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Lykos - Lone Wolf

Chapter 20

Monica sat on the passenger side of the long bucket seat, reflecting on the contrast of her sleek, cutting-edge style of hair, modest jewelry and coat over her nurse's uniform against the worn, but admittedly clean, interior of Berke's black Dodge Ram truck.

"Are you alright?" Monica asked him with concern, noting the dark circles under his eyes.

"Just a bad dream..." Berke answered dismissively, clearly not wanting to talk about it. "Thanks for meeting me on such short notice," Berke said from the driver's seat, before taking a bite out of his burrito.

"Well," Monica said, using a blanket Berke had provided as an oversized bib to protect her nurse's uniform from getting stained from the soft tacos she was eating, "You DID offer to pay for lunch, and what self-respecting gal could resist a free meal?" she asked with a smile. "However, I take it this is a 'business' lunch, correct?"

The male wolf nodded, wiping his mouth on a napkin, the scent of American-made Mexican food filling the inside of the vehicle to mix with the old scents of the used vehicle. "Word has it that some of the betas have been talking less than respectfully about Ben's pack."

"About how they're breaking tradition by not having an omega?" she asked keenly. He nodded. "I'm not happy with it, but what can you expect? There ARE guidelines to proper pack structure, and as much as I respect Ben and understand his reasons, he's still breaking that tradition. People will talk when someone does something like that," she said in a gentle, yet no-nonsense tone.

"It's not just talk; they're saying that his pack isn't a real one," Berke growled, the tone one of general irritation at the situation, rather than being directed at the she-wolf.

"Yes, I know," she admitted. "But why do you care?" she asked, casting him a suspicious glance.

"Because he's my brother now," Berke answered firmly. He saw her look at him with a sad smile. They had always gotten along well; in fact, most of the packs had, the only real tensions coming from the former 'omega' pack breaking tradition with their rather unorthodox pack structure and the troubles James and Lester had caused. The alphas of the region had an almost familial bond of their own, even Ben, though he probably hadn't yet realized it, and until Lester's prejudice against humans had driven a wedge between him and the rest of the wolves, and James had entered the area, trying to play high overlord, the packs had mostly gotten along fairly well despite their differences with Ben's pack, before his inclusion, being the exception to the rule. The alphas knew each others' pasts and she felt a surge of sympathy for him as he continued. "I always envied you, not having to hide things from your kin the way I do... Ben never had any close family and I, personally, miss having a sibling I can be honest with, so I adopted him."

Monica smiled softly, rubbing his shoulder supportively. "Good," was all she said.

"Also," Berke continued, "Ken has decided, all on his own, to become their pack's omega. He knows how important it is to have proper pack structure and wants there to be no question of his pack's validity."

Monica nodded. "I DO understand Ben's reasoning, but following the proper etiquette is important when you have as high a position as he does. I'll pass the word along to my wolves. Dudly and Parker have been the most vocal about Ben not wanting an omega, politely, of course," she added quickly, seeing Berke bristle, "but still... This will quell their doubts."

"Please do," Berke said, looking relieved.

"Have you seen him recently?" Monica asked.

"Yeah," the burly alpha answered with a nod as he swallowed another bite of buritto. "Met that new beta of his, too."

"And what's he like?" the she-wolf asked, feeling curious.

"Some college-aged stud. Handsome, but impulsive." He left it at that, not wanting his brother's beta to look bad in front of others, despite his respect for Monica. "He needs a lot more training before he can handle himself, so I'd appreciate it if you and yours would let him be this moon."

"Fair enough," Monica replied with a shrug. "Drop me off at the diner across from the emergency room side of the hospital and I'll talk with Angela as well. I know her betas have been rather disrespectful of Ben's pack structure. I'll also ask her to leave the new kid alone for a while."

"Is she meeting you there?" he asked, looking surprised.

"She works there now," Monica said with a smile. "She's their new waitress."

"Good for her," Berke said with a genuine smile as he started up his truck after stowing away the remains of his meal, Monica swallowing the last of her tacos and licking her fingers...

*****

Luke bolted awake with a scream, then looked around wildly, full of panic. He was sitting in his truck, which was tucked away in a far corner of the auto shop's parking lot, the weak noontime sun of deep winter streaming in through the windows. It took his addled mind a moment to process the nightmare for what it had been, his hand reflexively going to the back of his neck in reaction to the ghost of a phantom pain, one that had been the last thing he had felt within the nightmare. He closed his eyes, but the image of Kyle's head leaving his body filled his mind, and he opened them to reveal golden eyes that were moist.

He glanced into the rearview mirror and saw his eyes. He rubbed them with his knuckles, wiping away the tears and pulling in his power. He looked back in the mirror and saw his human-formed brown eyes staring at him. *So much for a restful nap,* he grumbled to himself.

This was the third time he'd had the nightmare, and every time it was the same. Wallace torn in half... Berke being cut down, Ben knocked away before the direwolf decapitated Kyle...

Luke began to cry in grief and fear. *Kyle doesn't deserve that... And I don't want to die, either... Wallace doesn't deserve to go through that either, I suppose...*

The nightmare always played out the same way, the deaths happening in the same order, ending with Luke's own death as he felt intense pain in the back of his neck. *It's getting worse... I keep having the exact same nightmare,* he thought, glancing in the mirror again...

Blood red eyes stared back at him, surrounded by black fur, eyes that were filled with an insane hatred... The eyes of his killer...

Luke jumped in shock, his body transforming instantly to give him the power to defend himself. He snarled at the mirror... Blinked...

And saw only his own wolf-formed face snarling back at him.

Shocked, he pulled the power inwards, changing back, then glancing around the parking lot, but no one had been there to witness his loss of control. *I'm losing my mind here!* he thought, his hands trembling. *I can't take this anymore!* He thought, panicking and dragging his fingers through his hair. He took a deep breath, pulled out his phone, swallowing his pride as he did so, and pulled up Mitchell's number...

*****

Jessica was at the bottom of the stairs when she heard sniffling coming from the front porch. She knew Marcus was taking a shower and only one other person was at home, so she opened the door to find Kyle sitting alone there, hugging himself in a fetal position as he sat on the top step.

"Kyle?" she asked, shocked to see him so upset. "What's wrong?" He turned to her and the keeper was shocked to see that he'd been crying. Alarmed, she hurried down, sat beside him quickly, then took him into her arms as he broke down completely. It was several minutes before he took a break from crying and whimpering in pain and apparent fear. "Please talk to me," she pleaded softly. "Tell me what's wrong." His words made an ice-cold river of fear pour down her spine.

"No... Please no... I don't want the dream to be true... I don't want to die... Please don't let me die... Not like that... I don't want to die that way..."

Then he began to sob all over again, and she couldn't get anything more out of him...

*****

Ben was driving up the road to the Den, finalizing his plan. He had no intention of letting anyone die. If they were going to be murdered out in the woods, then they simply wouldn't be out there in the first place. Tomorrow was the full moon, and the alpha committed himself to staying inside and simply transforming inside the house instead. *I don't give a flying fuck WHAT the keepers say! We're not going out there!*

He sighed, feeling more withdrawn and isolated than ever before and hating himself for shutting out the others, but he had to stay this way. He had no intention of telling anyone about this. The pack bond had been meant to bring them closer together, but now ironically, all it did was show how further apart they were all drifting, each of the four wolves withdrawing into themselves and closing everyone else out. Ben still loved his pack, but this was HIS burden to bear, no matter what anyone else said, and the last thing he wanted to do was start a panic by admitting to them what he'd been dreaming about.

Ben had never believed in the supernatural, even since becoming a werewolf. Having powers was one thing, but prophetic dreams? That was too much to swallow. He didn't want to consider the possibility of it being true, because if he did, it meant that he and most, if not all, of the people he cared about was going to die. He was scared and confused, wishing it would all just go away. He tried his best to ignore the possibility, but with the way that Kyle, Luke, and Steve were all acting, it was clear that something was bothering them as well. Every now and then he had the crazy thought that they were having similar nightmares, but that was impossible.

*How can I keep having the same nightmare again and again?* he wondered for what felt like the thousandth time.

Having had the same exact nightmare four times now was bad enough for even Ben to know the situation was serious, no matter how much he wished that it wasn't true. Adding in the odd ways Kyle, Luke and Steve were all acting lately didn't help either. It was more than Ben could handle, and now he was no longer willing to take any chances... In the strange, wild chance that the nightmare was indeed some form of warning, Ben dealt with it the only way he knew how... By strategizing ways to prevent it from happening. He hoped that it was all just his imagination... But just in case...

That's when he'd come up with the plan: avoid the possibility of dying in the sanctuary by not being there in the first place. It was short, simple and he refused to accept anything less. *We're not going to die! I won't have anyone suffer like that... Especially Kyle...* he thought sadly, his eyes growing moist. Of all the deaths in the dream, even his own, it was watching Kyle die again and again that hit Ben the hardest, even causing him to cry a few times, though he'd made sure no one had seen him lose control when he broke down in grief. *It's not happening!* he thought fiercely, his hands strangling the steering wheel of his car. *I WON'T LET IT HAPPEN!*

He made the last turn in the road and slowed his car when he saw three vehicles in the driveway he hadn't expected to see there. The first was Mitchell's car, the gray Buick LaSabre unmistakable due to the PFLAG rainbow sticker on the back bumper; but the classy, clean black Cadillac XTS and the white Ford Taurus LTD were foreign to him. He was shocked to see Luke's truck and Steve's car parked there as well. *They're both still supposed to be at work,* he thought to himself. *What's going on here?* he wondered, his anger draining away in confusion.

He parked, got out, and sniffed, catching the scents of his packmates, Mitchell, Ferris, Melissa, and Robert, as well as a scent he didn't know, but seemed like it was somewhat similar to Ken's scent, only clearly that of a human female and oddly familiar, as if he had smelled it before even if he couldn't place it. Curious, he headed inside and found all of the keepers in the living room with Steve, Kyle, Marcus and Luke. The presence that shocked him most, however, was that of Ino, the old woman turning to him with a stern expression.

"How many times now have you had the exact same nightmare?" the elderly keeper asked him bluntly before he could even open his mouth.

He stared at her in shock for a moment, then recovered. "It's just nightmares," he said, not wanting to face the possibility of it being true. "It's not the first time I've had one, you know."

Ino frowned and rose slowly to her feet. "Werewolves are in tune with forces humans like I are not. It is not uncommon for werewolves to receive portents of events to come through their dreams. These dreams are warnings of impending dangers, and are not to be dismissed or taken lightly."

Ben scoffed, trying to cover from his jitters with forced disbelief. "Everyone has nightmares," he said defensively, glaring at her. "It's hardly something new," he added coldly, wishing she'd shut up and leave it alone.

The woman's eyes narrowed, then, fast as a snake, the keeper's hand shot forward and squeezed his lower arm in a painful grip that brought him to his knees, crying out in agony as she bore down on the targeted pressure point, his eyes flaring gold. "I did not come here to argue with you," she said in a calm, but firm tone of voice, "nor will I tolerate childish behavior! These dreams ARE a warning, whether you care to admit it or not! Now answer my questions! Has every nightmare you have had been identical!?"

"YES!" Ben yelled, yipping in pain as she squeezed his arm harder.

Satisfied, she let go of him and stepped away, not caring that the werewolf looked ready to rip her face off for hurting him. "In these dreams..." she added softly, "do you die?"

Ben was shocked speechless, his mind going blank, and he swallowed hard. "I... Yes... But not before others die..." the werewolf admitted with difficulty.

"Do I die in your dream too?" Kyle asked him softly, looking deeply afraid and trembling as Marcus held him close. "Do you see me get decapitated?" he whimpered, then began to cry. Marcus held him close as the keepers all looked at the wolf-born with pity.

Ben was shocked, his mouth falling open. "H-... How the fuck do you know that?" he asked weakly, the blood draining from his face.

"You have all had the same dream," Ino said gravely. "It is common for packs who are bound as closely as yours to share dreams of premonition."

Ben shook his head. "This is ridiculous!" he snapped. "Now you're telling me we're psychic?!? This is bullshit!!!"

Ino turned and smacked him hard across the face. "The truth will not be denied, no matter how strongly you wish it were not so!"

"It's not truth because it's not happening!" Ben snapped, his eyes turning golden. "Guys," he said to his packmates, "there's no way I'm letting you all die because of some fucked up dreams! In the off chance that they somehow ARE real, we're not putting ourselves in danger!"

"And just how do you plan on doing that?" Mitchell asked gravely, knowing he wouldn't like the answer.

The Head Alpha sighed. "If, and I mean IF these dreams really are some kind of pre-destined shit, then I know how to stop it. Your dreams happen tomorrow night during the full moon when we're in the sanctuary, right?" he asked, his pack nodding in silent response. "Then we won't be there. We'll transform here in the Den."

Mitchell snorted, but it was Ino who answered. "That will not be allowed," she said coldly.

Ben growled, his teeth lengthening into fangs. "Just make a small barrier here around the house, dammit! We're far enough from the road that the sound won't freak people out! It'll be perfectly fine!"

Ino shook her head. "Wolves, especially primal wolves, are not meant to be confined into such a small space as this. It is worse that there are six of you. You would panic and do great harm to one another as well as your home, assuming that a strong enough barrier could be created without the proper preparations, which will be far too time-consuming to complete before the moon rises. It has been tried before, and always met with failure. The sanctuary is the only place where you can feel the influence of the moon's fullness without harm to yourselves or others. You will transform there and nowhere else."

Ben snarled, the power of the wolf surging forward. "I'm not marching us off to our deaths! You listen to me closely, Lady, becau-"

Ino had had enough. Her hand shot forward and grabbed him by the side of the neck, digging her fingers painfully into the pressure point under the skin. Ben cried out in pain... And felt the power of the wolf retreat. His mind derailed as he felt the strength pull back and curl into a fetal ball within his chest. He stared at her with shock in his wide, hazel colored human-formed eyes. "What the fuck?" he gasped.

Ino let go of the puzzled wolf and lifted her hand to gently cup his bearded cheek. "I will not allow any harm to come to any of you," she said softly, her eyes moist. "I promise you that. I would never send any werewolf into harm if given a choice, and we do indeed have a choice. I have already arranged for more keepers to come, both our new recruits and additional helpers, to aid us in this time of crisis. We are developing a plan, and as you have demonstrated the mind of a soldier and strategist, we would value your input. Please join us."

Ben saw that the human meant what she had said, and while he didn't relax, he WAS able to calm himself enough to help. He sat down between Steve and Kyle, held them both close, and began to describe his dream in as much detail as he could recall at Ino's request.

Steve told his dream next, and Ben was shocked to hear him add more detail to the shared dream. "After the direwolf kills Ben," he added softly, "I lose control and charge the thing... We start fighting and he bites my arm off... Then while I'm still reeling from it... The direwolf rips my throat out with his hand... And... And then I die," he finished heavily, hanging his head and trembling.

Ben hugged his mate tightly, trembling as well.

Mitchell sighed. "So it's already inside the barrier when it goes up?" Mitchell asked.

"It must be," Luke said gravely. "The sanctuary is pretty big. Technically, someone COULD hide in there if they had ways to circumvent our senses, like masking their tracks and scent..."

"And the direwolf," Ino added solemnly, "seems to have protection... A dark keeper who is hiding him and erasing all traces of his passing."

"But why?" Jack asked. "Why here? Doesn't it seem reckless for a direwolf to return to the same hunting grounds again and again? Also, why would the dark keeper risk them being caught? Surely they know about our presence by now, especially if they're keeping the direwolf hidden from us. What are they playing at?"

"I have my suspicions," Ino said slowly, "but nothing I can confirm." Sighing, she rose slowly to her feet. "It is late, but this cannot be put off. Let us go," she said, stating it as a gentle order.

"Where?" Jessica asked.

"To the sanctuary," as the elder's answer...

*****

They all arrived at the secluded woodland sanctuary that was reserved for the use of the wolves, and the pack stared into the dark foliage with trepidation until headlights heralded the arrival of a forest green Jeep Cherokee that skidded recklessly to a sudden stop, as though the driver had been drag racing. Out of it piled four people, all but the driver looking rather pale and uncomfortable, and Ben was forced to blink in confusion at the assortment of humans, as his nose told him their species. They looked like the four most unlikely people to ever share the same car...

The man who had gotten out of the front passenger seat looked like a Vin Diesel wannabe, only nearly seven feet tall, more handsome than the actor, and built like a construction worker. He was dressed in a white t-shirt, jeans and leather jacket, his small, beady dark eyes scanning the woods like a laser beam.

The second was a thin, frail black woman with very dark skin, large hooded eyes, shoulder-length hair woven into dreadlocks and then bound up into a loose tail at the back of her skull and wearing a brown business suit with pants.

The third person was a man of average height and build, with short, curly dark brown hair and a thin, neatly-trimmed mustache, dressed in clothing that looked slightly off in an odd way that Ben couldn't place, as though someone had made them a bit differently from the stuff sold in stores, yet had tried to make them look like they had. He looked around with interest and smiled warmly at the group.

But it was the driver who drew one's eye. She was a young white woman who was thin, looked to be of around college age, with chest-length cotton candy pink hair done up in a pair of pig tails that stuck out the bottom of an old-fashioned army helmet covered in silver glitter, an artfully torn yellow tank top with a slew of various tacky pendants and trinkets hung on ball chains around her neck until her small, athletic bosom could barely be seen. Over that was a purple camouflage army coat, gray jeans so tight they looked like they'd been literally painted onto her body with holes in the knees, and fur-lined brown snow boots.

She pulled out a cigarillo, lit it and took a puff as she saw him staring at her, eyeing him appraisingly, then strolled over, waggling her hips suggestively like a French model on the runway and a thoughtful, calculating expression on her face. Ben saw that she had a small Hello Kitty band-aid pasted horizontally above her right eyebrow. "You know, Bub," she said in a high-toned voice that at the same time possessed an underlying gravelly quality to it as she took another puff from the cancer stick in her mouth and blew it up into the air in a dramatic fashion, "that if you keep on staring at me like that, my body's gonna hafta start charging your eyeballs rent."

Ben blinked, the girl strongly reminding him of Lori Petty's role of Rebecca in the movie Tank Girl. "Uh... Sorry," he said, realizing that he was being rude.

She laughed. "Just playin'," she added with a grin around the cigarillo as she stuck it back into her mouth after tipping off some of the ash to the ground with a flick of her fingers. "Besides, no man alive can resist the sweet candy," she said, smacking her left buttock sharply while making a sizzling sound.

"Really?' Mitchell asked with a tone of intense suffering as he walked over to join them. "Becca, could you please focus? This is serious."

The young woman scoffed. "Keep your pants, on, Pops," 'Becca' answered flippantly. "I got this."

"I'm not your father," Mitchell grumbled. "I'm only fifteen years older than you," the thirty six year-old man added.

"If this were Alerbammy," she replied in an obnoxiously thick southern drawl, "Ye'd deef-ee-neet-ly be me papi!" she added, mimicing an old prospector-type person and using exaggerated poses of the arms with her fists at hip level as she winked at him with a squint.

Mitchell stared at her with wide eyes, then closed them, as though bracing himself. "I'm not going to dignify that with a response," he said sourly.

"She's been like this all the way," the black woman said in a thick Jamaican accent, rolling her eyes.

"Guys," Mitchell said, "This is Becca, Claire," he added, nodding to the Jamaican woman, "Ryan," gesturing to the man with the mustache, "and Dylan," he finished, indicating the bald man.

"Enough introductions," Dylan said coldly in a deep baritone, his voice seeming to take effort to get going in a manner that suggested he didn't like to talk very much.

"Oi!" Ryan countered sharply and glaring at Dylan in a deeply offended manner. "Watch yer manners there, Dylan," he said in a Scottish accent so thick it was kind of hard to make out what he was saying. "These're our charges ye' be actin' rude ta'. Show a bit o' heart there, will ya'?"

"I'm here to protect them, not give them all hugs and pats on the head," Dylan grumbled, never taking his eyes off the woods. "We're wasting time. Let's go already."

"We are still waiting for the others," Ino stated firmly. "Remain here."

"You're the boss," Dylan rumbled, hating the idea of standing around idly, but clearly not wanting to disobey Ino.

A few minutes later, Berke's truck pulled up. He saw them and paused for a moment, then shut off the vehicle and stepped out, looking at Ben and his pack with resignation. "You had death dreams too, huh?" he asked. Wallace got out of the front passenger seat, looking very green, followed by a young man who looked half black and half Latino that Ben recognized as another member of his pack. The young man's demeanor was timid and he held back, refusing to look anyone else in the face.

"Yeah," Ben nodded.

"This is our omega, Samuel," he said.

"Nice to meet you," Ben said, offering his hand for the young man to shake. Samuel stared at the hand in shock, as though unable to believe anyone would find him worthy of such a simple thing as a handshake, and took the offered hand nervously, shaking it timidly before letting go. "Thank you, Alpha.... I, uh... I mean Head Alpha, Sir."

"Good, you came as quickly as I had hoped you would," Ino said. "Now for introductions. Dylan, Ryan, Claire and Becca will be the new permanent keepers assigned to this region. There are other, temporary assistants coming to aid us and they will be here in the morning. This is Ben, who is the Head Alpha of the wolves of the area, his pack and Berke, another alpha and his own pack. They are both here because members of their packs have had precognitive dreams involving their own deaths at the hands of the direwolf that has plagued our community for the last two months."

"Is it true, that you got turned by the direwolf?" Dylan asked Ben, cutting into Ino's speech, and staring at him like Ben was about to suddenly pull out a gun and start shooting wildly.

"Yes," Ben replied simply.

"I can vouch for Ben," Mitchell said firmly, "if you're questioning his stability between man and beast."

"As can I," Jack added, reacting sourly to the hostile tone of the bald keeper. "He may be more dominant and slightly more aggressive than most wolves, but he has a strong level of self control now that he meditates regularly."

"Make sure you STAY in control," Dylan said coldly, his voice full of menace.

Ben bristled, the challenge in the keeper's voice grating against his alpha ego. "That will be enough!" Ino snapped, glaring at the keeper with an expression of stern disapproval. "We did not bring you here to issue threats against members of our community!" Dylan looked unrepentant, but said no more. "We must all work together to end the threat to us all," Ino added. "Many will die if we do not act."

"What do you mean?" Berke asked. "Are you saying that it might be possible to change the outcome of the prophecy?"

"It is a premonition, not a prophecy," Ino explained, "and yes, it may be possible to avert the outcomes you have all envisioned."

Kyle looked hopeful. "Then it's possible to avoid..." he broke off, unable to continue.

"I will not allow you to die," Ino said firmly. It wasn't a wish. It wasn't a promise that she made in that moment. It was a fact... One that was as undeniable as the rising of the moon. "I will not allow you, any of you, to befall such a fate."

The wolves saw the strength of her conviction and knew that she would die herself before allowing the premonition to become reality. "Easier said, than done," Berke said.

"Which is why we must learn as much as we are able to," Ino said. "Wolves, lead us to the sight of the battle." Kyle began to whimper, trembling in terror. "You must be brave, Young One," she added softly. "The more we learn, the better our chances are of turning back death."

Kyle took a deep, steadying breath and nodded.

"I'll lead the way," Berke said softly...

And they entered the sanctuary with the keepers close behind...

*****

Ben stood on the very spot where he was to die, feeling numb. It was the single most disturbing sensation he had ever experienced in his life and part of him wanted to cry, his courage withering away to nothing in the face of his fate. *I don't want to die,* he thought, hugging himself tightly.

"Hey," Becca said, putting a hand on his shoulder and giving him a small, sympathetic smile. He hadn't seen her approach, so lost in his own thoughts he had been. "Don't be like that... We're gonna fix this, okay?"

"If you'd seen what I've seen, you wouldn't be so quick to dismiss it," the werewolf answered thickly, looking like a man on death row who had just heard the footsteps of the guards approaching his cell.

"Show me," she said softly.

"Huh?" he asked.

"I can read minds," she said with a dismissive shrug. "So show me what you dreamed," she added gently in a near whisper, bringing her hands up to touch his temples.

It was difficult, but Ben forced himself to relive the nightmare, it being so clear in his memory. He started to shy away from the sex, however, but stopped doing so when he heard her scoff. *Oh please!* she said clearly into his mind, *Watching a couple 'a hot guys make out is how I get off!* So, chuckling mentally, Ben let her have the unedited version. He played through every moment, and felt her shock and horror as together, they watched Kyle's face go slack as his severed head laid in the snow, facing Ben. Then Luke died, and lastly Ben himself as the premonition came to an end. He opened his eyes to see that she was crying. She pulled back her hands, removed her tacky glitter-covered helmet, and let it drop to the ground. Her jaw trembled and she lunged forward to hug him fiercely, glancing at Kyle and feeling sorrow over his death as if she had known him all her life. "It's NOT gonna happen!" she whispered fiercely to the alpha. "I'm not gonna let you guys die like that!"

"I don't care what happens to me," Ben whispered back, "just save them... Especially Kyle."

She hugged him even harder, nearly cracking his ribs. "I'm gonna save ALL of you! I promise!" she said fiercely. The strange girl pulled back slightly, then rested her forehead against his, radiating the inner calm and self confidence she had in spades until he felt calm and collected. "Now," she whispered, "Bring your hand up," her mouth quirking slightly, and Ben did so.

"Now what?" he asked.

"Now cup my tit and squeeze it gently-" he jerked away with horror, staring at her as she grinned. "What? It'll make us both feel better," she said matter-of-factly.

"Not me, it won't!" Ben exclaimed in shock. "I'm gay, remember?"

"Since when?" she asked, looking both shocked and offended.

"Weren't you paying attention when you read my mind?" the wolf blurted. "In the beginning of the vision when you told me not to hold anything back?"

"I thought you were joking!" she exclaimed. "You mean you REALLY enjoyed fucking Marcus like that?"

"Yes I enj-" he stopped as she grinned and finally realized that she was messing with him. "Oh you little..." he growled in annoyance, turned and stormed away.

"What!?" Becca called out after him, throwing out her hands imploringly. "A girl's gotta have hope!" She reached down to snatch up her helmet and brushed the snow off of it, then saw Claire smile at her in a knowing way. They shared a conspiratorial grin that only women who loved getting the best of men could, then plopped her helmet back onto her head and walked away, whistling the song 'Let's Do It' to herself...

The group, having learned all they could from the battle sight made their way through the woods, backtracking the path the direwolf had first come from, according to the vision Samuel had had, the wolf trembling until Ken came forward and comforted him with a hug, knowing the omega was so submissive he could only truly act like an equal to another omega.

They tracked the creature as far as they could safely guess, then made their plans. Once they were done, the large group made their way back as snow began to fall, filling in their tracks as the scryers had foreseen. On the way back, Becca saw that the wolves were still solemn. "Hey guys," she said cheerfully, walking backwards in front of them. "There's nothing to be scared of... To quote the greatest movie ever to be made, 'You just gotta think of it like the first time you got laid'..." She turned to Mitchell and looked at him with Bambi eyes. "You just gotta go 'Daddy, are you sure this is right?'"

The wolves all reacted with shock, then began to laugh; but Mitchell was far from amused. "WHAT?!?!" he blurted loudly in shock. "THAT'S NOT FUNNY, YOUNG LADY! I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW I'M HAPPILY MARRIED AND I'D NEVER BETRAY MY WIFE! FURTHERMORE, IF I -WAS- YOUR FATHER-"

"Hey!" Becca said, throwing up her hands. "Chill out, Pops! It's just a joke from a movie!"

"Well it's not funny, at least not to me! And I'm NOT your 'pop'!" Mitchell replied, clearly offended by the incest joke.

"Fine!" she said, rolling her eyes and turning away from him. "Be a killjoy!" She put her hands behind her head, did a Rockette-style kick with her right leg, and continued to walk along, sighing in exasperation at Mitchell's prudishness.

Ryan sighed in disgust. "Bloody li'l trouble-maker," he muttered, shaking his head sadly...

They made their way back to the entrance to the sanctuary, the snow beginning to fall in earnest, and went their separate ways, Jack and Jessica squeezing all the guys into Jack's SUV...

On the way home, Ben realized that he felt much calmer than before. His flight instinct was withdrawing, thanks to Becca's efforts, and as he began to calm down, his fear became controllable. The more his fear faded, the more his self-confidence returned. He was still afraid, but now the fear no longer had him wanting to grab everything they pack could carry and flee the state in terror.

Ben started, in fact, to feel a little ashamed of himself. *Fine example of a Head Alpha I'm being,* he thought sourly to himself. It helped knowing that so many people were there to help keep him and his pack safe. Ben was afraid to die, true, but wanted his pack to die even less.

*All we can do is adapt as best we can... I sure hope it'll be enough...*

*****

The four new keepers would be sharing a house that Ino had procured for their use, so they made their way there, letting themselves in and removing their coats. "So," Dylan asked Becca. "What did you learn from that dire alpha?"

"He's not a direwolf," Becca said in a 'you should know better' tone, "but he showed me his version of the premonition."

"How bad is it?" Dylan asked, frowning. "That guy seems tough as nails to look at him, but he also seemed pretty traumatized by it."

"Everyone come here," the young woman said, and the other two keepers joined them.

Dylan made a growling sound in the back of his throat. "You know I hate this shit, right?"

"Relax," Becca scoffed. "I'll be sending only. Besides, we all know about your past."

They joined hands, and immersed themselves in the vision. They all came out of it trembling. "Bloody Hell," Ryan whispered, his face pale.

Dylan sighed. "No wonder he seems so shaken up. I'd hate to meet the man who WOULDN'T be shaking in his shoes after dreaming something like that," he said, displaying a rare show of compassion.

"It's not gonna happen," Becca said firmly with a determined expression.

"Not on our watch it won't," Dylan added gravely.

"We will protect them from such a demise," Claire said softly, looking ashen from the premonition.

They all nodded, feeling the strength of their resolve.

With that, they all went to settle into their new home...

*****

It was the day of Moon Night, and Ben had taken the rest of the week off, wanting to spend as much time with his pack as possible. He's made love to all of them, one at a time, his desire to at least have one last moment of happiness with each of them driving his body to be able to perform. He laid in bed with Marcus, the only one of his wolves he had never had alone time with, and the two were holding each other close, just being together. "I love the way you smell," Ben said softly, raking his claws gently through the light brown fur of the beta's tail.

"You smell nice too," Marcus sighed. "Alpha...? Are you really going to die?" he asked sadly.

"Not if I can help it," Ben answered firmly. "I want to live. No matter what happens tonight, though, you need to be strong... Even if I die."

"But why?" he asked. "If we know it happens tonight, then why stay? Why not just leave? Aren't you scared?"

"Yes," Ben answered softly. "I'm afraid... But the more I think about it, the more I know I could never live with myself if I ran away. What kind of werewolf would I be if I just turn tail and run? What kind of alpha would I be, let alone Head Alpha? If I ran, I would be leaving everyone else in danger... I could never live that down."

"But he'll kill you! Everyone's dreamed about you all dying, everyone except me and Ken, that is."

"I think that means that the two of you live through what's coming," Ben said softly.

"How can you act so calm when you admit to being afraid? You looked so scared before!"

"I was blinded by fear, my flight instincts were controlling me... But not anymore."

"What changed?"

Ben sighed. "Knowing that I wasn't alone... That everyone is here to help me and do their best to make sure we all survive this. It helps knowing that there's a plan in place now. Also, that goofy new keeper girl seemed to help me regain my composure. I now feel confident that we can change our future."

"But how? If it's destiny, then-"

"I refuse to cave in to destiny," Ben growled. "Destiny can go fuck itself for all I care!"

Marcus saw the fire in his alpha's eyes, the one that had been masked by his former fear, and believed Ben. "I want to fight too," he said.

"Absolutely not!" Ben countered firmly. "You've barely had any training at all! There's no way you're a match for a direwolf!"

"I'm not afraid!" Marcus countered.

"And that's a big part of why you're not squaring off against it," Ben countered. "Marcus... This isn't some sport for a cheap thrill, this is literal life or death! You can't treat this like a dirt bike race or a tough ski course! That thing WILL kill you if you try to fight it, so you're not facing it.! End of discussion!" He saw that Marcus was deeply hurt by his words and softened. "You're not ready..." he added gently, stroking the beta's cheek. "It's... It's like a beginner who can barely swim trying to traverse the English Channel, or someone who doesn't even know how to drive trying to win the Grand Prix."

Marcus nodded, the sports analogies helping him to understand. "Yeah, I guess you're right... But it still sucks."

"I know... Hey..." Ben asked, changing subjects. "Tell me about yourself... I want to know everything about you."

"No," Marcus answered in a simple, yet resolute tone.

"What?" Ben asked, glaring down at him and feeling the beginnings of anger stir within him at the challenge in the beta's tone.

"If I tell you now, there won't be anything left to tell you tomorrow," he explained simply. He saw the alpha stare at him sadly. "Think of it as extra motivation for living through this. It'll give you something to look forward to."

Feeling touched as his anger faded, Ben kissed Marcus on the forehead, then pulled the beta, who had laid his head on the alpha's chest, higher up. "Mate with me," he said huskily. "I want to make love to you... Even if it's only once..." He kissed the beta with passion, Marcus moaning into the kiss. "What do you like to do?" he breathed as he pulled away slightly, his muzzle an inch from Marcus' own.

"I want to make you happy," Marcus answered.

"Okay then," Ben said softly. "Frot with me some."

"Frot?" Marcus asked, looking confused.

Ben smiled. "Without using your hands, grind your dick against mine," he instructed.

Marcus did so, their canine shafts sliding and dragging along one another. "Oh fuck..." the beta said in a whisper. "This feels so hot!"

Ben groaned in pleasure as they squirted precum from their urethras at random intervals, the combined fluids bathing their mashed together torsos and making them slick as the musky tang of all male wolf sex began to linger in the air. Ben could hear the pace of Marcus' heart rate increase as he began to pant. He leaned up to lick the underside of the beta's proto-muzzle, the younger wolf murring in pleasure with his eyes closed.

"So slippery," Marcus breathed between pants, Ben starting to pant as well. They moaned, writhing against one another for several minutes until Ben felt a swelling begin at the base of his wolfhood.

"Take my dick," Ben ordered in a soft but commanding tone. "I want to mount you, Beta."

Marcus moaned, slid up as he repositioned himself, and with a hand paw, guided the alpha's tip to his quivering sphincter, then gasped in shock as he slammed himself onto the alpha's penis in a single rough motion.

"Shit!" Ben gasped. "You sure are impatient, aren't ya, Pup?"

"Well," Marcus gasped as his body healed from the rough entry he himself had forced onto them both, his anus burning painfully for several seconds before the pain began to fade away to a dull burning sensation, "I always hate waiting for anything." With that, he began to rise and fall, growling lustily at the fiery sensation in his ass. too impatient to wait for the healing to be completed before they began to fuck.

"We can wait, you know," Ben told him, between lustful pants of pleasure. "I'm in no hurry."

"Fuck waiting!" Marcus said passionately, his eyes scrunched closed in pain. "Real mean aren't afraid of a little pain!"

The pain was far from little, as the bond told Ben, but this was the beta's choice, so he gave the pup what he wanted and started hammering the eager hole with powerful, manly thrusts of his hips. "You like it rough, huh Pup?" Ben asked, baring his fangs.

"Fuck yeah, Alpha! Pound me! Pound my ass hard!"

Ben snarled in lust and gave his beta what he wanted for several moments, then pulled Marcus off his shaft, tossed him sideways onto the beta's own portion of the bed, then straddled him from above after shoving him face down onto the bed, the beta lifting his ass eager with his tail held away. Ben drove his meat into the young wolf and resumed fucking him, the new position allowing for more powerful thrusts as he used his right hand paw to shove the side of Marcus' head down into the mattress as he mounted him fiercely, tongue lolling out the side of his proto-muzzle and eyes glazed over in lust as he felt the animalistic joy of fucking in such a manner as this.

He reached up and put his left hand paw into Marcus' left shoulder, but stopped when he realized his claws were breaking the skin. Marcus, however, reached up awkwardly with his own left hand, and used the heel of his hand to drive the claws into his flesh deeper. "Come on, Alpha!" he growled savagely, "I want to fucking feel it!"

Ben snarled in as much savagery as lust, and dug the claws in deeper until he was rewarded with a load moaning cry of bliss from the beta. "Fuck yeah!" Marcus snarled. He threw his right hand paw down and stabbed his own claws into Ben's right thigh.

"FUCK!" Ben cried out from the pleasurable pain, throwing his head back as he slammed the beta's ass like a jackhammer.

Finally, Ben tied the beta, his penis swelling to full erection. "Yeah... I fucking knotted you, Pup," he growled.

"Drag me!" Marcus cried out in euphoria. "I wanna feel it!"

Ben snarled and yanked hard, feeling a burning pain in his shaft as he literally pulled Marcus backwards across the bed using only his inflated penis, pulling him a foot backwards across the sheets.

Marcus cried out in bliss as the bedding drug along the length of his shaft, the sheets grinding against his sensitive knot, and came, drenching the mattress beneath him in yellow-white wolf spunk. Knowing that the act alone had set the lesser wolf off, Ben cried out in joy as he came, filling the beta with his alpha sperm. Finally he collapsed down on top of Marcus, panting and licking his ear tenderly between orgasmic spasms...

Feeling sated and content, they drifted off into slumber together...

*****

The pack awoke from their shared nap a few hours later, all feeling painfully aware that it might have been the last time they all shared the same bed, and started to get dressed. Ben reached into the middle drawer of his dresser and pulled out a black shirt, then stopped and stared at it. It was the shirt he had worn in the dream. "No," he said coldly, then threw it aside and instead grabbed a heather gray one, which he doned. Steve saw that and changed his clothes entirely. They came out to the hallway to meet up with the others, who took one look at the two leading members of the pack and looked thoughtful. "Those aren't the clothes from the dream," Luke said softly.

"Fuck the dream," Ben stated firmly. "We'll forge our own destiny."

Luke and Kyle glanced at each other, then hurried back into the bedroom to change quickly before returning, Kyle wearing the same howling wolf t-shirt he had worn the day they had gone to Marcus' apartment. Everyone looked at one another, feeling a small thread of confidence. "Let's do this," Ben said, and led the way downstairs. "Marcus, let's all take your van."

"Yes, Alpha," Marcus said, and the packmates who'd had the dream realized that in the premonition, they'd broken into two vehicles to head to the sanctuary. Jack and Jessica grumbled about being squashed into the bench seats with Luke and Ken with Jack, and Jessica with Ben and Steve, but put up with it, understanding that the pack wanted to be together.

As they drove to the sanctuary, the sun riding low in the sky, Kyle turned from the front passenger seat to stare back at Ben in the middle seat as Marcus drove. "Alpha? Please stop closing us out. We're all scared, but if this really is our last night together as a pack, then I don't want us to feel separated from one another."

Ben looked him in the eye, nodded, and with a sigh, reached out with the power of the bond to them all. He felt their fear, love, courage and determination wash over him, and gave back to them all as well. They made the rest of the trip with each wolf drawing upon the strength of the others to bolster their own...

*****

The soundtrack to 'Peter and the Wolf' played through the speakers as Don hummed along with the tune, the wilderness blurring past the windows in the late afternoon sunlight. His stomach rumbled and he rubbed it soothingly. "Hang in there," he told himself. "Just a little while longer and we'll be at the buffet," he said, smiling at the dark joke he'd made.

Don had spent the last day and a half starving himself, wanting to have as much room in his stomach as possible for what was to come. As long as he followed the plan the old woman had given him, everything would be fine. In truth, werewolf meat wasn't half bad, once you got past the fur, that was. After all, he'd tasted it before... His mouth watered at the memory of the taste of steaming hot wolf meat in his maw and he drooled openly without shame.

The last month had been SO boring. He'd used the 'masking tones' as the old woman had called them, and kept a low profile on the outskirts of Seattle, mostly keeping to the apartment that had been provided for him, along with money for food and necessities. It had been a fairly good deal. Boring, but good. Finally, the call had come, and now he was back on his way to Bellingham for his last trail. *After this, I'll be in the big leagues!* he thought with a smile. "Just slaughter some of those dumbshit werewolves, then make a break for the opening in the barrier that would be made for him. *Easy peasy,* he thought with a smile. *And once I've past the final test, I finally start getting some real teachings... As well as finally having other people around again.*

In the end, that was the single, truly horrible thing about being a direwolf. The pain was incidental; a necessary evil for the sake of power. It was the intense loneliness that REALLY got to Don. *Soon,* he promised himself. *Just one more night of being all alone, then I'll have a real family,* he thought. Knowing he was so close to his goal that he could taste it raised the direwolf's spirits until he felt practically giddy.

He whistled along to the music in a cheerful way as he approached the woods, ignoring the continuing complaints of his empty stomach...