Warming The Cold One - 1. Tracking the Cold One

I didn't think I signed up for this when I agreed to be the exclusive security vendor for a lycan pack. My expertise was in computers and physical penetration security. I could tell you all the ways someone could break into your home or office. I hardened data centers and water stations. I never imagined I would be under cover following a movie star and model. I never dreamed I would have to put my life on the line just because I needed a paycheck. However, I got really good at it. So, here I am at an empty hole in the wall gym faking my way through a membership pitch.

“Mr. Ros? Do you understand the pricing scheme? Are you listening?”

“Huh, oh yeah. $300 deposit now and I get it back in the form of a free six months once I am a member for three years.” I go back to watching the guy on the other side of the club.

“Oh, yeah that's about it. Do you want to set up using ACH or via a credit card?”

I fish out my wallet and flip my company AMEX on the desk for her to use. I knew the moment I saw him over there that this was going to cost me the whole contract.

“That's odd, it's asking to call and prove a pass code. I've never seen that before even on a super secured account.”

“Oh sorry,” I turn towards her and whisper the code on her ear. “Jackson.”

“That worked! I guess all that is left is to tell you ‘Welcome to our club’.”

I take my welcome packet and head toward the locker room to change. I go down the second to last row and take the locker right next to the only one with a lock on it. I put on my shorts and shirt and head back on to the club floor. I know he is working his chest, so I know it is safe to head to the rowing machines for now. He may not know it, but I will be saving his life within the hour.

Thirty minutes into my rowing, I hear him heading to the locker room. I get up and watch to make sure no is following him. Safe so far. I go in and head to where our lockers are at. I see his stuff is out and he has headed to the showers already. I quickly grab a towel and almost run to keep an eye on him. I stand a couple pillars away as I shower but get caught when my pendants clink together. He looks up and I turn my back toward him, but it is too late. He has seen the tattoo on the front of my left shoulder already. I curse under my breath hoping he will ignore me.

“You new here?” Shit, now he wants to talk.

“I just joined today. Three-year membership.”

“They saw you coming!”

“It's all good I needed the financial reason to get in shape.”

“Liar. You are in just as good of shape as I am. You just need some bulk.”

“Fine, I came in here to join because you were here. I saw the Cold One that is the backup to the great Cold One himself and figured it was a good place to join.” I turn off my shower and wrap a towel around my waist. He follows suit and we head back toward

“Funny you mention my movie career, I hated playing the supporting actor.”

“There were other people in those movies?”

“Huh?” He half laughed for a second. “Wait a minute, are you saying you watched me come in the back door and decided to join because...”

“Stop, don't say another word. Get dressed, NOW!” I run after a guy I see turning to leave. I grab the needle out of his hand and throw it in the oddly conveniently placed sharps box by the training room door as I continue to chase him. I catch him before he gets out on to the floor. I grab the pendant out from beneath his shirt. “Tell Jake to go back home.” He stops for a second and thinks for a second about what I said before running for the front door.

I get back to the lockers and he is sitting there frozen. I take a second to look him over for personal reasons later. “You are going to be fine. Sorry I yelled but you need to get dressed. It's not wise to stay right now.”

“Who was that? Why did he have a needle? Why did you chase him?”

“Not now, put on your pants and we'll go out to my truck. I think you need my services more then you know.”

“Who are you?”

“I'm the guy that just saved your life and is going to either keep you safe and alive or the guy that you will hate until the end of time because I kept you alive.” I get dressed and make sure we have all our stuff before we head to the back door. I push the door open and look around before we cross the small employee lot to my truck.

On the drive over to my office, I cannot help but wonder if I will be able to keep my word to Toby. Things are not going like we planned. As we get to my office, he starts to ask questions finally. “Your office is in an apartment complex?”

“Yes, I rent two units next to each other, so I don't have a long commute.”

“No wonder you wanted a gym membership.”

“I deserve that one. So, tell me, how do you know Jake?”

“Jake? Jake who?”

“Oh crap, where do I start then?”

“How much of that movie series do you believe in?”

“Movies are fake.” He looks at my serious face. “I'm guessing not enough in your mind.”

“Well let's just say the lycanthropy era never came to a close.”

“Werewolves? You think I would believe in werewolves? Do you think vampires are real too?”

“Well not vampires. Lycans do exist; I exist.”

Needless to say, my charge was not too impressed. He gave me a strange look and then laughed. I shook my head and pointed to the couch on the wall of the “conference room”.

“I know you don't believe me but it's true. Before you say anything though, I know you saw the tattoo. You recognized it. That's why I thought you knew who Jake was.”

“Yeah, I've seen that tattoo before, but it was on one of the lighting guys from the third movie. He was the only one that was willing to do the setup for the snow scenes. He said that the cold did not affect him that much. He took his shirt off anytime he was warming up between scene changes. I always meant to ask him what it means.”

“It is a mark of ownership passed down by the alpha of a pack to the other members. It is a visual reminder when there are many packs in one place that he or she is with what pack. Did his match mine or just look like mine?” I take off my shirt to make sure he remembers what mine looks like. “It is very important in my charge to protect you.”

“His was smaller and closer to his hip. It was more harsh lines and less picture then marking.”

“That means he was one of Jake's watchers. The higher up the body the mark is, the more powerful the change. Watchers can just transform but are not very strong. Mine is from a different pack. We like to blend a bit more into the mainstream, so we do not use harsh lines. We want the mark to look more like a fine art tattoo. Mine being on the shoulder means I am a much stronger transformer. I was changed by the alpha himself and then given a much more important role then watcher. I have since taken that role and made a business out of it.”

“Say I believe you; how does this have anything to do with me?”

“Jake wants you for his pack.”

“Why me? Does he think I'll give him money or something?”

“No, he wants you because you are an outstanding specimen of a male. You would be his personal omega and poster child for getting others to join his pack.”

“Omega? Like a god or something?”

I laugh a little bit. “No, the omega is the lowest position in a pack and the one that the alpha beats up on and in his case fuck whenever the ladies are not available. There are a few levels of wolf status. The alpha and his mate, usually called a luna, are the leaders. The betas are seconds in command and do a lot of the smaller legal things. Usually the sheriff is a beta. Gammas can have different roles depending on the pack but are usually the warriors. Omegas are normally the pack scum. My pack as well as many others don’t even classify omegas because we don’t want to put down our members. Everyone one else is unranked and there is nothing wrong with that either.”

I wait for the look of shock to leave his face before I continue. “There is another reason he wants you to join him.”

“I don't care what that freak wants. He is not going to rape me!”

“You should care because the other reason is, I am supposed to protect you so my alpha can ask you to join us. He’ll do anything he can to prevent that.”

He starts to raise his voice. “What? I am not a werewolf! I will never be a werewolf!”

I snap back at him. “Your family was!”

“Maybe you didn’t do your research correctly. You don’t think my parents would have told at least one of the eight of us that we were descended from werewolves. I hope you know I grew up in North Dakota and Arizona. My extended family is huge. Someone would have said something even as a joke, but no one has. Not ever!”

“Hold it! Just think for a moment. A huge family, kind of like a canine litter? Let me explain, please.” I take a breath before I continue. “Five generations ago, your ancestors went into hiding just after the civil war broke out. They hid in the hills of the Dakotas. They stopped changing for fear of being discovered by wolf hunters and had to rely on the tiny amounts of regular food available to a displaced family of twenty. They hit hard times in those hills and the family nearly starved a few times. Most of the elders did not make it through the winter as they gave up their food to feed the youngest generation. It is custom at age 20 for boys and 25 for girls to be changed on the vernal equinox but no one was changed. They were still genetically lycans but never received the gift to change. Some didn’t even know that they were lycans because no one was there to explain it. By the time they could have left hiding, no one was left to pass on the gift.”

“So, you are saying that I am a werewolf that doesn't change?”

“Basically, yes that is what I am saying.”

“Prove it! Prove to me that this isn’t some wild story.”

“Okay, I will.” I get up from my chair and turn my back to him. I take off my shirt and pants before I get on my hands and knees. I hear him say something about the pendants around my neck looking like a collar. Just then, he screams as he watches fur start to grow down my back. I keep the change from totally completing so I can still talk to him. I turn around and ask if that is enough proof for him.

“What the fuck are you?”

I finish the change to wolf form. His jaw hits the floor as the most beautiful red wolf stands just five feet from him. I chuckle a bit inside since he is right that the pendants I wear are kind of like a collar when I change. I slowly walk toward him while watching to see if he going to freak. As I get next to him, he puts his shaking hand on my head. I politely sit and let him look me over. I can literally hear his inner wolf screaming out to me. Toby was right that he is missing descendant of the lost Red Pack of the Dakotas.

After a few minutes, I walk back over to my clothes and let my wolf form go. The fur recedes back down and I stand up with my back to him. I put my clothes back on and return to my favorite leather chair. His mouth still has not closed since I fully changed to my wolf form.

“That enough proof? We both know that your inner wolf called out to you.”

“I felt that before but never really knew what I was feeling. You were so beautiful.” He blushes very deeply at his own last comment. “I still am feeling a little overwhelmed. I felt the wolf pulling me toward you, but I was so scared I couldn't move.”

“That is natural in this situation. Not everyone reacts so well when they see me change. I did slow it down a lot. Normally I can change in about 2 seconds.”

Next to my chair is a crystal dish of candies. I offer him one, but he declines. I take a breath and ask again. “Take the candy.” He starts to shake his head but suddenly takes the candy from my hand. “Good boy. Now eat it. It will mask your wolf senses for a while.”

“Whoa, I hate candy, but you just made me eat it. What did you do?”

“I used a very ancient pack trick. You wolf calling out means he is seeing me as superior to him. All pups obey those above them in the hierarchy automatically and I used that against you. The candy will do what I said it would. Your wolf needs to be masked for a while longer.”

He thinks for a minute before just saying “Oh.” He lies down on the couch and I can tell he is very much on overload. The moment his head hit the arm of the couch he falls asleep. The candy also had a bit of a sleeping drought in the center made to taste like oranges.

I pick up my phone and call a number with no name on it. “Yes, I am positive he's going to be a problem. His wolf was far more powerful than we thought. I used my spirit sight and there a very strong wolf spirit. Are you sure there was not another crossing of the lines? I am sure that Jake is just outside of the boundaries waiting. I can keep him here, but I doubt I can do it without locking him in the blue room. I know that will drive his wolf crazy, but I don't know what else to do. Yes Alpha, I will call for backup to cover us when you give the word. I agree that the camp is too far yet in one go, but I have contacts in Mossyrock that will give us a place to rest before getting to the camp. I await your call.”

“Where are we going?”

I jump a bit. “Shit, you scared me Cold One.”

“You know my name-”

“No! Do not say anything. I use Cold One because I cannot say your real name until you are ready. You will go with me to our camp though, right?”

“I was getting the impression that if I didn't you would order me to.”

“I can't force you to make that choice. Coming with me to the camp means you agree to go down the rabbit hold so to speak. It means that in all likelihood, you will be giving up your human life forever. You can't go back once we leave.”

“So, if I say no, I leave and some werewolf, I mean lycan, gets to use me as a sex toy? I think your camp sounds like the better deal.”

“There is a third option...”

“What is behind door number three?”

“I use a very painful to preform incantation that would kill your wolf spirit forever.”

“Painful in what way?”

“You would forever loose the wolf's voice in your head. The last person that had it done to him went crazy within a week. He killed himself a month later. His letter said the silence was deafening. The caster did not fare as well. His heart stopped the moment the last word was spoke. It was like the life was destroyed down to his spirit core.”

“You would kill yourself for me, wouldn't you?”

“Yes,” I said before I could control my response. “I would give my life if you asked me to silence your wolf.”

“When do we leave for this camp then?”

“We leave very soon. Toby will call when it's clear.” I walk over to a desk in the corner and turn on the equipment sitting there. “Ham radio is the best way to communicate with others right now.” I start tapping out a message to the local enforcers to prepare for the trip. I then call the waypoint I needed to use to make sure we can stay for a few hours. Within minutes, all is set for the trip. “Will you grab the two backpacks just inside the door at the end of the hall?”

“Shit! What is in these things?”

“The portable equipment I need when I'm not in the office. You'll carry the smaller green one there. I figured it was an easy color choice for Mr. Love in Earth tones.” At this point, he gives me a raspberry. “Hush. When we leave here, head straight for the woods behind my truck. From there we will get a ride to the waypoint.”

“Why not take your truck?”

“I can't drive as a wolf. You will be on an ATV taxi of sorts. These woods are interconnected from here to the California border.”

The phone rings. I grab the larger backpack and answer the phone on the third ring. I motion for him to put on the backpack as I talk with Toby. As soon as I hang up, we head out the door. I tell him to just head towards the woods as I lock up. We enter the woods and go about five hundred feet before there is a clearing with a large cat lying, on the ground, sunning himself next an ATV 4-door and driver.

“Is that a werecat?”

“No, a real lynx. They are native to the Northwest. While you are riding you can pet him but just don't pull his ears, he hates that.” I wave to the driver. “Boon, let's go!” Boon walks over to our guest and purrs before climbing in the ATV. I put my clothes in my pack and transform to my wolf form. The ATV starts heading down the forest roads. I follow them heading toward the man who will help us get to the camp safely.

About 5 miles outside Mossyrock, the ATV starts to slow down and we stop in a clearing exact to the one we left 3 hours ago. I change back and we start to head to the edge of the trees. I push through and we walk about ten minutes until a cottage is in sight.

“Is this it?” My travel companion is looking a bit tired. “I thought I was in shape but riding in a bumpy ATV takes it out of you.”

I laugh a little bit. “No, we are not there yet. This is a safe place for you to rest. I knew you would never make it to the camp in one go. No one has yet. Well, not no one, but it hasn't been done in a long time.”

“It was Jake, wasn't it?”

“Yes.” I turned to look at him. “He is the only changed being with a hard enough butt to make it to a safe camp without stopping for a break. If you were changed, I would be the one holding you back. The power you hold inside you is indescribable. However, enough of that for now. Let's go inside.” I point to the door on the front of the building.

Upon entering, I see the man I am looking for. I walk over to him and give him a hug. “Thank you for helping me Erik. I don't know if I could do this without you.”

“There is nothing I wouldn't give my puppy. I see now why you needed the help. It changes things now that we found him. How much does he know?”

“How much of what do I know?” I feel the cold one walk up to Erik and me. “All I know is that he is protecting me from being taken as a toy.”

“Well said. I didn't think anyone but you could do it. I know you can keep him safe from harm. Just do not lose sight of that goal. When you two are ready, I'll have the truck out back stocked for the trip.”

“Thank you, Erik. We will see you soon.” I turn and motion towards a table in the back. “We eat.”

The meal brought to us was excellent, as I knew it would be. The chef always made the best steaks for both humans and non-humans. His was cooked medium and mine was barely rare. I do mine barely because for a steak to be rare, it must be at least warmer in the center then when it was in the kitchen refrigerator.

“This one of the last cooked steaks I'm ever going to have isn't it?” I looked up from my plate and laughed. “I'm serious! I like steak but I like it cooked.”

“You will not have to give up cooked steak. I chose to eat mine this way because I like rare steak. I liked it as a human and I like it even more now. I guess I should tell you the only thing you can't eat if you chose to accept the change.” I tilt my head a little. He sees I want him to guess.

“I thought dogs could eat anything.” This draws the stares of the few other people in the room.

“Well I can tell you from personal experience, don't eat anything bigger than your head!” That received laughter from everyone but who really needed the laugh.

“Funny.” He drops his head. “Why am I here? Why did I let you bring me here? Why can't I be normal for once?”

I lift his head up. “Look at me.” I stare straight into his eyes. “You are here because you want to be here.” I pause for a second. “You are here because when I gave you the option, your heart told you I was telling you the truth.”

“I...” A tear rolls down his face. “I am so scared right now. I should have never been in the Seattle area to begin with. I am three days late for a shoot in LA. I just felt the need to go back to a city I felt at home in. We spend so much time there when we were shooting those five movies. I should be doing my life's work, but I just couldn't face another movie shoot.”

“It's okay. Come; let us head for the truck. You will feel better once we talk with Toby.” I lead him out the back to the waiting truck. I tell him to get in the cab with Erik and I will ride in the back with the supplies. He tries to protest but Erik steps in and shuts him down.

Inside the truck, Erik starts up his normal but nosy conversation. “You like him, don't you?”

“What? No. I just have trust in him. He will not even tell me his name. He won't say my name or let me say it.”

“I understand. Tell you what, I'll tell you his name.” Knowing I hear everything being said in the cab, I nod as he is checking his rearview mirror. “Call him Ros. It is the name he goes by right now.”

“Right now? Doesn't he like his real name?”

“He, like you, cannot have his real name said aloud. When you are in hiding as a lycan, the simple act of someone saying your name can make others notice where you are.”

“Did he do something wrong? I mean, why hide? Beyond the fact he can change into a wolf.”

“He made an enemy of someone. The only way he is going to be able to come out of hiding is to face his fears of forgiveness. I know the person he wronged, and they will never forgive him. There will be a fight.”

“He has to fight Jake, doesn't he?”

“Yes. He and Jake did not see eye to eye on something. Jake had the popular opinion and Ros will do anything to make sure that Jake doesn't get what he wants.”

“I guess I’m glad he found me. I heard you call him your puppy. How did you two meet?”

“I hired him out of college. I run a security company and Ros was the best I’d ever seen. I gave him a few jobs here and there and before long he was my best employee. I sent him to meet who is now his alpha a few years ago so he could quote an upgrade contract. I never guessed he’d join the pack.”

“This Toby fellow isn’t your alpha too?”

Erik laughed. “I’m no wolf, but I knew that Toby was a pack alpha. He has been a great client and has referred a lot of business my way. Trust he will never do anything to harm you. You have my word as an untrusting professional spy.” Erik turned the truck down a long dirt driveway. “We're here.”