Warming The Cold One - 35. Happy Hour is Always Popular

Susan stopped the van in front of a large building. “Here we are! This is our pack building.” She saw Tala and Jay’s eyes widen. “It also doubles as a hotel and conference center.” As they got out a man came over and took the keys from Susan. “Can you make sure the bags get up to the executive suite? Thanks, hun,” she said to the man as he got in the driver's seat.

Tala and Jay followed Susan inside and they got on an elevator. Susan scanned her key card and they started up. “This is so much more than I expected,” Tala said as the doors opened.

Susan smiled and led them down a hallway. “One of the many businesses we opened is an online technical consultancy. We help to plan out network expansions and fibre installations. Part of the contract we have with our pack members is that we will school them for free but in turn they will have to tithe 45% of their net income for 10 years. After 10 years, they are free to do with their money what they wish.”

Jay tilted his head. “That is a lot of money.”

“Yes, it is,” Susan agreed. “However, we find it a very small price to pay to get the best education for our pack.” She badged a door and opened it to reveal a medium sized conference room. “My husband will be with you shortly. Please help yourself to anything you would like from the fridge. There is coffee on the back table as well.”

Tala and Jay looked around the room and whistled. “Toby doesn’t even have anything like this, and he is the Clan Head,” Tala marveled.

Jay laughed. “He wouldn’t know what to do with it. He prefers doing meetings in the woods.”

A man walked into the room. “I would too but your idea of rain and mine are a bit different.” Tala and Jay faced the man as he smiled. “I’m Alpha Anthony Black Jr., but please just call me Tony.” He extended his hand for them to shake.

Tala grabbed his hand and shook it. “I am Tala, and this is my mate, Jay. It is a pleasure to meet you, Tony.”

Jay also shook his hand and Tony motioned for them to sit down. “I’m so happy you were able to come and make all of this official. This is a big day for my pack. We’ve worked hard for everything around us and it feels good to be able to contribute back. Whatever you need, you just let us know.”

“I appreciate that,” Tala began. “It feels good to be able to unite all of the American Clan back together.

“That is a big project,” Tony mused. “What are you going to do about all the things that were done?”

“We have put forth a motion to be compensated for the land stolen or have it restored to my clan.” Tala saw Tony pale. “Before you say it, I know it will cause some issues. I plan on using some of that money to restore some of the red wolf packs and the rest to rebuild the packs that were decimated.”

“Why would you spend money on red wolves,” asked Tony.

Tala frowned. “I have roots back to red wolves. It’s the reason my family was called the Red Pack.”

“I’m so sorry,” Tony apologized. “I didn’t know that. How many red wolf packs have you talked to?”

“So far it has just been the one,” Jay answered. “We are open to helping more, but they are not easy to find unless you already know where they are.”

Tony perked up. “I know just the person to help you. I’ll see if she can join us for dinner tonight.” Tony pulled some papers out of his bag and handed them to Tala. “Here is all the paperwork for you to sign.”

Tala flipped through the stack and read the different forms. He showed a few of them to Jay and pointed a few things out. “The council forms look good but I having issues trying to understand what the rest of them are.”

Tony got defensive. “I have an obligation to protect my pack. Those documents just ensure that our resources are allocated appropriately.”

Tala smiled. “I’ll have my legal team review these and we will get back to you on all the needed revisions. I have packs I have to protect as well.”

“I see.” Tony was a bit lost for words for a second. “Shall we move on to the tour?”

 

“Mom,” Wanda waited for Lyla to acknowledge her. “Hello, Mom. Are you even paying attention?” Wanda tapped on the side of the desk lamp so the shadows would move.

“I’m busy her!” Lyla looked up to continue yelling at whomever had bothered her. “Oh, sorry honey. I didn’t see you there.”

“I noticed that,” Wanda said with an edge to her voice. “It’s 12:30 already. Do you want to grab a quick lunch with me? I’ll pay.”

“I can wait a bit longer. Wait, you said 12:30?” Lyla looked at the clock in the corner of her computer screen. “Oh crap, I was supposed to check in with your father at noon.”

“Grab your purse and call him on the way to lunch.” Wanda turned to head toward the door. “I’ll see you at the car.”

Five minutes later they were driving toward an upscale restaurant. “Thank you for taking me to lunch. I just get so wrapped up in those cases.” Lyla dug through her purse and pulled out a mirror and some powder to fix herself up. “Your father was just getting out of court so being late was a good thing.”

“What case was it,” Wanda asked. “I didn’t think the county court was in session in this morning.”

“It was the land court,” Lyla replied. “He was trying to help someone with a deed dispute. I guess the delay was because no one had told the court the trust was in transition.”

“They get it figured out,” Wanda inquired.

“Yeah, I guess the judge was able to call the new person and she was able to clear up the issue. The trust lawyer was told just to proceed, and she’d sign off on it later today.” Lyla put the compact away. “I find it odd they would be changing the trust. It was so much easier when the calls could go to Ohio but now, I guess this person is from Washington.”

“Washington?” Wanda turned into the parking lot of the restaurant. “Why would they pick someone from Washington?”

“It is just as stupid as your brother,” Lyla declared.

“What happened,” Wanda asked cautiously.

“I told him he needs to find a new job. His boss can’t be asking him questions like that. Filling his head with the craziest things. You know he had Mattie believing in werewolves.” Lyla went quiet as the went inside and got seated. Once the waitress brought the drinks she continued. “I am just glad your father wasn’t in the office to hear that. That was another man I had to set straight about werewolves. His family encouraged him too. He used to talk about them all the time until I put my foot down. I told him no more.”

“Is that why we never see them anymore?” Wanda took a sip of her water. “I mean doesn’t Matthew have an aunt nearby?”

Lyla almost chocked on her cocktail. When she was done coughing, she glared as Wanda. “You will not ever talk about that woman ever again. You hear me, never again!” Lyla stood up and headed for the door.

Wanda got up and yelled after her. “Where are you going?”

“I’m taking a taxi to the house to change and then going back to the work you rudely pulled me away from.” She pulled out her phone as she got outside, and everyone could hear her yelling at the taxi company to hurry.

Wanda sat back down, and the waitress creeped over to the table. “Is everything alright?”

“Yes. I’m sorry about that. Can I just get a grilled chicken house salad to-go and the bill?” Wanda pulled out her phone and quickly sent a text message. Your mom is nuts, but Dad should be between cases so call his cell phone.” She made sure to include the number and put her phone away at the same time her boxed up salad arrived.

“Is there anything else I can get you,” the waitress asked as Wanda pulled out her credit card.

“My last half hour back so I could have chosen to not try to take my step-mother to lunch?” Wanda sighed. “Never mind on that, it wouldn’t have helped.”

“I understand. That woman is never happy unless everyone else isn’t.” The waitress squeezed Wanda’s hand. “On the plus side, we run a very popular happy hour when all her coworkers come here in the evenings to share horror stories.”

 

Matthew checked the message on his phone and immediately clicked on the number Wanda had sent him and waited for it to connect. A man answered. “Hello?”

“Dad? It’s me,” Matthew answered.

“Matthew? Is something wrong,” Duane sounded a bit panicked.

“I’m fine Dad,” Matthew said trying to calm him down. “I tried calling you at the office earlier but ended up being lectured by Mom about how bad my job is.”

Duane sighed. “You know your mother.” He looked at his watch and saw he only had about ten minutes left before court. “I have to be back in court soon. What did you need?”

Matthew took a breath. “Dad, are we lycans?”

Duane froze for a second. “Where did you hear that?”

“It was one of the top guys that run the department I work for. He was very convincing,” Matthew answered.

Duane started to panic again. “Give me five minutes. I need to make a quick call. Do not call your mother again. I’ll call you back as soon as I can.”

Matthew was just about to agree when the line went dead.

 

Duane opened his briefcase and pulled out a number. He quickly dialed it and it rang three times before being answered. “Hello, this is Savannah.”

“Hello Savannah, this is Duane Dickerson. Can I ask a favor?” Duane asked with a tone that said he was dripping concern and panic.

“What can I do for you Duane,” Savannah asked.

“My son is having an emergency at his work,” Duane explained. “I need to see what I can do to help. Is there any way we can postpone this afternoon's docket? I haven’t done enough for him, and I really need to deal with this.”

“I didn’t know you had a son! I thought you only had a daughter,” Savannah replied in shock.

“Yes, my son Matthew works down in Ohio. I pulled some strings to get him an amazing job and I think I made a mistake. Things are all falling apart.” Duane was almost on the verge of tears.

Savannah heard Matthew’s name and it was almost like an electric shock. “I will call the judge right now. All that was slated for this afternoon was boring busy work and I will just file it and we can deal with getting it signed off later. You need to help your son! He is going through a lot right now and he needs his dad to help him with the truth.”

“Wait, what?” Duane’s head was spinning. “I don’t understand.”

“I know a lot more than you thought about what goes on in this area,” Savannah offered as her only explanation. “Go, I will talk to you later. When this is all done, I’ll treat you to some pie over in Amidon. Your sister-in-law's place is mighty tasty.”

Duane just made odd noises over the phone before he pulled himself together. “I’m so confused right now. I’ll talk to you later.”

 

Duane got in his car and paired his phone to the car’s Bluetooth. He pulled out of the courthouse parking lot and headed north. He hit redial on Matthew’s call entry and he heard it ring and connect. “Matthew?”

“Yeah Dad, I’m here,” Matthew answered.

“Good, I’m heading out of town so you might hear a few clicks. I got the rest of my docket cleared for the afternoon, so I am all yours.” Duane was still suppressing his panic.

Matthew sounded wistful. “Then it’s true? Our family is lycan?”

Duane took a breath. “Yes, our family is lycan. I should have told you, but I was proscribed from speaking of it by your mother. My family blackballed me and my kin from the pack lands. I have been without my pack for over two decades.”

“Dad, what do I do now? My boss was asking out our family and what do I tell them?” Matthew started to weep a bit. “I don’t know who I am. I don’t know how I got here.”

Duane sighed. “I got you that job.” He heard Matthew gasp. “I talked to my old alpha secretly and I got you that job because I wanted you to be able to get away from here and be your own man. I didn’t know that it was the Lycan Council until later. I guess I just couldn’t stop you when I heard you were going. I never dreamed they would figure out that you were unturned.”

“They didn’t,” Matthew exclaimed. “It’s complicated but the only person that even had a clue was a guy named Tala.”

Duane hiccupped. “Did you say Tala?”

“Yes, that was his name. I guess he is my boss’s brother,” Matthew added.

“They told you that,” Duane asked.

“No, he just acted weird the one time I met him. It was his mother that started all of it.” Matthew explained how the conversation with Beth led to the meeting with Hawk.

“Now I get it,” Duane said to himself.

“Get what,” Matthew asked.

“Never mind that. I just think I have added up part of what is really happening,” Duane mused. “I need to talk to your boss. I think he can shed some light on the missing pieces.”

“Let me see if I can find him really quick.” Matthew got up from his desk and started walking back toward Hawk’s office. “Do you want me to have him call you?”

“Find him first and then we’ll see,” Duane replied.

Matthew got back to the office and knocked on the open door. “Hawk, this may sound weird, but my dad said he wants to talk to you.”

Hawk looked over at the door and waved him in. “Close the door and put him on speaker.”

Matthew closed the door and walked over to the desk. He hit the speakerphone button and set the phone down gently on the desk. “Dad, I have you on speakerphone.”

“Hello, my name is Duane Dickerson. I don’t know where to start. I’m just a bit floored that you were able to expose my family as being lycan, I guess.”

“Totally understandable Duane,” Hawk comforted. “I am Sir Haih Bia'isa, the pack representative for the Boise Pack and the number three person for all of the American Clan, but please call me Hawk. I’m sure that Matthew has explained that the clan head is my half-brother. I’m not sure how much you know about him, but his name is Tala.”

“Yes, I have heard of Tala. I just don’t understand what Tala’s mother is doing in Amidon,” Duane said still sounding a bit confused.

“Ahh, yes. Well, you see, Tala’s mother Karla grew up there,” Hawk was cut off.

“I remember Karla,” Duane exclaimed. “My wife’s younger sister Beth was friends with her. I didn’t really get to know her much before Lyla and I got into some trouble.”

“Anyway, Karla’s family has homesteaded in that area all the way back to before the American Clan was wiped out,” Hawk continued before being cut off again.

“No! Those two old coots are descendants of the Red Pack? That figures!” Duane stopped talking out loud and returned to the call. “Sorry, it’s just things are starting to make more sense.”

“If you are referring to Karla’ parents, then yes, they are some of the last descendants of the Red Pack.” Hawk chuckled a bit. “I’ll have to make sure to tell Tala you called his grandparents coots. I don’t think he has seen them for a very long time.”

“He hasn’t missed much!” Duane then scolded himself. “Sorry, back to topic. So, what is really going on?”

“Karla is in the area to take over managing all the lands. When Tala became the head of the American Clan, all the land holdings were transferred to him from the head of the Celtic Clan,” Hawk explained. “She is working with Savannah during the transition so they can plan where different packs will be. They will also have to plan out how to populate those areas effectively.”

“Okay,” Duane said. “I’m still missing something.”

“To be blunt,” Hawk responded. “He is going to resurrect having lycans on the Red Pack lands.”

“How much land do they hold?” Duane sounded confused. “I know the Red Pack was large, but I don’t know if there would be enough space around Amidon for more than one pack.”

Hawk was already prepared for that response. “The Red Pack lands stretch from South Dakota to Southern Manitoba. I promise there is plenty of space.”

Duane’s mouth fell open. “But there are lycans there already. It’s just not possible. My former pack has history back hundreds of years and we are not related to the Red Pack in any way.”

“That is something that Tala and Karla will have to deal with then. The closest pack to that land should be the Red Lake Pack in Minnesota. Master Tobias has all the records and deeds researched.” Hawk took a breath. “I’m sorry, I know that there are some issues that still need to be worked out. The biggest is what nomadic packs settled in the empty space without registering with the council.”

Matthew joined in the conversation now. “Dad, do you think you might have that information? I mean you are the guy that does most of the legal work dealing with the trust.”

“Uh,” Duane stammered. “I might. I would need to talk to my former alpha again.”

“Where is your former alpha located? I can see if I can get the records from their pack rep,” Hawk asked.

“That pack is based northeast of Amidon. It’s an off shoot from Red Lake. They are called the Dodge Spring Creek Pack. Their alpha’s name is Greyson Ali.”

“I know Greyson,” Matthew interjected. “He owns the Wolff’s Den Bar, doesn’t he?”

Hawk laughed. “Not very subtle. Why not tell the whole world?”

Duane wasn’t laughing. “This is going to cause some issues. Some really big issues. How is your clan going to deal with it? You can’t just kick them out.”

“I’m going to call and talk with Tala,” Hawk affirmed. “He needs to know what Karla is up against. I do agree we can’t just kick people out but there has to be some accountability when lycans are on someone else’s land.”

“Dad, Hawk, I still don’t know what to do about being a lycan.” Matthew looked torn if he was going to cry or scream. “I mean what is involved, does it hurt, will I become a monster?”

Hawk stood up and walked around the desk and gave Matthew a hug. “We will make sure you are taken care of. You have lots of options but those can wait for now. I need to make some calls now and I’m sure your father has some things to take care of as well.”

“I do but nothing is more important than talking to my son about this,” Duane said with great pride.

“No Dad, you do what you need to do. I have to get back to work. I am helping to cover the desk on the 21st floor this evening while the moving team is working.” Matthew sniffled. “I love you dad. I’ll call you later tonight.”

Duane sniffled as well. “Make sure you do. Also, give Hawk my number and have him pass it along to Karla. I have a feeling I’m going to be doing a lot of work with her in the next few days.”

Matthew and Hawk heard Duane hang up. Hawk hugged Matthew again. He put his finger under his chin and made him look up. “Don’t be afraid. I promise this will all turn out. Now go run upstairs before we hear the wraith of Avery.”

 

Tony pulled the cart up to the curb of the main pack building. “I hope I didn’t bore you too much with the tour.”

“The tour was great,” Jay answered. “It’s amazing how well laid out everything is.”

“We have teams of planners that just work on land improvements and amenities,” Tony said with pride.

Tala looked around the suburban jungle. “So where do you have your outdoor recreation areas? I know there has to be a place for you to go for a nice relaxing run.”

“Oh, I thought I pointed out our running complex,” Tony replied looking confused.

“You did,” Tala started. “I was meaning as a wolf. I know my wolf wouldn’t accept artificial track surface or concrete when he wants to run.”

“I don’t understand.” Tony admitted. “We don’t need to run anywhere. If we need to get somewhere, we have these carts or cars if it is outside the walls.”

“I’ll be clearer,” Tala said tersely. “Where do you go when you are wolves? You must have a place where you can just let loose and have fun with your pack. Places you have your ceremonies.”

“Why would we have that? We are all professionals here,” Tony stated flatly. “You must understand. You come from money.”

Jay looked over and saw Tala turning red. “Let it go. Every pack has their quirks.”

Tala took a breath and put on a fake smile. “Yes, they sure do.”

As they walked back inside Tony perked up. “There they are! Please, I would like you to meet Clifford and Ruth. Clifford is my beta and oversees our education department.”

Jay and Tala shook Clifford’s hand. “Wonderful to meet you,” Clifford said before Tony continued.

In an even more boisterous tone Tony introduced Ruth. “This young enchantress is my daughter Ruth. She acts as my personal liaison to Brayan and the rest of the council.”

Ruth grabbed both of their hands and shook them firmly. “It is a great pleasure to meet you both. I have heard wonderful things from Brayan.”

Tony kissed his daughter's cheek and turned to the rest of the men. “Should we head up to my office for a while or do you need some time to go over things?”

Tala looked over at Jay and Jay saw the look in Tala’s eyes. He turned to Tony. “I think we need to rest for a bit. Neither of us are used to the Florida heat.”

“I totally understand. It is a bit warm today.” Tony looked over at Clifford. “Can you show them up to their room? I want to discuss some things with Ruth before dinner.”

Clifford smiled painfully. “Yes, of course Alpha.”

They watched Tony and Ruth walk toward the elevator that led up to the office suites. “I’m sorry. It must be hard,” Tala said flatly.

“I’m sorry,” Clifford said not really understanding.

“I can read people. It’s one of my gifts. I saw the pain when we shook hands.” Tala waited for Clifford’s mouth to close. “I won’t say anything, but she does look a lot like you.”

“Shh,” Clifford hushed Tala. “Not here.” Clifford looked around. “Follow me.”

 

The three men walked over to a different set of elevators, and they got off on the fourth floor. Clifford opened a set of French doors that led into a large suite. “This is our VIP suite. It has an excellent view of the water. If you need anything, please pick up the phone and let someone downstairs know.” Clifford then turned to leave.

“Clifford, wait. We have a few questions for you.” Tala motioned to a sectional sofa.

“I don’t think it is my place to say,” Clifford stammered.

“Please sit down,” Jay encouraged.

Clifford tentatively sat down. His voice sounded like it was stuck in his mouth when he tried to talk. “What kind of questions?”

“What do you know about the paperwork he gave us earlier,” Tala questioned.

Clifford flushed. “I, I, I told Ruth it was a bad idea.”

Tala nodded. “I thought as much. Do you know who he was inviting to dinner? We were told he knew of an expert on Red Wolf packs.”

“That would be my wife, but she is out of town.” Clifford pondered for a minute. “Why would he want to talk about Red Wolves though? He hates them and thinks we should wipe them out.”

“That explains why he back-pedaled.” Jay chuckled a bit. “He did look quite shocked when we told him Tala has Red Wolf ancestry.”

“He didn’t know,” Clifford questioned out loud. “I know for a fact Ruth knew because I was in the room when Brayan told her. It was after that she drafted those extra documents.”

Tala took a breath and looked out the window. “Two can play his game.”

Clifford tried to interpret Tala’s words and got a weird look on his face. Jay saw it and just decided to tell him what he thought Tala was planning. “Based on Tala’s face, he is upset he has to break another alpha.”

Tala cut Jay off and turned to Clifford. “How well liked is Tony? I mean is the pack loyal to him?”

“I haven’t heard many complaints, but we do have a large issue with people leaving between high school and college.” Clifford thought for a second. “I think I see about a 50% turnover on pack enrollment each summer.”

“What do you mean,” Jay asked.

“I mean that 50% of people in their mandatory service period will break their contracts and leave the pack,” Clifford explained.

Jay looked taken aback. “That’s a lot of people, how do you have so many pack members if they are always leaving?”

“We just recruit more,” Clifford said like it was normal. “Wolves from all over the world apply to come here.”

“But then they leave,” Tala asked.

“Our program is intense,” Clifford started to explain. “Most start having social interaction issues. They say they just feel cramped, and they can’t handle it anymore.”

Tala nodded his head. “When was the last time you went for a run?”

“I run every day,” Clifford said proudly. “Ten kilometers every morning.”

Tala frowned. “No, I said. When did you last go for a run? A real run.”

Clifford started to squirm. “Um, I think I better go. I am having some control issues and I don’t want to embarrass myself.”

Tala spoke before Clifford could move. “Stop.” Clifford froze in place. “Now tell me, when did you last go for a run?”

Clifford started to cry. “I snuck out about a month ago at night and went down to the beach. Someone found me before I had even five minutes as my wolf. I was lucky that I didn’t get punished too much.”

“Why get punished for running as your wolf,” Jay asked.

“I have an image to uphold and the whole pack needs to be productive. We can’t just be running around like wild animals,” Clifford answered.

Tala walked over and put his hand on Clifford’s shoulder. “I have gotten in the habit of suppressing some of my gifts when I meet people, but your wolf is crying out in pain beyond belief.” Tala touched his hand and stood in awe. “Now I can see the truth. I am going to take care of this.”

Jay looked over at Tala with a concerned look. “Do I want to know?”

Tala shook his head. He patted Clifford on the shoulder. “You go back home for now. I don’t want you to get in trouble right now.”

 

After Clifford left, Tala went over to one of his bags and pulled out a small octagon box and turned it on. The sound of white noise could be heard. He motioned for Jay to sit next to him with the box between them. Tala leaned in and whispered to Jay. “The room is bugged.”

Jay looked surprised. “Why?”

“Shh, they want to know if their secret is going to get out,” Tala whispered. “Their program pushes them to the limit by having them suppress all but the useful abilities. Tony also forgot to mention that if you break your contract, you owe for all the schooling you get, fines for breaking the contract and an odd sort of blocker on your wolf spirit. It was hard to decern since Clifford didn’t really know much about it.”

“So, what do we do,” Jay asked in a whisper as well.

“Let’s do some more reading of the paperwork we were given and see if we can find a loophole.” Tala smiled mischievously. “I will not let them suppress wolf spirits for money.”

Tala and Jay spent about two hours going over the mounds of paperwork and notes they had written. They had narrowed down to a few points and then Tala found the clause he was looking for. He opened his laptop and went to the program page for the training provided. He scanned through the FAQ section and the term and conditions and verified his suspicions. Tala looked at Jay. “Got it!”

 

Duane listened to the phone ring on the other end. ‘Come on pick up.’

Savannah was sitting in her office. “Hello?”

“Savannah? This is Duane Dickerson.” Duane sighed. “Can we talk?”

“Oh, hello Duane.” Savannah sounded confused why he was calling her. “It is about the delayed hearings? I told you we could take care of those later.”

“Yes and no. I just found out some information from my son’s boss that I think will impact some of those cases,” Duane replied. “It is going to blow a hole in everything I’ve been paid to fight for.”

“I am super confused,” Savannah confessed. “Can you explain that a bit better?”

“I’m sorry. I’ll try to explain it quickly,” Duane apologized. “My son works for a group down in Ohio. His boss got ahold of some information, and he called me about it. I then had to explain some things I hadn’t ever told him before. In all of that I learned who you really work for and that I think I have been working against my own beliefs.” Duane panted as he finished.

“Oh,” Savannah stammered. “I still think I’m missing something.”

“I used to belong to a pack not too far from Amidon. From what I heard today, they are squatting on someone else's land.” Duane paused for emphasis. “On the land you were managing, and I was fighting to take away from you.”

“Wait, what?” Savannah fought to focus for a moment. “How did I not know? Usually wolves can smell each other.”

“I haven’t been in a pack for a long time, my change wasn’t super strong, and I have been repressing using a supplement given to me by former alpha,” Duane explained. “If I hadn’t been, I don’t think we would be where we are today.”

“That clears up some of it,” Savannah said. “The next thing to clear up is who is your son’s boss?”

“Well, he’s kinda the brother of the head of the American Clan,” Duane meekly said.

“Oh dear,” Savannah exclaimed. “This could get interesting. Where should be meet?”

 

Tony welcomed Tala and Jay into his home. As they entered the living room Susan and Ruth stood up to welcome them. “I am so glad you were able to join us,” Susan said. “Dinner should be served in about ten minutes.”

“That is wonderful,” Tala answered with a smile.

“Can I get you anything to drink,” Ruth offered. “Water, coffee, sweet tea?”

“We are fine for now,” Jay replied. “Is there going to be wine with dinner?”

“Oh yes,” Susan bubbled. “We love to make sure our dinners are paired with only the finest wines. There is this new vineyard up in northern Georgia. It is better than all the wines in Napa Valley.”

 

Once the dinner of prime standing rib roast, mashed potatoes, succotash, asparagus, and pecan pie was over, they retired back to the formal living room. They sat on elegant furniture and sipped more wine. Tala finally broke the ice. “That was a very fine meal, and this is a very fine wine.” Tala held his glass up before taking another sip.

Susan gushed over the compliments. “I know, our staff outdid themselves tonight.”

“I was doing some more reading of that paperwork you gave me,” Tala mused. “You got quite a thing going here. I mean your pack obviously must like living this way.”

“Not all of them can live like this,” Susan corrected.

“I think what Tala meant is after they have fulfilled their contracts, they are able to live very well,” Jay said.

“I don’t think many in my pack would choose to be this lavish,” Tony stated flatly. “They work hard and sometimes that means you forgo some of the over-the-top luxuries.”

“That’s too bad,” Tala asserted very bluntly. “They should relish in the success of doing a good job. A good work life balance is important for a healthy mind.”

“Yes, of course,” Tony affirmed with a fake smile.

Tala turned to face Ruth. “You’ve been super quiet this evening.”

“I’m sorry,” she apologized. “I didn’t really have anything to add.”

Jay looked over and Tala and Tala nodded to go ahead with the plan. “I’m curious what learning tract you are taking. It must be hard to help Tony and do school.”

“I don’t have to do that,” Ruth answered with an acidic tone.

“I didn’t think so, but Jay was convinced you would want to make sure you set an example for the rest of the pack.” Tala smiled and turned to Tony. “You couldn’t let your daughter go through that kind of stress, could you?”

“I don’t like your tone,” Tony sneered in response.

“That’s a bit too bad isn’t.” Tala’s outburst shocked everyone except Jay. “I don’t like how you run your pack. I also don’t like being headed documents to blindly sign and file. I don’t like when people lie to me.”

Tony stood up in anger. “Wait a damned minute! I will not be spoken to like this in my own home.”

Tala stood up and stared into Tony’s eyes. A few seconds later Tony blinked in defeat. Tala’s voice stayed cool and focused. “Good pup, it’s always a good idea to yield in a case like this. It could prevent things from getting any uglier.”

Susan looked on with terror in her eyes. Jay tried to comfort her. “Don’t worry, Tala isn’t going to hurt him unless he tries to hurt Tala.”

Tala stepped around the table and walked up to Tony. He reached out his hand, but Tony tried to recoil back. Tala grabbed his shoulder and frowned. “That was a big promise to keep, wasn’t it?”

“I, I, don’t,” Tony stammered. “I don’t know what you are talking about.”

“Yes, you do. Now so do I.” Tala smiled brightly at him. “I also now can fix it.”

“What’s going to happen,” Tony asked.

“I’m just going to right a few wrongs and then I’m going help make sure this pack continues to do well.” Tala turned to Ruth. “Tony might be feeling a bit under the weather for a day or two. Can you let Clifford know that he will be needed to fill in for him?”

Susan harrumphed. “Why would we need Clifford? I can fill in for him as we need to make sure we are always putting our best face forward.”

Jay answered before Tala could. “We feel it would be best if you stayed and cared for your husband. Clifford is better suited for the events of the next couple days.”

Tala added one thing. “Can you put out a pack wide news release that your pack is now part of the American Clan and that the transition will be overseen by Clifford and his wife? Oh, and call off the phony emergency that sent her away. She needs to be back here by dinnertime tomorrow.”