Warming The Cold One - 4. The Trophy Fights Back

“Jay? Are you here?”

Jay turns to Tala, “yes love. I never left your side. Toby and I have been taking turns watching over you in our room.”

“I feel weird now. I don't hurt but I itch.”

Toby speaks up. “Tala, that is the wolf spirit inside you. In your sleep your mark appeared, and I believe your spirit has left the fog of change.”

“Does that mean that I can change now?”

“We're not sure yet,” Jay says uneasily. “Toby was intrigued by your mark. It is like nothing we have ever seen.”

“Indeed,” Toby agreed. “You are for sure a true ancient bloodline. Your shoulder mark is very large and has the finest detail we have ever seen. We think it is your family heritage. All four of the family lines that made up your ancestors family tree.”

“I want to see it.” Toby hands Tala a mirror for each hand. “I know this mark. I think we have a painting of it in my parents' house. I was told it was passed down from my grandfather's father. It means Valor, Honor, Courage, and Love. It was damaged many years ago but we tried to help preserve the rest.”

“It's beautiful,” Jay says. “It suits you so well.”

“Thank you, Jay. But something isn't right; the part at the bottom isn't on the painting. It is near where the paining was damaged.”

“That Tala is your clan's symbol,” Toby explained. “It means Commitment. It is also the symbol of the fifth, and last, lycan bloodline.” Toby pulls his shirt up to show his left shoulder.

“I think it completes the image,” Jay said confidently.

“Yes Jay, it does,” Toby exclaimed. “I think that someone damaged that painting on purpose to hide stuff from your family.”

Tala’s mind started to feel caged in. “Toby, can we go outside for a second? All of a sudden I’m feeling a bit caged in.”

“I’m not surprised,” Toby answered. You have a lot of changes that have happened, and your body is ready to learn about them. You are free to do what you wish here.”

Tala leads the other two outside to the benches that he was on a few days ago. The forest smells the same as before but now he can smell all the creatures around him too. It's just starting to get dark and the moon can be seen rising just past the tree line.

After staring at the moon for a while, Tala finally speaks. “I want to try to change.”

Jay looks at Toby for what to say. Toby looks back and nods. “If you are ready, then you will change. I'm here for you. Be careful not to push yourself. Do you want me to change with you or do you want to do it on your own?”

“I think I need to do it on my own.” Tala gets up and then blushes. “Do you mind if you were to turn your heads.”

Both Jay and Toby laugh. “My dear pup,” Toby chuckles. “You are nervous to be naked in front of us?”

“You? The underwear model? Shy?” Jay teases.

“I, well, I guess you're right.” Tala pulls his shirt and pants off. He slowly takes off his underwear leaving himself bare for all to see.

“See, that is not so bad. Now kneel down on the ground. Let your spirit do the work.”

Tala got down on his knees and took a deep breath. He closed his eyes and released it. He relaxed his muscles and let his spirit free inside him. Instead of seeing a human form as his spirit, he noticed that it had taken a more canine shape. Inside of himself, he nodded to the spirit. It walked toward him and jumped up on to his conciseness.

He suddenly opened his eyes and sees the world around him change. Everything has a different hue to it. Less red color, less vivid greens, and an increase in blue by a tiny bit. Tala gets up on what he now realizes are his four legs. He smells the two men on the benches. Jay smells so good to him. Toby is different but not bad smelling. He is surprised he can understand the words the two men are saying.

“What species of wolf is he,” Jay asks.

“That my pup is a Great Plains wolf,” Toby replied. “The true wolf population has been protected for many years. He has a bit more red in him than normal Great Plains' because his family shared that trait. It was the reason they were called the Red pack.”

“Love, if you can hear me, you are the most beautiful wolf I have ever seen.” Jay pets Tala on the head. “Do you want me to join you in my wolf form so we can run as mates for the first time?” Tala licks Jay's hand.

“Jay, I think that is a yes. You will be safe now that the armband is gone and he has changed on his own. Just do not go too far.” Toby starts to leave.

“No problem. I will see you when we get back.” Jay strips of his cloths as Toby heads inside. “Ready or not Love, here I come.” Jay gets down on his knees and lets the change take him. He stands beside his mate and they lick each other's faces. Without making a sound the two wolves run out towards a clearing, they saw the other day. Once there, they start chasing each other and playing around in the grass. After many hours, the two wolves lie down on the grass next to each other and sleep.

In the morning, they head back to the compound. They get to the benches and Jay changes back. He puts his clothes on and sits on the bench. “Tala listen carefully now. You must take back control. Your spirit will not fight you, but you have to tell it to let go.”

Tala closes his eyes and asks his spirit to let him change back. The wolf form jumps back into his mental vision and goes over to the side of his mind and lays down to sleep. He opens his eyes and the world looks normal again. He stands up and Jay hand him his pants and shirt.

“Go ahead and leave the undies off. I know it feels weird for a while, but it is better in the long run. It also helps you get used to the changes in how things feel.”

The two men walk inside and find Toby coming toward them. “I see you two had fun.”

They both answer at the same time. “Yes!”

Toby looks worried. “Well, this may sound weird but I need you two to go downstairs for a while.”

“Okay, but why?” Jay looks courteous. “Tala is doing really well now.”

“Jay, Jake is going to be here in a few minutes. The council denied his claim on Tala and my lead guard posts have seen him coming our way. He is not alone. There is going to be a fight and you two are going to hide. No one is going to get to you if I can help it.”

Tala looks upset. “I can fight for myself.”

“No! You will hide. Jay take your mate downstairs!”

“Yes Alpha. Tala, let's go now.”

Jay and Tala lock the door to the downstairs room. Jay walks over to a panel on the wall and types in a code to set the hallway alarm. He knows it will not stop anyone from coming down, but he hopes it will give them enough time to prepare if Toby fails to stop Jake.

“Jay, why won't Toby let me fight?”

“He is afraid that you would not be able to stop.” Tala gives Jay a strange look. “If you were to ever see Jake, you would know him. Even in wolf form, you will know it is him that wanted to turn you to act as his pack's omega.”

“Why not just tell me who he is?” Tala is getting angry now. “It is my right to know.”

“I know, but I can't. I will not do that to you. It will crush you. When Jake is taken care of, I will ask Toby to tell you.”

“It can't be that bad Jay.”

Jay turned away from Tala for a second. “No, it's worse than you think.”

“If you won't tell me about Jake, tell me about you. How did you come be the security officer in Toby's pack?”

“I was born in Florida in the summer. My mother died during childbirth and my biological father put me up for adoption. My foster parents adopted me in the fall, and we moved to Atlanta. The week after I finished kindergarten, we were on a trip to Disney World to celebrate my birthday a little early. A semi-truck driver swerved to miss a car on the side of the road with a flat. He crossed into our lane and we went into oncoming traffic. They died at the scene from glass shards impacting them in the chest.”

Jay fought back tears before continuing. “My Aunt from Starbuck, WA came down to care for me in the hospital until we could fly back to her home. Auntie Emily was the best family I could hope for at the time. She never spoiled me but I never went without either. After high school, I went to a small community college close by to study security. I got a job in Seattle and worked for about two years before I met Toby. The moment we met, he took an instant shining to me. I setup his new system and he kept in touch for a while before he offered me a job. He needed a security team that could protect people and do surveillance. It wasn’t what I went to school for but I was good at it. I had been working for Toby for three years before I was assigned my hardest subject.”

“Who was it?”

“You. I had been watching you for a few months before the encounter in the club.” Jay laughed at himself. “I feel like I wasted my money now.” Jay started to tease, “all I had to do was show you a cute puppy and you were mine for the taking.”

Tala slapped Jay on the nose and laughed.

“Out of my way old man! I have come for what is mine.”

Toby faces Jake and calmly speaks. “I believe that your claim was denied. The one you seek is not yours.”

Jake goes from serious to annoyed. “If you will not give Oliver to me willingly, I will take him by force.”

Jake runs down the stairs toward the lower bedroom. The alarm sounds but it is not enough time to hide. Jake breaks down the door and sees Jay and Tala laying on the bed holding each other in fear. He pulls Tala away from Jay's embrace. He sees the still healing mark on Tala's collarbone and does not know what it is.

“What is this? “

“It's the mark of a mating bite. Jake, there is nothing you can do anymore. The one you are hell bent on taking cannot be taken by force anymore. His pack will protect him until their dying day. If you take him, we will take him back. An ancient of the Five Winds is a charge worth fighting for.”

Tala looks confused. “I'm a what?”

“You are getting absent-minded old man. There can never be five winds. There are only four families left. Yes, his was the fifth but you can only have four ancestors.”

Toby sneered a bit. “He can. His fifth family turned him.”

Jake looks indignant. He knows this is not possible.

Toby smiled at Jake. “That is what happens when my son turns his mate. Tala take off your shirt.”

Jake stopped where he was when he saw the mark with all fiver symbols on it. “No, you never had pups. Eva is sterile. You don't seem the one to have a fling on the side.”

“Jake, you are still the young fool I have always known. Sit down and I will explain.”

“I'll stand for this, thank you.”

“Very well, let me begin. When I was younger, I was in love with a woman I knew from school. We dated for many months before we decided to get married. I told her what I was and she still wanted me for her husband. One day she told me she was pregnant. I panicked a bit because she never wanted to be turned. My father, and then alpha, told me to wait it out and if she was in trouble to turn her. The day our child was to be born, she started to become very ill. There were too many people around to do what I needed to do.” Toby held back tears as he continued. “As soon as our baby boy was born, I tried to turn her. It was too late. She died before the venom could save her. I gave our son away. I couldn't stand to look at him.”

Jake paced a little bit before speaking. “Big deal! You made an heir you didn't turn.”

“Just pin your ears back young one. My father was on the council then. I shamed him so much that he left his position and tossed me on my grieving behind. I moved to Portland and started over. I got a job as an assistant accountant and soon learned enough to be a partner at the firm. Being of the third bloodline assured me a pack license when I decided to build a camp for exiled wolfs in these woods. About five years ago, I needed to upgrade the security here. I met a man in Seattle who specialized in the systems I needed many years before. He sent a young man to mock up the compound here and the moment I saw him I knew he was my son. Raised in Georgia until the age of five and then sent to live with his aunt in Washington when his parents died.”

Jay turned his attention from Jake and looked over at Toby. “You knew I was your son?”

“Yes, I knew it was you who was my missing son. I molded you and when the time was right, I turned you. Your mark is where it is because you are of long lycan lineage.”

“Great, so how does that make Oliver here of five winds?”

Tala looked over at Jake. He focused on Jake's eyes before he spoke softly. “I am who I am because of my mate. He didn't force himself on me like you did.” Tala's feelings are building up inside him. “I left you because you couldn't take no for an answer. Now that I know what that armband was, it sickens me that I thought you were sorry for hurting me.”

Jake's eyes told of just a small portion of the anger building up inside of him. He growled and then just short of a yell addressed Tala. “I told you then you were mine forever. You swore to me that there would never come a day you wouldn't love me. I was going to add you to my pack so we could control the council once again. Your lineage would cement me as the leader of all the lycans. You cost me the senior council seat.”

“I cost you nothing you arrogant sack of shit. You wanted the great Oliver Taylor to be your man slave. Well you failed!” Jay and Toby watch Tala as he stands up from the bed. They can feel the power surge in the room and know this will not be good. “I am no longer the Oliver you pine for. My spirit is free and my new name is Tala. You will leave my pack and me alone. Do you understand me?”

Jake starts to feel the power build up in the room and he fight to keep control. “I think you don't understand me. You will be leaving here with me now!” Jake switches to his alpha voice before he continues to speak. “Now get over here and march up those stairs!”

Jay's anger wells up deep inside him. Before he can say anything, Tala puts a hand on his shoulder. Deep down he knows he cannot be hurt by Jake but the reverse isn’t as true. He looks over to Toby with a silent question. Toby nods his answer. Tala looks back over at Jake and a smirk creeps up his lips.

“I will do no such thing. You on the other hand will wish you had left when Toby told you to. You see your alpha voice has no power over me. I out rank you and you know that. You may be an alpha because you started a pack, but I am an alpha spirit of ancient blood. Now you will kneel in front of me and you will apologize. Then you will leave this land.”

“I will never kneel to the likes of you.”

Tala points his finger at Jake. “I said KNEEL!” Sweat beads on Jake's face. “Jacob Alexander Warner, you will kneel NOW.”

Something snaps in Jake and he falls to the ground on both knees. His normal persuasive voice has failed him. Angry, Jake grits his teeth and crawls from the room before he runs as fast as he can to figure out what to do next.