it could cause another stroke, so he tried to keep calm. But fear of another stroke wasn't why he always hesitated to ask Darwin what was bothering him, no; the real reason was so much more cowardly.

Whatever it was that had bothered Darwin for so long-- and kept bothering him--, wouldn't be fixable by a broken man, like George was.

And George was afraid, so afraid. If he made Darwin talk, Darwin would tell him his secret. It had to be something bad, something really awful, to torment him so much; and if they talked about it, Darwin would get his hopes up. He would expect him to help, and that was the one thing George couldn't give. It was something he should be able to do as a father and as the late pack beta, something that went without saying for every other father and son, but not for him. So he hadn't asked.

Having to let Darwin fend for himself like that had worn George down like a leaden weight on his neck for months, but that night he decided it was enough.

"Call Graham, uncle George. He was supposed to tell you," Carmen pleaded, and her voice was shivering with suppressed tears. When he looked at her, he could see fear written plainly on her face. This time, the guilt was strong enough to calm him down, and with him coming down, the two women in his living room also seemed to get calmer.

"I'll do just that, then," he huffed, letting Mary pat his shoulder. There were a lot of things he'd want to ask Graham.

~*~

Forty-five minutes later, George fought another kind of rage as he tried not to smash his phone. Graham was being nice, but in that dodgy kind of way only guilty people showed. Of course, he stressed, George's exclusion had nothing to do with him being the one voice speaking in Darwin's favor, and everything to do with him being of fragile health. Carl, so Graham said, was worried how George would take their decision, however it might turn out, so he'd ordered him to stay away.

Somehow, this bothered George more than the shame over his own fragile state. Some changes in life came sneaking in undetected, slowly and over time, but Carl actively keeping George away from pack business was new; not something he hadn't seen coming at some point in time, but definitely new. All the time since his stroke and all through his recovery, George had been hard-pressed to keep Carl from overwhelming him with constant visits and pleas for attendance. There had been no meeting or big decision Carl had wanted to keep George away from. Over time this had ceased and become more sporadic, but at no point in time had Carl ever plainly told him to stay at home, to not attend.

When had their relationship changed this much? George didn't know.

Maybe the outrage he was feeling wasn't anything more than camouflaged self-pity, but something just seemed... odd. Not overly so, but just on this side of not right.

Graham interrupted his thoughts. "Is Carmen still visiting with you?" he asked, sounding nervous and trying not to let his nerves become audible. He failed miserably, but not being able to lie convincingly was one of Graham's more endearing traits.

There were strange crunching noises in the background, then George heard a few muffled voices talking, then a shuffling of feet and the clank of a door followed.

George frowned. "Yes, she is still here. Do you want to talk to her?"

"Yes. Wait, no, it's alright. Tell her the meeting starts in fifteen minutes," Graham mumbled distractedly. "And sorry again, George. I know this sucks, and I hate to do this to you."

Swallowing his anger, George said his good-byes and ended the call. For just a few moments, he relished the silence. He sensed there wouldn't be many more moments like that in the near future.

"What did he say?" Carmen whispered. She sounded like a rabbit trying not to attract the wolf's attention, and failing at it.

The look George threw her was enough to make Mary take a step closer to her niece, and he had to take a deep breath and concentrate on relaxing to wipe the grim look out of his face.

"Listen, Carmen. That meeting starts in fifteen minutes. Mary's going to drive you over there and come back, but she'll pick you up as soon as it's over. I want you to find out everything there is to know about what's been going on with Darwin, but you mustn't do or say anything that might arouse suspicions. If Carl asks about me, tell him how angry I was at being left out, but do not mention that you told me about Darwin's boyfriend. And if anything dangerous happens, or something that might endanger you, call. Understand?"

By the look on Mary's face, George would get a stern talking to later. But Carmen nodded hastily, and that was enough of a compensation for him.

As the two women drove off, George watched them disappear into the night through the front window. The days of cowardice were over.

 

~*Rayne*~

"I don't understand," Darla said, her left hand gripping the mug of coffee tightly. "How are Darwin and this other guy, Harry, not like me?" Her eyes were surrounded by dark blotches, her skin was pale and looked feverish, and Rayne could see her ribs still hurt by the way she sat, motionless. Only parts of those signs of distress were his fault, the rest was obviously from just not sleeping very well.

Rayne sighed. How had he gotten stuck with babysitting again? Ah, yes. It's still better than having to go shopping.

"You feel it when you look at them, how they move, how they look at you, don't you?" Rayne asked, wiggling himself deeper into the easy chair he had occupied for their talk. "They are different from you and me, and different from Jared. You can feel that, right?"

Darla nodded grudgingly, picking at the armrest of the sofa she was sitting on. Her right thumb left small spots of blood where it touched the upholstery, but they were nearly invisible on the brown cloth, so Rayne didn't comment. It wasn't his home, after all, she could bleed wherever she wanted to.

"They are submissive werewolves, which means..." His voice trailed off. How was he supposed to describe something beyond any description to someone who had no idea whatsoever about his world? With a shake of his head, he decided to start anew. "There are three types of werewolves that we know of. Alphas, dominants and submissives. Each one of those types has their own purpose in a pack. You and me, we are dominants. We're supposed to be the army of a pack, the soldiers, those who protect and fight. Whatever curse made us the way we are, gave us the instincts to do so. We're always on the look-out for threats to our pack and to our dominance, always trying to better our position in a pack, to find out where we are in a hierarchy, and to defend our place against anyone challenging it."

"So we're kinda like high school jocks?" Darla asked in a small voice, but there was a lilt of humor in those words. She was unsure if jokes were okay, but unable not to make them. To Rayne this was a good sign, so he grinned and nodded once.

They had been sitting like this for the last fifteen minutes, ever since Rayne had caught Darla trying to sneak outside behind his back. She had said she wanted to fix the window because it was cold and that she had to do it from outside. She had tried it from the inside, and all she got for her troubles were a few cuts on her fingers. He believed her. She had also said she wanted to fix it because she planned to stay in 'her' room the whole time Darwin was home, but that was unacceptable.

Harry and Darwin had gone to town for shopping, and Jared was walking the perimeter to look for weak spots in their defense. Rayne had decided to use their alone time to teach Darla those basics she should have gotten from Jared, or anyone else but Rayne, for all he cared. It was better than having her climb out the broken window or try to sneak out behind his back again.

"Since dominants like us are so preoccupied with ranks, hierarchy and being the damn hardest son-of-a-bitch around, this often leads to troubles. If the members of a pack in-fight too often, their tempers rise too much and the fights for rank and position escalate. Think of it like this: If all the people around you are a potential threat to your life, and you have to fight them at a daily basis over basic things like a spot to sit in and a glass of juice, at some point you decide to make sure they'll never bother or hurt you again." It was one of the problems Rayne had to fight against every time he joined a new pack.

A new member was a threat to everyone, so every single dominant member had a reason to provoke and attack them. Every measure against such a thing only lead to dead ends for the new members. If you told a group of dominants that every new member would start at the bottom of the hierarchy, and that they weren't allowed to rise beyond a certain point, it did help keep the peace. Unfortunately, it also helped keeping potential weak members in power, and better fitting dominants out of the higher positions.

Sighing, he took a sip of coffee and put his mug on the couch table. "This is where submissive werewolves come in. They aren't meant to fight and protect territory, and they aren't particularly motivated to rise in a hierarchy. It's something about how they act and move, that lets us just know they aren't a threat to us. Submissives keep the peace by the one way no modern country was ever able to: They just project it, and it rubs off on everyone around them."

At Darla's puzzled expression, Rayne laughed softly. "No, not that Ghandi kind of peace you are thinking about. There's nothing Zen about submissives, although I knew a submissive yoga teacher once who made me fall asleep within ten minutes of stretching. It's more like," he sighed, shrugging, "they act like a buffer between us, like a safe haven where we don't need to feel threatened. If you are surrounded by submissives, you know you're safe, and it calms those instincts to fight and protect your status. They know your rank in the hierarchy without threatening to take it away from you. They don't do in-fights for power because they have their own social structure, so there's no need to keep an eye on them all the time. Even if you attack them to put them in their place, they just roll over and show their throats, which makes it almost impossible to harm them any further. The only reason a submissive might join a fight is a threat to the pack as a whole." He made a short pause, then he added, "And the only reason to harm a submissive is them being a threat to the pack."

For a moment, Carl's face appeared before Rayne's eyes, and he shuddered violently. Carl had found reasons to harm a submissive, and Rayne had helped. Knowing how wrong it had been, how crazy Carl's reasoning was, only made the shame worse.

Luckily, Darla's unperturbed voice disrupted his train of thoughts. "Is that the reason you had to run from Banes?"

It was such an innocent question, but still so hard to answer. "Yes, and no. It's hard to explain, because there are so many abnormalities that led to where we are now, but I'll try. Every healthy pack consists of an alpha and a bunch of dominant and submissive werewolves. Ideally, there should be just as many dominants as there are submissives, but that's hardly ever the case. A few more dominants than submissives are okay, more submissives than dominants can make a pack weak. And of course, every pack tries to get the mixture just right, sometimes with force. It's not that unusual that submissives are wooed away or stolen, and in some cases another alpha comes into a territory and tries to take over altogether."

Rayne hesitated, trying to figure out how to proceed with his explanation. Forcing hours and hours of education into a few meager sentences was not an easy task, but he had to give Darla at least enough knowledge to understand Darwin's position, and not get into trouble with Jared.

"Whenever another dominant enters a pack's territory, he has to ask for permission first. Anything else would be considered a hostile takeover and dealt with appropriately. Alphas are never welcome, but there have been a few cases where an Alpha was allowed to travel through, or to stay for a while as long as he or she kept away from pack members."

Darla's face lit up at that, and she nodded. "So Jared was allowed to stay?" she asked, frowning thoughtfully.

"Yes. There's a special clause for students and college graduates, because most of them are way too young to be a real threat to a seasoned alpha. That clause can be revoked, but it's there, and it was the reason Jared was allowed to enter Banes territory at first."

Her questioning eyes fixated on Rayne's face. "And he was, well, uninvited because he bonked Darwin?" she asked, grinning at her own words. "I mean, now that he's Darwin's boyfriend, that counts as 'wooing' away a pack member, right?"

"Again, yes and no. It's the reason Carl told his pack, but it's not really what made him go after us in the end. There are things going on in the Banes pack, strange, bad things. A lot of people got hurt or died, and Darwin somehow got the brunt of it, but nobody really knows the whole picture. Darwin won't talk about it, but what I've seen is enough for me to choose Jared's and Darwin's side. And as hard as it may be to believe, Darwin is one of the good guys."

Darla's face was darkening with every word Rayne said, but that last part made her snort derisively. "Yeah, right," she sneered, shaking her head.

Rayne sighed deeply. "I get that you're angry at him. But why do I get the feeling you don't know why you feel this way?" he deadpanned, hoping to provoke her into speaking her mind.

Scratch, scratch, scratch, was all he got as an answer, as she once more picked at the armrest. Her forehead was wrinkled with exhaustion and concentration, but she just didn't seem to be able to grab that one thought that might give herself-- more than Rayne-- an explanation for her feelings.

Darla finally slammed her fist onto the armrest, making it groan with force. "Is there a reason?" she squeezed out, staring at Rayne like she was trying to read his mind. It was hard to tell if she was playing dumb or simply being stubborn.

"Yes, of course," Rayne offered, fed up with her excuses. If they kept going like this, nothing would be accomplished. "You've got enough reason to want to kill him, frankly said. And I'm the one who'd have to stop you, so I'd at least like to make sure you know why you're taking this road. And don't tell me you aren't thinking about it, I can see it in your eyes."

Something changed in her face and she quickly looked away, trying to hide those emotions dancing through it. "Why would I want to kill Darwin? He's nothing to me." This time there was nothing in her voice, but the sheer absence of emotions was more than enough of a giveaway for Rayne.

"He bit you. He's the one who ruined your life," he offered, like it was nothing.

Those words echoed through the cabin like a deep, thundering bell. Darla gaped at him with a look of sheer horror on her face.

"What?"

 

~*Harry*~

"Please, no more," Harry groaned, hugging the five plastic bags full of clothes to his chest. He was sitting on one of those futons for patient husbands and boyfriends right in the middle of the busy designer store, trying desperately to take the weight off his burning soles.

They were two hours into their shopping spree through the small town of Renton, and already Darwin had broken his promise not to visit one of those fancy shops. Harry didn't so much dislike designer clothes per se, he just knew what would happen if they set foot into one of those establishments. It happened every time.

"Stop your whining, I'm almost done," Darwin's disembodied voice answered from one of the changing cubicles. There was a short rustle of cloth, then he stepped out, presenting what amounted to screaming white boot-cut pants with black ink-like swirls along the sides. "Do this pants make my ass look fat?"

He looked gorgeous.

"No, they fit nicely," Harry sighed, "just like the last five pairs you tried on and can't afford. Can we please finish our tour and go home? My feet are killing me."

"Yes, yes. Gimme a minute." Darwin disappeared once again, and the rustling of clothes continued.

It weren't just his feet though. Harry prided himself on being relaxed and fun, but today he just didn't seem to be able to get his mojo going. Him being this grumpy and whiny was definitely unusual, but try as he might, he couldn't pin down the reason for his mood-swing.

Of course, objectively, he shouldn't be surprised by unusual emotions. He, along with everyone else in their small pack, had been attacked, threatened and uprooted into a godforsaken strip of hinterland woods, where they were stuck for god knew how long with nothing more than the clothes on their backs and whatever small savings and credit limits they had left on their bank accounts. Now that he had time to think about it, Harry surmised he had taken the whole disaster pretty well, laid-back as he thought himself to be. Better than Rayne, and definitely better than Darla; her, nobody could blame for a temper.

But this unrest he was feeling? It had nothing to do with being an easy-going guy, and nothing to do with their recent problems. He hadn't felt it at the cabin, and he hadn't been too upset in the car. He was upset now, so something must have changed.

Drawing a deep breath of perfume-clotted air, he looked at the creamy-white wooden floor, then threw a glance over the tastefully scattered clothes hangers and mannequins along the white and peach painted walls.

He didn't want to be here, that was for sure. The lady at the register had thrown both of them more than one funny look, and had stopped looking at them altogether when Harry had had to help Darwin into one of those too tight jeans he so loved, and man-parts had had to be touched.

The better question was, where would he rather be?

You know where, his mind instantly answered, and was just as quickly squashed down. He was so not falling in love with that Rayne-guy, of all people this world had to offer!

Luckily, Darwin chose that moment to step out of his cubicle, wearing his own clothes. "I just realized the shops around here close earlier than at home. If we don't hurry, we won't get any food today," he observed, then grinned at Harry's grumpy face. "Yeah, yeah, you told me so, I get it. Thanks for sitting this out."

The bell above the front door chimed happily as they left the store. It still rang in Harry's ears as they walked down the street, heading for the 'BigBuy' sign hovering in the distance. "Not that this was an unusual event, but how come you'd rather spend half an hour trying on clothes you can't buy, than be at home with Jared?" Harry finally asked. "I thought this whole mating thing was kind of a true-love-deal." At least he himself felt the increasing need to get back to Rayne, but that was something best kept silent.

Darwin shrugged nonchalantly. "We needed clothes," he said without looking at Harry.

"We already have clothes," Harry retorted and held up the plastic bags he was carrying.

"I liked the stuff in the window display," Darwin tried again and started chewing his lower lip as he walked faster. He was trying to out-walk Harry and look inconspicuous at the same time, and it wasn't working.

"I'd believe you under any other circumstance," Harry admitted, still smiling slightly as he tried to keep up on his shorter legs, "but something else is going on. You don't want to go home, is that it?"

The glass walls of the 'BigBuy' came into view, and Darwin stopped walking. He looked nervous, ashamed maybe, and distraught. The cold near-winter wind tugged at his hair and blew into the flimsy sweater he was wearing, carrying the scent of sewer with it. They both shivered with cold.

"I want to go home," Darwin finally answered, but kept his gaze turned to the ground. "I just don't want to go where she is. She hates me, and she's got every right to do so, and there's nothing I could say or do to make it better. Except for giving her as much space as possible."

He was talking about Darla, that much Harry got without having to ask. He didn't understand Darwin's thoughts though. Did he mean he wanted to kick Darla out? Or did he want to leave the pack? "So you plan to stay in Renton indefinitely? Get a small apartment, work at the gas station? Maybe have an illicit relationship with a married guy named Buzz?" he only half joked. Even after more than a year of friendship, Harry was still puzzled by some of Darwin's idiosyncrasies.

Darwin's amused laugh was relieving to hear. "No, silly, of course not. Who would watch over your ass if I'd disappear?" he said jokingly, nudging Harry with his shoulder.

"Rayne would be most happy to," Harry answered with a grin before he could stop himself. He turned beet-red as soon as the words left his lips though, ducking his head embarrassedly. "Shit, and this after I promised myself I wouldn't bring him up!"

Darwin only snorted dismissively. "I get that you think he's hot, but I know you. You'd put out before you're sure he'll stick around," he said, slowing down just enough to match Harry's shorter steps. "And contrary to your love-sick attitude, he doesn't look that smitten with you. I might be wrong, of course," he added quickly when he saw Harry's face fall, "but we'll find that out if you just make him work for it a little bit."

Harry shrugged to that, but he looked thoughtful as they walked the last block to the one and only supermarket in Renton. There were only a few dozen cars in front of it, and most of the people they crossed paths with watched them go by curiously.

It took quite some time to gather enough food for five people, but Harry made sure they bought most of the essentials in big enough quantities to spare them another big shopping trip for the foreseeable future. As Darwin learned, if you bought enough coffee, flour, spices, polenta, rice, canned goods, tomato paste and noodles, there were a million and one dishes you could cook with only small items to add.

The only luxury they allowed themselves were a few fresh vegetables. Harry was checking out broccoli stalks for god knew what, when Darwin noticed a ratty looking guy watching them with obvious interest. He looked to be around forty, dressed in jeans riddled with machine oil stains and a checkered flannel shirt, flapping open like a blatant invitation to stare at his hirsute chest. His head was just as hairy, unkempt and in dire need of a shave, the mop of hair only kept in check by a baseball cap he wore backwards.

The way that guy stared directly into Darwin's eyes made him turn away instinctively. It didn't help though. Moments later the distinct scent of werewolf and old sweat floated over him, and he didn't need to turn around to know that guy was standing rudely close to him.

Harry looked up from the broccoli, but he looked down just as quickly and sneakily moved behind Darwin. Maybe it was just habit, after all, he had acted like a dominant for Harry before, but this time Darwin felt left alone.

"What'cha doin' here, puppy?" the guy drawled, leaning onto their shopping cart with both hands. If he were a girl, Darwin would have been able to look right into the cleavage and down to the belly button, but at least he was spared that small horror. His eyes never left Darwin's face, a straight and unwavering stare of challenge.

"Shopping," Darwin replied as calm as possible, giving him his best frosty glare. "It's quite obvious if you bother to look somewhere else than my eyes."

Hairy guy cracked a smile, but it was just as lecherous as his behavior already suggested, and he didn't quit staring provocatively. "Why should I? I'm always up to a challenge, and you're making my day right now," he growled, looking happy all of a sudden.

It was enough of an incentive for Darwin to drop his gaze in an instant. He definitely didn't want a full-blown fist fight with a dominant werewolf the size of that guy, not in a supermarket, not outside of it, not ever. For the first time in a long time he realized, that, no, he definitely wasn't anything close to a dominant, and there was no amount of acting that would get him there.

With a jolt of surprise, he realized he missed Jared. He even missed Rayne, although he couldn't bring himself to miss Darla. He just wasn't there yet. But if one of those two were here, they would set that guy straight in a heartbeat, and he'd stop threatening them.

That realization brought on another idea that sounded way better than trying to bluff his way out of this. After all, Jared hat explained to them there was a resident pack around here, and they had given their word to leave them be. Why not use that knowledge?

With a deep sigh, Darwin turned away, ending the fight for dominance. "You know, your Alpha promised to leave us be," he said, trying for calm, but sounding annoyed.

The shopping cart groaned under the increasing weight the guy added by leaning forward. "Well, that was before I knew there would be two tasty subs all on their little lonesome," he replied with a hiss and clicked his teeth with a broad grin.

So much for that idea.

Harry made soft beeping noises with his phone behind Darwin's back, and luckily, there was too much background noise for their opponent to hear them. Darwin couldn't turn around to find out what exactly Harry was doing there, but he hoped Harry was calling for backup. Not that it would help-- the cavalry was miles away, and Darwin had the keys to their one and only car in his pocket. They were pretty much on their own.

A wash of fear ran up Darwin's back and made his hairs stand on end. What was he supposed to do now?

Fear turned into a knot of silent panic as he made a decision, that kind of knot that made him feel cottony and weightless and just a bit light-headed.

"Harry, please pay for our groceries and go home," he said in the most pleasant tone he could muster, pulling out the car keys from his pocket and handing them over behind his back. As Harry grabbed the shopping cart, Darwin made two steps forward, hustling the disheveled man away from it before he realized what was happening, and off Harry went. There was a bit of confusion as the guy tried to decide if he should go after Harry or stick with Darwin, but a bit of provocative shoving made up his mind for him.

It didn't do Darwin any good though.

The man couldn't really do anything as long as they were in the supermarket, there were simply too many eyes and ears around to 'wolf out' on Darwin, but he looked tickled enough. As Harry fled into the general direction of the cash points, Darwin was shoved back against the baskets full of vegetables.

"So, you decided to stand up for yourself, eh? Stupid, stupid decision," he growled and tried to grab Darwin, who skittered away through the protruding fruit displays.

"Nope, just trying to keep you busy until the cavalry arrives," Darwin replied with bated breath. He didn't try to flee, but he did his best to keep a few feet of distance between him and the dominant wolf. It was all he could do for now.

If he attempted to run for it, the wolf would chase him, and catch him sooner rather than later. If he fought, he would get beaten into a pulp for good measure. If he gave in, he'd probably get raped, or at least kidnapped to be integrated into that guy's pack, which wasn't that much better than rape. Out of options, and with time running out, he could only hope that Harry would hurry up and get help.

 

~*Jared*~

Jared was ripped out of the most pleasant dream imaginable, just felt minutes after he'd finally managed to lay down for a nap. Luckily for the culprit, it was the screeching of tires on gravel that woke him, not the loud bang the front door of the cabin made as it was ripped open without regard for the wall behind the hinges.

He sat up with a start, listening to the muffled voices outside as adrenaline-soaked blood rushed through his ears. Were Harry and Darwin finally back from shopping?

Jared crawled out of bed as his pulse calmed. One of the voices definitely was Harry's, but the other one was Rayne, and both of them sounded alarmed. Just as he grabbed the door handle, someone else pushed at it from the other side, resulting in a short tug-o-war before it swung open, leaving a decidedly panicked Harry to stare at Jared with his mouth hanging open.

"Oh, you're awake, good! We need to hurry," he wheezed, turning around before he finished his sentence. Rayne was standing next to the door, already putting on his jacket. His face looked grim.

"What's going on?" Jared asked, looking around the room blearily. "And where's Darwin?"

Harry went through the door before he could answer, and Rayne hovered there for just enough time to say, "Harry and Darwin were accosted by someone from the local pack, Harry came to get us, Darwin's still back there with that guy." Then he went outside too, leaving Jared to suffer through another bout of panic on his own.

All he wanted to do was storm outside and smash something, but at the same time all those little, stupid thoughts flooded his mind. Had they turned off the stove? Closed the fridge door and all the windows? What about the lights? It was an unsettling reaction to shock, but at least it helped him control his instant anger. Anger was a good tool, but only if it was controlled, and the confusion gave Jared just enough time to do that.

"What about Darla?" Jared yelled at the open door as he turned around to grab his sweater from the bed.

"I'm coming with," he heard her call from the outside. As much as Jared doubted it was a good idea to take a new werewolf into the city, there was no time to argue.

They piled into the car and drove off before the last door fell shut. Rayne was driving, mostly because Harry looked like he was about to keel over with panic, and Jared had been the last one out of the door and wasn't taking prisoners. Gravel sprayed and tires screeched as he raced down the steep mountain.

At least it gave Harry time to fill them in. "We were shopping for groceries, when this guy came up to us. He was acting weird from the start, didn't even flinch when we reminded him of the deal we have with the local pack. I think he's sub-shopping, and I think Darwin knows that. He kept the guy busy and made me run to get you," he wheezed through his rapid breathing.

"What's sub-shopping?" Darla asked with a puzzled, altogether too calm voice. She didn't care too much for Darwin's fate, but that had to be expected.

Rubbing his face, Jared decided to concentrate on her. It would give him something to do other than worry about Darwin.

"Rayne told you about submissives and dominants and all that, right?"

Darla nodded. "And Alphas, yes."

The car swerved onto the main road connecting them to Renton, and Jared had to hold on to the door handle to keep himself from tumbling into Darla's lap. "Well, some packs need submissives badly enough to go steal them," he explained with bated breath. "It's antiquated and cruel and requires a lot of stuff some would call kidnapping and torture, but those people don't care as long as they get the results they want. I've never met a pack that still practices that, but live and learn."

"So they're trying to steal what, Darwin? How should that work, in any imaginable way?" she said bemused, seemingly unbothered by Rayne's mad driving. "Even if they take him by force, the first moment he's not being watched he'll bolt. They can't keep him chained up for the rest of his life."

When she saw the hard look on Jared's face, she blanched. "Or can they?"

The car was going sixty miles per hour right through Renton, and Harry was giving directions to the 'BigBuy' with panicked gasps. At least he wasn't showing signs of an impending shape shift, which was reassuring enough.

"They could, but normally it would be too much trouble to try shit like that. Submissives need a pack, and they need to connect to it. If you keep a submissive from his pack for too long, he'll find a new one and stay there. Their instincts are very strong, and all it takes to keep them is stopping them from running and being nice for a long enough stretch of time. If a submissive resists too long or keeps making trouble, they'd just let him go at some point." Jared suddenly grinned with fierce pride. "They probably wouldn't know what hit them if they tried to keep Darwin by force."

Yes, he'd definitely make their lives hell, but they would do the same to him. Jared hadn't lied when he had told Darwin how other dominants wouldn't be as tolerant as Rayne. They'd beat him to mush if he mouthed off to them, and they'd keep it up right to the point where either they got tired of hitting him, or where Darwin was broken beyond use.

The 'BigBuy' sign came into sight just as Rayne reduced speed.

"So what's the plan then? Are we talking angry words, angry fists or angry axe-murder?" Darla said, looking pointedly at Jared's face. "By the way, your eyes are turning yellow."

Jared took a deep breath and shook himself. He had known on some level what he must look like, but Darla had the eyes of a normal person, and for her to notice his eyes meant that everyone would. Not a good idea. Taking deep breaths, he tried to calm down his pulse, murmuring, "You do what Rayne does, or tells you to do. We don't want them to know that I'm the Alpha at this point, because they would just wait until I'm gone and grab Darwin again. That would be bad, because I'm going to be out all the time. Rayne on the other hand will be at home all day, and they won't get close to an Alpha. Understand?"

Harry looked over the back rest of his seat with a surprised expression. "That's brilliant! Where did you learn that?" he asked with admiring eyes. Rayne growled softly next to him, but he didn't react, and Jared didn't answer.

They got out of the car with Darla sticking close to Jared's side. The parking lot was nearly empty, now that the big supermarket had closed for the night, but a few cars here and there still waited patiently for their owners. It was enough of a hindrance to make looking for Darwin time-consuming and difficult. He could be anywhere, and Jared was getting restless as he walked away from the car.

"They wouldn't get close to an Alpha because he can make them do things, right?" Darla whispered, barely keeping up with the male's angry stride.

Jared wanted to snap at her, yell into her face that he didn't care about those things right now, but he couldn't. She was being helpful, hell, she even wanted to help the pack save one of their own, and he needed to do right by her if he couldn't un-wolf her. Taking a shallow, controlled breath, he nodded and whispered back, "that, and whoever that guy is, he is acting against the orders of his own Alpha, which means he won't get help from his own people if things turn sideways." A grim expression appeared on Jared's face as he followed Rayne and Harry, who was jogging circles to look for Darwin and that guy. "And boy, are things going to turn sideways if I get my hands on that hillbilly."

A call broke their hushed conversation.

"Over there," Harry hissed, trying to be quiet but failing. He was pointing over to a roofed shopping cart shelter to the back of the parking lot, then he started running with Rayne hot on his heels. Jared could only see two pairs of legs through the maze of cart wheels, but he trusted Harry to recognize his own friend.

"Remember, Rayne is the Alpha," he whispered to Darla and sprinted after the two. He had to rein himself in to stay behind Rayne. His first instinct was to charge and splatter whoever had dared to touch his mate against the cheap plexiglass wall, but that would mean war. War wasn't good business on their first day as guests.

What he saw when he finally reached the other side of the cart shelter left him feeling angry and amused in equal parts. The attacker actually looked like a hillbilly, unkempt and dressed cheaply in dirty clothes, and he had his hands on a very dapper, well-dressed Darwin, trying to pull him away from the shelter. Darwin, on the other hand, was having none of it. He had both arms clasped firmly around a steel crossbrace, spitting thick wads of saliva whenever the werewolf tried to come closer, resisting every attempt to peel away his arms from his safety spot. He already had a black eye and was standing crooked like something hurt in his back, but he wasn't going down easy.

The urge to break the guy in two bloody pieces was almost overwhelming, and he must have taken a step towards the two because suddenly Harry was there, grabbing Jared's hand like a frightened child. He didn't try to pull him back or stop him from moving, he didn't do anything else, but it was enough to calm Jared down. The touch reminded him that he was responsible for too many lives to risk them for jealousy now.

At the same time, Rayne stopped about five feet away from Darwin and his attacker. Darla was staying between Rayne and Jared, ready to pounce if the situation escalated any more. There was no need for introductions at this point. Any werewolf would have been able to hear them come closer, and at this short distance he probably smelled what they were too.

"Let him go," Rayne growled forcefully, bristling to the threat in his own words in a way Jared had not seen on him before.

The guy pushed Darwin against the side of the shelter with one hand at his neck, forcing him tightly against the cold metal he was hugging. Then he looked over his shoulder, taking in Rayne's dark-skinned, angry form, and grinned. His teeth were yellow and crooked, and a piece of one of the lower teeth was missing, but it still was a dangerous, derogatory expression. "Who allowed the Mussulman to talk, eh?" he goaded, giving Darwin's neck a good shove and smashing his forehead against the plexiglass in the process.

To anyone else it would probably have looked like blunt force, but Jared recognized the covert threat instantly. That werewolf was probably racist in some way, yes, but deep down he couldn't care less what color Rayne's skin was. It was just a test, a fight of wills, to find out what kind of flavor this new pack of guests really was. And probably a grab for power he couldn't get his hands on in his own pack. Jared wanted to step forward and take over from Rayne, fearing the dominant might misinterpret the situation and bring Darwin's life into danger, but Harry stopped him once more with a single twitch of his hand, reminding him of their plan.

Minute changes in Rayne's posture were enough to make his presence more imposing. He was positively dripping with menace and power, enough to give even Jared a pause. He had known from the beginning that Rayne wasn't a pushover, and definitely undeserving of his low rank in the last pack-- or packs, if one was inclined to believe Rayne's stories--, but whatever tight grip Rayne was having on his own powers was now let loose. The result was breathtaking.

"I'm in no mood to play games with you. I've had a shitty week, and it will go on like that for the unforeseeable future," Rayne snarled with enough calm menace to peel off nail polish, "If you're looking for a fight you have found the right playground. But be aware that my people are itching to rip something apart, and we won't play fair."

Jared grinned like a hyena, and even Darla seemed to grasp the meaning of Rayne's words without further explanations. If the guy didn't let go of Darwin at once, they'd attack together and simultaneously. No duels, no going at it 'mano y mano', just good, honest violence. His teeth began to itch and pulse as his canines elongated and grew sharp tips, and this time, he did nothing to stop it.

A flash of uncertainty, doubt and worry went through the guy's face as he looked first at Rayne, then at Darla and finally at Jared, who was looming over everyone else not only in size and mass, but also in anger. He probably was trying to calculate his chances in a fight, and realizing it wasn't looking good.

His fingers around Darwin's neck twitched once, twice, then let go. Darwin instantly pushed away from the cart shelter and stumbled towards Rayne. Red imprints stood out starkly against his pale skin where he had been grabbed. The way he hunched over told Jared a story of other, hidden injuries, and the thought sent a jolt of rage through his body, making him almost lose control over his shape.

This time, not even Harry's warning tug could stop him from rushing forward, but he didn't go very far. As soon as he reached Darwin, he wrapped an arm around him and pulled him further back, pushing him behind his back to block the line of sight. Jared knew his face was on the way to grow fur, but he didn't care. Now that Darwin was safe, the panic deep in his chest settled and left all the space to rage, the need to rip the stranger into tiny, bloody shreds. 'One wrong move, just one, please,' his mind begged as he instinctively flexed his muscles, ready to pounce. Only Rayne and the necessity to keep their charade going held him in place, but only just.

If he knew what was going on behind him, Rayne didn't show it. "Good choice," he grunted, still keeping his presence on a level of lighthouse-like strength, "Now scatter. If I ever see you again, I'll let my pack rip your legs off."

There was a glimmer of hatred in the eyes of the unkempt werewolf as he turned around and ran, obviously unhappy about the way things had turned out. His last glance met Jared's, who was still hiding Darwin behind his imposing form, and he smiled at the retreating man. It was a nasty, vengeful smile, a promise what would happen if he saw him again.

"He's gonna try again," said Darla, sounding as ill-humored as Jared felt.

Rayne nodded. "Yeah, he will. God help him, but he will."

His dark gaze scraped over Jared's tense chest, then he turned away. "Let's go home. Someone please hide our Alpha's face until we're clear of human settlements."

 

~*Darwin*~

Everything hurt, but nothing was broken.

It was a sobering conclusion, but better than the alternative. Darwin had never been so happy to hear Rayne's voice, and now, sitting in the car and huddled against Jared's body, his smell filling the air and his arm continuously stroking his flank, Darwin felt relief and happiness in equal parts. His stupid, idiotically heroic plan had worked, and he would-- against all odds, at that-- live to see another day.

Surprisingly, even Darla had come to save him, and was now chatting animatedly with Rayne, who once again had taken it onto himself to chauffeur them around. Harry tried to fuss over Darwin's scrapes and bruises, but every time he touched Darwin, Jared made a deep, rumbling growl and pulled him away from the searching hands. He probably would have done the fussing part himself if they had been alone, but right now he couldn't, so nobody else was allowed to.

The strange smell of his would-be-kidnapper clung to Darwin's clothes like a bad afterthought. He wanted to shower and burn his clothes, but he'd have to settle for simply washing them. As for the shower, the way Jared was acting promised no chance to do that anytime soon. Not before he had made sure his mate was alright and everything in order.

Darwin could imagine how Jared would do that. Moreover, he was having a hard time not imagining it vividly, and hard-pressed to hide the bulge in his crotch at the same time.

When the car stopped, everyone got out quickly, relieved by the prospect of being 'home', of getting back inside the one safe haven they had. Everyone, but Darwin and Jared. Rayne threw a last glance back at them, grinned, and shooed both Darla and Harry inside to give them privacy.

As soon as Jared had the chance, he grabbed Darwin tightly and pressed him against his body from crotch to forehead. Possessive, powerful arms wrapped around Darwin's battered body, feeling and touching everywhere, and with each hiss and grunt of pain Jared growled softly. Darwin knew that Jared didn't hurt him on purpose, and the close contact and the scent of Jared's anger and jealousy flooded his mind with endorphins and shuddering lust that lessened the pain considerably. He could feel Jared's big, sun kissed hands reach the hemline of Darwin's sweater, then they disappeared beneath the cloth and stroked over his back. They felt incredibly hot against Darwin's cold skin, and the intensity made him gasp softly.

"Off," Jared grunted, pulling Darwin's sweater up with a swift motion. "It stinks of that asshole."

Although the air was nippy enough to harden his nipples with the first gust of wind that brushed his chest, Darwin complied happily. A strange, content feeling flooded his nervous system, fueling his need to feel Jared, his mate, against his naked body as quickly as possible. The sweater landed somewhere close to the front tire of the car, forgotten by both of them.

Breathing in sharply, Jared pushed him back against the side of the car, leaning him against the cold metal and inspecting his chest with quickening pulse. His eyes and fingers followed the few darkening patches of skin where Darwin had been hit, and the soft touches elicited a soft moan from his lips.

When Jared grabbed the waistband of his pants to open it, Darwin buried both hands in his blond hair. "Someone will see us," he gasped, making no attempt to stop Jared as he pulled off the pants, growling under his breath. Empty words, filled with the hope they would be ignored.

"They'll learn to cope," Jared replied, sinking to his knees in a quick motion. His lips touched the upper edge of Darwin's pubes and he licked a long, hot and cold line towards his chest. Darwin could hear the succinct clinking of a belt buckle, knowing full well that Jared was opening his own pants. His cock wept furiously with pleasure at the thought of having sex right there, against a car worth more than his college education, but his mind was still faintly concerned with the idea of dignity. It felt wrong not to at least protest, even if he didn't want him to stop.

"But,..." he protested weakly, tugging at the thick, sandy strands, holding his breath as Jared grabbed his thighs to mount them over the crooks of his arms.

"If you want me to stop, just tell me," Jared whispered with a strained, shivering voice, and stepped close enough to rest Darwin's ass on his throbbing cock. The hard, pulsing rod felt giant and hot like molten lava against his cool skin.

Darwin wanted to tell him no, his modesty screaming at him, but it only made his own cock twitch harder. The lube he had bought-- much to Harry's giggling delight-- was inside in one of the shopping bags, and there was no time to go get it. Instead of stopping Jared, Darwin spat into his palm, grabbed Jared's cock and did his best to offer at least a little bit of lubrication. They wouldn't last long anyhow, already on edge as they both were. Jared shivered violently beneath the hasty, demanding ministrations, growling with eagerness.

When Darwin was done, he took a sharp breath, leaned forward and hissed into Jared's ear, "Fuck me."

It was all the invitation Jared needed.

With a pained groan from both of them, he sunk deep into Darwin's quivering hole, tightening his grip on his legs, pushing him firmly against the car. Jared twitched with need, his breath hitching as he tried to get a grip on himself. The burning pain was sharp and short-lived, enough to make Darwin tighten up and squirm until it faded.

"I won't last," Darwin groaned, and Jared leaned forward to capture his lips and silence the wanton sounds coming from them. It was a good thing, too, because when Jared started moving, only his fierce kiss muffled the lustful scream boiling up from Darwin's chest.

'Making love' would have been an insulting term for their wild, quick copulation. Jared thrust hard and quick, his hands keeping Darwin from sliding or falling down as their unrestrained movement rocked the big car on its suspension. With every thrust and push, Darwin could feel the raw power in Jared's body, feel the fear for his well-being and the relief of having him back rush through the Alpha's tense muscles, and when Jared finally came after just a few minutes of fucking his mate to high heavens, they nearly tumbled to the ground with the sudden relaxation of both their bodies.

Somehow, Jared managed to slide them down to the ground in a more controlled fashion, but none of them had any interest in moving yet. Darwin hadn't come, but he didn't care. Jared's scent and the distinct smell of his come flooded his mind and left him at utter peace, content with their reunion in a way he hadn't expected. His mate had re-claimed him, marked him with his scent, and they were home again, safe.

'Home.'