Unwilling - 6. a journey into the unknown

~*Jared*~

He had been thrown into the cellar unceremoniously, like a sack of potatoes. Harry tried to dampen his fall with his own body, but somehow Jared managed to dodge his crouching form and not land on the floor, though it must have looked quite inelegant.

The door fell shut behind him, his captors were moving up the stairs again.

"Jar--" Harry began, but Jared shushed him viciously.

Only when the second door on the upper end of the stairs fell shut he looked at Harry and smiled with relief.

"You're alive, thank god," he grumbled, and then sat down hard with a huff. His legs burned and pulsed from the bumps and bruises he had gotten through all that dragging, but the pain was dulling already.

The distant sounds of a brawl came from upstairs, then they could hear a bit of shouting, and both recognized the voice instantly.

"That asshole." Jared bared his teeth at the memory of 'Mr. Sultry', but Harry's cheeks reddened instantly.

"He's not that bad," he replied, and tried to hide a smile. The small upturn of his lips stopped instantly when Harry realized that Jared must have been with Darwin when they caught him.

"Where's Darwin? Is he alright? Is he alive?" he wheezed through the sudden rapid beating of his heart. His pulse was in his throat, loud enough for Jared to hear.

A pang of jealousy ran through Jared's body once more, but he swallowed it. There were bigger fish to gut, and Harry and Darwin would always be this close so he'd better get used to it.

"I think he's alright. I threw myself at them to give him time to flee, but he's still hurt. I'm more concerned about what he's doing right now though." Jared gave Harry a hard stare, punctuating his next words. "He turned and followed the car as a wolf."

By the way Harry blanched he knew about Darwin's wolf, and more than Jared had been told.

"Oh... that's bad. That's really, really bad," he wheezed, and looked around once more. "We need to get out here and find him before someone kills him!"

'You don't say,' Jared thought, but didn't say it out loud. Upstairs the commotion had stopped, but there was still a trace of murmur in the air, like a hint of many voices talking at a distance.

"Have you found an escape route yet?" he asked and glanced at Harry.

"There's a window I could probably squeeze through, but not with my hands bound like this." He wiggled his arms behind his back to make his point.

"We could do something about that, but I won't fit through that window, and there are people with guns outside," Jared huffed and rubbed his itching nose against his knee. It didn't help the burning scrapes beneath the Jeans.

"Well," Harry said, his breath indicating the onset of hysteria, "we could break down the door and fight our way free, or,... or we could take one of them as a hostage and negotiate! Did they take your mobile phone? We could call the cops!" The last words were breathy and gaspingly spoken, then Harry started to suck in air like a drowning man.

Jared swore. "Don't you change now, I swear, I will pummel you! Breathe slowly, Harry!"

It only took a split second for him to realize that barking patronizing orders wouldn't really help. Muttering curses he scooted closer, ignoring the burning pain on his legs. The jeans would chafe anyways, he couldn't wait for his skin to heal.

"Harry, stop that," he ordered, this time with a calmer voice, "Come closer and lie down, put your head onto my lap. Just like that. And now press one finger after another against your palm, one goes down, the other goes up."

As Jared listened to Harry's breath calming more and more, he stared at the ceiling and tried to suppress a growl. Crazy as it was, he wished it were Darwin here with him, not Harry, even if that would have meant their death. On the other hand, Darwin would never have panicked like that, and he certainly wouldn't have taken kindly to being ordered around.

Harry made a low purr and it caught Jared's attention. He could feel Harry breathing in deeply against his lower belly, then exhaling, and the hot wash of air made Jared shudder and his crotch react.

This was not good.

"Let's see if we can get rid of these cuffs, shall we?" Jared huffed and wiggled away. He was used to his body being a man-whore, but now it started to bother him. There was a feeling of wrongness about being aroused by other men, although his body didn't seem to agree yet. It was embarrassing, to be honest.

"Do you have any chewing gum or tin foil on you?" he asked.

"I'm not sure. Can you reach my pockets?"

Jared shuffled closer again, awkwardly turning around. His fingers touched Harry's flank and he struggled to reach down and fumble around in his jeans pocket.

"Whoa, that was a bit too far!" Harry chuckled.

"Shut your cake hole, I found something," Jared answered, intently groping around in the small space.

"I can feel that."

Growling softly Jared pulled out a crumbled piece of chewing gum paper and instantly retreated. "I really don't get how you can think of sex right now," he grumbled, trying to flatten the foil coated paper between his fingers.

"I'm not, I'm just really nervous. Trying to lighten the mood, y'know," Harry admitted, watching Jared's hands intently. "What are you trying to do?"

"These are steel cuffs, right? I'm trying to make a shim."

"A what?"

"A shim. It's a way to open cuffs if you find yourself in a, uh, bind." Rubbing the foil against his palm he formed a flat double layered slice and then leaned forward. "I need your eyes now. I need to get the edge into the gap above the teeth, like cracking a door lock with a credit card. Tell me where to move it."

It took a few tries to get them coordinated, but after a few minutes of fruitless fumbling Harry finally announced the foil being in the correct place.

Jared sighed. The intricate gymnastics had set his arms on fire, but he wasn't done yet.

"Now just one more--" he muttered, then tightened the cuff. The click was muffled, and a second later Jared's hand was free.

"That's a cool trick. Where did you learn that?" Harry was visibly impressed.

"Well, let's just say my one and only ever girlfriend was a bit nuts." Jared grinned, then suddenly turned his head and froze, listening intently.

The next moment he wasn't sitting next to Harry anymore, but standing behind the door, pressed against the wall, his face looking feral and intent.

Harry hadn't even really seen him move, he had been that quick. He would have said something, but in that moment the door opened and Rayne scurried through the small gap, looking nervous.

He had one split second of warning when Harry's eyes got wide, then Jared grabbed his arm, spun him around as he twisted it behind Rayne's back and pounded his head into the wall mercilessly.

 

~*~

 

"Don't hurt him!"

Grating Mr. Sultry's face against the wall a bit harder Jared threw an unfriendly look at Harry. "Why not?"

For a moment he put more pressure on Rayne's twisted arm. The pained groan that followed made him grin happily. Oh yes, he'd had a whole long car ride to sit through just to get here, and now he was going to enjoy this.

"Jared!" Harry stumbled to his feet and came closer, his face worried for... that guy? His expression made Jared tighten his grip just a little bit more. "Before you turn him to mush, would you please, please just ask him why he's here unarmed and alone?"

Jared answered the plea with another hard slam against the wall, followed by a gratifying gasp of pain from his victim. His anger was a new taste on his tongue, tangy and thick like pre-cum. He liked the taste, and he liked the promise it held.

Revenge.

Unfortunately Harry was right, though the thought of delaying his revenge made Jared bare his teeth unhappily. The fun would have to wait at least a little bit longer.

"Fine." He lowered the pressure on Rayne's arm, grabbed his hair with his other hand and pulled his head back enough to be able to look at his profile.

"Talk. And do it fast and to the point, I'm not renowned for composure."

Harry sighed relievedly, and Jared shot him a curious look. That boy acted like they had a relationship, which was impossible as far as Jared knew. They had known each other for a maximum of a few hours. He'd have to ask Harry about that later.

Rayne sucked in a deep breath, trying not to wince at the pulsing pain in his arm and face. "I'm here to rescue you, I swear! But we need to hurry if you want to save Darwin too, and you'll have to promise to take me with you!"

Jared snorted. "Take you with us? Why would we do that? You're the reason we are here in the first place."

"Because I can't stay here, okay? I know Carl's plans, and I know they won't work, I'm as good as dead if I stay. Even if I wouldn't let you get away."

Jared thought about it for a moment. It had been made painfully clear that they wouldn't be able to stay in Banes, even if they managed to escape the pack. To do so would mean their deaths. He hadn't thought that far ahead though, and he needed to find out what Carl really intended to do. His back still itched with the need to hurt someone, anyone who meant harm to him, Darwin or even Harry, but Mr. Sultry probably wasn't the right target.

Switching his hand from Rayne's back to his throat and keeping his arm locked behind his back Jared spun him around, keeping him off balance by stepping between his legs.

"Uncuff Harry," he ordered, his voice giving no room for discussion, and Rayne wasn't going to argue about it. He fumbled for the keys with one hand and did his best to unlock the cuffs as Jared listened to his labored breath. He could feel Rayne's pulse against his fingertips and itched to press down on his throat, but held back grudgingly.

Only when Harry turned around rubbing his wrists did he loosen his grip just enough to stop hurting Rayne, but didn't let go of him altogether.

"Check the stairs and listen at the door upstairs, Harry," Jared barked, and watched the submissive slink away without a comeback.

The door creaked, Harry's steps sounded at the stairs, then there was silence.

Jared shoved Rayne forward and let him go at the same time, watching him fall to the ground and roll away to get out of Jared's reach. It was gratifying not having to play a role anymore, and for once Jared let go on his tight grip on his presence, letting it flood the room.

There was no way to deny him being Alpha anymore, and Rayne shuddered when the intense feeling crept over his body and brought his pulse to his tongue. He had seriously underestimated Jared, he suddenly was painfully aware of this.

There was a special rage in the air, and it promised pain.

"Tell me." Jared's voice had dropped an octave and become a deep, vibrating rumble that carried through the tension like a whip lash. It wasn't a demand, it was an order no-one but another Alpha could have denied, and Rayne didn't try to.

"Carl plans to get rid of all the submissives in his pack. He's got that crazy idea that they don't need them, that they'll get more powerful without them, and he won't be swayed. He told the others he just wants you, Harry and Darwin gone, that he doesn't want to harm you, but it's a lie. They are looking for Darwin right now, and if they find him they'll kill him. I told them I was on their side so I could help you get away, but you'll have to take me with you. They'll kill me if they find you gone. And even if they don't, I'll never survive the massacre that'll ultimately happen without submissives around."

"And you really expect me to believe that kind of horse shit?" Jared replied chuckling. He couldn't smell traces of lying, and he couldn't see any telltale signs of it in Rayne's body language, but what he had heard just wasn't believable. Nobody was that crazy. Nobody was able to make others believe such crazy notions.

A shot rang outside, the sound carried through one of the air vents, followed by hurried footsteps from the stairs.

Both Rayne and Jared had first looked to the air vent and now switched their gazes to the door, only to fixate on each other again when Harry stepped through.

Rayne broke the shocked silence first. "We really don't have time for this right now, but I promise to tell you everything as soon as I can, okay?"

Jared didn't budge, staring him down with a glint of aggression in his grayish eyes.

"What do I have to do to convince you I meant what I said?!" Rayne hissed, and this time Jared could hear his voice reel in time with his racing heart beat. He really was nervous, at least that much Jared believed.

And he also could think of something that would make him believe Rayne's honesty concerning his wish to set them free and go with them.

Jared took a step forward, and this time Rayne didn't move back.

"Prove your allegiance to me," Jared growled, standing proud and imposing, inches from Rayne.

There was a short pause and everyone held their breath. Jared could see the inner turmoil Rayne had to fight at his command, and took it as another sign of truthfulness, but it wouldn't do anyone any good as long as Rayne couldn't follow up with actions.

Then Rayne breathed out, closed his eyes and tilted his head, baring the side of his neck and his throat to Jared.

A short baring of his teeth was all he could manage, then his head rushed forward and his teeth clamped down around the quick pulse of Rayne's artery.

When Rayne made a pained sound that close to Jared's ear he had to fight against the need to bite through skin and blood vessels, and he instinctively wrapped his arms around the vulnerable man to press him closer, to feel his tension against his body. The fight for dominance wasn't over yet, and Jared silently prayed that Rayne would decide to fight him so he could kill him without regrets. Another mouth to feed and care for hadn't been planned.

Just when Jared thought he wouldn't be able to hold back any longer Rayne suddenly relaxed in his arms, giving in to the silent demand for submission.

Another shot rang out, more muffled this time and probably a good distance away, but the sound made Jared open his jaws and let go of Rayne.

In a split second Harry was there, kneeling next to Rayne and grabbing his upper arm to help him back up. "Done? Then we really need to leave, like, right now!" he hissed.

 

~*~

 

They had a hard time avoiding the hunters around the pack house, but as luck had it everyone was looking for someone from the outside, so no-one watched the house.

Only when the three reached the woods things got more difficult. With Jared bringing up the rear and Rayne leading they managed to dodge two groups of search parties, but it was Harry who finally caught Darwin's scent and lead the way from there.

Jared would have been able to do so himself, but he was preoccupied with keeping an eye on the dark werewolf staying curiously close to Harry. Something was going on between those two, there was no denying that, but that also was a topic for another day. Still, Jared wouldn't have been able to live with himself if he found Darwin only to have to tell him that he had gotten Harry killed in the process. So he watched Rayne watching Harry, and kept a look out for additional search parties.

Their path led them out of the woods and into the outskirts of the city where farmland and fallow fields bordered on new housing sites. The wind blew in cold gusts, flattening the dried and frostbitten grass every so often, and the night sky was spotted with bits of clouds and stars. It was a dangerous area with nowhere to hide, but at least it made following Darwin's trail much easier and faster. The group broke into a jog and only stopped when Harry suddenly drove his heels into the ground and sniffed loudly.

"Someone is following him, and closely at that," he whispered breathlessly. His worried glance met Jared, but there was no need to talk further. Instead they broke into a run, following the dead straight scent trails leading into Banes and right onto the grounds of Banes Central University.

They stopped next to the bleachers at the edge of the multi-use sports field, confused by the path their search had lead them on. Jared and Harry exchanged a puzzled glance, then Harry said, "this doesn't make any sense. Darwin's wolf would never ever come here."

"Why not? It's where Darwin lives, isn't it?" Rayne interceded.

"Yes, but it's not Darwin's wolf's home."

"What's the difference?"

Jared took a few steps into the direction the scent had lead them so far. Statsby Hall was straight ahead, dimly lit by a few of the dozens of windows. "Darwin has no control in wolf form. And his wolf doesn't live here. He'd never try to hide in a campus full of human students." But if Darwin had gained control over his wolf, he would probably come here because of all the witnesses, and because he knew where to go and where he could hide. He would know that his hunters wouldn't go all out for fear of being seen.

Jared turned around. "We can solve this puzzle later. Let's find Darwin first, before his executioners do."

Rayne still looked confused, but he didn't argue. They followed the concrete path leading back to the dorm buildings at a brisk pace, not quite running yet, but also not dallying anymore.

Then they heard a shot ringing through the night air, and ran.

 

~*Darwin*~

The wolf had managed to follow the car as far as the unused ranger's hut before he had had to keep his distance to avoid getting caught. Now he lay in the bushes about ninety yards down the road, trying to keep an eye on the pack house without getting caught by the patrols.

The wind hit his face in gusts, carrying the smell of burnt fuel, other wolves, pain and pine resin with it. It was not a steady breeze, but the flurries were strong enough to pull at his fur when they came, and they were unrelenting.

The wolf watched silently as the humans pulled his mate out of the car. The way they dragged him inside unceremoniously made him growl softly as his muscles tightened, ready to jump forward and defend his Alpha against such a treatment. But once again there was that strange, unsettling voice inside his head, telling him to stop and wait, pointing out the danger of such an idea. They had guns, the voice whispered. They were waiting for him to fuck it up and come out, it argued.

The wolf knew that voice. It was his human half, the one he had pushed into the back of his mind for years, just like it had pushed him back when it had control over this body.

When Jared disappeared into the house the wolf hesitated once more. He wanted to follow, to get closer, but he could smell the armed patrols around the house and in the woods surrounding it. They hadn't noticed him yet, but if he changed position they probably would catch his scent. On the other hand, the wind would likely change directions anyway, as it always did in such unsteady weather conditions. They would find him sooner or later, if he found out useful information before that happened he at least would have something to go with.

Keeping low to the ground the wolf sneaked along the bushes lining the grass clearing around the house. He stopped ever so often when one of the guards walked by, listening intently to the voice in his head telling him what their faces and gestures meant. He hadn't had any real interaction with human shaped werewolves before, never mind real humans, and his shapeless, bodyless companion was all he had to get around them. It was thrilling.

When he reached the end of the 'wind cone' he had mapped mentally by judging the direction and changes of the wind gusts, he cowered down once more. Lights were on in the whole ground level of the house and the wind carried bits and pieces of heated voices, steps and other noises. The strange openings below that level were illuminated differently, and once again the human side filled in the blanks for the wolf. Those openings lead down to a cellar much like the one the wolf had been kept in every full moon cycle, and the lights meant someone was down there.

The human voice was very sure he would find Jared down there, and the wolf crawled forward in anticipation. He'd just have to crawl in, and then--

The front door crashed open and the bang of wood against wood made the wolf jump and turn tail instinctively. Behind him he could hear loud voices and shouts, but he didn't turn around to find out if they had seen him. He just ran.

There were multiple voices, the sounds of steps on grass and leaves and the disconcerting cracks and crunches of bodies shifting shape, but no gun shots. Both the wolf and the human mind knew that this was a good thing. It still meant they would have to keep running, but it also meant that they hadn't been made yet and could find a suitable place to hide and sneak around their enemies.

The thought of the other presence in his body made the wolf uncomfortable, even more so because he knew that the human mind felt the same. It felt strange to agree on something negative about each other, like a mirror that made its image talk back and forth.

The constant distraction also made the wolf stumble over unearthed roots and step onto dried leaves and twigs. He just couldn't concentrate on finding his way in the darkness, and it was its demise.

When he crashed through a particularly troublesome thicket, he suddenly heard a shot ring out behind him, followed by the whistle of a stray bullet. The shock made him jump and start to run again, and this time human and wolf were in tune on what had to be done-- there was no time to sneak around and back to the pack house. They needed to shake off their tail first.

 

This time they ran to the edge of the forest before they slowed down, but another shot rang and bore into the ground next to the wolf's feet. The animal side was hesitant to enter the city, but the human side was quick to take over and point the all-to-well known way. Darwin had trodden this path many times, and the woods weren't safe anymore. Why not try the human's favorite hiding places next?

The yips and barks of wolves on the hunt was enough to persuade the wolf, and off they went again. As they ran along the grassy fields at full speed, they heard their pursuers breaking through the undergrowth behind them. Fortunately they had fallen back enough and wouldn't shoot them at that distance, at least not near the suburbs to their right, but it wouldn't last forever. Darwin already felt the last of his injuries acting up, the change hadn't been able to heal him completely after all.

He could run quite well, he could jump and duck and turn, but a feeling of weakness was seeping into his muscles. There was no way he would be able to fight if he kept running for much longer. If he took the next best place to hide -- his fathers house -- he would risk him and Mary for nothing. They wouldn't be of any help. Even if they tried, he would only get them killed.

There was only one other place he knew well enough to hide in with enough people there to keep those gun slinging lunatics from having a shootout: the campus of BCU.

The wolf wasn't quite convinced, but it didn't need to be. If it couldn't trust his human brother, it was lost anyway.

With a burst of speed they crossed the last meadow, ran across the sports field and jumped through a gap in the bleachers, then nearly crashed into a group of girls standing next to the bike racks in front of the dorms, and finally slid into the small impasse behind the building.

The cramped space was filled with giant wheeled dumpsters. It was a perfect place to hide and get his bearings, though the smell was horrible.

Over his labored panting he could hear the agitated shouts of the girls, and the human side translated their jumbled voices as good as he could. Something about a wild dog, coyote, calling animal control and his size. They quieted down soon enough, laughing softly and turning their attention back to their own topics. It made Darwin's human side envy them. Would there ever be a life where he didn't have to fear for his life? Be able to stand in the darkness, talk to his friends and think nothing of predators running by?

It took a few minutes to get his breath back, and with the increasing calm came the pain. His muscles hurt from the unusual amount of strain, the stink of garbage made his stomach feel queasy and ruined his sense of smell, and the surroundings made the wolf nearly hysteric with nerves, but he didn't budge. The hunters probably were around the corner by now.

A moment later he could hear the surprised screams of the girls, followed closely by the sounds of running feet and a wolf-like snarl. Squeezing his furred frame deeper between the dumpsters Darwin watched two men with rifles and a wolf run into the dead end, but only the wolf passed him. The men just stood at the entry, watching and blocking his only way out.

This wasn't what Darwin had hoped for, not at all.

This was his impending death.

 

~*~

 

The wolf seemed to sniff through every gap and crevice, although he probably had the same difficulties Darwin had. The air in the concrete backyard was so saturated with rotting garbage, it even felt warmer and more moist than the air in the forest. On top of the unbearable stink and the scents left by the multitude of rodents, cats, dogs, raccoons and foxes frequenting the place the wolf was probably just as nose-blind as Darwin was. Not that it helped, after all they had him boxed in securely, and it was just a matter of time before the searching wolf would come back to his hiding place and simply use his eyes to find him.

Once again the wolf and the human clicked into each other like gear wheels. They would die here, but they wouldn't go down without a fight. Those people were not their pack, they were enemies, and no amount of submissiveness would make them into anything else.

Darwin's human mind agreed with the decision, even though his intellect still argued that submissive wolves were not supposed to fight anyone, just like he had learned from his former pack. It amused the wolf to no end. If one's life was in danger and flight was out of the question, fight was the natural thing to do, no matter who you were.

Both of them froze when they heard the sniffing come closer, and then the shape of the searching wolf filled the front of the gap they were in.

The strange wolf snarled and froze too.

Darwin pounced.

Garbage cans rattled and clanked as the two furred shapes went at each other's throats growling and barking. There was no need to think anymore, Darwin's whole being was filled with clicking teeth, scratching claws, the taste of fur and blood in his mouth and the distinct smell of wolf in his nose. Both of them were screaming like banshees, a mixture of pain, agression, and nervous yips, intensified by the echoing walls of the dorms and the tinny feedback of the dumpsters.

They rolled out onto the concrete path like a furry, angry wad, splattering blood everywhere as they bit and shook each other.

Behind him Darwin could hear the two men run closer and he could hear the clicks of the loaded guns, but they didn't shoot... yet. Either they didn't want to risk shooting their mate, or they were afraid of attracting even more attention, but for now they just stood there and watched over the barrels of their rifles.

The cuts, rips and bite wounds only started to hurt when both wolves let go of each other for a second to catch their breaths.

It also was the moment one of the men chose to pull the trigger.

The bang of the rifle echoed through the impasse like thunder, but this time there was no whistle, only a sharp pain in Darwin's chest. It felt like an invisible fist hitting him at full speed, made him stumble backwards and sit down with shock.

He heard the screams of a girl only when the ringing in his ears stopped, but before he could make out anything else, all hell broke lose.

 

Suddenly the backyard was saturated with people, and all of them were fighting.

The intense smell of testosterone, anger and something much more comforting - Jared's personal scent - blew away the heavy stink of garbage, as the Alpha threw himself on the wolf that had attacked Darwin, and simply twisted its neck. Behind him two more shapes were struggling against the armed men, but the fight didn't end as quickly. Another shot rang through the night air and bit into the wall high above their heads, then the five shapes somehow rolled out of the backyard and in front of the dorms.

Confused and filled with pain Darwin limped into the deepest corner of the impasse, keeping an eye on the entrance to the backyard as his blood dropped steadily onto the concrete.

A figure ran into the backyard, turned and stumbled backwards, whimpering with fear as he - or she? - kept an eye on the exit, only looking down when their foot bumped against the lifeless body of the other wolf. Whoever it was, they hadn't seen Darwin and kept coming closer and closer, carrying with them the stink of panic and hysteria and the sounds of a frightened, fragile female.

One of Darwin's paws lost its grip in the puddle of blood he was sitting in, and the small sound of claws on concrete made Darla turn around and cry out with shock.

Darwin was hurt, bleeding heavily, frightened to death and alone, with nothing left but his will to survive. He growled, bristling at the threat his wolf assumed in the frightened figure.

Darla turned and ran screaming. Her scream was cut short as the hurt wolf jumped and bit her shoulder, riding her struggling body down. Just before they hit the ground Darla hammered her elbow into Darwin's furred head, making him let go and throwing him against the dumpsters where he landed in a heap of fur and agony.

With a low whine he twitched one last time, then everything went black.

 

~*Jared*~

It was shocking how close they had been to the pack hunters the whole time. They sprinted along the front of Statsby Hall with Jared taking the lead this time, turned one corner Jared hadn't even known existed, and all but ran into the three werewolves. The shot had given the impression of distance, but it had been an illusion, a trick for the ears.

Jared could see Darwin still in wolf shape sitting near the end of the impasse, and it didn't take more than one look to see that he was hurt, bleeding, losing the fight. The two human shaped werewolves were pointing their rifles at him and the lone wolf shaped werewolf stood in front of them, but it was all a blur. He should have gone for the two men with rifles, but his rage overruled his mind easily.

That wolf had attacked his mate. That wolf was going to die first.

Behind him he could hear Rayne and Harry grapple with the gunmen, fists hitting bodies, the metal clank of the trigger mechanism being pulled and the groan of wood and steel being pulled in two directions at once, but he didn't care. He grabbed for the wolf's head just as it tried to turn around and snap at him, and twisted.

There was a sharp, dull cracking sound, and for a few seconds the furry body continued to twitch and shiver, radiating heat and confusion. Then the still warm body lay still in his hands, and he let it go. Deep satisfaction flooded his system, rewarding him for having his revenge, and a roar itched through his throat, wanting to be let out.

Jared's moment of victory was cut short when another shot rang out. The bullet bit into the wall above them, showering him with plaster crumbs. Ah yes, his victory wasn't yet earned.

Baring his teeth he swung around and joined the fight for the rifles. Rayne had already unarmed one of the men, proceeding to beat him into a handy pulp, but Harry was having problems. His adversary wouldn't give his gun up that easily, mainly because he managed to cower Harry with a growl that would have sent other submissives to the ground.

But not Harry. He held on to the gun for dear life, turning his head to the side in an awkward angle to avoid the still quite human set of teeth threatening to clamp down on his throat.

Jared barreled into both of them instead of just joining the skirmish for the gun. The three of them crashed into one of the garbage containers, whirled around and fell, rolling out onto the concrete path and into the group of girls that had been standing in front of Statsby Hall.

"Call the police!" one of the girls screamed at the other two, and they staggered away. Jared knew that voice, but he didn't have time to look up and confirm it was Darla. The strange wolf still wouldn't give up his gun, and he proved to be quite capable to protect himself. Somehow he managed to roll them around, land on Jared's chest and expel Harry from the scuffle like an annoying insect, proceeding to beat Jared with both fists.

He hadn't taken in consideration what Jared would do without a submissive in the way. Jared tried not to listen to the panicked screams of Darla, Harry's fearful voice as he grabbed the rifle and threw it away and the sickening crunch of breaking bones from Rayne's direction, and he tried to hold on to his consciousness as his attacker split his lip, broke his cheek bone and even managed to knock out a tooth. Instead he focused on his hand, felt for the burning pain of moving bones and the itching of growing fur, and then shoved his partially turned hand into the chest of the last pack hunter.

It felt like punching through a brick wall, but he probably could have done that too. The startling pain made the wolf above him freeze with shock, and even when Jared started to dig into his chest to grab and squeeze his heart he could do nothing else but twitch and gasp for air.

Jared felt the innate need to keep his hand in there and watch that man die as he ground his heart to mush, but there was no time.

Another scream from Darla, followed by a scream from Harry made him yank out his hand and push the dying man to the side. The wound in his chest even started healing a bit, but Jared was sure enough that he would stay dead. Jumping up he tumbled into the impasse, and stared down at a twitching female body and the bleeding wolf right next to her.

Rayne was standing at the feet of Darla's unconscious form, Harry had his hands pressed against the bleeding bullet wound in Darwin's chest. Darla's shoulder was bloody and in tatters.

Shit.

"He bit her... He bit her!" Harry was repeating it over and over. Rayne crouched down to pull the cloth from Darla's bloody shoulder, then looked up to Jared and just nodded. They both were pretty pale.

Sirens were howling in the background, slowly closing in on them. The other two girls had probably called the police.

Their time was running out fast. Jared turned around and barked, "pick them up and run to the car park, we gotta leave!" This time he didn't try to keep an eye on Rayne. Things had changed once more.

Rayne carefully picked up Darla and Harry threw Darwin's sleek furred body over his shoulder. Blood was everywhere, the metallic scent hung thickly in the air, mixed with the stink of rotting food and the innate smell of autumn night.

Baring his teeth Jared had one last look around. It had been too good to be true from the beginning anyways.

 

~*Darwin*~

He didn't come to out of his own volition. A wave of pain woke him, making him gasp for air and whine helplessly. It was hard to make out his surroundings, but the vibrations and shaking meant they were moving, probably by car. The warm, tender softness beneath his head smelled like Jared, and as soon as he made another pained sound a hand touched his head and stroked his hair soothingly. He was lying half on Jared's lap, but his legs were tangled with someone else's arms, and the space they were in felt cramped.

Opening one eye Darwin stared at the faux leather covering of a car seat, complete with a figure sitting in it. It was a small car, smaller than anything he had ever seen, and the engine chugged away like very old cars tended to do. Outside it was still dark, but the darkness had a blackish-blue quality to it, like it was beginning its retreat from the sun. The car was obviously heated, but Darwin still felt feverishly cold and weak, and a short glimpse down his body showed nothing but a jacket draped over him. He was naked, buck naked, and being cradled by two men: Jared at his head, and Harry at his thighs.

Somewhere behind him a female sounding voice joined him, groaning in agony. A few thuds followed, sounding like someone having a seizure, then the sounds stopped. Nobody paid attention to it.

Licking his lips Darwin weighed his options. He felt tired and hurt to his bones and incredibly glad for the peace of the moment, but not knowing what was going on gnawed at him. Finally he coughed, which hurt like hell, swallowed more carefully, and murmured, "who's driving?"

A sudden stillness at his legs proved that Harry hadn't noticed he was awake. The hand on his head just kept stroking him. Of course Jared had noticed, but now Darwin could feel his eyes staring a hole into his temple.

"Rayne," he answered, and his voice sounded soothing and calm, like the purr of a sleepy cat.

Darwin knew the name. "The rogue Carl adopted in? That Rayne?" he asked, not giving a shit how thick with distrust his voice sounded.

"Yes, that Rayne." The strange voice sounded like caramel, or toffee, thick and sticky and resounding. It reminded Darwin of phone sex ads, but this voice had a more natural modulation to it than the commercials could ever hope for. Hereditary, not a thespian act. He didn't like how much he liked that voice, and snarled softly.

"He's on our side now." This from Harry, earnest as ever, and so trusting.

Jared's hand never stopped petting him. "I have to agree. He saved us, and you in the process. He even got scratched for his troubles."

Rayne snickered at that comment. It felt like an inside joke between those three, and suddenly Darwin felt jealous. Swallowing another bitchy comment he turned his head down and breathed in Jared's scent, letting the incredible warmth of his lap pull him back into tiredness.

Another rumbling from the trunk jerked him awake before he could doze off. "What's that sound?" he asked warily.

For a few seconds there was silence, only broken by the tumult from behind. It felt uncomfortable for so many reasons, and nobody seemed ready to break it.

Darwin sighed, pulling at Jared's pants leg with one hand. "There's somebody locked in the trunk, isn't there?" he grumbled, keeping his eyes closed. Not that it would help against the truth, but it felt like a good way to brace for the obvious answer.

It took a few seconds for someone to man up, and it was Jared. Of course it was Jared.

"Yes, there is."

Darwin opened one eye to peek up at his face. In the dark it looked pale and old, as if the sunshine had been sucked out by the last few hours. "Do I have to pull every detail out of your nose, or will you please tell me what's happened?"

He did. He started with him, Rayne and Harry breaking out of the pack house, and he only paused for a short moment before he told Darwin who was in the trunk, and why.

"Darla's got the fever from your bite, and she's unconscious. My car isn't big enough for all of us, and if we are stopped by the police, having her sit in the front seat all bloody and near death would be kinda bad. So we stuffed her in the trunk." Jared made it sound so simple, so practical. They couldn't risk leaving her behind, their only means of transportation was a small, antique VW Beetle, and they had been hard pressed to hurry, so into the trunk with her.

For a few moments Darwin let the silence settle once more, trying to breathe around the tight knot in his gut. He didn't remember being bitten himself, but after years and years of pain and suffering it was hard to hear he had put someone else in just the same spot. Darla hadn't even done anything to him, she had just been at the wrong place at the wrong time. He felt horrible. Horrible and dirty, stained.

Worse than that was the silence. Nobody said anything, no encouraging words, no reassurances, no consolations to make him feel better about it. Darwin understood though. There was nothing to feel better about, he had ruined Darla's life, and no amount of words or pleading would ever change that. If you bit someone, it was your own responsibility to deal with it. It didn't matter if you meant to or if you didn't, wolves didn't care about good intentions, just actions. Through his actions he had made her one of them, and now it was his obligation to deal with it and make sure she didn't do something stupid. If she survived, of course.

Just when Darwin started to feel pressured to say something, anything to break the silence, Jared leaned forward and pointed at the dirty veneer of a lone gas station at the side of the highway.

"Pull out here, we have to get them cleaned and patched up before sunrise. And we have to plan what do to next."

 

The Beetle rumbled over the broken concrete parking lot and rolled to a halt right next to the bathroom doors. There was an old pickup truck sitting to one side, but it looked broken down. Nobody else was around. Rayne got out and went to check if the bathroom doors were unlocked, which they weren't, then trotted around the grimy building and disappeared into the shop up front.

A few minutes later he came back, carrying a bundle of unfamiliar packages, soda cans and snacks in one hand, and the key to both bathrooms in the other.

Piling his load onto the front passenger seat he sorted through it and held out a few items for Jared to grab. It looked like clothes, but the overhead light hurt Darwin's eyes too much to take a closer look. Instead he rolled around and buried his face in Jared's lap. When Jared started to twitch and gasp and tense up, Darwin finally realized how close to his crotch he had positioned his face and sat up with a flustered gasp. "Sorry!" he squeaked, cut short by another wave of unpleasant aches in his shoulder.

Jared didn't seem to mind. In fact he just grinned and held out some kind of can, just like the ones you normally bought paint or glue in. Only this one didn't contain any liquids, judging by the label picturing a set of nice, firm buttocks barely covered by hot pants with violet and green leopard dots.

"Those will do nicely, don't you think?" he purred, watching him with a particular kind of warm darkness in his eyes.

"Give me that," Darwin harrumphed as his face turned a pink color. He snatched the can out of Jared's hand and grabbed the other clothing items Rayne held out, only to realize that he couldn't carry them and hold on to the jacket around his mid-section at the same time.

"Here let me help you." Jared grabbed the clothes without waiting for an answer, and proceeded to guide Darwin out of the car. His last glance met Rayne's eyes. "You two make sure to call your parents and friends and tell them what happened. Harry, find out what you can about Darla, and if anyone will miss her find a cover story." He turned away from the car to follow Darwin, who was already limping to the bathroom doors, and added, "and someone please find out if we've got cops on our heels!"

 

~*Jared*~

The bathroom was just like any other gas station bathroom at the side of a highway. Somebody had tried to clean it at one point during the last week, but it had been a meager effort that had been limited to the floors and ceramics. Jared didn't need his superhuman senses to notice the stink of urine, feces, cigarette smoke and body odor hanging thickly in the air.

Even Darwin seemed taken aback by the slap of scents hitting them at the door, and he stood there blinking confusedly for a few seconds.

"I think I'll get an STD from just standing here," he rasped, hesitant to step onto the dirty white tiles.

Jared carefully shoved him into the small room, right to one of the stalls, his right hand hovering next to Darwin's arm in case he stumbled. "Don't be melodramatic, you can't get sick from anything in here. Just don't touch needles or blades if you find any," he joked. Wedging himself into the stall after Darwin and getting the door closed behind them was no small feat, but he managed.

"What are you doing?" Darwin grumbled indignantly when the stall door fell shut.

Softly pushing him onto the toilet seat Jared grinned and replied, "Helping you. We need to check your wounds. Somebody shot you, remember? We wouldn't want the bullet to stay in there just to have to cut you open later, now, would we?"

He could see a glimpse of Darwin's old self peeking through his eyes when he made a displeased, grumbling sound, but the little flame flickered and died down quickly.

Jared didn't like it. He decided to push Darwin a little, just enough to see if he was truly broken or just... bent out of shape.

He got down in a crouch, tugged at the jacket, and tried to wrench it out of Darwin's sudden death-grip. "Take that off, I need to look you over."

Darwin lifted an eyebrow, looking incredulous. The jacket around his hips was the only piece of clothing he had, and he obviously wasn't going to let go anytime soon.

"Get out of the stall so I can dress," he snarled with furrowed brows. The spark was back, but only just. Still, Jared clung to it like a life line. Not that he planned to give in to Darwin's demands.

Growling lowly he curled his fingers into the piece of clothing, and tensed every muscle in his upper body until he felt the cloth of his shirt cling tightly to his bulging arms and shoulders. He could watch Darwin's eyes grow wider, hear his breath quicken, and then tugged sharply just when Darwin's fingers relaxed with surprise.

The jacket fell away, and for a few short seconds Jared was left to stare at the glorious naked body sitting before him, breathless with wonder and lust.

Darwin's hand cut the moment short as he slapped him hard.

"Out. Now!"

 

~*~

 

Jared's cheek was bright red. Grinning at himself in the mirror he felt over the heated hand impression in his face, then turned around to lean against the rickety sink as he watched the dance of naked feet and shadows beneath the bathroom stall door. True, he had aggravated Darwin once more, but it had been for a good cause. The slap proved that Darwin was still himself, and although his face burned where it had been hit it made Jared happy.

"Just underwear and trousers, remember! I still have to check that bullet wound," he said over the shuffle of clothes and feet.

Instead of a reply Darwin shoved open the stall door and stalked out. His bare feet made obscene, soft slapping sounds on the tile floor as he walked in front of Jared, then the blond hunk received another disdaining glare.

"I heard you the first two times. Could you please stop baiting me? I'm sick and tired of having to be vigilant around you." Jared could hear the strain in Darwin's voice, though it was hidden beneath the usual sarcastic lilt. It sounded like Darwin needed a hug, but at the same time Jared was suddenly afraid to just give it.

"Okay," he said instead, and meant it.

Pushing away from the sink he stepped closer to Darwin, letting his eyes feast on his naked chest as he leaned forward and softly touched around the angry red rim of the bullet wound in his shoulder. It was already healing quite well, so Jared leaned closer and looked over Darwin's shoulder to look for an exit wound at his back.

"I really don't want to cut you open," he mumbled, then shuffled around him to have a closer look.

There it was, sitting beneath his shoulder blade, probably contorted by the change of shapes from wolf to human. The hole was even smaller at his back which was puzzling. Darwin had been shot from the front, and the exit wounds always were nastier than the entrance wounds. At least that was what Jared had been told.

"Is it bad?" Darwin whispered, staying as still as possible. His face looked surprised and pale in the mirror, his usually piercing eyes were dark with the remnants of shock, pain and fear.

Jared returned his gaze in the mirror and instinctively stepped closer, turning his head to blow a soft, hot puff of air against Darwin's neck. He could see Darwin's face relax as he lowered his head to the side, baring his neck to Jared's mouth. The gesture filled Jared with happiness, but it also awoke the sudden need for closer contact, skin contact preferably. The instinct to touch, hug, stroke Darwin was so sudden and surprising, he stepped away instead and shivered.

"No, it's not bad at all," he replied throatily, "it's a through-and-through, clean, already healing. You're good to go."

Jared couldn't see any sign of realization on Darwin's face. If the submissive had noticed Jared's short moment of unsettledness, he didn't show it. It was probably better this way, though Jared felt dissatisfied with Darwin's lack of perception or interest in him.

Not that there weren't a myriad of reasons for Darwin to be preoccupied.

"Put on your shirt and the jacket too, it's cold today. Do you want to call your father?" Jared asked, walking over to the bathroom stall to pick up the jacket.

When he turned around, Darwin was already dressed and holding out his hand for the last piece of clothing. "Yes. I think it's time to tell him I'm not dead." His voice was once again void of emotion or sarcasm, the spark was gone from his eyes.

This time though Jared knew Darwin would be alright. All he had to do was give him time.

 

Half an hour later everyone but Jared had finished their calls. They would have let him go first, or second, or third, but he really had no idea whom to call and what to say. 'Hey Tobias, guess what, I just ruined the life of my sweetheart!' or 'Neil, good to hear your voice! I was driven out of Banes by the local Alpha because I stole people from him, can you help me out?' just didn't sound like the greatest of lines for a family reunion.

His never-ending rivalry with his older brother Tobias didn't bode well in any case, but as much as Jared hated to admit it, Tobias was probably the only person in the states able to help him at that moment.

Rolling his shoulders against the beginning tenseness he stepped into the plastic soundproofing dome, threw in his last quarters and dialed.

He had to wait about five rings before someone picked up. Luckily it was Tobias, not his wife Casey. Jared really didn't like Casey.

"It's one o'clock in the morning, so this had better be good," Tobias drawled into the phone. His normally so businesslike voice was rough from sleep and tiredness.

"It's Jared. Don't hang up on me, okay? I really need your help."

A short, surprised silence followed. Jared could visualize Tobias staring a hole into the air as he collected his thoughts. "Are you for real?" was the first thing Tobias came up with.

He must really be tired, Jared mused with a grin. Tobias usually was so good with words.

"Yes. Remember when you told me not to mess up with the local pack? Well... I kinda did. But I had a very good reason, I promise! And I'm not coming back if you think that's why I'm calling, I just need-"

Tobias didn't let him finish. "So, let me guess," he drew out, "you fell in love with some local werewolf, decided she's the one and claimed her. The local Alpha thought you're stealing his pack members and threw you out or challenged you or something, and now you're afraid of sleeping in your rust bucket of a car. How am I doing so far?"

A breeze of cold morning wind blew over Jared's back, making him shiver involuntarily. Baring his teeth at the phone booth he sighed, then closed his eyes. "He's the one." Damn Tobias.

This time he could hear his brother breathe in sharply, but he didn't hang up. "Excuse me?"

"He. Not she. He's the one. But yeah, you're nearly spot on. Except for the negligible fact that I claimed him because they would've killed him otherwise. The rest is sadly accurate." There was no use in denying or explaining, at least not at that moment. Not as long as he needed his brother's help.

Tobias had always suspected Jared being gay, but it had never been a big deal. Jared had tried women, that much Tobias knew, but the family had had their suspicions for too long a time to be surprised by it now.

"Fine, he. I already told you my opinion on this. It's the same shit that got you thrown out here, but since you couldn't keep it together for your own family, I didn't have much hope you'd manage it for anyone else. So, what can I do for you now that you fucked up, lil' bro?"

For a moment Jared wished he could strangle Tobias through the phone, just because he had been right once more, but the instinct vanished as quickly as it had come. Love for each other in good as in bad times had never been the issue for his family.

"Gloat all you want, dickhead," he growled with a smile at the brotherly play-fight, "you still gonna help me. You won't risk having to take me back."

"Well that's the truth if I ever heard it."

"I need a car, at least I need to use the family credit card to buy a car," Jared explained, hesitant to give away too much information. His family was well off, but they weren't rich -- two tornadoes in two years had made sure of that.

"Did your junker finally break down?"

"Well, no, um." How did you tell your brother that you had involuntarily formed a pack just two hours earlier? Jared hesitated, then decided to treat that tid-bit of information like a band-aid. He ripped it off in one move. "I kinda sorta have a pack now, courtesy of the Banes Alpha. We don't fit into my Beetle, and it won't carry that much weight for much longer."

This time Tobias crunched the phone. "You what?" he hissed, just short of yelling at him.

The phone bleeped its 30 second warning tone, and Jared inserted another quarter.

"I got a pack. Many people, bigger car," he repeated, trying not to sound small at the audible scowl from the other end. He wasn't the useless little brother anymore, damn it!

Tobias made a drawn-out groan. "Okay, just to paint a picture here... You find someone you think is the love of your life. You piss on some Alpha's porch to get him, getting run off and homeless in the process. And just to add insult to injury, you drag not one, but bunch of people down the shit hole with you. And now you need to buy a car to fit all the people who's life you've ruined?"

Jared blinked, staring hard at the number pad in front of him.

"Yes."

There wasn't much else he could say, and he was already growing tired of Tobias' domineering tone of voice.

"Fine." It was a short, crisp answer, void of all the sarcasm and exasperation Tobias had shown before.

It flabbergasted Jared. "Really?"

"Yes. You'll have to pay it back once you settle down, my bank account is no charity. But for now buy that damn car and take care of your victims. And call mom as soon as you have done so, she'll freak if you don't after I tell her what you just told me." There was a hint of pride in his older brother's voice, although he tried very hard to sound disgruntled.

A relieved smile played on Jared's lips. "I will. And thanks, bro. Talk to you soon."

Things were definitely looking up.