A/N: Thanks for all of the support and feedback! I greatly appreciate it. You guys are awesome. Here's the next chapter. R&R. Enjoy!

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Chapter Ten

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Hammer had never had so much fun before. Watching Stark scream while his blood seeped from his wounds and fell onto the floor was something he had dreamed about for a long time. The pack alpha, the Other, told them that they could do whatever they wanted with their captives, and Hammer took him up on that offer. Stane did as well, but he hit Stark where it'd count in the long run: his mind. From what the older wolf had told him, Hammer surmised that Stark was insecure beyond belief and that was just too damn good. But Stane had already laid claim to the mental torture of the billionaire, so Hammer took the next best thing. As long as he didn't kill him, Hammer could do whatever. After all, Tony and Thor were both bait to get the entire pack here, and once they arrived, the slaughter would begin. Stark might be damaged goods at this point, but his alpha would still come for him.

It would all work out in the end regardless. The hideous scars on Stark's body would be a very vague reflection of the inner turmoil Stane would create in his mind. Although Hammer didn't care all that much for Stane, their combined hatred of Stark brought them together when it counted. As long as they didn't kill them yet, their alpha didn't care what they did to their prisoners.

Red had been laying it into Loki as well. That scrawny, pathetic weakling was nothing compared to his mate, Thor, but the Other needed him to get to one of the strongest members of Stark's pack. Now that they had him, they'd be considerably weaker. Even if Thor managed to break free, he'd never leave Loki or Stark behind, and with Stark is such a sorry state, moving him too far might cause his premature death. Hammer half considered letting Thor loose just for that to happen, but his alpha would have his head faster than he could blink. Anyway, Hammer figured that Loki was pretty much out of the pack and that meant that he was fair game. Assuming, of course, that Red didn't fuck him up too bad.

As Hammer ascended the stairs leading out of the basement area, he heard the Other begin to laugh. Quickening his pace, he made it into the kitchen and slowed down. Even after being in the pack for a few months, Hammer still wasn't used to seeing his alpha. More often than not, he kept to himself, away from the others, and usually gave his orders to Red or Stane. On the few occasions that Hammer was in the alpha's presence, he usually tried not to look at him or do anything to anger him. The larger wolf exuded power and strength and Hammer was no fool. Enticing the Other's anger was the same as being handed a death sentence, only a lot worse. Hammer, along with the rest of the pack, had seen proof of that himself.

Closing the basement door behind him, Hammer quickly scanned the room. Emil was lounging in a kitchen chair. The slender wolf tried not to sneer at him. He never did care for Emil too much; his attitude made him obnoxious and annoying to Hammer. Stane was standing next to the alpha, watching him with carefully guarded eyes. They may not have gotten along too well, but Hammer had to give Stane credit for being able to stand so close to the Other. His presence was too much for Hammer to get too close without feeling the need to fidget and move. Through a nearby window, Hammer could see Red standing outside, tilting his head. Aside from their alpha, Red had the best hearing and could hear anything for miles around. Apparently, whatever had been picked up was making the Other laughing, which was both a good and bad thing.

"They're almost here and they've brought friends. This should be entertaining." The Other turned to Hammer, those dark, inhuman eyes boring into his own, making his skin crawl.

"Until it's time, you're to stay here and keep them contained." Hammer almost sneered and rolled his eyes, but he stopped himself. Pissing the alpha off wasn't the best idea, not right now when his plan was starting to come together. Still, he couldn't help but say something.

"And what if one of them breaks free?" The Other smirked at him and Hammer's felt all of the hairs on his body bristle and stand up. He shifted slightly, but didn't back down. After all, it was quite possible that Thor could break free. And if he broke free, then Loki would be released from his shackles as well. Of course, Hammer was prepared for that, but the alpha's word was law and he hated the possibility of feeling a small tinge of guilt rise up within him. If something were to happen to his clothes, he'd be crushed.

"If one of them breaks free, then you'd best die trying to keep them from getting out. Because if they escape, then everything that I've planned and worked for will be ruined, and if that happens, then I will spread your innards across the county and maim your body in such a manner that not even the crows would pick at your remains." That was all that Hammer needed to hear. It was simple, really; keep those three locked up or die. He could handle that.

…

At about half way to the cottage, Natasha broke off from the rest of the pack. She wasn't alone, though; Coulson and Hill followed her as fast as their humans legs could keep up. It was Bruce's idea that she go and infiltrate the cottage first, accompanied by the two Hunters. Not because she was a female or believed to be weak; that wasn't it. Natasha had a history of espionage and would be able to get into the basement area and, hopefully, get Tony and Thor out before things got too out of hand. With Coulson and Hill with her, getting Tony and Thor to safety wouldn't be a problem. The problem was the pack.

Natasha knew for certain that Obadiah Stane was part of it and, judging by what Pepper had told her, it was a possibility that Justin Hammer was as well. Their hatred of Tony would bring them together and, more likely than not, Natasha figured that those two were the ones who took him in the first place. How many other pack members there were and how strong they were, she didn't know. But her pack could handle them. They'd have to handle them.

Through the trees and brush, Natasha could start to make out the cottage. It was as large as Jarvis had described; not nearly as large as the mansion, but still pretty big for a cottage. Slowing down, she crouched down on her belly and crawled forward, being careful not to make a lot of noise. Coulson and Hill had slowed down as well and were quietly walking on the melting snow. Around her, Natasha could hear the others closing in. She could practically picture it in her mind: the pack breaking through into the clearing in front of the cottage; a moment's reprieve; then, the sounds of thundering paws as the first wolf makes his mark.

Opening her eyes, Natasha could vividly hear the fighting going on out front. It was just one, Stane most likely, but Steve, Bruce, and Clint would have a rough time taking him out. Even Fury would have difficultly trying to hit him; if the others were fighting Stane, they could get hit with a silver bullet instead. Another wolf joined the fight, probably taking out Steve or Bruce, since they were larger wolves than Clint was, although size had nothing to do with strength. When a third wolf joined into the fray, Natasha made her move. With great agility and care, Natasha dashed towards the back porch of the cottage and turned back into a human. She was so focused on her objective that she barely had time to avoid the large, reddish-brown wolf heading towards her.

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Steve wanted everything to be over and done with, nice and clean, with little to no hassle. God, apparently, had been the only one who didn't get that memo. The cottage was right there before his eyes, Thor and Tony were right there, and yet, he couldn't get to them.

From out of nowhere, a large, white wolf came barreling towards them. Teeth bared and snarling, he took both Bruce and Clint down at the same time. Steve turned towards him and charged, regardless of the fact that Fury was there. An attack had been made on his pack, so, as Fury had pointed out, it was fair game. Throwing his entire weight into it, Steve tackled the wolf, whom he managed to knock off of Clint and Bruce. His brain finally kicked in and Steve realized that the white wolf before him must be Obadiah Stane, the same werewolf who had hurt Tony and Pepper in more ways than one. With his anger renewed and at its boiling point, Steve met Stane's attacks head on and even managed to get a few of his own in.

He was so wrapped up in keeping Stane preoccupied that Steve almost failed to notice the second wolf enter the fight. Taking his eyes off of Stane, Steve watched as a brown and black wolf snarled at Bruce before it attacked him with enough force to pull Bruce a good distance away from Steve and Stane. Steve was able to see Clint start for Bruce and his opponent before Stane caught him off guard. The white wolf's jaws grabbed at his throat, sending pain throughout his body and causing Steve to howl. Forcing his mind to concentrate on Stane, Steve tried desperately to shake him off, his head going every which way imaginable in an attempt to break free.

After a few seconds of struggling, Steve's efforts paid off. Breaking free from Stane's grasp, Steve crouched down, teeth bared, and watched as Stane rose up to attack him again. But the younger wolf was waiting for it and he sprang up and bit as hard as he could into the soft underbelly of the white wolf. Stane yelped and Steve released him. He watched in amusement as his opponent shook himself, his white fur bristling and standing on edge. Steve would have watched longer if he could have afforded the luxury, but he couldn't. Luxury wasn't something he could afford at that moment in time, even though Bruce and Clint were taking care of the other wolf while Steve took care of Stane.

Mentally shaking himself, Steve charged at Stane, teeth bared and snarling at the more experienced werewolf. With Stane still sore from the bite to his belly, Steve managed to gain the upper hand and began to overpower him. He snarled and growled and bit and grabbed at Stane as much as he could and for as long as he could, which was a pretty long time. Steve was younger and stronger than Stane and could keep up his assault more than the elder wolf could. His teeth clamped down on Stane's muzzle hard, using all of his jaw strength to keep a tight, iron hold on it. Stane whined and tried to break free from Steve's grasp, but that wasn't going to happen, even as the white wolf buckled and struggled.

"Move, Rogers! I need the shot! Move, damn it!" Fury's voice only registered vaguely and it took Steve a moment for his words to register. A loud yelp and a series of guns shots made him break his hold and Steve stepped back away from Stane. Another gunshot resounded and Stane's body fell onto the mess of snow, leaves, and dirt. Looking over at Fury, Steve watched as the Hunter cocked an eyebrow at him.

"Got caught up in the moment, huh?" Had Steve been a human, he would have grinned, but he had no time to do so. Fury raised his gun again, preparing to fire off another shot, when the front door of the cottage burst opened. Steve's head whipped around just in time to watch as the largest wolf he's ever seen ran towards him, his dark grey fur reflecting a slightly purple tint.

Steve had just enough time to crouch down, hoping to grab at the wolf's stomach, before a set of large jaws grabbed at his fur roughly. A roaring howl escaped his mouth as the pack's alpha dragged him down and rammed him into the snow covered ground. Not even Stane's bites had hurt that much, but Stane wasn't the alpha and hadn't been as strong as Steve. The wolf that he was fighting right now was stronger than Steve and was determined to bring him down. Steve could see it in those black eyes that his opponent had resolved to kill him through whatever means necessary and Steve wasn't going to let that happen. Fury's shouts and the fight going on between Bruce, Clint, and the other wolf drowned out as all of Steve's focus shifted to not being killed.

…

Bruce had a feeling that he'd be fighting Emil eventually. The man had a seriously disturbing obsession with power, power that he seemed to believe that Bruce had, and he wanted it. Well, whatever he had done between the time that Bruce had left his old pack and now had worked; Emil was definitely stronger than he had been a few years before.

Emil's attack had caught him by surprise and Bruce had to use all of his knowledge of self defense just to stay alive and on his feet. Clint's assistance had helped him tremendously, but Emil was more than capable of taking them both on at once and had been able to fend them both off with little to no hassle. With Steve's fight with Stane coming to an end, thanks in large part to Fury and his Hunter prowess, Emil became slightly distracted. Bruce would have too if he had doubted Steve's capability of taking care of himself. When Stane's dead body fell to the ground, time slowed for a fraction of a second.

Steve was standing tall and victorious. Fury looked vaguely relieved. Emil's eyes were glaring at his fallen pack mate. And Clint and Bruce were distracted by the laughter reminiscing from the cottage. That split second was all that Emil needed, though. He barreled into Clint hard enough that the smaller wolf was propelled into a tree, breaking it clean through. Just as the cottage door burst open, Bruce launched himself at Emil, his anger overwhelming him at the fact that his mate had, more than likely, been injured badly. As Bruce grappled and fought with the brown and black wolf, his rage and anger continued to build up.

Snarling loudly, he forced Emil back, his teeth landing blows and bites hard enough that it forced his opponent into a submissive position. Submitting to him would have been enough had Emil not done what he did to Clint, but Bruce couldn't think of anything besides hurting Emil very, very badly. His teeth tore out chunks of fur and left bleeding, gaping wounds on Emil's sides, neck, and head. Fury's shouts and Steve's own cries of pain were drowned out as Bruce lost himself completely in the fight. He was pissed off beyond belief; he had no idea how hurt Clint was and he couldn't exactly leave the fight to go and check up on him. Hell, Bruce didn't even know if Clint was alive; he couldn't hear his heart beat and he couldn't feel him…

Just then, the connection that he shared with Clint, although it had wavered slightly when Clint had hit the tree, stabilized and was as strong as ever. That brought Bruce back and cleared away some of his anger and rage. It was just enough for Bruce to hear Fury.

"Hold him still! Any more of this and I won't be able to help Steve!"

Bruce's brown eyes narrowed and he latched onto Emil's throat hard enough to break the skin. Even as blood flowed into his mouth and down his jaw, Bruce tugged Emil forward and away from the cottage in order to give Fury a clear enough shot. A shot rang out and Emil's body tensed up before it sagged and fell limp. At the same time, Bruce heard Steve release a high pitched yelp of pain. Releasing Emil, Bruce turned and saw Steve fall to the ground, giving Bruce a clear shot of the grazing that the bullet gave his alpha. Another wolf, a large one, towered over Steve and was about to attack him. Growling lowly, Bruce staggered his stance and charged forward.