The moment we were inside, Gamma Harry came up to Dad to report.
I saw Dean on the ground, covered in blankets in the middle of the entry hall. Shouldn't we move him outside? Delta Simon, Flynn, and Hank were there too.
Actually, most of the boys were there. Ben, Jonah, Shannon, Tim, Drew... Standing by the main stairs, they were leaning against the banisters and walls as if trying to stay out of the way.
Gamma Harry said something about the boys having a sleepover with Flynn and Hank in the games room when Dean started his shift. He wasn't doing well; it had been twenty minutes with very little progress. They had to keep him indoors because it was too cold outside. They feared he might freeze before the shift could happen. But they were hoping they could use the thin mat under Dean as a stretcher and, with the help of the other boys, lift Dean out at the last stage of the shift.
A cracking sound and a sobbing screech made me wish someone had told me to stay at home.
I instinctively slid over to the row of guys and pressed myself into the wall between Ben and Jonah, where they made space for me.
"Was it that bad when your sister shifted?" Jonah asked me.
I shrugged. "I dunno."
I winced when Dean started sobbing desperately. It was a sobbing, wailing, gasping, hiccupping kind of thing I'd never heard before. I heard Delta Simon tell him, "Breathe, Dean. Don't cry like that. You need to reserve your strength."
"Will he pull through?" Jonah asked.
No one answered him.
I didn't remember Savy crying this badly, but I was outside on the porch when it happened.
Mum had joined the small circle around Dean; she had her hand on his shoulder. I knew she was helping him get through it.
I leaned my head back and closed my eyes to block out the sounds, even though they were getting calmer now. Less wailing, just a lot of sobbing. The kind that came with fat, rolling tears and a lot of mucus... which my werewolf senses could smell, along with his wild fear and crazed panic. I didn't smell blood yet, either. I wanted it to just stop already.
Someone stroked a lock of my hair. I opened my eyes; it was Shannon. He was standing in front of me but, for some reason, looked taller than before. He was standing too close. I growled and would've kicked him where it hurt, but Jonah shoved him back just a step.
"She's fine, Shannon," Ben spoke from next to me. He pushed himself up lazily from against the wall but squared up against Shannon in a way that I knew was meant to intimidate.
Wow, they've been growing up. Since when were any of them this tall? They were all taller than me now, just an inch or two. Jonah maybe an extra inch more... Why hadn't I noticed earlier?
"Back off, Ben," Shannon said. "She should go home."
"Don't. Tell. Her. What. To. Do." Ben growled.
Jonah hoisted Shannon back by the scruff of his collar. "And don't touch the Alpha."
Shannon's eyes widened. He lifted his hands up. "Okay, okay, sheesh, what the hell is happening, Sam?"
I shrugged. Honestly, I had no idea either. But this was Shannon. From the day we met, I knew we were made to be friends for life.
Dean let out another cry. It almost sounded like a howl, a dying-from-something-horrible kind.
"Dammit, Omega, just hurry up and shift or die." It was Tim. For some reason, his eyes were black with anger.
"Okay, cool it, Tim." That was Drew. He looked calm, but there was an edge in his tone. I suppose that was natural, since Tim did tell his brother to hurry up and die. Seeing them like this, Drew might even be taller than Jonah.
Jonah stalked over to growl Tim down.
Nope, Jonah was still taller.
And what's with my Beta and Gamma tonight?
Shannon parked himself where Jonah had been, leaning against the wall next to me. We were shoulder to shoulder. "Our Beta and Gamma have been putting us in our places. Since yesterday morning, they've been sh****** dominance at us. It's such a pain."
"You guys are growing up," I realized. They were establishing their social hierarchy.
"Don't worry. I might not be Beta or Gamma, but I won't be far behind. I'll always have your back," Shannon promised me.
"I know. You're always watching out for me." Then I teased him. "As long as you don't meet your own reflection."
"Lol," Shannon said. He was smiling. "No one understands me like you, Princess."
"Not you too!" I groaned. The Princess Plague was spreading.
"What? I just wanted to try it." Shannon grinned, then he added, "It suits you."
The front door burst open before I could sock him, and Dean's family was there. Dean's mum took one look at her son's huddled form and went into hysterics. His dad had to lead her away to another room to calm her.
Darlyn looked scared and alone. Her slight form, pale skin, and wide eyes like a fawn caught in a bad place. I smiled. "Hi, Darlyn. Come sit with us." Then I led Darlyn to sit on the side of the main steps.
Shannon and Drew followed.
"Is... is my brother okay?" Darlyn asked.
"Yeah, don't worry." I was surprised at how confident I sounded. I even convinced myself as I spoke. "It sounds worse than it actually is."
"Yeah, 'cause he's a weak s*** omega," Tim told her from behind the banister.
Drew growled. "Don't talk about my brother that way."
He stood up to grab Tim by the collar.
I stood up on the step and said over the banister, "Cut it out."
Jonah and Ben were on it. They pulled Drew and Tim apart. Everyone was growling, even Shannon, who had put Darlyn on the other side of himself to shield her from the hostile atmosphere.
Suddenly I realized that it was hard for all of us to watch Dean suffer. We were all on edge.
Hank came over. He was radiating Trainer Hank mode. "If you guys don't line up and shut it, get out."
The guys immediately dropped back to where I had first found them against the wall.
Guys, seeing you are all warrior material, meet your future warrior captain. Hahaha.
Then Hank turned to me. Ah, right. I should have controlled them better. My bad.
But he only nodded and poofed back into regular, gentle Hank. "Can I get you anything?"
I shook my head wordlessly, in shock.
Hank gave a quick nod and stepped away, returning to help Delta Simon with Dean. Dean was thrashing now, and they were trying to hold him down so he wouldn't hurt himself. My mum had been moved to the side by Dad. Dean was so bad that he might hurt her.
I think I must be dreaming. That's right. I probably fell asleep and was dreaming all this... Dad carrying me across the snow... I should have known.
I looked at the row of guys. Such a real dream.
There was a small tug on my sleeve. "Please help my brother." Darlyn looked at me, her wide eyes filling quickly with unshed tears.
"Yeah, okay." Since this was just a dream, I supposed it wasn't a big deal. In my dreams, I could do anything.
{You're not dreaming.}
Shut up, Wolfie. Dreams always say that.
I walked up to Dean, and just like it would happen in a dream, Flynn and Hank actually parted to let me through.
Delta Simon looked surprised. Perhaps he wasn't aware this was just a dream.
"Sam, I don't think you should come so close. It's dangerous."
Or maybe he was just acting his part in the dream. Just like Mum and Dad, who were just standing there watching but not stopping me. If it were dangerous, shouldn't someone stop me?
"Hey, Dean, hurry up and shift already," I growled.
"It hurts! It hurts, Sam!" he whimpered.
"Don't fight it. Just let it shift," I told him.
{His wolf can't come out.}
"Hey, think about your beautiful mate with the beautiful voice. You haven't played your guitar with her yet." I tried coaxing.
Dean only shook his tear-stained face at me. "I can't."
The rest of him was wrapped up in heavy blankets... and fear. No smell of blood at all, just fear. I'm beginning to think the faster he shifts, the better.
"Dean, shift," I said in a firm Alpha command.
F*** it, shift.
And then I smelled it—blood. And a scream, like someone should record it for a horror film. My ears rang.
"Grab the mat, better take him out!" Delta Simon might have yelled, but I barely heard it over the ringing.
I felt the other guys shove themselves around the mat, and I instinctively grabbed hold of a good handful of it.
"Let's go," I said. The mat went taut, and we were headed out the front door.
Outside, it was still snowing. The snow melted through my fluffy socks. Blood was dripping out of the bundle we were hoisting. Bright scarlet on the pure white snow in the light of the crescent moon. It wasn't heavy at all, and I realized that between all the muscle-bound freaks... they were really growing up. Or perhaps in dreams, even heavy things felt light. We dropped the bundle gently onto the snow, but the blood soaked through. Aw man, my socks. My favorite pair of fluffy socks.
I'm glad this was just a dream. I stepped back, making sure to stand on clean snow, and pulled them off. The ground was icy and cold between my toes, but it felt nice too.
"Sam, it's cold, go—" Shannon stopped at Ben's growl. "Perhaps the Princess might be less cold in the house," he amended.
I laughed out loud at that.
"Hey," Drew interrupted, "is it normal that he isn't moving?"
Delta Simon caught up to us then. Hank and Flynn were pulling back the blankets. The other adults had come over by now.
Mum and Dad took one look at my bare feet. I simply raised my arms to Dad and grinned. He sighed and hoisted me up on his back.
Oh, my heart remembered this too. Riding on my dad's strong back. I wonder when we stopped doing this?
"It feels like just yesterday when you were still a pup, and I carried you while I made my rounds, just like this." Dad's breath made white puffs in the night air. He was remembering too.
They finally uncovered Dean to find a little brown wolf curled up, unconscious.
"He's sleeping," Delta Simon said, relieved.
Dean's wolf was small, about the size of a large dog. Dark brown with light brown patches.
"No wonder it was so light," Jonah blurted out.
"You thought your workouts were paying off big time, huh?" Flynn teased.
There was general laughter at Jonah's expense.
Drew, his face smiling, had tears in his eyes. He had an arm around his sister, who was shedding silent tears of relief.
The atmosphere felt lighter now, like the white snow falling around us. Dean was okay.
"Thank you, Sam." Darlyn came over after a little while. Then she quickly bowed her head at my dad, whom I was still riding, and retreated back to her brothers' side.
Her parents came out of the pack house then. Dean's mum had cried until her face was red. She sat on the mat, stroking her wolf son, still crying loudly. No one tried to soothe her. It was okay. But Dean, he didn't even stir—that guy.
His family hovered over him. Was he going to get up and run yet? Who would run with him?
Delta Simon was removing the IV drip tube from the back of his paw and doing the final check.
And then Darlyn screamed. The other guys burst into loud, raucous laughter. I heard Tim chuckling. "An omega is an omega in every way."
What? I couldn't see.
"Oh my." Mum could. She had looked and quickly turned away. Blankets were quickly piled up on Dean.
"He shifted back to human form," Dad mumbled to me.
Oh.
The guys were down, hoisting the mat with Dean on it back into the pack house. I guess there would be no run tonight.
Dad walked Mum and me back home. I fell asleep on Dad's warm back. I didn't even remember reaching our front door.
As far as dreams went, I guess this was a happy one.
It made me remember my dad's strong, warm back—and not just my dad's anymore. Everyone was getting stronger. Even Dean had shifted. Our generation was young and strong. Our pack was going to be okay.