Regina sighed, looking around at the dark forest. Next to her, tied back to back with magical rope were Benjamin and Spencer. She crossed her arms, pacing back and forth. There was no moon tonight, only gloom and darkness. Tonight was not going to be a good night. "Dark Wolf." She said slowly, continuing to pace while boldly scanning the darkness for the black ghost of her beloved. "We need to talk, my dear. Come out, it's not a trap."
"It wouldn't matter...if it was." Came the deep growl as the Dark Wolf stepped out of the trees. The blackness in its skin was gone and it almost looked like Ruby in her normal state, but there was something off about it. "What do you want?" It looked at the tied up boys. "What is this?"
"My gift." Regina smiled. "To my mate."
The Wolf growled. "You are a weakness, and this is obviously a trick."
"I know, but I can be your strength if you let me. And no, this isn't a trick." Regina said. "Let me explain. Ruby would've never gotten the courage to even talk to me had it not been for your strength and your power. Without you...She is weak. She is nothing. I fell in love with the Dark Wolf and we have a child together that we can raise to be strong. The three of us will never be weak."
The Wolf circled her like a cornered piece of prey but she didn't flinch, only lifted her chin and met its gaze whenever she could, holding it defiantly. "I would've been more impressed if you had brought me Ruby."
"She's the alpha and still a bit tired from fighting you. No one was going to let her go anywhere. I barely managed to sneak away myself." Regina scoffed.
"I don't trust you." The Dark Wolf said. "But...Power is meant to be displayed. Come. Blindfold the children and bring them to my den."
"They won't remember."
"I don't care." It snapped. "I know one has an eidetic memory and I don't need them running back to the others until my work is complete."
"Benjamin is the one with the eidetic memory." Regina informed it, wondering why it remembered certain facts about the kids but not which kids it applied to. She magically blindfolded him and pulled them both to their feet. The Dark Wolf was glaring at her. "You can trust me."
"We'll see."
Regina swallowed as she lead the kids after the dark entity. Spencer was actually the one with the impeccable memory. He would be able to find his way back to the den easily. Both of them were shaking. "It'll be alright." She assured them softly. "We won't destroy you just yet."
"You traitor!" Benjamin hissed, trying to break away from her grip, but she held fast. "We're gonna tell."
"I'll erase your memories long before then." Regina scoffed.
"How could you do this to Ruby?" Spencer asked. "She loves you."
Regina scowled. "She's weak. I need a strong mate. Besides, it was the Dark Wolf that I mated with, not that pathetic excuse for a werewolf." Ahead, the Dark Wolf let out a hum of approval at her words. Hubris. A wolf's greatest weakness. It could be used to her advantage. This entire plan was making her nervous. Of course she didn't mean a word of it. Ruby was her one and only love, but she needed the Dark Wolf to believe otherwise, that Regina was betraying her friends and family.
The walk to the den was long and rather annoying. The Dark Wolf doubled back several times and lead them on winding and crazy paths and turns, all in attempt to confuse them so they wouldn't know the way to the den if they managed to make it back out again. The den itself looked like any other cave on the outside. On the inside it was vastly different. A great pool of bright water dominated the interior with stolen herbs and potions lining the walls. Within the water were thousands of daggers. Dark One daggers with no name on it. The Dark Wolf conjured the original dagger and tossed it into the water. Regina was about to make a mental note of where it landed but the water started swirling, mixing and tossing the daggers around, hiding the real one. Great. "How do you want me to prove my loyalty to you?" Regina asked. "I can be your spy." She suggested, following the Wolf. "I can keep you informed and make sure no one gets close to...whatever it is you're planning." She looked around, taking notice of as much as she could. "What are you planning by the way?"
The Dark Wolf turned to face her, slowly looking her up and down with dark, curious eyes. "Bring my son to me tomorrow."
"Our son." She corrected.
"Fine, our son. Bring him. The three of you may go."
"That's it?"
"That's it." The Wolf turned to leave but paused and turned back around. "Also, you are not to lay with Ruby Lucas until the next full moon. And you are to erase the child's memories of this night."
"No sex for a month?" Regina said in disbelief. "Ruby is going to start speculating if I avoid her for a month. The point is to play both sides of the field, yes?"
The Dark Wolf whipped around and grabbed her by the throat, lifting her off the ground. It didn't squeeze her as expected, simply held her there suspended. "I don't trust you, Evil Queen. If you are going to be mine then you cannot sleep with any other wolf. Do you understand?"
"Yes." Regina growled, scowling deeply. "But if you want my assistance, you're going to have to understand something."
"Oh? What's that?"
Regina blasted the wolf backwards with a powerful burst of light magic. "Don't ever put your hands on me." That only made the Dark Wolf laugh as it picked itself back up, the blackness starting to creep across its skin again. "We have a deal?"
It chuckled. "For now." The next thing Regina knew, she and the boys were outside the barrier of their territory.
"You two okay?" She asked, quickly untying them and taking off Benjamin's blindfold. They nodded and she teleported to the den where the pack was waiting worriedly for them. Regina told them everything and Spencer, the one with the actual eidetic memory, was able to point out exactly where the den was located on a map.
"We'll never be able to find the dagger, even if I do pretend to like the Dark Wolf." Regina sighed. "It'll never trust me."
"We just need you to keep it busy until we can find a way to destroy it." Zelena said.
Regina closed her eyes and felt warm arms wrap around her. Ruby kissed her neck and she leaned into her mate's embrace. "What are we gonna do?"
"We're going to win." Jack announced loudly, attracting everyone's attention. "You guys have fought off ogres and witches and armies...What's a little bit of darkness going to do?"
Regina smiled. "First step is done. Time for the next. Ready kids?"
"Yeah!" They each yelled in unison.
"Head to bed. We start at dawn."
After they had said their goodnights Regina and Ruby retired to their room. "Did she hurt you?" Ruby asked in concern.
"No. I'm fine." Regina sighed, laying on the bed. "If we can get the Dark Wolf to let down its guard, maybe get it away from the den and distract it for a while, then the kids can get a hold of the dagger." She scowled as she rattled off ideas. "But then we would need to find a way to banish the darkness forever. Maybe bind it to something that can't cause any harm and send it to another world." Regina quickly crawled across the bed and grabbed a piece of paper and pen to quickly write that down.
Ruby sat down in the edge of the bed. "This is my fault. I should've just-"
"Darkness is seductive, Ruby. Power is seductive. It doesn't matter how strong you think you are. We all have been seduced by it." Regina said quickly, going back to give her a kiss. "Come on, I need us to be a team. One of us can't be doubting themselves." Ruby slowly nodded and turned around, pushing Regina onto her back. "Wait! We can't. I promised the Dark Wolf."
Ruby's eyes lit up bright gold. "We're having sex, Regina. I don't care about what that thing wants. You are mine."
"Ruby, in order for the plan to work-" Regina began but quickly paused when Ruby growled.
"Regina."
"Yes?" She whispered nervously.
"Grab the headboard."
"O-okay." Regina rolled onto her back and reached over her head to grab the headboard.
"Hold on tight." Ruby said. Regina swallowed. "You are my mate, Regina. Nothing is going to stop me from reaffirming that bond. Certainly not the Dark Wolf. Do you understand that?"
"Yes."
"Good. Be prepared to not get an ounce of sleep tonight."
Regina swallowed again. Gods give me strength.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Henry looked around the nervous town as he walked to the park to meet his grandparents. School was canceled until the mayor decreed the state of emergency over. That left him free to do as he pleased for the day. Laughing alerted him to a group of girls just ahead. He didn't even need to hear their conversation to know what they were talking. Jack Mills, the heroic mutt who saved the day yesterday. Said mutt was just walking down the street now with Marie, the blonde and blue eyed beauty who threatened to burn one of the teachers alive yesterday. Henry scowled, watching Jack steal a pair of sunglasses off a stand and shift into his wolf form. At this point he was about the size of a Great Dane and his fur looked black until it hit the light revealing that it was actually a very dark brown. He landed directly in the middle of the street and flipped on the glasses, causing cars to slam on their brakes. The young wolf obviously didn't care. He bowed and allowed a smirking Marie to cross the street before actually doing the same.
"Jack!" Roland came barrelling down the street and nearly tackled Jack in a hug. Jack responded by giving the little kid a ride on his back as he continued on his way with Marie.
Henry huffed and made his way to where his grandparents were sitting at a picnic table.
"Hey Henry." Snow smiled at once, but it was quick to fade when she noticed that he seemed upset. "Is everything alright?"
"Just fine." He sighed, sitting down.
"Is Emma okay?"
He nodded. Despite his mother's job she always made time for him as best as she could.
"How goes the monster hunt?" David asked.
"Mom's leaving everything to the pack. We're heroes, we're supposed to be helping." Henry said. It was all their fault anyway. They wouldn't be dealing with an evil monster if it weren't for the pack.
"There isn't much we can do, Henry." His grandfather said. "Besides being as supportive as possible. We don't have the power anymore."
"You could run for mayor this year. You were a good king."
"I highly doubt I'll win, and besides, Emma is a good mayor."
Henry scowled. It was true that Emma was good at leading the town, but he didn't think there should ever be a time when the heroes are out of power and unable to do their jobs, which was being a hero. Their attention was drawn by Lily, Mulan and Maleficent walking with Kathryn, Aurora and Dorothy. The six were deep in conversation and the three non pack members seemed a little nervous.
"You'll do fine." Maleficent said. "Come to the border tonight when the moon is full and we'll take you across."
"You sure we're cut out for something for this?" Aurora asked.
Mulan nodded to her. "Philip isn't here, and i did promise to take care of you in his absence. The pack can be perfect for you all."
Henry scowled again. They were expanding, trying to convince everyone to join their stupid little pack. "Do you guys see this?"
"We do." David said, just as displeased. "I think we should call a council." He looked at Snow. "Right now."
/
"What the hell is this?" Emma demanded as she walked into her office, finding it full of people.
"We want a council." Her father said, standing in the middle of the room.
"I could have all of you locked up for trespassing." Emma hissed, striding forward and shooing people away from her desk. "Get out, all of you. I'll speak to a representative if that will get you out even faster." All of them shuffled out, leaving none but her parents and sons. "What is this about?"
"The pack is looking at new members. We overheard them in the park today." Henry answered.
Emma fixed him with a stern look. "Define overheard."
"We really did. I promise."
The blonde crossed her arms and leaned against her desk. "What does this have to do with me or you?"
"They're growing stronger." David said. "Getting bigger. I think you should stop it. People are on edge. Not only that, but they unleash a monster on the town and don't receive some sort of-"
"Punishment." Henry interrupted.
"I was going to say penalty...Or penance. I get they're your friends and you love Lily, but a good ruler would not let this stand."
Emma slowly nodded. "I'm not a ruler, Dad. I'm a mayor. And people are always going to be afraid of anything they do. If people want to join the wolf pack, then fine by me. Let them get their happiness wherever they can find it. You don't make the decisions anymore, I do, and this is not how you bring a matter to the mayor's attention. Got it?"
"That's it?" Henry exclaimed in disbelief.
"Henry, enough. The Dark Wolf hasn't caused any trouble since the attack at school and the pack is on the job. Everyone is armed with dragon fire and Regina has the pack patrolling 24/7. There is nothing to do. They will fix this problem and you will go home because I feel like you should be grounded."
"What?! But Mom-"
"I don't believe I stuttered, Henry." Emma watched him sulk and leave before turning to her parents. "Get out. Please."
Unbeknownst to them, Henry made his way straight to the pawn shop...To make a deal.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Across town, pouncing through a field of gold that Merida had mowed down, were the pack pups, Jack at the head as they entered the next phase of his mother's plan. 10 torches were set up in a wide circle, already lit by Marie. Aaron, Benjamin and Spencer were running back and forth, dousing the field in oil and gas. Shang was sprinkling some of Mulan's special black powder on it. Spencer and Jack had the task of covering the field in gardenias and roses to cover the scent of the explosives and flammable substances. Merida dug a couple holes and Marie went behind her placing little purple rocks in them. They looked like rocks, but were actually little magical bombs possessing enough power to level Storybrooke with the right amount. The basis of the plan was simple. Fight darkness with light. Regina and Jack would lure the Dark Wolf into the field and while they were occupied the rest of the children and some of the pack would slip away and go search for the dagger. It could work if they timed it right. If the Dark Wolf was damaged enough and maybe even killed, the dagger would melt and the rest of all that dark power would just fizzle out without something to sustain it. But everything needed to go to plan. If there were any mistakes...They could all be destroyed. Once the trap had been set, all of the wolves except Jack dispersed to their various positions.
"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Marie asked.
"I'll be fine, Rie. Mom will be here soon." He assured her.
"Don't die. Please. You can't leave me alone with these crazy people."
Jack smiled and gave her a hug. "I wouldn't dream of it. Now go before the Dark Wolf gets here." She nodded and shifted, glossy white fur almost glowing in the falling light as she took off. A few minutes later Regina arrived and hid the battlefield under a thin cloak of magic. "I hope this works, Mom."
Regina was silent. When did plans go well in Storybrooke? She turned her attention to fixing Jack's hair.
"Mom! You're messing it up." He fussed.
"You want to look good for your evil mommy, don't you?"
"Where is Mom?" He asked, referring to Ruby.
The bite marks on Regina's neck started to throb. "She's, um, having a bit of a temper tantrum. She'll be fine, I think." That was perhaps an understatement. Ruby was furious. She had originally approved the plan to try and trick the Dark Wolf into thinking that Regina was on her side, but now, Ruby was very territorial. After driving Regina insane in bed the night before, she went on a rampage scent marking her territory and furiously tearing apart parts of the forest. It wasn't a pretty sight and Regina tried to ignore it for the most part. There was far too much to be done.
A growl nearby alerted her to the arrival of the Dark Wolf. The black wolf stepped out of the shadows cast by the setting sun. Regina stepped forward, making sure she was between them and Jack put on his bravest face. "Interesting choice of venue."
"I felt it appropriate." Regina replied. "And no one will think of coming here."
"Hmm." The wolf walked forward and stopped in front of Jack, looking him up and down. "He's a scrawny thing."
"He's only 11. He'll become stronger and bigger with age and training."
"I will." Jack puffed out his chest.
The Dark Wolf let out a fond purr. "Well he is splendid. Except…" It waved a paw, dispersing the spell Regina had used to hide the trap. The scent of the flowers overpowered any of other smell and it was nearly overwhelming. "What the hell is this?"
"A gift." Jack answered timidly. "For you. I thought you'd like it."
"It's very…" It sneezed and coughed. "Powerful."
"Just like I will be in a few minutes." They all looked up as Gold stepped out of the trees, accompanied by Henry who kept his distance, but stayed close enough to listen.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Regina demanded.
"I have come for my power." Gold answered. "I will absorb this beast and reclaim what is mine. What has always been mine."
The Dark Wolf turned to face him, eyebrow arching in disdain. It shifted into its human form, scowling as it took in the sight of Rumpelstiltskin. "I don't have time for you, Has Been. You think you can defeat me? Reclaim the power of the Dark One? Perhaps win the heart of your precious Belle?" Gold scowled. "News flash. She's with Zelena, the very woman you said wasn't good enough. Not only that but they have 3 beautiful little pups together." It laughed deeply. "Do you realize how hilarious this is? I mean your ex-wife falling in love with your ex-lover that killed your son and now they have three...living their happily ever after. Oh the irony of fate."
"Oh how I will love destroying you." Gold replied with a smirk.
Regina watched the Dark Wolf charge the former Dark One. That bastard was ruining everything. The Wolf wasn't in the circle anymore. The plan wouldn't work. She magically sent a message to Zelena to bring in reinforcements. Screw Gold. They were going to destroy this thing once and for all and they were going to do it...By blowing shit up.
The pack came from all sides, Ruby leading the charge and dive-bombing the Dark Wolf. Lily, Regina, Mulan and Zelena soon joined in the fray. Belle faced off against Gold, keeping him distracted so they could incapacitate the Dark Wolf long enough to get free and set off the trap.
Jack, Aaron and Marie raced to help her, but the former Dark One was holding his ground. If he didn't move he would be caught in the blast. Belle finally decided to just let him get blown up. She turned to move out of range with the kids but Gold grabbed her arm. Not far away were Merida and Dorothy, bows at the ready to assist if necessary. Merida saw Gold grab Belle and quickly fired, hitting the man in the shoulder. Dorothy followed suit with an arrow of her own but Gold was prepared. He swung his arm, deflecting their projectiles with magic...only for it to slam into Marie's back as she and Jack tried to get out of range.
It was then that Regina gave the signal to retreat. The pack tried to disperse, leaving the Dark Wolf in the circle alone, except it grabbed Ruby and held her there, no matter how hard she fought.
The Dark Wolf looked up at Regina. "Come to me, my mate. Bring our son and let us dispense with this pathetic excuse for a wolf. Join me and I will give you something you've always wanted." It growled. "Snow White's heart."
Regina looked at Jack and waved him over, her tail wagging happily as she raced to the Dark Wolf, as fast as she could to tackle the black creature. The pack knocked over the torches and a ring of fire sprang up around them. Over head the next phase fell into play smoothly as Maleficent dove out of the clouds. Ruby grabbed Jack and threw him out of range and she and Regina tried to make a run for it. The Dragon Queen fired a single fireball at the mowed field and the explosion that followed shook of Storybrooke to its core, unleashing a massive column of fire into the sky. It knocked everyone present off their feet. For some, the blast hit harder than the others. Regina was positive she was knocked out for a few seconds.
When the smoke cleared, Regina looked around at her pack. Many of them laying on the ground, limping or rolling to put out the flames that licked at their fur. Rage. It started to fill her very being until she felt like she could burst. Off at the edge of the forest she scowled as she changed into human form, watching the Dark Wolf, its pelt still on fire, as it raced for the safety of the forest. She walked over to Ruby and both of them bent over their son, badly burned on his arms from where he'd tried to protect his face. "It's going to be okay, Jacks. I promise." She looked at Ruby. "Lead them home, Ruby." Her mate nodded and limped over to the others, gently giving commands so they could get up and going. Regina turned to the nearby culprits. Henry was just picking himself up and Gold hadn't moved yet. "What the hell were you thinking?" She demanded. Henry looked up at her. "Answer me!"
"I was trying to help." He snapped. "I thought Gold taking the darkness back would solve everything. It was better when he was the Dark One and a monster wasn't threatening the town."
"Well thanks to you that monster is still alive and free and it will destroy us all now. Because of you."
"Regina!" Emma and the Charmings came running over, armed and ready for a battle that was now over. "Henry, are you alright?" Emma looked around at the beaten pack of wolves and turned to Regina. "What happened?"
"Your son happened. Because of him and his little desire to play the hero, the Dark Wolf is gone. It has escaped and it is going to go lick its wounds until it's healed and it's going to return and wreak havoc!" Regina glared at her former son. "We could all be dead right now."
"Hey." Emma touched her arm and she pushed the blonde away. "Regina, calm down. He was trying to help-"
"And that excuses him?!" Regina roared. "My son almost died. My mate almost died. My pack, my family was nearly obliterated trying to protect him when he was sticking his nose where it didn't belong. I nearly lost everything! Again! Because of yet another Charming spawn. He is no longer a child and he is going to have to deal with the consequences of his actions. Do you know what they are, Miss Swan? Do you even realize the position this puts us in?"
"I'll handle it, Regina." Emma hissed. "I'll take care of-"
"No, you don't get it." Regina said. "I have lost the Dark Wolf's trust. It now knows about our use of dragon fire. It will be suspicious of our every move. Every advantage that we possessed is now gone. Do you know what that means? It means that no one is safe. It means, Miss Swan, that everything that happens from here on out will be on your son's head."
"It wasn't entirely his fault." Neal defended.
"Oh you mean Gold?' Regina scoffed. "He'll get his in a second. But you…" She glanced down at Henry. "All of you stay the hell away from my family. Make sure that I do not see his face." She pointed at Henry. "For at least a month. Don't call, don't email, don't follow us. If anything else happens then you deal with it yourselves. My pack is done fighting for now." She turned around and motioned to Mal, who grabbed Gold by his foot and dragged him a few feet forward before teleporting away. Emma tried to catch Lily's eye but her girlfriend was far too concerned with her whimpering little sister. All of the pups had sustained some damage trying to help Jack and Ruby.
"Regina." Emma said, following her. "Look, I know things look bad but the worst thing we can do is get angry with each other. We need to be united-"
"Ask him what he lied about and see how genuine your son's intentions were. The intentions that nearly cost everyone I loved their lives."
"What are you talking about?"
"The Dark One doesn't make deals unless he is offered something. As far as I know Henry has nothing to give Gold. So...What did he lie about to get him on his side?" Regina raised an eyebrow as she teleported away with the rest of her family. They didn't Run that night. It was mostly silence throughout the entire mountain. Everyone was either eating or waiting to be healed of their injuries. Regina found Ruby later on sitting on top of the mountain, looking out over Storybrooke. "You okay?"
Ruby shook her head. "Nope. It could've worked. We could be done with that monster but…" She sighed. "We need a new plan."
"Not right now. The Dark Wolf was as damaged as we are. It won't attack for a while." Regina said, sitting next to her. "The kids found the dagger. Spencer lead them right to it but they set off an alarm and they ran."
"Good. I don't want any of them getting hurt for our sake."
Regina sighed and leaned her head on Ruby's shoulder. "That also means the Dark Wolf knows that we know about its den location. What's Plan B?"
"Right now, we rest and recuperate. Spend some time for ourselves and our pack. Then in maybe a week or two, we get started on finding out everything we possibly can about the dagger and the darkness."
Regina nodded. "Good plan. I'll send someone to ransack Gold's shop while he's out. Might be a clue in there."
"Good idea."
"So, we're getting new members?" Regina asked.
"Soon."
"Do you not particularly like men or what? You do have a packful of estrogen." Ruby frowned, as though just realizing that her pack was made up entirely of females, except for the children.
She eventually shrugged. "I don't have any guy friends. Plus with all these lovely women around they'll just act like asses."
"Lovely women?" Regina arched an eyebrow.
"Oh come on, Regina, you are too perfect to be getting jealous. Don't even try to go there."
"You're perfect, Ruby." Regina said sincerely, making Ruby turn to look at her. "You really are. Perfect for me." Ruby smiled and gave her a kiss. She stood up and helped Regina to her feet.
"Come on. We've deserved some rest." She turned around and crouched down. Regina laughed as she hopped onto her back and was carried into the den.
/
The pack maintained their distance from the rest of the town and the Dark Wolf didn't show its face again. They experienced two long weeks of rest and relaxation before once again going into attack mode. Throughout that time, Gold's shop was stripped from top to bottom and he was left in the middle of it, blind, bound and gagged with magical rope that would force him to get himself free. Belle gave him a parting kick between his legs for good measure. But before they start hunting for the Dark Wolf, Ruby wanted to welcome the newest members of the Mills-Lucas pack.
During the full moon they gathered at the lagoon and Ruby smiled as Dorothy, Kathryn and Aurora came forward. "Tonight we welcome three new members to the pack." Ruby said with a grin to get them to stop being so nervous. "Separated from their families, lost without a true home, they decided to find one, as we all did. Well, welcome." She hugged Dorothy who looked almost shocked. "What, did you expect some big ceremony or something. Ha, too much work. We're pretty lazy around here if you haven't noticed." The rest of the pack got up to welcome them as well before stepping back. Regina stepped up to Aurora and placed both hands on her shoulders. Smoke engulfed her and when it cleared she was in the form of a large reddish brown wolf. Regina did the same to Kathryn and Dorothy, giving them their own wolf forms, gold and dark brown respectively. The others shifted as well and tails went to wagging and as they mixed scents and got accustomed to each other once again. Ruby was about to lead the Run when she heard a woof noise. Everyone froze and looked around until they noticed Maleficent. The dragon had finally taken a wolf form of her own. She was large and powerfully built with long jet black fur and two great horns spiraling out of her head. Shang and Marie leaped on top of her and Mulan touched noses with her. Lily did a little happy dance, excited to finally Run with her mother.
Ruby howled and took off with her pack at her heels. Regina and Jack ran on either side of her doing flips off of trees and bouncing up and down. The Dark Wolf was not going to take away their happiness and fun. If it wanted a war then they would be happy to give it one. Tonight though...tonight was about fun and happiness and family. Tomorrow...would be another story.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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